I’m about to embark on my fifth year of homeschooling. This may not sound like a big number to some of you, but to me, it’s CRAZY. Five years and we’ve SURVIVED. Figuring that a little introspection is good for the soul, I have been pondering the big ah-ha’s from my first four years of homeschooling.
#1 IT GETS BETTER
Like so many other things in life, I have found that homeschooling really does get better the longer you do it. Not necessarily easier, but better. Our first year was fraught with confusion, fear and feelings of inadequacy. (And my son didn’t like it that much either.) Looking back, I think the first year is about training your household to accept the homeschooling lifestyle. Our formal dining room was converted into our schooling space, complete with white board and big school-style calendar on the wall. It felt weird and conspicuous at first, but now I don’t even think about it, even when we’re hosting meals for others in that space. It used to be that our time at home had more of a weekend, chill vibe. But when we started homeschooling, we all needed to understand that our days needed more of a scheduled feel to ensure our schooling was done. Now, I think my kids actually crave the slightly scheduled vibe. As evidenced by the “I’m bored”s I hear by the second week of summer.
If you’re just starting this journey, try not to put unnecessary pressure on yourself to get everything just so this first year. Homeschool is a BIG CHANGE for everybody, so give yourself some grace. It will get better. I promise.
#2 KEEP YOUR EAR TO THE GROUND
Kids who are public schooled often come home with notes and flyers in their backpacks, or their parents are notified of upcoming opportunities through school-wide message boards. When you homeschool, it’s up to you to know when soccer season starts, when the new community ed class begins, or when community theatre try-outs are taking place. Stay connected – whether through existing contacts, community newsletters, or social media – so your kids don’t miss out on opportunities to enrich their school experience.
#3 IT’S ONLY WEIRD IF YOU THINK IT IS
I remember feeling so isolated our first year of homeschooling. I didn’t know anyone else who homeschooled in our area, and I felt somehow sheepish and out-of-place trying to maintain some of the relationships we had made during my son’s kindergarten year in public school. I felt like we had made this weird decision to remove ourselves from an established cohort and like our existing friends who public-schooled wouldn’t want to remain connected to us. This really isn’t true – and if you don’t act like a weird homeschooler, people won’t treat you like a weird homeschooler.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding homeschooling, but most public-school moms were very encouraging to me. Most just said,’ I could never do that.” I found it tremendously encouraging to make some connections with homeschooling families because, let’s face it, they are the only ones who really get what it’s like. But, I learned not to shy away from families and moms who public school as well. There are always opportunities to remain connected through sports, youth organizations like scouting, or even just taking advantage of school breaks to get kids together for play dates.
#4 IT’S A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT
Some days of homeschooling will be filled with grumbling, tears and monotonous repetition. Some weeks it will feel like nothing was accomplished and your weekly to-dos remained largely undone. I’ve found that homeschooling is a journey best viewed from the summit, rather than constantly monitored from the trail. If you examine your progress each year, I bet you’ll be delighted by the things your kids have learned and how you’ve grown as a family. If you try to evaluate your successes day-by-day, or even week-by-week, you may find yourself very frustrated and disappointed. This race, dear friends, is a marathon – best performed by measured breathing and a steady pace – not a sprint. Enjoy the run!
