by Janny Jackson
My Story
How did we start homeschooling? Was it on purpose? Did I feel a calling on my life to homeschool?
No and no.
I absolutely felt a calling on my life to be a stay-at-home mom, but I never once considered homeschooling when my kids were younger.
I actually had very strong opinions against homeschooling and wasn’t afraid to share them with others.
I was forced into it, like other families, by a cross country move and then the pandemic in 2021.
And I was not happy about it.
What kickstarted our homeschool journey was our family moving across the country in the middle of the school year to a small town in the middle of nowhere. After visiting all of the schools in our area within a time frame of three weeks we were unable to enroll our then kindergartener anywhere due to the schools either being full or open enrollment not being open.
To say I was frustrated was an understatement, especially since we had uprooted him from an amazing school back home.
It wasn’t until all of the doors were closed that I actually considered homeschooling, and though I was reluctant about it, I did my research and purchased curriculum to continue my son’s education.
What’s funny is I was ALL ABOUT school readiness and teaching my son while he was home with me and involving him in whatever mommy-and-me programs I could find, yet I never considered myself worthy or capable of teaching my son once he reached school age. After all, teachers had to go to school for years and had to get degrees in order for them to be standing in front of their students and teaching them.
Once the pandemic hit and all the schools went virtual my husband had the idea of contacting his kindergarten teacher back home and asking if we could re-enroll him at that school again since we were unable to enroll him where we were at the time. Thankfully it worked out and he was able to finish his kindergarten year with his class back home. I was able to help my son through that and not only did I get the break I needed during a stressful time for me, but it helped me to dip my toes into taking charge of my son’s education since I had to be really involved with it now that everything was virtual.
That summer I really wrestled with if I should enroll him once the schools opened up again, or if I should keep him home and plunge into homeschooling headfirst. I decided I would try it and spent the summer going over the kindergarten curriculum I had already purchased to evaluate what my son knew and where I needed to pick up. It was then that I realized how clueless I was to what he was learning while he was away from me for several hours a day, and I did not like that feeling.
Coming from a home with parents that had no idea what was going on in my life, I decided before I was even a parent that I would be involved in my children’s lives as much as possible, especially in those early years. I just never, NEVER, expected that to include me taking over their education once they were school age.
There were times in those early years that I really questioned if I had made the right decision. It wasn’t until my daughter reached school age, about a year later, and I taught her to read and write that I experienced the “high” of homeschool. I got to say, “I did that!” and I felt so proud and accomplished.
Most homeschool parents will tell you that they don’t feel like they really have a handle on/feel confident in their homeschool until about the third year. And I would agree. It takes a lot of time to learn your kid(s), to learn your teaching style, to know what curriculums work and don’t work for you both, and to really be able to sift through the noise of the sea of curriculum and book recommendations that is being thrown at you.
I had the option to stop homeschooling and send my kids to school. Heck, I still do. And I won’t say that public school is completely off the table forever because I don’t know what life will throw at me and it may be a last resort option at some point in my life. But as of now, my desire and plan is to homeschool through graduation for all of my kids. Why? Because I brought these children into this world. I believe their education is my responsibility. I have the ability to cater to their personality, interests, shortcomings and strengths in a way that the public school system simply cannot because of the large classroom sizes and the length of time in which certain benchmarks have to be met.
It is a privilege to be able to be a part of my children’s education and I do not for one second take that for granted.
Some Encouragement
It is not for everyone. What parents need to evaluate in their decision to homeschool is how is my child doing? Not just with education, but also physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. Our kids are not their education. They are people. Little souls that WE as their parents, NOT the school system, are responsible for turning into responsible and respectable adults once they leave the nest, and if your child is suffering in one of those areas no matter where they are being educated, something has to be done to make them whole again.
When my kids ask me why I have decided on something a lot of the times my answer is either because I am raising them to be adults, or it is for their safety. I allow my kids to question and challenge me, in a respectable way of course. They cannot possibly understand why I make all the decisions I do, so it is my job to help them understand as best as I can.
An important aspect of homeschooling is communication. Openly communicating with your child about their education and getting their feedback on how things are going.
Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart. It is HARD at times. There are attitudes and complaining and refusing, and not always just from the kids. It requires an immense amount of self-discipline and organization. It means having to push through when you or your kids don’t ‘feel like it’.
But it is the MOST rewarding thing I have ever done, and continue to do, Lord willing.
Do you homeschool? What is your WHY? Let me know below.
And as always, thanks for being here!