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So You're Thinking About Homeschooling?

Families come to the idea of homeschooling for various reasons. Maybe a friend homeschools and it’s piqued your interest. Maybe your child has specific learning needs that aren’t being met in the traditional classroom environment. Maybe you travel frequently and desire the freedom to learn wherever you are. Just maybe there’s a pandemic that poses health risks should your child return to a traditional school setting. Whatever the reason, the common thread is generally that parents are looking to provide their children with the best learning opportunities possible.     BREATHE First, take a deep breath and remember why you are choosing to homeschool. When things get hard, always come back to this.  DETERMINE: FAMILY GOAL, STUDENT LEARNING STYLES, BUDGET Next, determine the goals for your family. This will look different for every homeschool family, but it is important for you to identify your specific goals as they will drive what curriculum you choose and how you plan your time. My family’s goal was to develop life-long learners who could pursue learning anything new that they desired because they had been taught HOW to learn in an approach that was suited to their unique learning styles. Having identified this philosophy at the beginning allowed us to make decisions for each child each year and make changes as needed. 

Things to Consider - click to learn more

  • Is this a long-term decision/life style change or is the intent to school at
    home temporarily and then return the student back to public/private
    school as soon as it is deemed possible
  • Is the purpose to meet individual learner needs?
  • How does each student learn? Do they appreciate and learn best from
    hands-on learning, straight bookwork, computer based, direct
    instruction? How well do they work independently?
  • Will you pursue materials that are faith-based or secular in nature?
  • Who will facilitate the instruction? What is that individual’s learning
    style? How much time can he/she commit?
  • How much can you realistically spend on resources?

CHOOSE: CURRICULUM AND RESOURCES

Now, based on what you know about your family’s needs, explore curriculum options that fit the parameters that you identified around budget, learner types, and level of teacher involvement.
Homeschool curriculum options are plentiful and the search can be overwhelming. The following, compiled by Heidi Wall and the members of the Working Moms Homeschool Club, is by no means a comprehensive list, but serves as a reference point for the various types.

Homeschool Curriculum Guide

KNOW: YOUR STATE’S HOMESCHOOLING LAWS

To ensure that you have taken proper steps, understand how your state views a home school, locate your state at the link below. Some states require little, while others will require you to submit information yearly. At the very least, you will need to officially withdraw your student from the school in which they are currently enrolled.
hslda.org/legal

GET: IN A GROOVE

Let go of the idyllic. Homeschooling is NOT ‘school at home’. You do not need to recreate what might happen in a brick and mortar school building. You may not know everything about every subject, or about homeschooling, but you do know your kids. Set a routine and find a rhythm to your days without being a slave to a schedule. One benefit of homeschooling is encouraging the idea that learning can take place anytime, anywhere, anyhow!

FIND: A COMMUNITY

Connecting with other homeschoolers can offer support for both the students and the parents. Consider joining a local homeschool group that meets for park days, field trips, parent get-togethers, and possibly co-ops, where classes are offered. Parents glean from veteran homeschoolers or commiserate with others just starting. Students learn from interacting with children and adults of ALL ages, offering opportunities to grow and learn in various environments from a diverse group of learners and teachers. Remember, others may be able to fill in gaps where you don’t feel equipped, and a homeschool group is a great place to find those people.

Online groups abound as well and can offer resources in your town, connections to groups for special learner types, and buying and selling used homeschool curriculum outlets.

GIVE: GRACE – TO YOUR KIDS AND YOURSELF

There will be delightful days and others that are dreadful. Come back to the reasons that you chose to homeschool. Take a deep breath and remember that lessons come from working through the hard in life, not just through a curriculum. Focus more on nurturing your child’s love of learning than checking off boxes and completing tasks. Keep in mind that this is a learning journey for you too.

So you’re thinking about homeschooling? Take another deep breath and jump in! It’s an incredible journey that only begins when you get your feet wet and wade into the beautiful unknown right alongside your children and learn together along the way.

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