What to Do if You Want to Pursue Homeschooling

Are you wanting to pursue homeschooling after experiencing a small taste of what it can be during quarantine, but aren’t sure what to do next?

AWESOME! Homeschooling has transformed our family. And I love encouraging others on their homeschool journey!

I want to help you bridge that gap from traditional education to homeschooling.

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Let me assure you that even though it might feel overwhelming and scary from time to time, you can do this!

I was so nervous when I started. I thought for sure I was going to ruin my child’s education.

But instead I redefined what I expected education to be.

Is education just what she can learn from a book? or is education about developing a person more than anything else?

God really changed my perspective on education when this blog was born. The entire concept of Heaven not Harvard was to shift my perspective on success from an earthly one to a heavenly one.

I began to prioritize raising a Godly girl more than simply excelling in curriculum.

Even so, I had every intention of going back to work once she was in full-time school.

But God had other plans for us. While I never felt directly called to homeschool, I could clearly see God was walking my husband and I toward this decision.

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One of the major reasons we decided to pursue homeschooling was the ability to grow our family relationships and make faith and character the centerpieces of her education.

But making the decision to pursue homeschooling was just the first step.

First, you need to know the laws and requirements to homeschool in your state. Each state has different legal requirements for withdrawing students from public schools and establishing a homeschool.

Another legal resource is the HSLDA, or Home School Legal Defense Association, which offers lots of information on their site and provide legal protections for homeschool families.

After learning the legal things, I had to shake off some of my ideas about school.

Even as a teacher, I had a lot to learn before I could homeschool bravely.

Because not everything about school belongs in homeschool. And that is the biggest lesson every family has to learn: only do what works for your family. Keep what works, toss what doesn’t, experiment with new ways to learn.

And you may need to spend some time evaluating what you want and expect out of educating your children before you go much further.

A few questions to ask yourself –

• Why do I want to pursue homeschooling?
• Does my family do better with or without structure?
• Are there multiple ages/grades to educate?
• Do you/your children prefer more book work or less?
• Is there a local, active homeschooling group or co-op?
• Will your child(ren) have access to extra-curricular activities or classes?
• Does your schedule allow you to have the flexibility to homeschool?
• How much can you spend on curriculum and extra-curricular activities and resources?
• What kind of family support do you have from you spouse, parents, siblings?
• What is your end goal for your children?

If these questions lead you away from homeschooling, that’s okay.

I believe homeschooling is a wonderful option for many families, but that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. Some families must have two full-time incomes. Others may have special needs children who need some support from professionals.

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Even if you decide that full-time homeschooling isn’t for your family, you might find that you institute some new ideas about education into your family.

But if these questions help solidify your intention to homeschool, the next step is to step out of the schooling box.

Learning is what we do. And it’s fun.

I try to look for ways to make everything we do together all day learning opportunities.

We do use an organized curriculum set, but primarily, I work with my daughter on learning how to learn. Once she learns to have a teachable spirit, to read well, and to think critically, she’ll be able to learn anything she wants.

Everything we do all day is educational, and by incorporating the concepts or skills from school lessons into our daily lives, we can empower her to become a life-long learner.

Homeschooling doesn’t have to look like school at home.

What most families are experiencing during this quarantine is not quite homeschooling. It’s closer to school at home, which isn’t quite the same.

If you’re using that as a frame of reference, keep a couple of things in mind. Homeschool doesn’t have to be hours in front of a screen or a bazillion workbook pages. You have the freedom to take it out of the box.

If you homeschool, you’re responsible for creating, organizing, or planning all content.

Luckily, there are so many different types of curriculum and plenty of resources to help you review the different ones. And you might try a few before you find what works for you. We did!

But there are all different levels of curriculum from open the box and learn to creative unschooling where children’s interests guide what they learn while you help them learn how to learn.

Educational opportunities are everywhere. Homeschool doesn’t have to happen at home.

A trip to the grocery store can teach organization, nutrition, math, recipe planning, and money management.

We also do field trips to the theater, science center, library, to re-enactment villages, museums, zoos, and more. We learn fractions in cooking and science through all sorts of outdoor learning opportunities.

How I teach her lessons and reinforce what she is learning can be whatever works. We might watch some YouTube videos or a movie as a supplement to what she is learning. We can travel to reinforce a geography lesson! At least when there isn’t a global pandemic.

This week, we used a floor puzzle of the U.S.A. to teach and practice states and capitals for her geography lesson. She loved using the hands on activity of putting together the states each day. Plus, she learned to orient the map, identify geographic features and learn where the states are located on the continent.

My husband is a homesteader at heart, so when he was out hunting and gathering for some necessary supplies and saw baby chicks, he was sold. And now we’re raising chickens.

Raising the chickens has become her science project, research report, and character development all in one. She is learning about animal nutrition and biology. Caring for animals teaches gentleness, selflessness, and responsibility.

Our purpose went from raising a child who excelled in school to a child who would know how to excel in life as an adult and Christian.

We teach laundry next to long division, baking bread and chemistry, citizenship and raising chickens.

You’ll be amazed at the ways you’ll be able to take learning out of the classroom for your children.

Homeschooling is a journey, not a destination for your family. That’s okay. Enjoy the ride, because that really is the most important part.