“I homeschool my children not to prepare them for tests but to prepare them for life.”
Why Do I Decide to Homeschool?
It begins with my youngest. He has never fit in a box, much like his mother. He is full of energy, or piss ‘n vinegar like my father-in-law says. So my son has me thinking differently about school. Later on, my BIG WHY for homeschooling is to save my children’s mental health.
A Pre-Covid World
In Canada, kids start school as early as three years old! When the time arrives for my eldest child to go to school, we send her off. A tiny toddler, going on a giant school bus. My heart breaks as the bus drives away. Fast-forward a few years later and I am adamant that my son will not go to JK or SK. It doesn’t seem worth it to me. My son is a typical four-year old boy. Climbing everything, running around more than sitting down, spending hours outside. There is no way that he will thrive in a classroom of 20+ kids. If such a thing is even possible… My husband doesn’t like my choice but I stick to my guns.
Unschooling – Scene 1
My son and I spent those 2 kindergarten years playing, running errands and watching a bit too much tv. I was nursing him at the time, and as any breastfeeding mother knows, tv and breastfeeding go hand-in-hand! In a nutshell, we were unschooling. I just had never heard of the term.
Enter Covid…
September 2021 rolls in. My son is enrolled into grade 1 and my eldest is going into grade 5. That little voice that has been whispering “homeschool” to me since spring 2020 is starting to get loud! I continue to ignore it. The children go off to school with the mask mandates, long commute and schoolyard drama. I don’t remember how many weeks into the school year they get before they switch to online learning. A month maybe?
Online learning is a disaster! My husband and I are working from home and can’t supervise the children while they’re on the school laptops. Not much learning is happening, although my youngest does get addicted to YouTube… They go back to school after a couple of weeks and I notice a negative change in their behaviors. Worry, anger, drama. Anxiety from hearing the news on the school bus’s radio. Honest to God, why am I exposing my children to this?! My inner voice is SCREAMING at me now. It’s not just the kids that are anxious. My mom guilt is on full blast.
Enough is Enough!
The second time the children go back to online learning, I don’t even bother picking up the laptops from school. The kids hang out at home. We go to the library a lot more often. I suppose this is our deschooling time.
Unschooling From the Start
I don’t follow a specific curriculum for my children. I buy the Canadian Curriculum and a Harry Potter curriculum from Waldock’s Way. The children pick them up once in a while. But our jam is reading: superheroes, fantasy novels, Geronimo Stilton and some Garfield.
Homeschooling and Self-Reflection
After a few months of unschooling, my family begins to experience its endless benefits. My daughter regains her confidence and develops an amazing artistic talent. My son teaches himself to read with comic books. He expands his math with endless hours of Monopoly Bid and counting coins. Home education has taught me many things. The most important of all is to trust my inner voice. And to trust my children’s voices. I chose to walk away from the traditional school system and that choice has helped my family grow and heal in ways that I never thought possible.
Having worked with families for years and with my deep understanding of human behavior, I see that homeschooling is a beautiful way, not only to educate our children, but to re-build the values that have been missing for so long in most of homes. Homeschooling has brought me closer to my children and has changed our family dynamic for the better. Are you ready to take your homeschool to the next level? Are you ready to embrace this life with confidence? Are you ready to SEE amazing changes in your life?
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