why we determined to homeschool

sharing extra about how lengthy we intend to homeschool, and why the heck we’re doing it with just a bit over a month left of the college yr. 

Hello buddies!

I hope that you simply’re having an incredible week and I’m so pumped that so a lot of you may have signed up for our Spring Ahead wellness problem. Be sure that to enroll right here – it’s completely free and it’s going to be a ton of enjoyable. In the event you’re on the lookout for a blast of motivation as we head into spring, that is the right solution to do it!

For at the moment’s submit, I wished to share somewhat bit extra about our homeschool journey and what’s occurring. I’ve alluded to the truth that we’ve had a tough time the previous few months and it’s been troublesome to navigate how and what to share. I’ve at all times been open with you guys on the subject of my life, however the aim of the weblog has at all times been to share MY expertise; not my youngsters’s. It’s a tough line to stroll, particularly once they’re an enormous a part of my life and I really feel like so a lot of you’re part of our household. On the similar, I by no means need them to really feel like their privateness has been invaded by what I share right here, so I’ve at all times tried to take a fragile strategy to my content material, particularly as they’ve gotten older.

The nutshell model is that this: we ended up transferring Liv to a different personal college in January. We had been all fighting the mind-boggling quantity of homework, exams, and assignments. It was particularly laborious together with her competitors dance schedule. We switched studios and reduce her hours in half, and he or she was nonetheless up till not less than midnight each night time (for the previous 2+ years) making an attempt to complete every thing for varsity. I’m an enormous believer in laborious work and I believe educational rigor has its place, however it was an excessive amount of for everybody. So, she switched and has been thriving.

When she switched colleges, it was the primary time P hasn’t had her massive sis in school, which was difficult for her. The Pilot additionally retired, which was an enormous transition, and he or she began to have extra frequent stomachaches. (Her abdomen has bothered her on and off for years, which has at all times apprehensive me since she had severe reflux as a baby and was on Prilosec and Zantac, which has been recalled for terrifying causes.) She noticed a number of medical doctors, had an ultrasound, her abdomen was deemed “wholesome,” and their solely suggestion was to place her on a PPI once more. She was additionally doing CBT weekly, and generally twice every week. Her abdomen ache and nervousness bought so dangerous that she missed many days of faculty, and we had been right here making an attempt to maintain up with the insane quantity of homework, classwork, and exams.

The Pilot was house for retirement and was educating her the content material, ensuring she accomplished the large packets of classwork, and taking her to high school for exams. He had return to business airline coaching and I couldn’t fathom solo parenting, working, and making an attempt to maintain up with all the college work she was lacking, so I requested her to both select to return to high school or we might pull her out, and he or she mentioned, “Please homeschool me.”

I by no means meant to be a trainer, however I’ll do something for our infants and if it’s what P wants proper now, I’m going to do it.

(We love Nicole the Math Lady! An amazing rec from Brittany.)

Additionally price mentioning right here that I made a decision to do a Food Sentivity Test (and another purposeful labs) and bought to the basis explanation for some intestine points, and her gluten sensitivity was extreme. No marvel her abdomen was hurting :/ Since she began the protocols and eliminated gluten, her abdomen ache has drastically decreased.

Our plan now:

– She’s on the waitlist for Liv’s new college however realistically gained’t be capable of get in till fifth grade

– We’ll homeschool till then and if she decides to return, that’s nice, and if she doesn’t wish to, that’s okay, too.

The humorous factor is that I was actually cautious of homeschooling. Pre-kids thought to myself, “How on earth can a father or mother anticipate to show their children extra successfully than a trainer?”

Throughout the ladies’ time at school, we’ve had some extraordinary academics who’re every thing academics needs to be. They love children, love what they’re educating, they’re above and past. However on the similar time, some academics are…not good. They are saying weird issues in school, disgrace youngsters in entrance of their friends, and this occurs in a personal college surroundings ALL the time, when you’re paying to your child to be taught by instructors who don’t appear to love youngsters in any respect. A overwhelming majority of the time, we spent the three to 4 hour block every night time educating anyway, as a result of they weren’t taught the content material throughout their lessons.

Rising up, I additionally thought that homeschooled children had been most likely awkward as a result of they don’t have as a lot social interplay. The truth is that all the homeschooled children I’ve met are sort, articulate, pleasant, and extremely sensible.

Although I’ve seen buddies homeschool and type of daydreamed about how how enjoyable it will be, I didn’t take into account it a risk as a result of I do business from home, juggling shopper calls, content material creation, podcast interviews, Zooms, IHP work, and so forth. I didn’t really feel like I might add one other issues to my plate, however I didn’t even suppose twice about it once we bought up to now. I’ve shuffled my schedule round quite a bit so that the majority of my content material creation is completed over the weekend, and the sweetness about homeschool is that it solely takes round two hours every day at this age.

This submit is already tremendous lengthy, so I’ll share one other submit quickly with the curriculum we’re utilizing and the way we construction our days.

Thanks to your kindness and being so wonderful over the previous few months. It’s been a tough yr in some ways (this is only one of them) and being right here with you all every day is a significant vibrant spot. We completed our first full week of homeschool and I’m feeling fairly excited and hopeful about it! I’m additionally grateful that we get to spend some further time collectively and are trying into all the cool homeschool actions that Tucson provides!

xoxo

Gina