It’s Ok To Hate Certain Homeschool Tasks

It’s also ok to outsource things you hate

Who doesn’t hate mathematical speed drills? Actually — I kind of love them. Easy to check, easy to quantify, easy to compare long-term progress. Photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash

What part of homeschooling do you hate the most?

It seems like a dangerous question to even ask. Even admitting that there’s an answer, or that you’ve thought about it before, seems like taking a risk.

Homeschooling, it seems, is supposed to be 100% a labor of love. (Huh, a lot like teaching — and parenting — in general, now that you mention it.) If you complain — why not just throw your kids back in public school? Wouldn’t it be easier for everyone?

I’m actually coming at this from a different perspective — I’m certified as a Science and Special Education educator in the State of Colorado. I’ve been freelancing for a few years (because full-time teaching is an awful profession, these days, but that’s a story for another day), but I still teach and tutor both neurotypical and neurodivergent learners.

That said, it’s still pretty uncouth to complain about your learners, whether they’re related to you or not.

I’ll go first.

I hate listening to slow readers read out loud. It’s terrible; I’m terrible; I know. But it’s true. My eyes fly over the words whether I want them to or not, and I know what the page says.