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 varsity 12 months. 

Hello pals!

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

For as we speak’s put up, I wished to share slightly bit extra about our homeschool journey and what’s happening. 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 in relation to my life, however the aim of the weblog has at all times been to share MY expertise; not my kids’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 non-public college in January. We have been all battling the mind-boggling quantity of homework, assessments, and assignments. It was particularly onerous along with her competitors dance schedule. We switched studios and lower her hours in half, and she or he was nonetheless up till not less than midnight each evening (for the previous 2+ years) making an attempt to complete all the pieces for varsity. I’m an enormous believer in onerous work and I feel educational rigor has its place, nevertheless 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 large sis in school, which was difficult for her. The Pilot additionally retired, which was an enormous transition, and she or he 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 docs, 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 per week. Her abdomen ache and nervousness bought so unhealthy that she missed many days of faculty, and we have been right here making an attempt to maintain up with the insane quantity of homework, classwork, and assessments.

The Pilot was residence for retirement and was instructing her the content material, ensuring she accomplished the large packets of classwork, and taking her to high school for assessments. He had return to industrial 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 may pull her out, and she or he stated, “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 value mentioning right here that I made a decision to do a Food Sentivity Test (and another useful labs) and bought to the basis reason 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 tremendously diminished.

Our plan now:

– She’s on the waitlist for Liv’s new college however realistically received’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 need 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 mother or father anticipate to show their youngsters extra successfully than a trainer?”

Through the ladies’ time at school, we’ve had some extraordinary lecturers who’re all the pieces lecturers needs to be. They love youngsters, love what they’re instructing, they’re above and past. However on the similar time, some lecturers are…not good. They are saying weird issues at school, disgrace kids in entrance of their friends, and this occurs in a non-public college setting ALL the time, if you find yourself paying to your child to be taught by instructors who don’t appear to love kids in any respect. A overwhelming majority of the time, we spent the three to 4 hour block every evening instructing anyway, as a result of they weren’t taught the content material throughout their lessons.

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

Regardless that I’ve seen pals homeschool and sort of daydreamed about how how enjoyable it might be, I didn’t take into account it a chance as a result of I work at home, juggling shopper calls, content material creation, podcast interviews, Zooms, IHP work, and so forth. I didn’t really feel like I may add one other issues to my plate, however I didn’t even suppose twice about it after we bought thus far. I’ve shuffled my schedule round loads so that the majority of my content material creation is completed over the weekend, and the wonder about homeschool is that it solely takes round two hours every day at this age.

This put up is already tremendous lengthy, so I’ll share one other put up 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 12 months in some ways (this is only one of them) and being right here with you all every day is a significant vivid 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 wanting into all the cool homeschool actions that Tucson provides!

xoxo

Gina