Homeschooling is not something that was on my radar when I had children. When It was time for my younger two to go to school, I sent them gingerly. For 5 years, we rushed in the morning, battled with homework after school, struggled to put the kids to bed on time, and did it again the next day.
The kids were learning, the teachers were wonderful, the school was well-resourced, and friendships were being made. But we were exhausted! which, I thought it was a normal part of having kids… it’s not.
Fastforward to 2020…COVID hit, schools closed, and the family was having a wonderful time bonding, making tik-toks together, reading, cooking, and learning from home. My oldest son was especially thriving, I had never seen him smile so much. That smile was the reason that made me consider homeschooling as an option.
When you send your kids to school, you are mostly disconnected from what they are learning and how well they are learning. The kids brought As home, so we thought all was well. We used to get standardized test results saying our son, was well above average in math compared to the entire state, so of course we were thrilled! Later during the homeschooling process, we realized that great was not so good after all, we noticed some serious gaps in learning, and we started filling those right away. We wondered, if this is good for the state, how bad are the other kids doing?! and look at that through the lens of being located in one of the best school districts in the country!
That first year we homeschooled, wasn’t perfect. I was trying to replicate public school at home, at it was just plain boring. The kids woke up, sat in front of the computer for hours, took their quizzes, and reported back to me at the end of the day. Three months in they said it wasn’t working. They still wanted to learn from home but there had to be a better way.
It took a year for us to get it right, we tried different curriculums, extracurriculars, schedules, etc, until we found something that worked for us, or to say it better, we learned to be flexible and adapt to what each kid wants and needs, which means our curriculum and schedule changes often, but our basic rhythm stays the same. Once you find your homeschooling rhythm… there is nothing else that can compare! The kids end up getting a world-class education, building healthy relationships with their homeschooling peers, and most importantly, developing their strengths at a higher level. Not to mention, you get to know your kids, spend time with them, and build a strong relationship that will last a lifetime. Additionally, the kids learn basic life skills they are not practicing while they spend an entire day in a school building.
After that long introduction, on how we ended up homeschooling, here are the reasons why we continue to choose to homeschool our children:
- Personalized Learning: Homeschooling allows parents to customize the curriculum to their child’s individual learning style and pace, enhancing their educational experience. Also, they end up learning more of the things they are naturally good at and interested in.
- Flexibility: Homeschooling provides families with flexibility in scheduling. Have you traveled with kids while most of the other kids are at school? Let me tell you, it is a wonderful thing!
- Safe Learning Environment: Parents can ensure a safe and secure learning environment for their children, free from bullying and other potential school-related issues. Some people say it is important for kids to learn how to deal with bullies and other negative peer pressure circumstances…in my opinion, kids will learn to deal with those issues better, when they are allowed to grow into themselves freely, in a safe environment. When they know what good looks like, they are less likely to tolerate the bad.
- Strengthen Family Bonds: Homeschooling provides more time for families to spend together, which can strengthen family bonds. My husband and I both work at home and have three children in homeschool. We don’t feel overwhelmed or cooped up. We really enjoy each other’s company.
- Focused Education: Homeschooling can provide a focused educational environment, free from the distractions commonly found in a traditional school setting. In 3 or 4 hours, 4 times a week, you can achieve more than an entire year of public schooling 8 hours a day. Our kids love that because it leaves them time to develop other skills they are interested in. For example, our 15-year-old is part of a professional game development team and our 13-year-old daughter is a pre-professional ballerina, she also has time to work as an assistant teacher in her ballet studio. One more thing I’d like to mention here is that the kids have fallen in love with reading during homeschooling, that is such a wonderful thing! their vocabulary, grammar, critical thinking, and overall communication skills have improved greatly because of this.
- Builds Life Skills: Homeschooling can offer opportunities to teach life skills, such as budgeting, cooking, and home management.
- Promotes Independent Thinking: Homeschooling encourages independent thinking and problem-solving skills as students learn to navigate their own education. Believe it or not, we do not have to sit down and teach each kid. They are very independent and responsible. We just make sure they have all the resources they need and take 30 min each day, at the beginning of the day to check that everything is on track. Do not skip this step. A quick check-in each day can save you a lot of headaches. The kids can even learn to keep their records, just make sure you are on top of how these records are being kept.
- Avoids Negative Peer Pressure: Homeschooling can protect children from negative peer pressure and help maintain their individuality. Like I said before, when kids are allowed the space to figure out who they are, and they spend time in a good, peaceful, loving environment, they are less likely to tolerate abuse and disrespect from other people.
- Collaborative Family Environment: Let me start by saying, I am not exhausted anymore! Everyone pitches in to run a smooth household. Everybody cleans after themselves, cooks, plans experiences for the family, etc. We are on this together.
- Freedom. You are raising your children, based on your family values, not based on what your state or your country thinks your children’s education should look like. The family chose their reading list, their curriculum, and the time spent doing community service. We move freely around the country and abroad without waiting for a school break.
Even with all these benefits, imposter syndrome hit me at the beginning of this year and I sent the kids back to public school… it was a disaster! the kids were getting As but the teachers didn’t know what to do with them. They seemed to be up to two years ahead of their peers in all subjects, they were respectful and helpful. Two months in, they moved them to honor classes and put them in student council, they were the go-to people for their peers to ask questions and solve homework problems. Not to mention, I was taking them out of school to attend educational field trips with the homeschoolers! Needless to say, they begged to be homeschooled again. They finished the semester and came back home.
Homeschooling is not for everyone, but when it works…it is an amazing experience! give it a try.
