Last week, I put up a poll on my Instagram stories to see what people would like to hear more about on the podcast. I had a GREAT response, and it really got my wheels to turning. The options I threw out were homeschool how-to, homeschool encouragement, faith, and current hot topics. The top voted was the homeschool encouragement and if you’ve listened to me for ANY amount of time, or if you know me in real life, you know I am a HUGE fan of cheering others on so you could say that’s my jam.
I’m working on a few different episodes coming up and wanted to take some time to talk a bit about homeschool how-to with some encouragement sprinkled in there. So you want to homeschool, now what?
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Hey there! Welcome to the Imperfectly Pollyanna Podcast where we talk about real life, always imperfect but always finding the good whether in faith, homeschooling, or overall life. I am your host, Courtney, a faith filled homeschool mom of 2, licensed medical professional, certified health coach and eternal optimist. I’m so glad you’re here!
Last week, I put up a poll on my Instagram stories to see what people would like to hear more about on the podcast. I had a GREAT response, and it really got my wheels to turning. The options I threw out were homeschool how-to, homeschool encouragement, faith, and current hot topics. The top voted was the homeschool encouragement and if you’ve listened to me for ANY amount of time, or if you know me in real life, you know I am a HUGE fan of cheering others on so you could say that’s my jam.
I’m working on a few different episodes coming up and wanted to take some time to talk a bit about homeschool how-to with some encouragement sprinkled in there. Now, if you’re not a homeschooler and have no interest in that sort of thing, I always say to stick around because you never know what may stick out to you for something you can relate to your own life. If even after all of that, no matter where you stand with homeschooling, I would like to ask you to please share this episode with someone, or several someones, who may be homeschooling or considering it. It would mean so much to me!
We just had registration day for the local homeschool co-op that I now serve on the coordinating team. We absolutely LOVE our co-op family and have been blessed with such a good homeschool community in general. I fought the idea of a co-op for several years at first because I deal with significant anxiety when it comes to social situations outside of my normal routine. I had tried one of those “mom and me” groups when my son was a toddler, and it was so full of cliques that I felt ignored and never went back. I’ve tried other play groups and still felt like an outsider. Which, it was outside of my comfort zone so it makes sense why I would feel weird and too anxious to return. I never connected with anyone. Then, a couple of years ago, one of my childhood best friends invited me to try out the co-op her family had been a part of for many years. I was anxious about it and then on top of that, I wasn’t sure how my equally social-anxiety anxious kid would do. I was worried I’d either not be able to get him to go into the class by himself OR I’d be given a hard time if I asked to stay with him. I expressed those feelings to my friend and she was wonderful with offering understanding as well as suggestions. We decided to give it a try and after the first couple of weeks, BOTH of my kids were happily running to class, leaving me behind in the lunch room with a bunch of moms I didn’t know. How dare they leave their anxious mom for fun classes! Haha!
However, I made the decision to push myself a bit. After all, if my kids could get out of their comfort zones, why couldn’t I? I signed up to take trash out at the end of the day which allowed me to volunteer but in a smaller capacity. I got to know a couple of moms and eased my way into the co-op life. When the next session started, I forced myself to sign up for a couple of slots at the sign-in table. After all, what better way to meet more people if I had to greet them every week!
Last fall, we resumed our co-op after being shut down because of covid. It was also my first session as a coordinator. It was crazy, fun, and so many other things. It was also the first time that I taught a class there! TWO, in fact!
So yesterday was registration for our spring session and my son said it was the “best day of the year.” Do you know how happy that made my heart?! He is taking 6 classes and my daughter is taking 5. They would’ve taken 11 had they not needed to eat at some point or had the day extended. They’re taking guitar, art, sewing, choir, cake decorating, basic automotive, science, sign language and even mousetrap cars! We have come quite a long way from our days of nerves…and even longer from the days of first starting to homeschool over 8 years ago! I never thought we would be at THIS place in our journey. A place that doesn’t always look perfect…and actually typically looks a bit messy…but is full of peace and confirmation we are doing what we should. That’s what it’s about. Doing what we feel called…doing what is best for our children…for our family.
There are several different reasons why people choose to homeschool. And over the last couple of years, those reasons have expanded even more. I've seen people talk about their stress with the education system but not necessarily just the teachers or what is being taught, though that is a significant issue. I've heard others talk about how their children are struggling with anxiety or falling behind in school. My heart feels for them because I want so badly to tell them “you can homeschool!” I want them to know that there CAN be joy in learning. There CAN be peace in their child’s education. I know that it's not as easy as saying OK let's just homeschool. There are other things that come into play once you make that decision. and I do wonder if there are people out there who, for one reason or another, have considered it but never followed through. Maybe that person is you?
So, the question today you may be asking is…I want to homeschool, now what? Well, I’m glad you asked!
I’m going to give you some tips for getting started, but just know that this is not all inclusive. It is easy to become overwhelmed at options when it comes to curriculum. And you can change several times before finding what works for your family.
Also, I’ll just throw this out there, you can go to HSLDA.org for homeschool resources including your state’s laws. Some states are extremely homeschool friendly – like mine! Others are stricter but it doesn’t mean you can’t find a way to make it work.
Ok, let’s jump on in. So you wanna homeschool, now what, right?
Why do you want to homeschool? If you aren’t sure, then take time to figure it out. Your reason may change over time, but for right now…what is your WHY? Is it the freedom to be in control of your child’s education? Is it the freedom to do school on your own time so that you can do more things together as a family? Do you feel the Lord leading you in that direction? Maybe it has to do with some struggles your child is having and you wonder if this could help him or her? Whatever the reason, make sure you know what it is because when the hard days come – and they will, because homeschooling is not removing yourself from life! Ha – when those hard days come, you will want to remind yourself why you chose this in the first place.
Once you’ve figured that out, then there’s the question of…is your child already in school and would need to be withdrawn OR is your child just now coming into the age of needing to start some sort of formal education?
If it is the former, you will want to look into your state’s homeschool law and find out the process of withdrawing. In my state, there is no need to do more than inform the school you are transferring to a private school and then you can also ask for copies of transcripts – if you want them. Also, for my state, there is no requirement to “register” or inform the state that you are going to homeschool. We are required to keep record of days of education, up to the same amount of days the public schools attend which is typically 180 days per year. That could be as simple as checking a day off the calendar. Other states may require something like a portfolio being turned in at the end of the year showing examples of what your child did. Like I said before, check out HSLDA.org for state law requirements. Also, as an added note for those who have children being taken out of the public system…it is highly suggested to do something called “deschooling” when you first begin. It is a time that is similar to a form of detox. Because when you’ve never experienced homeschooling, you have a completely different idea of what it looks like than what it actually DOES look like. Now, I’m not familiar with doing this because we’ve been homeschooling from the beginning. However, there are people out there who have done it and I suggest speaking with them for ideas on how that works.
Once you’ve got that taken care of, you are on to the adventure of deciding what style of homeschooling you want to do! I have shared some popular styles before over on my Instagram, but as a review, there are things such as traditional – which is learning at home in a similar fashion as public or private school and includes a set schedule, set start and end time, sometimes using desks, planners, etc. Another popular style is Classical – which is based on 3 stages of a child’s learning: grammar, logic, rhetoric. A child does heavy memorization followed by learning “why” and ending with application. Then there are unit studies – which I love. This involves choosing a theme or topic of interest and gathering books or material to join alongside. Units can last several weeks and use multi-sensory learning. A fourth option is Ecclectic – which is when you pull from multiple curriculums and styles based on your child’s individual learning style and level of understanding as well as your preference, as the parent. Then there is Unschooling. It tends to get a bad rap from those that don’t understand, and that’s ok. Unschooling is nonstructured learning, usually around life experiences and interests. This can be through hands-on learning, books, videos, or other various resources. Sometimes it’s referred to as “life schooling.”
I like to call us “structured unschoolers.” We are pretty much eclectic because we have changed curriculums, pulled from different sources, learned through life experiences, and have found that we are REALLY learning every day just simply by learning in life! It’s my hope to teach my kids to not just memorize facts simply to pass a test or function in life. I want them to have a love of learning and know HOW to find answers to things.
When we first started, I was more of a traditional gal. Mostly because I didn’t realize what possibilities were out there! There is a book by Cathy Duffy called Top Homeschool Curriculum Picks and it helps you work through what type of learner your child is as well as what style you prefer and then offers curriculum suggestions based on what you decide. I highly recommend it, you can check it out at library which is even better!
Even when you think you know what type of style or curriculum you want to do…please, PLEASE hear me when I tell you, don’t be surprised if you feel like you’ve made the wrong decision to homeschool or you decide you don’t like what you’ve chosen. Guess what? We have ALL been there! And the great thing, is that you can change ANY TIME YOU WANT. I get not wanting to spend tons of money on different curriculums…so take time to talk to other homeschooling families, ask what they do, see if you can look at stuff in person…you can check out youtube videos for flip throughs or reviews…there are options to do online homeschool, curriculum that used videos, all-in-one options, there is literally thousands of things you can choose from. I would suggest finding a local homeschool group on facebook or in your community and ask lots of questions, listen to suggestions, and pray about what direction you should go.
We have used one called Sonlight before. It is a bit pricey, but well worth the cost. It lays everything out as a schedule for you, includes all of your subjects as well as extras, it’s very book-heavy (which I loved) and the books are REALLY good. We’ve enjoyed several read-alouds from them. It is Christian based, so bible is included. However, if you’re not someone who wants to include that, you can still use this option and just remove the bible stuff. Which reminds me, part of the thing you want to consider when choosing curriculum is whether or not you want a religious based one or not. We have chosen to use Christian based and I don’t regret it one bit. However, there are several secular homeschooling families out there so it is possible to literally create the educational experience you want and feel is best!
Ok, moving on…
So, we’ve discussed making the decision and deciding the “why” behind it…
We’ve discussed removing from public school and looking up state laws…
We’ve gone over popular styles as well as how to find a good curriculum…
Let’s chat about the HUGE question that ALWAYS arises when it comes to kids that are homeschooled! SOCIALIZATION! How WILL they have socialization skills if they aren’t sitting in a classroom with only people there own age for 8 hours, 5 days a week????
I get it, I thought homeschoolers were just weird kids…awkward kids…kids that were so sheltered they would never fit it. Does that sound too harsh? To me it just sounds like ignorance. We don’t know what we don’t know until we know it, ya know? What I found, is that homeschool kids are usually even MORE socialized than public school kids. Here’s why…
For my kids…they interact with me as their mom and teacher…they interact with other adults in their lives…they do competitive gymnastics, soccer, 4H, co-op, church, have play dates, field trips, participate in trips to the grocery store, and all those things include interacting with people of ALL ages. Do you really want your kids to learn how to interact and behave with other people from only those their own age? Let’s be real. I sure don’t.
At our co-op, classes are not just for specific ages. Sometimes there is a small age range like 5-7 year olds. Then there’s classes for ages 8 to 18. I’m leading 2 choir classes this spring. One class is for ages 6-10 and the other is 11-18. Sure, there are some topics or skill levels that are better suited for specific ages or grades. However, in co-op, there is always a range of some sort. The kids not only interact with their classmates, but also with the parents, the mentors (who are the ones teaching the classes), siblings of friends, and even with other adults they come in contact with because we meet in a church that has a café.
You don’t have to have your kid involved in ALL the things in order to have a well-rounded homeschool life. However, those who think homeschoolers are not able to have socialization are just ill-informed and haven’t taken the time to learn what is actually available.
We have someone who has taken it upon herself to have a weekly e-newsletter that goes out to around 500 families…maybe more at this point…and it lists TONS of groups, classes, co-ops, activities and more that is available for homeschoolers to be a part of. I didn’t even realize what all our community had until I started schooling her newsletter! It is incredible!
And maybe your community doesn’t have tons of things…maybe there isn’t a co-op that you know of…maybe you aren’t sure how to get involved with the homeschool groups in your area…
Search on facebook or google your state with the world “homeschool group” and see what pops up! When it comes to it, if you still can’t find what type of group you are hoping to have, you can always start your own! Co-ops begin when a few families want to offer a resource to each other. Wish your kid could take a science class or another subject that you don’t feel confident in teaching? Ask around, see if there’s someone who would be willing to teach a class! It could be another homeschool parent…it could be a teacher who offers tutoring on the side…it could be a homeschool parent who ALSO happens to have a teaching degree – though let me say you don’t HAVE to have a degree in order to educate your child, I promise. You could contact a local business and see if they’d be willing to do a field trip to showcase what they do.
Basically, if you never ask, you’ll never know what’s out there and is available!
Outside of all we’ve discussed today…I do want to encourage you to find other homeschool families to connect with…locally and online. Look for books to read that will give you encouragement. Listen to podcasts. Go to homeschool conventions! Those are a FANTASTIC way to talk to other homeschoolers, get your hands on curriculum so you can really look at it before buying, as well as listen to speakers cover topics that you are wanting to know more about.
Are there other specific questions you have that I’ve not covered? Or maybe there’s something that popped out to you and you’d like to know more about? I’d love to hear from you. You can connect with me on Facebook or Instagram by searching Imperfectly Pollyanna. You can also email me your questions to courtney@imperfectlypollyanna.com.
If you’re really wanting to try homeschooling but you’re afraid…you’re worried about how you’ll teach a subject…or you’re afraid your child will fall behind or fail…you’re concerned about what would happen if he or she needed to go back into the public school system…
Just try it. For one year. If they’re in high school, you may have a bit more strings to deal with when taking them out or putting them back in. But it doesn’t mean it’s not possible.
If they’re not in high school, you can also still do this. Remember your WHY. Homeschooling is a chance to find peace and joy in education as well as strengthening the family unit. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I WANT to help you succeed in your homeschool journey.
I’m hoping this podcast finds those needing support or encouragement. If that’s you, you’ve found a friend! If you’ve connected to this episode in any way, I’d love you to share it with someone you know and care about. I hope you’ll continue showing up as we find the good together. Remember, you are loved and I am GLAD you’re here! See you next time!