(Portions of this article are referenced in The Case of COVID and School)
The decision to homeschool comes in many different forms. Whether it has been a dream since before you had kids, you were homeschooled so it’s the “normal” thing to do, public school just isn’t the right fit for your family, or you fell into it unwillingly and are now dazed and confused, taking the first step can be intimidating and overwhelming. Unfortunately, many families are in the latter group. Your first beacon of light in these trying times should be, you’re not alone.
So what, exactly, is homeschooling? By definition, it is “to teach school subjects to one’s children at home” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homeschool). In reality, it is many different things to many different people. As you read, I will discuss some of the options and formats of homeschooling, but those things are not your number one concern. First and foremost, where (and how) do you start? Most simply, one baby step at a time. Most importantly, without panicking!
First, let’s talk about some definitions and dispel some misconceptions.
Homeschool vs. Virtual School at Home
Yes, there is a difference; a BIG difference. Virtual (remote) school is, simply put, school at home. Students use the internet and log into class. Courses are taught by a licensed teacher through either a live platform or video recordings. All required coursework, tests, activities, etc., are provided by the teacher. Students are required to attend classes and submit assigned work and grades are provided. Parents are just that, parents. Their job is to facilitate and ensure their children attend classes and complete required assignments, much the same as traditional public or private school. Virtual schools come in several different forms: public, provided by a private company/institution but paid for by the state; private, provided by a private company/institution and paid for by individual families; public (what is referred to as “remote learning”) provided and run by local school districts. Students, in all three cases, are considered public or private school students and do not fall under homeschool laws and regulations but must meet attendance and testing requirements expected of traditional school students. To facilitate this learning environment, some schools will supply a computer and/or reimbursement for internet cost.
The virtual schools that are not controlled by your local school district but are still considered public tend to have a bit more flexibility than the remote option that will be provided by your local school district. Depending on the school, enrollment will be open statewide to all students or confined to a specific geographic area. A list of these types of schools, in Colorado, can be found at https://www.cde.state.co.us/onlinelearning/schools/.
When considering online education, there is also the option of private online schools. These are a great option for an all-in-one curriculum that is provided as a package with little to no course planning on your part; courses, lesson plans and record-keeping are all provided. But, they can be quite expensive. There are many options available. In future articles, I will be reviewing each of these but for now, I encourage you to explore these few options to find more in-depth information:
K12 (also offered at tuition-free, online public school) www.k12.com
Calvert Academy www.calverteducation.com (Free 30-day trial with code CALVERT30)
Laurel Springs K-12 www.laurelspring.com
American High School www.americnhighschool.org
Any private online option does, however, fall under homeschool laws and restrictions.
Traditional Homeschool
Traditional homeschool is a completely different ball of wax. All of the responsibility falls on the parents (but so does all of the freedom and flexibility!). They oversee choosing curriculum, setting a schedule, providing instruction, assigning grades, keeping records and tracking attendance. The sheer amount of ambiguity can be daunting. This is the main reason many parents believe they can’t do it. But it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. When I started homeschooling in 2004, there was very little information available. And the information that was available, was difficult to find and, sometimes, not very useful. Today, the possibilities are endless!
Choosing which path to take is a personal one. No one can make that decision for you. But many times, great things come from adversity. Don’t let doubt and fear dissuade you from an amazing adventure.
Let’s Get Started
If you ask Google, “how do I start homeschooling”, you will get 34.9 million results. Yes, I said MILLION. Just let that sink in for a few seconds. Now, let’s take a deep breath and start with one step at a time…..
Once you make the decision to homeschool, jump in with both feet. Now, that doesn’t mean you go wild and spend your life savings buying every piece of curriculum and every book you can get your hands on. And don’t go out and by new computers and desks and office supplies or start construction on your house to build a dedicated schoolroom. Those things will come later (except for the construction!).
There are a few things to consider to put your mind at ease regarding your decision. Remember at the beginning of this article when I said you’re not alone? According to the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), in the spring of 2019, there were an estimated 2.5 million homeschooled students in grades K-12. That’s 3%-4% of school-aged children in the United States. If they can do it, so can you.
One of the first things you need to do is discuss your decision to homeschool with your child(ren) and family. When you do this, try to maintain a calm and open atmosphere. Be accepting of ideas, encouragement and criticism. The idea of homeschooling is foreign and strange to many people. You should be prepared for a wide range of responses. That being said, if you go into it with a solid plan and confident frame of mind, you won’t have a problem.
Next, know the law. Although you are allowed to choose your own curriculum and decide how you want to teach, there are state governed laws and regulations that must be followed.
Take Time to Rewire
Once you have laid the groundwork for your homeschool journey, it’s time to change your, and your child’s, way of thinking. This is possibly the most important step after knowing the law. Deschooling, sometimes referred to as unschooling or child-led learning, is an absolute must. Take one month to just be. Not only do kids need this time to forget the stress and rigors and break the habits of traditional school, so do you. Now, I’m not saying be complete slugs for an entire month! There are tons of things you can do that are educational, but not school. Take this time to go places, museums, parks, cultural events, find other homeschoolers to connect with, or go on hikes or bike rides. All of these things are fantastic ways to break from past routines and help kids embrace homeschooling. Take advantage of being able to watch documentaries or TED talks, or read books and have discussions about them, or build and create things. You can use this opportunity to decompress and build a new normal, all while making it educational. Start learning to use everyday activities and turning them into learning moments. Cooking, housekeeping and chores are great ways to teach time management and life skills while not being in “school”.
Another great way to utilize this time of transition is by doing unit studies. A unit study is an extensive investigation into a single topic. One area of interest is focused on for an extended period of time and is approached from all subjects; math, language arts, science, history, geography, etc. The student is allowed to choose a topic that is of particular interest to them and dive into it with enthusiasm and creativity. Again, another way of changing the routine of learning.
Not only should you allow yourself to decompress, but you can also take the opportunity to understand your child’s learning style by observing them in their natural state. Do they learn best verbally, by being taught information and then completing corresponding work? Or maybe they are auditory learners who better process and retain information that they hear? There are seven different learning styles: Verbal, Aural, Visual, Kinesthetic (physical/tactile), Logical, Solitary, Social. Knowing which type of learning best suits your child, you can use techniques to improve the quality of their education.
Don’t be a Hermit!
Starting to homeschool can be stressful, exhausting and lonely. The last one can be a killer. Make time to find other homeschoolers. There are tons of Facebook groups, co-ops, parent-led meetups and organized field trips. Ask questions, sign up for things and show up for events. Some of them will be a good fit and some of them won’t. You’re not committed to anything, so try it. Just like anything else, it may take several tries to find what you’re looking for, but don’t give up. I guarantee there is someone out there looking for the same thing as you. I know, I’ve been there.
Getting the Ball Rolling
Once you have deschooled and are feeling more comfortable with your decision to homeschool, it’s time to start moving forward. Setting up a dedicated space for learning isn’t critical, but it can be a worthwhile venture. And by space, I don’t mean you have to start making plans to move so that you have an extra room just for your homeschool! Any space will work. Maybe you have a nook off the living room or a little-used dining room or breakfast area or a loft or basement. It really doesn’t matter what the space is, it can be perfect. And you don’t have to spend a ton of money to set it up. With a few inexpensive items, you can be up and running. A desk or table would be nice, but you can get by with a lap desk on a couch or the floor. Investing in a bookshelf and some basic office supplies are really all you need. A white/chalk board is definitely a plus, but not necessary. Over time, you will learn that baskets, bins and totes are worth their weight in gold!
From here, start setting some goals for your year. What academics, besides the required basics, do you want to include? What specific subjects do you want to cover; world history or American history, geometry or calculus, physics or chemistry? What type of physical education will you use; hiking once a week, biking the neighborhood, joining a sports team, lessons? Will you include extracurricular activities; music, scouting, volunteering? This part may seem overwhelming, but it isn’t. Start by creating a list with the subjects to be covered. Add categories for interests or hobbies. Next, add in the specific courses you want to include and pinpoint certain areas of interests or hobbies on which you’d like to focus (trying to fit these into core subjects can kill two birds with one stone). Once you have a basic outline of what you want your year to look like, planning will be done in no time!
Having your goals in mind, you can make a schedule. It can be detailed or general, whatever works best for you. Some people are more apt to keep things moving and reach their goals if they have a specific schedule lined out and know exactly what they are doing each day. Others work better with general guidelines. We are going to complete these specific chapters on theses specific days versus this month we are going to learn about Vikings. Each method has its benefits, it’s just a matter of which one works for you (and your student!). The best part is, if you pick one and it isn’t working for anyone, change. You can. There’s no one to tell you you can’t. Either way you go, don’t forget to make time for field trips and projects. Make sure you are flexible and find ways to break up the day. Don’t forget, this isn’t the school to which you are accustomed.
Time for Class
After your deschooling period and observing your student, you should have a good idea of which learning style works best for them. Now you can choose curriculum. Again, this may seem overwhelming. There is no right or wrong choice, only a right or wrong choice for you. And if you can’t decide, it’s ok. If you pick something and it doesn’t work, that’s ok, too. There are so many free resources available, you don’t have to spend a fortune on bundled curriculum or complete sets. Start off with free or inexpensive choices and see how it goes. If it doesn’t work out, you won’t feel like you have to keep using it because you spent a ton of money; scrap it and start over. It isn’t a failure, it’s the nature of the beast. We’ve all been there (more than once).
Misconceptions and Pitfalls
Now, we should really discuss the elephants in the room; aren’t homeschoolers weird and socialization. Growing up in WAY south Texas, I had the exact same thoughts. Until I took a closer look. To answer the first one, “Aren’t homeschoolers weird?”, well, yes, but in a good way, mostly. Speaking for myself (and all of my friends!), I like that my kid gets to be herself. I like that I never know what kind of outfit is going to walk down the stairs in the morning (and at this point, I’m rarely surprised anymore!). I like that she has quirky habits and likes and hobbies and isn’t afraid to show them and is usually quite proud of them. I like that she’s free to be herself and there’s no one around to judge her. And I really like the fact that she wouldn’t care if there were! We have a motto here at Dragon Flight Academy; Embrace the Weird. And that’s exactly what we do. In ourselves and in each other. We were all put on this planet with different personalities and different purposes and they should all be appreciated. So yes, if that’s weird, I’ll be the first to get in line.
Socialization; it’s really a non-issue. It is always first and foremost on the issue list, but it really isn’t. That being said, if you choose to stay in your house and not interact with another human being, you are making it an issue. I don’t know of very many homeschoolers who take this approach. Most people who choose this way of life do so so that they have the flexibility to go out and explore and build their lives on experiences rather than sitting at a desk and reading about other peoples’ adventures. I know from personal experience that my daughter had more “best friends” at the age of three just from going to the park and the library than I had my entire school career! She was exposed to life and people of all ages on a constant basis. I constantly received compliments and astonishment on the range and depth of her vocabulary at an incredibly young age. I attribute much of her success and learning, not to my great teaching ability, but to the interactions and experiences she has been provided. I’m really not sure how much more socialization a kid needs.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase through my link, you won’t pay more than what you’d already be spending, but I will receive a very small percentage of the sale. These sales help support my blog. I only support companies and products in which I believe.
