When Homeschooling is No Longer Enough

The beauty of homeschooling is being able to customize our children’s education to fit their needs, but what do you do when homeschooling is no longer enough?

you may be thinking that will never happen to you… 

I know I didn’t- despite doubting myself from time to time I have always believed that I could provide everything my children need in our homeschool, but recently that changed. I now have two high schoolers, and we live in a very small area. There is a decent sized homeschool community here, but not a lot of older children. Both of my teens are craving time with their peers, but joining sports teams or co-ops just isn’t enough any more. So now what?

it is time to let go of preconceived ideas!

Homeschooling doesn’t have to be an all or nothing mindset… Let that sink in for a moment.

I don’t know why, but I really struggled with this concept. I’m pretty sure my whole life revolves around homeschooling. My children love homeschooling too. At the end of every homeschool year we discuss their educational options, and just like in years past all three of my children asked to continue homeschooling for the 2019-2020 school year. But it is not just what and where they will be learning that matters when it comes to providing our children with a well rounded life. 

My teens need:

• to be accountable to someone other than me
• a more structured day (let’s face it- 3.5 hours of school work is not preparing them for real life at this point)
• to be exposed to all types of people not just homeschoolers 
• to make new friendships and spend time away from their siblings

At first I had no idea how to achieve this, but after a little research I realized just because we homeschool doesn’t mean we can’t take advantage of what the local public school has to offer. So after a lot of stressing (for nothing) and even more paperwork (for enrollment) we are now “hybrid homeschoolers“!

what does hybrid homeschooling look like?

Both Kenten and Julia will continue their core classes at home with me in the mornings, and then attend electives at the high school and Technical Education Center in the afternoons. Kenten is enrolled in Mechatronics and Advanced Fit, and Julia in Art I. They will also eat lunch at school every day. 

To me hybrid homeschooling is a good compromise. We all get what we want and need! This is definitely going to be a year of adjustments, but they are both very excited for this new adventure. 

so when homeschooling is no longer enough have the courage to let go (at least a little bit)…

Is it hard? Of course it is, but life is ever evolving! 

As I watched my son drive off to school yesterday I reminded myself that I homeschool because I want what is best for my children. And in this stage of life that means allowing them to spread their wings and explore other options. I know I have given them a good foundation, and with this new adventure we get the best of both worlds. We are both homeschoolers and public schoolers… And more importantly my teenagers are happy

The post When Homeschooling is No Longer Enough appeared first on Homework and Horseplay.

5 Pros & Cons of Homeschooling

Are you considering homeschooling? I know it can be a big decision, so check out my top 5 Pros & Cons of Homeschooling before getting started!

5 pros of homeschooling

1. your children can stay children longer.

You may be saying “what?” right about now, but when children go to public school they meet all kinds of new children. Sometimes these new children tell your children things like “Santa isn’t real” or something much worse… My 5 year old came home and asked me what a “bj” was (no I am not joking!).

2. sibling relationships will thrive.

Since your children will be spending a lot of time together they become more than just siblings. They form a special friendship, especially in the younger years. I am so thankful my children had this extra time to build their relationships up. Friends come and go, but siblings are forever

3. you can customize your child’s lessons to fit their needs and abilities.

My youngest son has special needs. Although he just completed his 6th grade year he is using materials from a bunch of different grade levels. He is very delayed in some areas and advanced in others. He also needs a quieter work space and time to move around. I can give all of that to him easily!

4. no spending hours every night doing homework.

When my two oldest children went to school they were away for 8+ hours a day, and then had to come home and do at least 2 hours of homeschool. They were only in Kindergarten and 2nd grade! That is just pure insanity to me. It only takes us 3-4 hours to complete all of our lessons for the day (and that includes any writing assignments and studying they may need to do).

5. making your own schedule.

This is a big one! When we started homeschooling my husband was still in the Air Force, and he worked 2nd shift more often that not. Which meant he was sleeping when my children had to leave for school, and he had to leave for work around 2 p.m. before Kenten and Julia got home from school. They did not get to see Ryan all week long, and missed him terribly. When we switched to homeschooling we had so much more time as a family together. 

I also like that we can take days off whenever we need. We homeschool year round, so we always get our 180 days (and then some) in. This year we took off two weeks for a spring break trip to South Carolina. It is so nice not having to check in with the school and worry about my children missing a ton of school work.

5 cons of homeschooling

1. homeschooling can be expensive.

I know there are a ton of free resources out there, but after trying to use as many free items as possible in our first few years I was burnt out. It takes a lot of extra time to find and prepare all of these materials. Plus, at least for me, it felt like we were missing big chunks of things because we were jumping around between materials all of the time. To make things simpler for myself I started buying our curriculum.

This year I spent around $1,200 on our school materials. Before you panic… I do NOT always spend this much! This year we invested in a few things that will be used by all of my children at some point and time. In two years I will not have to spend any money on curriculum because my younger children will use the materials I purchased for Kenten this year.

2. you are almost always with your children.

Ugh, I hate even saying this! But it is oh so true… Sometimes as a parent, especially a homeschool parent, you just need a break from your children. Your children are home with you every day when you homeschool. I love that, but there are days that I need to spend some time alone and decompress. Make sure to make time for yourself. You NEED it!

3. everyone has an opinion about you homeschooling.

Grow some tough skin because you will face homeschool critics. People will ask you (and your children) the most ridiculous questions and try to argue with you about it. Don’t let these people knock you down! You are homeschooling for a reason, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.

4. you will doubt yourself ALOT.

Even though I have been doing this for almost 9 years, I still doubt myself on a regular basis. Homeschooling is a big responsibility, and I want to make sure my children are getting everything they need. If you start doubting yourself take a deep breath & know you are not alone. Every homeschooler feels this way at some point in time. You got this! 

5. your children will complain.

Homeschooling is not some magical world where your children will always be happy… They will complain about:

their school work
what you serve them for lunch
that their sibling breathed on them for the 10th time today (bahaha, but for real)

The list is really endless. Whether you homeschool or not children complain, and if you refer back to con #2 you are always with your children so the complaining will get to you sometimes.

thank you for checking out my 5 pros & cons to homeschooling…

And a special thank you to Charlotte @ My Little Home School for asking me to put together my Pros & Cons of Homeschooling. What are your Pros & Cons of Homeschooling?

 

The post 5 Pros & Cons of Homeschooling appeared first on Homework and Horseplay.