This is NOT Homeschooling

Pandemic schooling {which is what’s happening right now}…this is NOT homeschooling.

I really wanted to avoid this topic for fear that I would seem to be rocking the boat and picking sides. My thoughts in no way undermine our hardworking classroom teachers. I’ve been one. It’s no joke. Especially right now.

Instead, I want to encourage those of you who have been thinking about homeschooling. Now that your kids are learning at home, it may feel crazy, chaotic, and out of control. So the idea of homeschooling? Yeah, it’s out the window now. There’s no way, right?

But can I encourage you with something?

This is NOT homeschooling.

This is NOT Homeschooling

If I had to name my all-time favorite thing I love about homeschooling, it would be flexibility.

Flexibility to pick the best curriculum for each child {or not pick one at all}.

Flexibility to teach from a Christian worldview.

Flexibility to speed up or slow down what they’re learning.

Flexibility to meet my child’s learning needs on every. single. level.

Flexibility to “ditch” the workbooks and go on field trips instead.

Flexibility to visit the Cape Hatteras Light House, science center, or you name it when there are no lines.

Flexibility to grab books at the library and study something in-depth for days.

Flexibility to find a routine that works best for learning.

Flexibility to sign my kids up for as many co-ops as I want or sign them up for none at all.

Flexibility to allow my kids to explore their passions and interests. {This helps them see that they are more valuable than their reading level or EOG score.}

Flexibility to allow my high schooler to be an apprentice in a field he wants to explore one day as a career.

 

Right now in this time of “pandemic,” our flexibility is nearly gone.

We can’t go on field trips or family trips.

We can’t go to the library to grab stacks of books.

We can’t go to our weekly co-ops.

We can’t have friends over to do science experiments or share life together.

 

This looks nothing like our normal homeschooling. Nothing.

 

When I became a classroom teacher, a very wise and older teacher said this, “Don’t judge your teaching based on your first year of teaching.”

And it was true. It was like going down the hardest ski slope with only a beginner’s lesson. It was crazy.

Now, as a possibly older and more seasoned homeschooling mama {this is my tenth year homeschooling}, let me say this to you: If you were considering homeschooling before this “pandemic,” I encourage not to judge homeschooling based on your “homeschooling” experience now.

You are currently going down the hardest ski slope WITHOUT a beginner’s lesson or ski poles. 

And again, this is NOT homeschooling.

 

If you are considering the idea of homeschooling next year, you might want to check out the series I wrote, So, You You Want to Homeschool. I hope it can can an encouragement to you!

 

More Helpful Homeschooling Links for You:

• Should I Homeschool My Kids? {Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls}
• Homeschool Basics {Homeschool Creations}
• 50 Reasons Homeschooled Kids Love Being Homeschooled {Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers}
• Homeschool Room Tour {2020 from me}
• Homeschool Room Tour {1 + 1 + 1 = 1}

 

You CAN enjoy homeschooling!
~Becky