How Minimalist Homeschooling Works
Hi there fellow homeschooler! If you’re like 99% of the homeschoolers who find this page, you’re struggling with stress, exhaustion, uncertainty, fear of inadequacy, temptation to buy all the homeschooling things, or some combination of the above.
Did I nail it? Yeah. That’s because I have been there.
Does this pattern sound familiar to you:
> Struggle and stress in your homeschool. Find something that may be the problem.
> Hit the internet looking for a solution to that perceived problem.
> Implement one, two… or ten of the most appealing internet solutions. Buy a new curriculum, rearrange your schedule, or try a new bright and shiny activity. The options are endless.
> Feel better for a while.
> Gradually feel stress and struggle seep back into your homeschool.
> Repeat.
When I wrote the book Minimalist Homeschooling, I knew that it was unlike anything I had seen available about homeschooling. I knew because I had personally been on that “stress, try something, stress again” roller coaster countless times. I felt like I was always missing something – homeschooling shouldn’t be this hard!
I was frustrated and overwhelmed. I was exhausted by the end of the day, but not quite sure what we had accomplished. I was juggling books, and kids, and needs, and “shoulds” like a boss, but still it was never enough.
Listen, if you are really happy in your tidy, stress-free homeschool, then this post isn’t for you. But, if you’re tired of being stressed by homeschooling, and constantly searching for new tips, and tricks, let’s chat. I’d like to be real with you for a bit – just one homeschooler to another.
Let me explain why and how Minimalist Homeschooling works, when other things we have attempted just don’t stick.
Reality Check #1
It’s not about the stuff
As a homeschooler, I have often been in that place where both the problems and the solutions to my stress seem to revolve around the stuff: the right stuff, the wrong stuff, too much stuff, not enough stuff…
Have you been there? Doubting whether you are using the right stuff? I mean, there are innumerable options – maybe you just picked the wrong one???
Unfortunately, this perspective was not very accurate, or helpful. The fact is, the real problem is rarely the stuff, and your homeschooling struggles probably have nothing to do with your stuff (or lack thereof).
Plenty of people homeschool with next to nothing successfully. Conversely, many people are happy homeschooling with all the beautiful things. Many homeschoolers have shelves, closets, and rooms filled with stuff, yet they still doubt.
Think about children all over the world using various resources, and classrooms using standardized resources. In both cases, some children enter adulthood happy and well-prepared, while others do not.
The only logical conclusion is that the books, supplies, and stuff are not actually the cause of a happy or successful homeschool. The resources are not the solution, nor the problem.
The real problem (and solution) is your mindset about how your stuff serves your child’s education.
I want to say that again, because it’s really important: The real problem (and solution) is your mindset about how your stuff serves your child’s education.
How Minimalist Homeschooling works is by ending our focus on the homeschooling stuff. We stop blaming the stuff for our problems, and we stop looking for stuff to solve them.
Reality Check #2
Tips and tricks will not permanently solve the problem
You will NOT eventually get to a happy and stress-free version of your homeschool by changing your stuff, and what you do with your stuff, without changing your thinking.
You probably know this deep down, but I’m going to put it right out there on paper, or a screen, rather:
You cannot keep chugging along, putting one foot in front of the other, trying new stuff, and hoping that things will fall into place with time, or more effort, or different books, or older children… or whatever you’re hoping will change the way your homeschool operates.
I told you I was going to be brutally honest. But seriously, I did exactly that for way too long: put one foot in front of the other, prayed a lot, tried a lot of tips and tricks, and thought that things would magically change when my circumstances changed.
Yes, many circumstances do affect a homeschool, but they don’t cause stress when you have a clear process.
When you have a solid foundation, you simply tweak your plan for your circumstances. When your homeschool foundation is solid, your confidence and clarity are unshaken by adaptations and circumstances. Homeschooling does not feel stressful, doubtful, or exhausting, even as life changes.
Avoiding stress is all about your process for designing a homeschool, not your circumstances, or what you use.
How Minimalist Homeschooling works is by getting to the root cause of your doubt, stress, busyness, insecurity, overwhelm, indecision, and exhaustion – not treating the symptoms.
So, here’s how Minimalist Homeschooling works, and why Simple is the New Smart (the Minimalist Homeschooling Master Class and Membership) are so different from all the tips and tricks we’ve all seen and tried.
#1 It’s not a Quick-Fix
Quick fixes are tempting. We do leave with a sense of hope, and often the tip solves our problem for at least a little while. Unfortunately, stress seeps back in after some time, and we’re left blaming some other circumstance or resource for the struggle. At best, we’re back to square one; at worst we’re back to square one AND we invested in some new supply or resource to try to solve the problem the last time – more stuff, and more money.
Too often, after a tip or trick, we are left back where we started, perhaps a few dollars poorer, and no happier in our homeschools. What’s worse, is that we start to think that if that last bit of advice didn’t work, then the problem must be us. It is a hopeless and defeated place to be.
Minimalist Homeschooling is different because it offers a permanent solution for your homeschool stress. That is, is it NOT a quick-fix. Rather, it’s a rebuilding of your homeschool from the ground up in a way that will leave you hopeful, encouraged, and content in your homeschool from now on.
We will address the root causes of your homeschool insecurity and hoarding, not just the symptoms.
How Minimalist Homeschooling works is by rebuilding your homeschool, without re-purchasing things. We get really serious about what works for you, and what doesn’t. We create a homeschool that can withstand changing circumstances and grow with your family. Graduating from Simple is the New Smart means you will never approach your homeschool the same again. It really is a permanent fix.
#2 It’s Values-Based
How do we work that magic of having a solid homeschool that can withstand changing circumstances? How can I promise a permanent fix?
By creating a homeschool that is driven by, and filtered through your values.
Now, hear me out. I know that there are a lot of religiously-based homeschooling bloggers, speakers, and authors out there. When I say that Minimalist Homeschooling is values-based, I mean that we start there. We start with what you value most about homeschooling. That may be religiously founded, it may not, or it may be a combination of religious and non-religious values.
Minimalist Homeschooling takes valuing what you do in your homeschool to a whole new level of understanding. We talk about exactly how your values translate into creating a homeschool filled with exactly what you love and need – without the extra.
What do you value most about homeschooling? What are you investing in? What do you hope your children will gain?
(by the way, ^ those are links to 2 other blog posts to get you thinking about your homeschool foundation)
This is the strong foundation to build on. This is how you can homeschool confidently. Simple is the New Smart shows you how to take those core values and make them the foundation of your homeschool plan.
How Minimalist Homeschooling works is by leaving you with a homeschool that feels meaningful and whole. Intentional. Straight-forward. Clear.
#3 – It’s a Mindset Shift
I like to say that the way people normally plan their homeschools is backwards. How familiar does this sound:
> You buy all the curriculum you think you love and need, and then you try to figure out how to fit it all into your week. It’s like playing Tetris, Level 10, in a planner.
Imagine if you lived like this in other areas of your life:
> You buy all of the furniture that you love and need (without measuring any rooms, or even knowing how many rooms you have), and you take it all home and try to make it fit.
Do you see how backwards that is? Simple is the New Smart helps shift your mindset from the way you have been homeschooling, to a more realistic, practical, and yes, values-based approach.
How Minimalist Homeschooling works is by shifting our mindset from “getting it all done,” to valuing what we do.
How will you do your best homeschooling in the actual (and limited) time you have available? By the way, how much time do you have available, exactly?
Changing your mindset, and working forwards – instead of backwards – is another way that we create a permanent fix. You won’t approach homeschooling the same when we’re done.
#4 – It is Personalized
I don’t assume that you and I are the same, and I certainly don’t assume that we have the same kids. I don’t believe that there is a one-size-fits-all curriculum out there – no matter how basic, or excellent one may be.
Rather, Simple is the New Smart is incredibly personalized. It includes workbooks each step along the way. This means getting really clear on our own personal wants, needs, circumstances, time, children, teaching…
And then, only then putting the pieces together in a way that works.
This is also why the membership comes with live coaching calls, and a dedicated facebook group.
How Minimalist Homeschooling works for thousands of homeschoolers, is by providing a process to create an individualized homeschool plan, instead of trying to overlay someone else’s prescription onto your own family and circumstances.
In the end, it is my goal to give homeschoolers a plan that feels
simple,
straight-forward,
meaningful,
doable,
valuable,
certain,
and excellent.
We accept registration to Simple is the New Smart at any time – join us when you’re ready. Just remember point #2: Things won’t change in your homeschool until you start changing how you homeschool. Homeschools don’t magically become stress-free; it takes some work, time, and advice to get there.
If you’d like to see if you have any hoarding homeschooler symptoms, check-out this free audit. You may be surprised to see how homeschool clutter manifests itself!
I’d also like to invite you to our Minimalist Homeschooling Facebook Community. Many of our Simple is the New Smart Members are also members in the community. Stop by and ask there for feedback on the membership or for answers to your questions, and enjoy some conversation with homeschoolers determined to gain MORE by doing LESS.
Also, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out via email: hello@zaraphd.com
Wishing you all the simple things,
Zara
You may also like to read What is Minimalist Homeschooling Anyway?
Hi Zara, is there a way to get your book in China?
My book is available on Amazon as a Kindle book or paperback. I’m not sure how that works in China, but I know that it is for sale in other countries via that route. Thanks for asking!