by Renée Gotcher

Finding support and encouragement for your homeschooling journey is vital. No matter how prepared or qualified you are, or how “on board” your spouse and children are, you will find yourself in need of encouragement at some point. 

Trust me: I was one of those moms who thought I had it all figured out (because I was a homeschool graduate myself), only to find myself struggling with the same fears and self-doubt that entangle all homeschoolers. Remember, if homeschooling were easy, everyone would be doing it — right?

However, I also believe that if God has led you to homeschooling, He has laid out a safety net for you. He doesn’t simply intend for us, homeschooling mamas, to survive: He wants us to thrive!

When you feel overwhelmed by homeschooling challenges — wondering what you’ve gotten yourself into and whether you can persevere on this course — remember that you’re not alone on this homeschooling journey. God has good plans for you and your family, and He will sustain you through His presence, His Word, and the fellowship of other believers.

Five places to find homeschool encouragement during difficult times:

1) Seek the Lord through His Word. 

If your homeschooling “why” is driven by your faith in God and what you believe He calls you to do for your children, then His answers to your homeschooling questions are the most important. Prayer and Bible study are crucial for overcoming self-doubt and entrusting your struggles to God. Allow Him to direct your path, and don’t be surprised when He leads you in a different direction. 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (Prov. 3:5-6 NKJV).

It takes real effort to put an end to the constant struggle between “ideal” expectations and God’s plans for you. You must retrain your brain to think positively about yourself, your identity in Christ, and God’s words of truth regarding motherhood. So, make sure to spend time feeding your spirit the right food — it’s vital, especially when homeschooling.

2) Talk to your spouse. 

This should have been easy for me because my husband (who was also formerly homeschooled) has always been an advocate for our homeschooling. However, I struggled with sharing my struggles with my husband because I let pride get in the way. To ask for help from him would mean admitting my weakness, and I wanted to be stronger than that.

However, God created the family dynamic for our benefit. Without delving into the details of parental roles and family structure, I believe that God designed women differently, in a way that reflects His intention for us to function within our families in a manner that differs from our husbands. Parenting is a partnership, but father and mother have different roles and responsibilities. When we take on the “whole” responsibility (and burden) of homeschooling, we don’t take advantage of the gifts and support our husbands bring to the table.

I realize that not all homeschooling moms have a supportive husband or family member to share the responsibility of homeschooling with. If you find yourself in this situation, I believe the Lord has someone prepared to support you on your homeschooling journey, whom you can seek out through prayer — a mentor. Keep reading!

3) Find a homeschooling mentor. 

When I think of the often-referenced “Titus 2” woman, what I notice most about her is her circle of support (Titus 2:3-5). Younger women — and new moms, and new homeschoolers — have a lot to gain from the wisdom of more experienced women who’ve walked in our shoes.

Once again, pride often kept me from being honest with homeschooling veterans who would have been great mentors for me. There was a time that I let myself become isolated from the very women that God had placed in my life to support me. However, I quickly learned that trying to navigate homeschooling challenges alone only intensified my feelings of inadequacy and fear of failure.

God doesn’t want us to white-knuckle our way through overwhelming times on our own strength, and part of that release is opening ourselves up to a mentor who can walk alongside us when times are tough. The fact that I was able to reach out to these mentor moms for support and encouragement when I was feeling overwhelmed was one of the most gracious gifts God provided during my 14-year homeschooling journey.

Pray for the Lord to guide you to an ideal mentor, whether it’s a family member or friend, or someone new that He leads you to reach out to.

4) Plug in to your homeschool community. 

Whether you’re looking for social opportunities or practical support, I think homeschool support groups can be a great place to find homeschool encouragement as long as you proceed with caution. What I mean by this is that once you open yourself up to a group, the dynamic can be both positive and negative. Everyone won’t always agree, and you won’t always “click” with all the group members. You also don’t want to fall into the comparison trap with the other homeschooling moms.

That said, connecting with the local homeschool community is a crucial part of building your personal support network. Within the group, you may develop a few close friendships with women you can open up to in times of need, and vice versa.

Also consider the homeschooling community at large: Both local and national homeschooling events take place yearly, designed to equip and encourage you in the practical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of homeschooling. Through attending several local and national homeschool conferences over the years, I was continually energized, refreshed, and inspired to stay the course. I also made encouraging and supportive friends in the process.

If you’re homeschooling in Colorado, you have access to CHEC’s annual Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference in June. Take advantage of this local opportunity to build and strengthen your confidence in homeschooling! 

5) Find encouragement in the written word. 

Before my sister-in-law approached me about starting the blog NextGen Homeschool in 2011, I was already seeking homeschool encouragement by reading the blogs and books of my “virtual” mentors — faith-filled, wise women who shared honestly and openly about their struggles and victories in homeschooling. Their posts often read like letters explicitly written for me by someone who knew my struggles and my heart. I can’t tell you how many times God has led me to open a book or blog page to discover His message to me for that very moment.

Inspired by these writers, we felt compelled to share our experiences as second-generation homeschoolers on NextGen Homeschool. We thought our unique perspective (at the time) as next-generation homeschoolers would be particularly reassuring to the new generation of homeschooling moms who might be wondering if homeschooling was a sustainable and worthwhile endeavor. 

Although we weren’t able to keep blogging actively throughout our homeschooling journeys, I am grateful that our words resonated with those moms who commented and connected with us. It was a gift to know that the work God was doing in our families could benefit others who needed to know that God would sustain them for the journey ahead.

A Continual Source of Homeschool Encouragement

Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved (Psalm 55:22)

The bottom line is this: God wants us to depend on Him and trust Him completely, but He doesn’t intend for us to journey alone. Reach out to those He has placed in your life to be your safety net. And if you need more lines of support, consider taking a step of faith outside your home and connecting in person with local homeschoolers so you can find your “tribe” for this homeschool journey.  

Your Homeschooling Friend, Renée Gotcher

Are you feeling overwhelmed and in need of more support in your homeschooling journey? Where do you currently look for homeschool encouragement? What have been some of your most encouraging encounters? Share your sources of encouragement in the comments section below.