I know so many families who are taking the leap into homeschooling. Home education is on the rise in this country due to many factors. I won’t get into that in this post so much but I will say that we all have our reasons for doing this. It isn’t easy and it isn’t for the faint-hearted. But, it’s the best thing I have ever done for my children.
Homeschooling your children can seem like such a daunting task. There are laws for how to homeschool in each state. There are thousands of curriculum choices out there. Which one is right for your family? What if you choose one and it doesn’t work out? What about “socialization”? We all want our children to have some friends. We want friends also.
It doesn’t have to be this gigantic mountain if you take it one step at a time. First, research the laws for your state. Find out exactly what you need to do. In my state (Virginia), it’s very simple. I send in a Notice of Intent to the superintendent of my child’s school district. This is NOT asking for permission. It is letting the school system know that I will be homeschooling. They usually send back a letter stating they received my letter. At the end of the year, I get an evaluation done for each child and send that to the superintendent. That’s it. There are a few other details but nothing major.
After you find out what the laws are, research curriculum like a crazy person. Go on social media and ask tons of questions on different homeschooling sites. Homeschooling parents are very eager to talk curriculum. They want to tell you what worked for them and why. What didn’t work for them and why. Read tons of reviews. Look at samples. Know your child. These will all help you to decide which curriculum will best fit your family. If something doesn’t work out, that’s okay. Sell it and move on to something else. It took me five years and many different curricula to find what works for my family.
As for socialization, don’t even worry about that for one single second. My boys are all way more social than I ever was and I went to public school. We get out and about with friends and family. We joined a co-op to meet new families. We go to church and participate in Awana on Wednesday nights. We go to church on Sundays. My boys also do Upward basketball during the winter months. There are so many activities and gatherings for my family, we have to decline some of them. My children are far from being hermits.
If you are thinking about homeschooling or know someone who is, know that you will be okay and so will they. Homeschooling is not what it used to be. There are so many people doing it now that you would be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t know someone who homeschools. I have yet to meet a homeschool family who has zero social skills. Even if they are shy, they still know how to converse and make friends.
Did I mention how much fun homeschooling is? Well, I have a ton of fun alongside my boys. We go on TONS of field trips to amazing places. Just this week we went on a tour to a chocolate factory. I was living my dream with my boys! We have read so many awesome books. Just last year, we read over 140 books together. 140 books!! I am getting an education with them. I also get to be with them all the time. Lots of parents don’t like this part of homeschooling, but it’s my favorite part. We have bonded and have a great relationship because it’s the way God designed families to be. Together.
