“The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.”

Mark Van Doren - poet, writer and critic.

Have you or your family ever worried that you can’t be a good home educator if you’re not qualified to teach?

You’re not alone. And yet, not being a teacher can sometimes work to your advantage. There are a lot of us ex-teachers home educating their kids. Not so that we can replicate what we did in the classroom, but because once we had children of their own, we saw how much our experience in the classroom had moved away from the real beauty of what teaching and learning is.

Training for classroom teaching nowadays centres around managing a class of 30, meeting assessment targets and differentiating tasks. Due to restrictions within the role There is much less opportunity for what teaching is really about: inspiring, motivating and guiding through sharing of passions and mastering subjects and crafts.

You might remember at least one of these teachers from your own school days, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult for teachers to teach in this way when there are so many restrictions to their role.

With home education, your own mastery of every subject is unlikely, but what you do have is a great starting point in the relationship you build with your child and the connection you have with them. From that foundation, you can guide their learning, support them to find out what they love and how they learn best as well as seeking out opportunities where they can discover passionate experts, whether online or in-person, for the interests they do have.

What Really Counts in Home Education

  • Knowing your child: Pay attention to what they love, what sparks their interest and what challenges them.
  • Your energy and enthusiasm: Children pick up on your mood. If you’re drained, bored and tired all the time, it’s going to play a part in their day. Finding ways to protect your energy and look after yourself is so crucial in home ed, yet it can be the hardest thing to do.
  • Modelling curiosity and passion: Share your own interests! Find the things that you enjoy and bring them into your day, don‘t save them until they’re in bed! Show them what passion and curiosity look like.
  • Openness to learning together: Admit when you don’t know something, explore alongside them and recognise when outside expertise is helpful. There will be things we just can’t help our kids with in the way they need, but luckily there is a growing amount of external help (research it carefully though!).

Responsibility Without the Classroom Rules

Teachers in schools often strive to inspire, but they face limits: too many pupils, too little time, and rigid guidelines. You don’t have those restrictions - you have freedom. But freedom without inspiration can quickly turn into a pile of workbooks with no meaning or relevance.

Worksheets and online lessons can cover basic skills, but if they become the bulk of your approach, learning soon feels dry and loses meaning. It won’t nurture curiosity or creativity or teach them how to go out there and explore the world and find out how to learn for themselves, and it’s usually the cause of groans about learning and pushback.

Learning Alongside Your Child

Instead of worrying about mastering the curriculum, focus on cultivating curiosity. If maths isn’t your strong point, learn it together. Approach it with openness, find resources (including inspiring mathematicians) that make it engaging and let your child see you wrestle with new ideas. If you’re bored or uninspired, they probably will be too. So rather than relying on a workbook to do the job, look for ways to explore it together that actually feel enjoyable and meaningful.

For example, curriculums can be useful guides, but they don’t need to be followed to the letter. Use them as a base, especially if you want to feel reassured about things you want to cover, but go beyond it’s confines to find approaches that work for you and your child.

When you learn side by side, you’re not just teaching, you’re modelling curiosity, resilience and discovery. That’s the kind of learning that lasts.

Inspiration Over Instruction

The best teachers inspire, encourage and share their passions. You can do the same at home. Tune in to your child’s abilities and interests, and nurture your own excitement for learning - that’s a form of self-care and fulfilment. Spend time observing how they learn before rushing to buy a year’s worth of curriculum or shelves of shiny resources.

So forget the teaching qualification. Start with your child, start with yourself and let curiosity lead the way.

🔍 Want to dive deeper into creating a powerful learning environment? Check out my In‑Depth series, A Learning Environment That Works. Drawing on my experience as both a classroom teacher and home educator, I share what children really need to thrive - and how you can build that at home without expensive resources or complicated set‑ups. It’s practical, encouraging and designed to help you feel confident as you guide your child’s learning journey.