Promise You Won’t Judge Me… But Our First Year of Homeschooling Was a Disaster (Why mindset, not curriculum, is the real key to success)

You can only keep reading if you promise not to judge me.

Because when we first started homeschooling, it was an absolute disaster.

I remember the stress of those early days like it was yesterday…
The constant questioning.
The messy house.
The unfinished lessons.
The paralyzing guilt that whispered, “You’re not doing enough.”

Guilt Was My Constant Companion

I couldn’t figure out why we finished our “school day” in just a couple of hours.
Was I missing something? Was I cutting corners?

I watched other moms on Instagram doing beautiful unit studies, morning baskets, nature journaling, and elaborate science experiments… and I felt like I was failing.

Looking back now, I realize I wasn’t doing anything wrong.
I was just carrying a backpack full of old beliefs I hadn’t unpacked yet.

My Public School Mindset Was Still In Charge

You see, I grew up in the public school system.
Then I taught in it for over a decade.
I believed in it, defended it, and worked hard in it for years.

So naturally, I carried all of those structures, standards, and “shoulds” into our homeschool.

But homeschooling isn’t just school-at-home.
It’s something entirely different.

And until I gave myself permission to unlearn what I thought education had to look like, I couldn’t find my rhythm. I couldn’t feel peace. I couldn’t show up fully.

The Real Magic? It Was Never the Curriculum.

I thought there would be some magical moment where it would all click.
A schedule that would finally work.
A curriculum that would finally feel like the perfect fit.
A homeschool room that made me feel like a “real” teacher again.

But the magic wasn’t in any of those things.

It was in my mindset.

Once I gave myself permission to:

• Ditch the comparison,
• Release the public-school habits that no longer served us,
• Trust my children’s natural ability to learn…

That’s when everything changed.

So If You’re Feeling Stuck or Insecure…

Maybe what’s holding you back isn’t your schedule.
Or your curriculum.
Or your “lack of consistency.”

Maybe it’s the beliefs you’ve been carrying, often without even realizing it.

Unlearning them is where your real homeschooling potential starts.

Need Help Getting Started?

I created a simple resource to help other moms just like you unpack limiting beliefs and shift into a healthier, more confident homeschool mindset.

And I’d love to share it with you.

Check out the Mindset Reset Quiz in my resources and follow the blog for more homeschool inspiration. 

Because you don’t have to homeschool the way you were schooled.
You get to create something better for them and for you.

And I’ll be right here, cheering you on.