Flexibility of Homeschool

Six thirty wakeups. Waking up kids...repeatedly. Breakfast by seven. Encouraging kids who aren't hungry yet to eat. Finding books, assignments, shoes, or signing forms we didn't know we should sign the night before. Fighting traffic. Fight-flight-freeze mode was in full swing every morning as we tried to get to school on time. After school, there was a snack, a brief rest time, then homework time, then supper, more homework, some rest, bedtime routine, then blessed sleep. The next day, we did it all over again. After second grade, we sometimes spent three to four hours on homework at the end of the school day.

No matter where we took the kids to traditional school, (preschool, elementary, private, public, it didn't matter), this was our life. It was very stressful for all of us. I just accepted it...until homeschooling came into our lives.

We started homeschooling seven years ago at the request of one of our children. She termed school, "prison." She had a point. What had been liberation for me when I was a child, providing me a wonderful match of environment to person, was indeed a prison for her. My mind, my behaviors, and my intensity were and are pretty perfect for traditional school. I am naturally quiet, blending into the background. I love learning and libraries and leaning into academic challenges with clear expectations. When I graduated high school, the video of the back of my head showed me barely moving throughout the entire ceremony. Even my eye doctor told me last week, "Your eyes were created perfectly for reading." I laughed, knowing just how right she was.

Once we started homeschooling, I dove head first into what homeschooling literature I could find. I found there are several major philosophies of homeschool that differ radically from each other. Further, while there are some states in the U.S. that are more restrictive, (see HSLDA.org for your state's laws), many are not. (Anyone considering homeschooling should start at his or her state's laws to figure out what options are available). However, in general, homeschooling is pretty unregulated.

For this by-the-books kid, it was a little overwhelming. So much flexibility! What should I do? How do I do it?

What was overwhelming at first to me, became a huge blessing as I became a more experienced homeschooling parent. I became flexibile in my daily rhythm. I became flexible in my teaching methods. I reviewed materials so that they were trauma informed. I became flexible in when we traveled, in what curriculum I chose, in individualizing methods for each child, in how sick days went, in sleep schedules, in graduation and in dealing with very unexpected challenges in daily life.

My next series of blog posts will be details about how one might thrive with that flexibility in real life. For now, know that if you are homeschooling and frustrated at how it is going, or if you are considering homeschooling your child and are scared, flexibility is your friend. Remember, you are not alone out there, though it may feel like it right now. Homeschooling can be a lonely journey for the parent, but you are not alone. Let's jump into the waters of flexibility and begin to swim...together.