Finding Your Homeschool Super Powers

It's easy to feel overwhelmed during the homeschool journey, and in a world of instagram influencers and perfectly posh Pinterest moms, it's even easier to get caught in the comparison game. We look left and right and suddenly feel like we're not doing enough for our kids anymore. 

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm 100% against lazy homeschooling; sticking your kids in front videos all day, only doing the core subjects with very little hands on activities, doing the bare minimum to "get through and be done". This type of homeschooling gives the entire community a bad name. Worst of all, it shows our kids that we don't care enough about their education to sacrifice our time for it, but I digress.  

The point is, you may not be the mom to throw homeschool parties every month or the mom to do elaborate hikes while painting exquisite nature journals with your kids, but you do have homeschool super powers unique to you. Tap in to these and you'll have confidence in knowing that your homeschool is exactly how God planned it. Not only will you be showing up for your kids and giving them the best education possible FOR THEM, but you'll be enjoying every minute of it! 

I first heard this concept from fellow homeschool mom, Tyrene Benjamin from @athomewithty. Now, I'm very familiar with the SPOT Analysis in business, but it doesn't apply to homeschool. THIS spot analysis; however, makes perfect sense for homeschoolers. 

S- STRENGTHS

What are you naturally good at? For me, by the time I started homeschooling anyways, time management and organization skills came pretty naturally to me. For you, being in tune with nature, having strong communication skills, or being proficient in a certain school subject could all be strengths. 

P- PASSIONS

What do you enjoy doing? This doesn't have to be things you're particularly good at, just things you like. For me, singing, dancing, reading, journaling, making cards and playing games are all things I like to do. I'm not particularly good at many of these, but I like them. This section can include ANYTHING! 

O- OPPORTUNITIES

What do you want to get better at? None of us are great at everything. Sometimes this section will include things that you want to get better at (hobbies), and sometimes God, and your family, will show you things you need to get better at (patience, life skills, time management). 

My daughter really wants to get into cooking. She loves anything to do with the subject. Guess who's a really bad cook?! Yup! This girl. So this year (2023), we're taking one day a month and making a new, healthy meal from scratch! We'll have appetizers, the main entree, a couple sides, and a dessert. We'll use nice dishes and light candle. Now, I will 100% have Pizza Hut on speed dial for a backup in case things don't turn out particularly edible, but I'm confident we'll get better as we go along. 

Cooking isn't a passion of mine, and it sure as heck isn't a strength, but it's an opportunity for growth that will further enrich our homeschool experience. God has a way of pointing out our growth opportunities in the most unlikely areas. For me, it was my 8 year old daughter deciding she liked watching Food Network over Disney. For you it may be that random chick on social media talking about scheduling or nature schooling or fill in the blank here that you know down deep in your gut, would make your homeschool experience better. Be open to growth opportunities. 

T- TALENT

What are the natural talents God has given you?  Are you particularly gifted in music? art? cooking? baking? scrapbooking? Use that to round out your homeschool. 

We've all heard the saying "No one can teach our kids better than we can". I have a love hate relationship with that saying because it's true, however it requires work. Most people that say that statement forget the work part. What they use it for, instead; is a way to justify why they bucked the traditional school system.

God gave us our specific kids for a reason. We have, inside of us, the perfect combination of what our kids need for both their education and for life in general. That doesn't mean that we don't have to work to unlock it though. Simply deciding to homeschool our kids and then putting zero work in to learn their learning style, discover our teaching style, piece together curriculum choices, and combine everything into a rhythm that brings us and our family joy without sacrificing education isn't God's way of homeschooling. 

The awesome part is we all have homeschool super powers inside of us. Not only do we have super powers, but we have the EXACT super powers that our  specific kids need. No one homeschool is meant to look like the next, but we are all meant to give this journey 100%. We owe that much to our kids and to God who chose to entrust those kids to us for this season. Use this free worksheet to tap into your homeschool super powers today. 

I'd love to hear what some of your homeschool super power are! Let me know in the comment section. Until next time, this is Tonya Johnson reporting to you live from the homeschool trenches. See y'all next Monday!