Homeschool Mom Q & A (The 10 most common questions I get asked!)
When people find out we homeschool, there is a look of curiosity that comes across their face, and rightly so! People who have never been homeschooled, or homeschooled their children should be curious about what happens in a homeschooling family. I know I was very curious when I first started to think about it too, and it was so great to have friends (who had already started homeschooling their children) come along side and share their wealth of knowledge with me without holding anything back. I had two specific friends that opened their homes to me and showed me the ropes and answered any of my questions and it was so helpful and encouraging (Thanks Lauren and Shawna! ;)) And so I thought it would be fun to put all the most frequently asked questions I get about homeschooling in one blog post, for all those curious and inquiring minds who want to know just what homeschooling is, and why we do it.
First off I should state that I've mostly had quite nice comments and questions! I've only had a small handful that left me a tad frustrated, for example when at the park with my kids one afternoon a neighbour asked me where my kids went to school, and when I told him we homeschooled He said 'So it's YOU that teaches them?' while pointing at me like I was a small child, it was a bit demeaning. I will say I do look a lot younger then my age, and that gives people the impression that I am not qualified to teach my children as I look like I could be their babysitter (so I've been told multiple times) But I am here to tell you that looks are deceiving and have nothing to do with a person's ability! For the most part I don't ever feel the need to explain our homeschooling choice to others, and I will simply say 'Yes we homeschool our children, and it works great for our family and we really enjoy it!' clear and to the point!
Here are the most common questions I get asked about homeschooling...
1) Will you homeschool your children all through high school?
From the start of our homeschooling journey we have always said that we would take it year by year, and child by child. This means that if we find it's not working for a particular child and they need something different we are completely open to other schooling options. As for high school, there are some great online academy options for doing high school at home that we've already looked into, and if one or all of our kids had the desire and drive to do their high school at home, I would totally support them and be there to help them along. But would I force my child to do their high school years at home? Of course not! So I can't say either way wether we will homeschool all through high school or not, every year we will re-evaluate and do what is best for each child at the time.
2) Why did you start homeschooling?
I could write a whole book on this question! It started as a strong desire in my heart when our oldest was about 2 years old, and the time for him to go to school came closer and closer. Initially my husband was not exactly on board with homeschooling, and he felt strongly that our boy should go to kindergarten, so after some research we put him in the small local Christian school, where he went to school 3 days a week.. It worked out quite well, he had a lovely teacher, some good friends, a nice small class, and they did lots of arts and music which I loved. We were really thankful for the time he spent there (2.5 years) but we knew going forward that with multiple children, private school wasn't something we could afford long term. We then moved to a new town and had to leave the private school as it was too far away, so he spent 6 months of his Grade 1 year in the local public school in our new town after our move. It was a great school, but unfortunately it was not a good match for our very spirited and highly energetic boy. Needing a lot of 1 on 1 help in school was not conducive to being in a class with over 30 kids and 1 teacher. It was during those months where he struggled in that traditional school setting that I brought homeschooling back up to my husband. This time he was more open to it, so I wrote out a plan for our first year of homeschooling and showed it to him and prayed a lot and he agreed that we would try it for 1 year! I was thrilled and felt so thankful to have the opportunity. Every year we homeschooled I started to enjoy it more and more, and to really see the benefits it had for our family, they were so numerous and that is why we have continued the past 5 years!
3) I could NEVER homeschool, how do you do it? I would go crazy!
Short answer is that I definitely can't do it on my own, and it is only by the grace of God and His strength and wisdom that I have been able to do it. And do you want to know a little secret, homeschool mom's DO go a little crazy sometimes haha. But I always say that if you have the heart for homeschooling, and the Lord gives you that drive in your heart to do it, he will carry you through and give you the strength you need daily. Also the support of your spouse and family is key! That is why I waited until my husband was on board before I started homeschooling, I knew it was important to be on the same page. The support from other homeschool mom friends and families is also important in knowing you aren't alone in the journey, and knowing that it is ok to take breaks and time for yourself. (something I am still working on!)
4) What curriculum do you use?
This is also a question I could do a whole post on :) We don't use one set curriculum across the board for all of our subjects and children. We have one child that does well with one Math curriculum and another child that does well with another. So I use what works best for each child individually. We also like to do some child led learning when it comes to subjects like science and art, creative writing and nature studies. Kids tend to get really immersed in learning and enjoy it more when it's something they have the desire to learn about. Of course there are things we all need to learn even though we don't love them, so it's nice to have a mix of both. We tend to lean towards a Charlotte Mason approach I've realized looking back over the years. Which combines a lot of nature study, literature and arts.
5) How long are your typical 'school' hours during the week.
Everyone usually always wants to know how long we 'homeschool' for each day. I love the approach that there is always some sort of learning going on, wether it be helping me in the kitchen, cleaning up a room, matching the laundry socks, character training opportunities, imaginative play, outdoor exploring and the list goes on! All these things though not done at a 'desk' are great learning opportunities and I like to find those 'sneaky learning' times as often as I can, and watch the kids enjoy learning something without even realizing it :) But, our traditional sitting at a table concentrated school time usually adds up to be around 3 hours in the mornings. If we buckle down we can usually finish our core subjects before lunch, which leaves the afternoon for many other activities. There are days it takes us MUCH longer and days it's even faster, it honestly just depends on everyone's moods and drive that day. We definitely spend much less time at a desk then in a traditional school setting, which is in my opinion one of my favourite things about homeschooling!
6) How do your kids get time to socialize with other kids?
Very commonly people think that homeschool children are hermits that don't get to be around other children. In our family, this is not the case! We are part of a homeschool co-op group that meets weekly, the kids enjoy learning and playing with their friends and going on field trips. They also have friends around the street and community as well as cousins that live down the road to play with as often as they like. They go to sunday school at church and are able to socialize with the children there. Our oldest has started to attend youth group, and even joined a community basketball league. Our daughter does a ballet class weekly where she has met lots of other girls, and we of course organize play dates or park meet ups with friends frequently. We also do swimming lessons with other kids from the community every day in the summer, all of that socializing keeps us pretty busy!
7) Can you teach whatever you want? Or does the school board monitor your learning?
In Ontario right now homeschooling is not regulated, so you are able to choose the curriculum and style that suits your family best. Other provinces around us are more regulated, and you have 'check in's' with someone from the school board throughout the year to see how you and the kids are doing. I am sure one day Ontario may go this way, but for now we enjoy having the freedom to teach what we want and using a schedule that works best for our family!
8) Do your kids like being homeschooled?
They do! If you asked them yourself (which many people have) they will tell you they like it. They will also say that they maybe don't like math or spelling ect. because they each have subjects they like more then others. But I think they realize that they have a pretty sweet deal in homeschooling, and if they could choose they would choose to stay home with Mom (again, I know this because many people have asked them!) The funniest is at the beginning of the school year when someone at the grocery store or someone who doesn't know us well yet will ask the kids 'So do you like your teacher this year?' and they smirk and look over at me, and I think, you BETTER like your teacher haha!
9) Were you homeschooled as a child?
No, I was public school from start to finish, no regrets ;)
10) How do you know your kids are keeping up with the public school system?
When I asked my husband what people most asked him when they found out we homeschooled, he repeated many of the ones I had already been asked, and also this one, which is a popular one! It's quite easy to find out if your children are on par with the public school system, as the government of Ontario school curriculum is online for anyone to see and go through in detail. So it is there to reference at any time, and while homeschooled kids are not required to take the provincial EQAO tests, you can request for your child to go in and take it if you feel the need. Many times with homeschooling, it is more about the individual child and how they are improving personally, then keeping them on someone else's learning schedule though, so each family will have their own journey with this, and some families may not even care if their child is 'keeping up' with a system their child is no longer involved in. I personally do my best to make sure they are keeping on track with the core subjects, but we do have some learning and behaviour struggles between our children so I definitely don't stress. If they are struggling with a subject, since I am with them all the time, I know immediately and we can start to tackle it together day by day. One thing I love about homeschooling is I really know my kids, their in's and out's, their struggles and triumphs, and they know they are seen. It's really a beautiful thing!
These are the most common questions I get asked about homeschooling, and I am always happy to answer and to share what we do, because I am grateful for the way we get to do school, I know that it may not be like this forever, so I cherish it while I can, and if I can encourage someone else I count that as a win!
Was there anything else you were curious about that I didn't answer? Ask in the comments, and I'll answer you there. Thanks for reading, heading out now to take the dogs on a walk before I start dinner!
love,
Shelley