Looking at how others have improved their teaching ability

  There are many different ways to homeschool. You can use the packaged avenue and buy many different kinds of courses to fit your children's needs. This can run into hundreds of dollars making it prohibitive to many. There are homeschool groups who exchange text books and ideas and this will lessen the overall cost. You can tap into online courses, many of which are free, and some of them are run by the state's educational communities. This is a great resource if you are struggling with how to start.  However, this avenue puts your children directly in line with how the government wants your children to be educated. Some of the courses may not be appropriate for your way of thinking.
  I stumbled upon this interesting course which is free from MIT; it involves teachers striving to increase their ability to help children learn.  In my mind this is the goal that all of us who are homeschooling are attempting to do. We used the open method of teaching or as some like to call it unschooling. This worked well for us. Our three children studied what interested them. We gave them opportunities to explore lots of different avenues. We kept them in touch with others who were also interested in their subjects of choice. We ended up with three very well educated children who are very successful in their chosen fields. Our youngest will graduate in a few days as a doctor.
  The remember to structure your classes to fit your children. Some of them may want to read everything. Others will need a more hands on approach to learning. And there are some children who need an audio or visual way to absorb the learning. Combinations of all of those will help them to progress at a rate that is satisfying to you and them.
  Homeschooling is not right for everyone. Some people will find that their children need the highly involved social structure of a classroom. In that case there are several different alternatives such as charter schools or private schools. Find what works best for you and them. They are our future and it is important that they learn how to learn! Good luck and have fun!