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 yr. 

Hello mates!

I hope that you just’re having a tremendous week and I’m so pumped that so lots of you’ve got signed up for our Spring Ahead wellness problem. Make certain to enroll right here – it’s completely free and it’s going to be a ton of enjoyable. In case you’re in search of a blast of motivation as we head into spring, that is the proper method to do it!

For at present’s put up, I needed to share a little bit bit extra about our homeschool journey and what’s occurring. 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 with regards 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 after they’re an enormous a part of my life and I really feel like so lots of you might be part of our household. On the identical, 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 method 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 faculty in January. We have been all scuffling with the mind-boggling quantity of homework, checks, and assignments. It was particularly onerous along with her competitors dance schedule. We switched studios and minimize her hours in half, and she or he was nonetheless up till at the least midnight each night time (for the previous 2+ years) attempting to complete all the pieces for college. I’m an enormous believer in onerous work and I feel tutorial 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 typically twice every week. Her abdomen ache and anxiousness received so dangerous that she missed many days of college, and we have been right here attempting to maintain up with the insane quantity of homework, classwork, and checks.

The Pilot was house for retirement and was educating her the content material, ensuring she accomplished the large packets of classwork, and taking her to highschool for checks. He had return to business airline coaching and I couldn’t fathom solo parenting, working, and attempting to maintain up with the entire faculty work she was lacking, so I requested her to both select to return to highschool or we may pull her out, and she or he stated, “Please homeschool me.”

I by no means supposed 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 practical labs) and received to the basis reason behind 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 enormously decreased.

Our plan now:

– She’s on the waitlist for Liv’s new faculty however realistically gained’t have the ability to 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 dad or mum anticipate to show their children extra successfully than a trainer?”

Through the ladies’ time at school, we’ve had some extraordinary lecturers who’re all the pieces lecturers ought to be. They love children, love what they’re educating, they’re above and past. However on the identical 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 faculty surroundings ALL the time, if you end up paying on 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 night time educating anyway, as a result of they weren’t taught the content material throughout their courses.

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

Although I’ve seen mates homeschool and type of daydreamed about how how enjoyable it could be, I didn’t take into account it a chance as a result of I work at home, juggling consumer calls, content material creation, podcast interviews, Zooms, IHP work, and many others. I didn’t really feel like I may add one other issues to my plate, however I didn’t even assume twice about it after we received thus far. I’ve shuffled my schedule round loads so that almost all of my content material creation is finished 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 on your kindness and being so superb over the previous few months. It’s been a tough yr in some ways (this is only one of them) and being right here with you all every day is a serious vibrant 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 trying into the entire cool homeschool actions that Tucson affords!

xoxo

Gina