What to expect before you start homeschooling
Here are a few things I wish I would have known before I started homeschooling my son. Even as a former teacher, there were a few reality checks along the way to finding our groove, so I hope these tips help you along your journey.
In the current state of our nation's education, many families have chosen to continue virtual learning through their school district or selected program, while others have ventured into homeschooling on their own. Uncharted waters is an understatement when it comes to making room for such an adjustment, but with change can come incredible, unexpected undertakings. I committed to homeschooling my son the day before the deadline to give notice, only 4 weeks before instruction was scheduled to begin.
“... with change can come incredible, unexpected undertakings.”
Within those 4 weeks of preparing to begin a homeschool routine and our experience up to now, over a month into our pursuit, there has been a huge learning curve for me. Now I want to share my advice with you to hopefully lessen the shock and allow your go at it to come with ease.
Chaos Before the Calm
As with anything in the parenting world, I planned the ideal schedule and routine for what I was used to setting up for my elementary students with the bells and whistles for every transition and activity, only to have our first few days seem off and unnatural.
I was discouraged, if I'm being honest, but I knew it meant that I had to switch from my teacher hat into a new look and fully commit to homeschooling mom. I had never done this before. I didn't want to screw it up or ruin the experience for my son.
Then I finally woke up and realized the one gigantic advantage that I never had as a public school teacher- I now know my student better than anyone else.
That's when the enchantment began.
I was able to lead by being flexible in our schedule and routine, also allowing my son to lead by recognizing when he was most prepared to focus on schoolwork.
Authentic Learning
Imagine being able to decide when you're ready to learn something, rather than having to follow a set sequence of topics that may not fit your mind's way of discovery. Unfortunately, in most public school environments there is a set sequence of standards that must be mastered by a given date that is meant to determine the student's academic intelligence. This one size fits all framework doesn't have to exist in the homeschool world.
Your learning space creates a welcoming environment for your learner to ask questions, dig deeper into topics, and gain a genuine understanding of new ideas. There are opportunities for making real world connections, such as exploring outside and on field trips, applying skills to every day tasks and errands, and gaining all-inclusive comprehension of newly introduced and prior concepts.
Deeper Relationship with Your Learner
Creating true involvement in education between your child as a learner and you as a teacher adds a layer of certainty to the existing relationship. My son has been more eager to problem solve, as this is a skill I encourage him to use when working through hardship with new topics during instruction. His hunger for knowledge and fuel for more confidence has been directly related to our abilities to work together throughout our day, which we have only had the opportunity to have because of homeschool.
Ultimately, holding instruction time as a special, dedicated part of our day has created a special denotation around school. This workbook was built for you to help create the learn-from-home journey that perfectly fits your child. You will find templates, tips, and self-reflection questionnaire to support this adventure. By adjusting your current situation to fit your goals and vision for your learner, the payoff can create endless opportunities to grow with and teach each other.
