Are you thinking about homeschooling your child? Below I have some advice on how to get started on the journey whether you have made the decision to homeschool or just thinking about whether this is what you need to do. This advice I have taken myself and has helped me along the journey.
1.) Figure out the what, then follow up with the why. What is your goal for homeschooling and why are you homeschooling? Writing things down ahead will not only help you in the decision process, it will also be a reminder in the future when you want to give up and quit. You will see why you choose that path and can reflect on that.
2.) If your child is in school and you decide to pull them out, write the school and district an official letter that you are homeschooling and keep a copy for your records. And although Oklahoma doesn't require you to do so, I would recommend starting a record log. For example, if you begin September 5, 2017 and go to school five days that week for six hours each day, you did x, y, and z and the week included a field trip as enrichment. Simple and to the point, but it will help you not only plan in the future, it will also help you if you were to place your child back in school for the record purposes.
3.) Bloom where you are. Homeschooling doesn't have to be perfect nor does it have to be a strict set of standards. Take your time and bloom where you are.
4.) Just do it. You will never know if homeschooling is wonderful or awful for your family unless you just try it.
5.) Have a phase of "unschooling." Don't jump all into it, figure out a new rhythm for your family. Use this time to find out what your children's passions are if you don't know already, and go from there. This also is a great time for you, the parent and facilitator of learning, to finding your own philosophy of education. Research all the methods, then one blog post will hit you like a ton of bricks and realize "this is it!" You'll know it's the right one to at least try. Remember different seasons and ages will bring different needs.
6.) Find online and local support groups. This one step alone was vital to our journey in believing it was possible. I would not be the sane homeschooling mom I am today if it weren't for my well-seasoned parents I'm in connection with. Facebook is a great place to start.
7.) Trust yourself and your instincts. In our family, we have purposely chosen to delay intellectual learning until the age of 7 for numerous reasons. My point is, although we are met with disagreement, it doesn't matter what anyone else says, if you know it's what is best and you see your child thriving, then follow the instinct.
To end, I wish you all the best no matter the form of school you choose and that I see children thrive in all forms of education.
Krista currently lives in Hinton, Oklahoma with her husband and their two daughters. She has a degree in Elementary Education and is a certified teacher. Krista first brought up homeschooling to her husband back in 2013 when their first daughter was just a toddler. They've been homeschooling ever since. You can contact her at retrookiemama@gmail.com.
