Hi friends. This post is huge to me because I am actually saying (typing?) the words out. After years of consideration, my husband and I have decided to make the commitment to homeschool our girls. I am so afraid to say that we will do this forever, but that is our hope (fingers crossed). As long as this decision continues to work best for our family, we are going for it! Aah! I am just so excited to put this out there. I have received countless words of inspiration, tips, and encouragement on Instagram when I put it out there and I just feel so good about this decision. It feels right and feels like this is what I was made for.
Before I even start I want to say that homeschooling is the best decision for our family but it is 100% not the best decision for every family! There are pros and cons to everything and we all lead different lives and our kids are different… just please know that this isn’t a post to say homeschooling is better than public school or online learning or private school, or whatever else. It is just one option and it is the option we are going with.
My girls are still young (Willow is 3.5 and Fiona is 18 months) so we are starting very slowly with Willow come the fall and will probably not start “official” kindergarten until she is closer to 6 (and pre-k for Fiona around 3-4) but until then… we are slowing finding a rhythm, playing, making messes, and learning through daily activities, chores, and fun. This gives me plenty of time to wrap my head around things, research, and prepare myself.
I wanted to kind of walk you through our thought process and how we arrived to this decision, as well as all the reasons why (and maybe even debunk a few myths for skeptics). But anyways, buckle up. This is probably going to be a longer one.
When Willow was first born, my husband and I talked about homeschooling. It was always in the back of my mind and having her immediately made me think about what we would do for schooling. But over time, we kind of just fell into the idea of private school. This was the goal for years, to be honest. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to let go of my career (I worked as a professional copywriter for nearly a decade). But as time went on and I spoke with friends who were also considering the homeschool route, my feelings started to flip-flop again. That and researching the cost of private school (yikes!!) But after being home and living through a pandemic, I honestly fell in love with the rhythm of being surrounded by my girls at all times… just the quality time, reading, learning together, playing outside and exploring. It just felt so right. The more I thought about them being within 4 walls for at least 6 hours every single day (plus hours of homework, plus extracurriculars, etc.) really bothered me. The idea that my kids won’t be playing and learning outside bothers me. The idea of bullies bothers me. The idea of active shooter drills REALLY bothers me. Just the whole thing. Willow is learning at a rapid speed just by being home with me now… why can’t that continue? Spoiler alert: it can! I know there are plenty of wonderful teachers and schools, so this isn’t an attack on schools but it just didn’t feel like the right fit for the way I want to raise my girls. After speaking with a friend (hey hey, Lauren!) and talking it over with Joe, I decided that this is the way we are doing things. Let’s jump in and give it a go.
SO. That’s kind of the backstory of how we got here. But I do want to share all the reasons why this feels right and maybe some of this will resonate with you if you are also considering. I also feel good writing all this out because I am 100% sure I will need to read these reasons back to myself during the hard days/times. Ha! So here we go.
In no particular order, these are some of the main reasons why we are going to homeschool:
- To bond and spend more time with my kids while they are young. The years are short! Between long school days, hours of homework, and extracurriculars… the time together is slim.
- To provide more outdoor & nature time since recess doesn’t feel like enough to me.
- More time to play, especially while they are young, but really, always. Play is so important to us.
- To minimize the chances of bullying. I have experienced bullying firsthand and have seen how it can negatively affect a person throughout their life.
- To preserve their innocence. Kids really do grow up too fast, especially now.
- To cater to my girls specific needs, interests, and learning pace. I want them to love learning. I want them to tell me their passions and I want to see the stars in their eyes when they are pursuing something they love vs. what they “need” to learn in a textbook. I really loved this TED talk.
- To avoid them spending almost 40 hours a week sitting still in a classroom with someone lecturing them. I want learning to be fun and hands-on. I want to provide them with more breaks when they need it and allow them to move their bodies around vs. sitting down for long periods of time.
- Flexibility and shorter class days. Homeschool hours are significantly shorter than any school environment. We can be done by lunchtime everyday and have the entire afternoon to relax or go on a field trip or have fun. The flexibility to shuffle things around is also a major bonus.
- We’ll be able to travel more and during off-seasons without worrying about “falling behind.”
- To avoid unnecessary amounts of homework.
- The ability to deep dive into whatever topic they want. We’ll follow a curriculum, but if they want to really get into something, you bet we are going to pause and dive right in without worry.
- Ability to learn life skills, such as cooking, baking, budgeting, investing, etc.
- A safer learning environment where I do not have to worry about the chance of a school shooting or any type of violence. Home is our haven and there is no better place than here to learn.
- To experience the relaxed environment and beauty of co-ops with other children. My kids will most certainly be socialized through these groups, going on field trips and other adventures.
- To nurture their true self and build confidence. No one is going to talk down to them here.
- Outside school. I know I touched on outside a few times now but it really is that important. If it’s a beautiful day, you bet we are going to throw down a blanket, have snacks, and do a lesson or read books or poetry or whatever else we have going on that day.
- Unlimited field trips! To anywhere! At any time! Yay!
And this is really just a small sample of reasons. There are so many more. This feels right to us. It may not be for everyone and that is perfectly fine. But this is right for us.
A few books I have read that have encouraged me further: Call of the Wild and Free, The Brave Learner, and The Read-Aloud Family. I also love to follow Ellen Fisher, The Natural Wellnest, and The Ogelsby Ohana for inspiration.
I know we are just starting this journey so I have a lot to learn. I know it isn’t going to be rainbows and butterflies. I know there will be days where I wanna throw my kids on a bus. But for the reasons above, I am so excited to take this journey and learn as I go. We are going to be in this together and that alone feels good in my heart. As soon as we made the decision, I knew this is exactly what I am meant to do.
If you homeschool or are considering it, I would love to hear from you. Please don’t hesitate to shoot me a message on Instagram or leave a comment below. I am hoping to write more about this as we find our rhythm throughout the years. And I’m excited to take you guys along. x
