All about homeschooling
When choosing to homeschool, its important to have a plan, and an ethos. I say this because even though more and more caregivers are turning towards homeschooling for their children, it is still an unconventional path and you may be met with naysayers from family members and even service providers like pediatricians. I did this by bolstering myself by listening to podcasts, ted talks, books, and surrounding myself with other homeschooling families in my communities in person and online so I had people to lean on and learn from.
I have dozens of reasons for choosing to homeschool my children. My main ones being I did not want to subject my Black child to the conventional American education system. I want my children to have a childhood for as long as possible, I want their education to be led by them and their interests, and I want them to gain life skills they wont learn being in school all day 5 days a week. When I think about how I wanted my child to interact with the world I think prepared, confident, skilled, self assured, happy, free. I want them to have the freedom to pursue the things that interest them with gusto and confidence. I’m not even going to touch on gun control, lack of teacher pay and all the other issues plaguing this country’s education system. I adore my pub ed teacher friends but there ain’t no way a couple good eggs can fix this broken system.
Every family is different and will be motivated by different things. Some folks homeschool fullt-ime, some are partially enrolled in public schools part time, in micro schools, in co-ops or use private tutors. Depending on where you live, and what you have access to, you can make it a true collaboration with you and your children.
You can begin homeschooling when you feel your child is ready. I happen to be team “life learning” and have provided opportunities for my kiddo to “learn” from early on by including her in practical life activities alongside us like gardening, cooking, baking, foraging etc etc. Some homeschoolers begin focusing on numeracy and literacy skills in early life, but I adopted the nordic education style of prioritizing play and getting outside for young children and not introducing numeracy and literacy till ages 6/7 when they express readiness. My hubs and I weave in the life skills we feel our children need, with the things that interest them.
In the early years so ages 0-6 , my childs’ education was play based. We read books daily, play games, listen to audiobooks, folk lore, podcasts, engage in musical exploration. Weather permitting many hours are spent playing, at home with chickens, and open ended toys, crafting, art. In public, playdates at friends homes, park dates, visiting the library, museums, play places, zoos, and aquariums etc etc. When homeschooling your kid is often with you 24/7, so they end up going everywhere with you. Grocery shopping, doctors visits, etc etc. I try to include them in everything so they gain confidence.
Maintaining some sort of rhythm is key. Meal times, snack times, and bedtimes around the same time so everyone knows what to expect. There are many kinds of homeschooling, you have to find what resonates with you. Are you more walrdof/charlotte mason/montessori/game schooling/unschooling/classical/secular/religious/nature based ? Find your why. I can pick and chose things I like and can integrate from almost all these styles, and leave behind a lot of them too.
Im at the precipice of a more “formal education” as my oldest is now 7 and is ready to learn more. I was never homeschooled and continue to piece together a rhythm that works best for our family. Ive been checking out nature based curriculums, picking up workbooks from a local book store, using early readers from the library and utilizing local homeschool resources. We’re looking into theatre camp, music lessons in a year or so, and her favorite- farm camp. We joined a local secular co-op for field trips and group activities.
Some families find themselves homeschooling because their children have diagnoses like adhd, autism, dyslexia or dyscalulia and may not get the services their children need in the traditional school system. You can still access services like speech therapy, occupational therapy etc etc through the school system . You just have find and access those services local to you.
One tired critique of homeschooling is socialization. That has never been a concern for my family, but having a plan that allows children to be around their peers is an important and fun part of homeschooling because you get to do it on your terms and on your scheduling. Homeschooling is also a sacrifice, but I cant think of a more better use of my time than giving my child a chance to learn the world on their terms with me and our amazing community and resources as their guide. It is hard however, We have a two parent , single income home. I stay home and do the majority of the educating. Going from two incomes to one in this ever tanking economy is HARD. So be realistic about that.
I also know of single parents who homeschool their kids while working from home and outside the home too. There are some really good facebook groups where they share resources. Being with your kids 24/7 with no break can be taxing, so taking care of yourself, filling your own cup is also a lesson im learning along the way.
It is important to be flexible with yourself and your child. To be patient, to evaluate what is working and what isnt. I was reading by age 3, and because I was precocious, I was in first grade at age 5. This led to a slew of anxiety surrounding academia and tying my self worth to academia. The world does not revolve around school and I want my child to have a well rounded experience. I remember panicking when at age 6 she was not reading yet, but I remembered that her vocabulary, and overall life skills and knowledge surpassed her peers in public school. At 6 and a half now she’s finally showing interest in reading and I can nurture that versus forcing it on her. If you are worried about gaps in education, homeschool allows you to address that at a holistic pace. So many gaps exist in traditional education as well. So many American kids are graduating high school while being barely functionally literate. All parents are doing what they think is best for their child and so are homeschooling parents. Have faith in yourself. You do not have to be trained to home educate your child, you just have to have a plan, and be consistent.
Will I homeschool my kids their whole childhood? That is the goal. Right now my daughter loves the freedom of being homeschooled and brings it up unprompted often. If she ever changes her mind and wants to attend school, I will have to find a way to honor her desires in way that im ok with as her mother/protector, and as her co-pilot on her education journey. I am open to whatever empowers her but right now we are enjoying the heck out of ourselves.
stay tuned for a post on my fave resources.
