According to the Washington Post, “Homeschooling is now the fastest-growing form of education in the U.S.” I vividly recall the start of my homeschooling journey many years ago and feeling like I was “jumping off a cliff without a parachute.” As a veteran homeschool parent, one of my goals is to share knowledge I’ve gained over the years to support other homeschool parents on their journey.
You’ll find future installments on a wide variety of homeschooling topics here in the Opinion Shaper column, but today I’d love to start off with four essential steps for new or prospective homeschoolers. Let’s dive in….
- Determine your why: I spent 10 soul-crushing years working in education for a pharmaceutical giant. While corporate America was definitely not for me, I did take some of their common practices and apply them to my homeschool life. If you’re planning to start a company, you’re likely to sit down and hammer out details like: who do we serve, what sets us apart, and why is this company needed within our field? I believe those questions are also a great way to set your compass for your future homeschooling journey. If you have decided to homeschool, there’s likely some pretty big reasons why. Perhaps the classroom setting doesn’t work for your child(ren). Perhaps your child is autistic and benefits from a different learning style. Just about every homeschool parent will have a different “why.” However, as we begin homeschooling, it is very easy to subconsciously revert back to the way things are done in the school system. It is what we know. It is what society tells us is the path to success. Having a homeschooling road map that is customized to your “why” is a great tool for periodic assessment of your individual progress or a confidence booster on days when doubt kicks in.
- Find out what kind of homeschooler you are: The term “homeschooling” is very broad! It encompasses everything from school at home to child-led learning. It is important to understand what the core of your homeschooling and learning style might be. Head to Google and search “what kind of homeschooler are you?” and you’ll be presented with multiple online quizzes. I took a few of them because my personality can sometimes be described as “wont to kill a fly with a sledgehammer” and I wanted to validate the results by noticing trends. But the results were very telling and in some ways surprising to me!
- Take a break!: In the homeschooling world we have a term called deschooling (not to be confused with unschooling (which is a topic for another day and something entirely different) and it is typically recommended for new homeschoolers. The term was coined by an Australian philosopher named Ivan Illiich and refers to a time and process of transition in shifting from the school system to homeschooling. I liken the “de” in deschooling to “detoxing.” We’ve all been conditioned, whether we realize it or not, to believe education looks one very specific way. The reality is that that couldn’t be further from the truth and undoing a lot of that programming takes time and work. The longer your child has been in the school system the longer your deschooling period should be. Many people recommend one month per year in the school system. Oftentimes, this is where the panic sets in and you start fearing that taking time off will cause them to “fall behind.” But guess what? That fear reaction is part of the programming and reinforces the need for this deschooling period.
- Become a sponge!: Much of your deschooling phase can be dedicated to learning. These preparatory steps involve things like finding a strong community of veteran homeschoolers who willingly share advice, as well as soaking up as much information as you can in the form of books, podcasts, and more! The fastest and easiest way to find community is to search “homeschooling” on FB and filter for groups. You’ll find groups for secular families, parents of neurodivergent kids, local groups, global groups, and everything in between. We have a lovely Facebook group right here in Summerville called “Summerville Homeschoolers” and the members are very supportive and welcoming to newcomers. Come join us!
You will likely have noticed by now that I have made no mention of curriculum and that was not an accidental omission. I have intentionally left that out for a wide range of reasons spanning from it isn’t necessary to there’s time for that later. Building your homeschooling future is a lot like building a house… you need a strong foundation. Today we’ve built the foundation and in my next column we’ll talk more about what comes next. Stay tuned….