HOMESCHOOLING JOURNEY

As our family considered the best educational path for our child, we realized that homeschooling could offer the flexibility and personalized learning that traditional schools often could not. Our seven-year-old, eager and excited about her 2^nd grade year of school, became elated when we were advised her that we would be homeschooling her.

➡️The Preparation Process

One of the first actions that were necessary in this quest was to ensure our finances would be in order. My husband and I discussed how the shift to homeschool would potentially affect our household and agreed that we would keep things afloat. After this discussion, I immediately reviewed the Georgia Department of Education’s website to begin the Homeschool registration process. After submitting our declaration of homeschool, and receiving our confirmation, it was time to select a curriculum. I began working tirelessly to find a curriculum that was fit for our daughter’s personality and learning style. In consideration of my educational experience, I learned that there was NOT a one size fits all curriculum that I needed to commit to.

First Week of Home School Check-In✏️

The first week of homeschool was intense! We were busy with the older siblings ensuring they were prepared for their new high schools and schedules.

Full transparency- We did not get much accomplished!

After realizing that I could afford to give myself grace on the first week, I committed to using that following weekend to prepare and ensure my homeschool became set-up for success the following week. I reviewed the GA Department of Education’s Standards of Excellence for 2^nd Grade and ensured I had a good idea of the pacing required to keep her aligned with our state standards. I also took some time selecting Mia Academy and IXL as our beginning curriculum as well as preparing my own teaching material for the week ahead.

UPDATE- We joined a Homeschool Group! 🍑🍑🍑

We are eager to share some of our experiences with our group soon.

The homeschool approach has shown us that we can nurture her creativity, allow for greater flexibility, and provide a more meaningful, engaging learning experience tailored to her unique strengths.

Key Advantages of Homeschooling✅:

Customized Learning Pace

Homeschooling lets her progress at her own pace, spending more time on complex topics and moving quickly through what she masters easily, reducing frustration and allowing deeper exploration.‍

Hands-On and Experiential Learning

I am now able to integrate project-based and real-world learning experiences, like science experiments, art projects, field trips with the homeschool group, and hands-on activities that will help her learn by doing.

Flexible Curriculum Choices

With homeschooling, I am now able to match her interests and learning style. I can focus on subjects that encourage creativity, such as art, music, design, or STEM activities, with an emphasis on practical, real-world applications.

Encouragement of Creativity

Without the constraints of a traditional classroom, my homeschooler has more freedom to think outside the box, explore creative solutions, and develop her interests at a deeper level.

Social and Emotional Growth

I can provide a safe and comfortable environment for learning, which can benefit students who thrive with fewer distractions and more individualized attention. A close friend recommended a homeschool group to us that we joined which allowed us to ensure she has social interactions and collaborative learning experiences.

Integration of Physical Activity

Since she enjoys kinesthetic learning, we are able to build in plenty of movement-based activities, whether it’s incorporating physical activity into lessons or allowing breaks for sports, dance, or other active pursuits.

Real-World Skill Development

Homeschooling offers opportunities to build practical skills through real-life experiences. I can now focus on ensuring we hone in on critical thinking, problem-solving, time management, and organization skills as part of her daily learning.

Enhanced Family Bonding

Because of homeschooling, the relationship that I have with my daughter allows for me to spend more bonding time with her and support her learning journey directly.

Challenges of Homeschooling🚫:

Varying schedules with other siblings

My daughter has to constantly work around her home school schedule and the schedules of her two teenage siblings and their school. We still have to get up early mornings, ensure they are ready for school, do drop-offs and get back on track for the rest of our day. Also, when we join our homeschool school group for weekly or bi-weekly events, our schedules sometimes clash with the older sibling’s schedules.

Imposter Syndrome

In some cases you may wonder if homeschooling your child was the best thing to do for their educational journey. You may feel as if you are robbing them of their childhood memories within a traditional school setting, but this is all untrue!

Social Interaction Concerns

After joining a homeschool group that immediately took us in as family, we no longer face any of these concerns as we now meet regularly.

Some resources to get you started📋:

·      GetEpic books- https://www.getepic.com/

·      Decodable Readers- https://halfpintkids.com/online-materials/

·      Splash Learn (Gamified Learning)- https://www.splashlearn.com/

·      IXL- https://ixl.sjv.io/K0eBQN

·      Math playground- https://www.mathplayground.com/

·      Toytheater- https://toytheater.com/

While we're still early in our homeschooling journey, we're confident that this path will offer our child a unique and fulfilling educational experience. We're excited to see where this adventure takes us!

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‍-Dr. Syreeta Nicole

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