You are not alone, Why I Started my Homeschooling Journey

Interested in homeschooling or have you already started and looking to connect with others who are in the same process? Maybe both? Well, here is some insight to why I finally took the step along with a few tips to what you can find in upcoming posts.

If you are just starting your homeschooling journey, I learned the key is not to over think it. I know... easier said than done. Just remember in the end we know what is best for our children so they can blossom into loving, creative, independent, and smart adults. Who will also become the ones taking care of us when we get older. wink... wink...

I just started my homeschooling journey this past January as if 3 years of research and contemplation were not enough. Here is what got me to decide now is the time. No more contemplation, no more research which by the way you can only do so much of before you just make your head hurt and make it seem to be bigger than it really is. It is ok, most if not all of us have done this...

Once Covid came along a year ago and schools started closing I went and used the 4 months as my test to see if it was just the idea I was liking most or if this was something I really wanted to go forward with. During that time, we did everything more like a regular school day talk about exhausting. Besides being 5 teachers in one day and learning. We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed time spent together as a family it felt as if life started slowing down some. At a certain point I ended up asking my oldest what her thoughts were if she were to keep doing school at home and shockingly, she was all for it!

Come August things were starting to get tough as Covid continued and was causing changes to our personal life. I had to decide to put off the idea of homeschooling again and went with virtual schooling until schools opened full-time. When schools finally opened full-time my daughter was not enjoying school like she used with all the different changes and new strict rules that had to be followed.

As time passed dealing with Covid’s new way of living. My daughter was sent home for 2 weeks to quarantine due to being “in close contact” with a person at the school that had tested positive. On top of this I would receive email notifications multiple times a week stating how another person has tested positive in her school as these emails come in so does the stress and worry. I start thinking is today the day I am getting another unexpected call to pick up my daughter and isolate for another 2 weeks? Will she contract the virus and pass it me or her siblings? These worries are not an option for me as I am the parent to my kids. I must make sure not only is their health ok but mine so that I am able to care for them.

I know you may be wondering how do I manage homeschooling as a single parent?

Honestly, after connecting with another homeschooling mom and doing some more research in the specific area, stay at home moms are not the only one’s homeschooling. It is possible for anyone to homeschool their children, no I do not have a nanny, babysitter, or family schooling my children I do all the teachings. Though these are good resources as a homeschooling parent, and I can share more information on that in another post just let me know. Now, here we are! Mid way through winter vacation I put my foot down and started my plan gathering items that would help me along the way. Once vacation ended January 4th, I went to my towns board of education and put in notice of withdrawal and that was it!

Keep in mind many states have their own requirements allowing you to homeschool your children. It just so happens that the state I live in only suggests you fill out the intent to homeschool form and keep them updated with yearly meetings on your child’s curriculum and progress. That being said. Before you start or if you already started homeschooling and did not check with your state or towns requirements be sure to do that just in case, you do not want to miss covering important topics or parts they are required to learn especially if you ever decide to have your children return to public school for whatever reason.

I personally do follow some of the suggestions they give like keeping track of days attended, pieces of work they did in each subject covered, and I follow the basic required curriculum. Besides the required curriculum I add other subjects I feel are important for even young children to learn that are not being taught in the public school system i.e. life skills, healthy habits and specific topics that young children are interested in learning like a language, coding, instruments etc. For those of you that may be thinking this. Yes, these can be accomplished outside of school, but now the question is when is a kid being a kid?

the curriculum resources I use are Free The only things I pay out of pocket for are the manipulatives, games, books, basic school supplies we would buy anyway, crafts, and items for science experiments etc. These items I use are low cost. I will cover this more in-depth which you will be able to find in another post. One will cover the free resources and then a different post covering the paid items I will do my best to include links to make it easier for your search.

Although, 2020 was a bit rocky and things are just starting to come back to “normal”. Since we started homeschooling full-time in January all my children have been excited and eager to learn everyday with me. My children being 2-, 4-, and 6-years old learning together is one of the most amazing experiences and bonds that can be built as siblings. Every day is something new and exciting. I found that having theme days are popular for my babes. Here is a quick snapshot of our day, we only do curriculum schooling 2-3 hours out of our day covering 3-4 main topics as I split days for certain subjects like a middle school scheduling system. sometimes we will end sooner or go later depending on if they ask to continue to do more. Yes, my children ask for more sometimes which at that point we will pick one of our extras for fun.

Thanks for reading, I hope me sharing my experiences makes your process a little easier and gives you the confidence you need to make the best decision for you and your family! Do not forget to stay in touch to for more posts and resources.