From Homeschooling During The Coronavirus To Homeschooling For Life

The coronavirus has changed education for most of us. Schools are closed and students are home. Parents and educators alike are doing the best they can to navigate this new learning structure. Many parents, however, are looking at education in a new light and finding that homeschooling during the coronavirus hasn’t been the doom and gloom they expected. And many more, are looking into transitioning fully from homeschooling because they have to, to homeschooling because they want to.

If this sounds like you, keep reading! I’m going to show you how you can transition easily from survival mode to thriving in a home learning environment.

Unexpectedly Homeschooling

For most families, the last several months have brought a multitude of changes. Social distancing. Working from home. Layoffs. The list goes on and one. Perhaps the biggest change in the last few months has been learning at home. As schools closed, parents and students alike found themselves in uncharted territories – doing school at home.

The future, however, doesn’t look great for the public school system. Many schools are talking about everything from extending shut-downs and keeping kids at home well into the fall, to drastically changing the look and feel of both school and the classroom. Returning students are looking at a loss of classes such as art, music, and physical education, and the loss of activities such as libraries, computer labs, sports, and clubs. For many students, these are the areas where they thrive – and even for students who don’t thrive in those areas, these are the places where all kids grow and develop in ways they simply can’t with a textbook.

This unknown and the reality of the potential of a social distancing classroom, the idea of kids spaced at 6-foot intervals all day long, missing out on the lunchroom or the playground, seeing their friends and peers but unable to interact, has many parents wondering if now is the time to change. Parents are looking at the future of their children in a classroom, unable to freely move and more limited than in the past and wondering if that is truly what is best for their child.

And rightfully so.

Imagine, spending 6-hours a day, 6-feet away from your friends. Six-hours a day at the same desk in the same chair, lunch is brought to you, and the teacher can’t come over to truly see your page to help you navigate a complicated assignment.

Imagine, day after day, missing out on the parts of school you enjoyed and instead, sitting in the same spot for hours on end.

It doesn’t sound ideal for an adult, let alone a child. A child who wants to run and play and experience life.

A child who needs to move and experience their learning with all of their senses.

Homeschooling During the Coronavirus

First, let’s clear up a few things. Your kids have been home. Packets and instructions have been coming from your school district. Virtual classes are assigned and attendance is taken. You, the parent, have done your best to guide your child (and yourself) through the uncharted territory of lesson plans and teaching. And you report to the teacher at some point the progress or the struggles of the week.

This, as much as we homeschoolers want to embrace you, is not homeschooling. It’s public schooling at home.

I don’t say this to be rude or arrogant or to dismiss what you have been doing for the last 2 or 3 three months.

I say it because homeschooling is freedom. It’s choosing the direction of your classes and lessons. It’s opting to skip a report or test if you know there is no need to take it or slowing down because your child needs more time with a topic.

Homeschooling is parent or student-directed learning where reporting does happen in some states, but not on a daily or weekly basis. With homeschooling, there are no lesson plans or work packets coming home from the school.

Homeschooling is you and your child with the requirements of your state, embarking on a path of learning that is full of potential. A path that is only limited by your imagination and ability to think outside the box.

It’s a lifestyle more than an educational decision that embraces the full potential of learning experiences and opportunities to grow.

In short, it’s nothing like you are experiencing at this moment.

Yet this moment has been training you for homeschooling

As different as true homeschooling is, these months have been training you and your kids for fully embracing the life of a homeschool family. These months have shown you that you can, in fact, be home with your kids all day long.

Shocking, I know! 😉

They have shown you that you can be with them, find the joy in the small moments, and teach them – even when you don’t fully understand common core math yourself and instead break out the “carry the 1 method” we all know.

You have learned that breakfast can be learning and math and a great time to read a story.

You have embraced finding ways to help, because for now, the buck stops with you.

And you have experienced the joy of afternoon snuggles on the couch, easier mornings without the rush for the bus or the drop-off lane, and the absolute thrill of watching your child master a challenging concept.

You’ve also dealt with the side of things we don’t talk about as often. The struggles of not knowing the answer, the battle of getting the kids to simply be quiet for 5-minutes while you try and figure out the material, and the wonder yourself of “when will they ever need this in life.”

In short, you’ve had a trial-run at this whole homeschool thing and you have survived. The good and the bad. You have made it through and found ways to make it fun, make it manageable, and even, enjoyed your time together.

And your kids, they have learned too. They have learned that you do know more than it looks like. They have learned that they can survive without seeing their friends every single day.

Your kids have found that they can play with their siblings and survive. That Mom does know how to do long division (even if she had to Google it first).

And that being home has perks like sleeping in, making waffles for breakfast, and going outside in the afternoon simply because the sun is shining.

They have transitioned to see that you can teach them and that you may even be fun to hang out with (as long as they don’t tell their friends, I know).

Those kids, they have been learning all along to look at learning differently and that school doesn’t have to happen in a school building with an actual (read: certified) teacher.

And this, the idea that school doesn’t have to happen in a school building with an actual teacher is the key to homeschooling.

From Homeschooling during the coronavirus To Homeschooling For Life

So here you are, at a crossroad.

Do you send your kids back in the fall, to a building with strict rules and a lack of socialization (ironic, I know)? Do you send your kids with masks and hand-sanitizer so they can sit all day long so close to other people yet so far away?

Or do you instead embrace the change that started when the public school closed? Do you keep going down a path that you maybe thought about but were afraid to try – or even a path you never considered before this moment?

Odds are, if you have read this far, you are in the 2nd category. Ready to seize this moment, even if you are terrified by the prospect. Bold enough to contemplate fully taking control of what your children are learning – yet unsure where to start.

And I get it. I get it because I’ve been there. With kids enrolled in public school yet convinced that there was something better if I would trust myself enough to try.

Try And Try Again

Yet it wasn’t just trying once and I had it all figured out.

If you thought that I was going to give you a quick and simple roadmap to instant success, then sorry.

I had to try and try again, and even now, keep trying. Keep adapting and changing and learning as the kids grow and learn and adapt themselves.

But, there are a few things I can direct you on as you transition from homeschooling during the coronavirus to homeschooling for life

First, take a deep breath. It’s not all doom and gloom, and you, my friend, are not alone. In fact, if you want to join a group of homeschool moms, try this one. Having some people you can talk to, ask questions of, and simply vent to is a good thing!

Second, do some digging into the homeschool laws for your state. Each state is different because homeschooling is not regulated at the federal level. Some states have pretty high requirements while others are seriously low-key (I’m talking to you, Texas!).

Third, get to know your kids. Pause and simply spend time with them. Bake a cake, read a book, play a game, go for a walk. Talk with them and learn about them. Learn who they are and what they are passionate about. Figure out what drives them and what they want to learn about.

Education is about so much more than simply memorizing a bunch of facts because that’s what everyone else does… it’s learning about the things we want to know about. The things that will help us in our everyday life. The things that we truly care and are curious about.

And that is the key. It’s in that, unlocking what your kids are naturally curious about and actually care about, that learning transforms from a dreaded task to a labor of love. That connection and need to learn more is what drives all of us to truly learn something past being able to answer a question or pass a test.

So are you ready to be homeschoolers?

If you are ready, truly ready to begin unlocking that key and guiding your children, then you are ready to start homeschooling. Ready to launch into a new way of life for you and your children.

It’s an exciting time and an interesting journey. One that is full of twists and turns and detours as you and your children that learning can happen at any moment, any day of the week, and in any place.

And while I could easily continue on with this post, instead, I’m going to leave you with this:

Homeschooling is the best and most rewarding thing you will do with your life and for the lives of your children. No one knows them like you do, and no one loves them like you do. You are fully equipped to teach your children and lead them in their educational pursuits.

Don’t you ever forget it. 😉

Looking for additional help?

Don’t worry, my friend, I’ve got you covered! Check out these additional posts on homeschooling.

• The Complete Beginner’s Guide To Homeschooling
• The Best Way To Start Your Homeschool Year
• Tips To Avoid A Homeschool Planning Crisis