Right now, throughout the world, countless parents are on the fence regarding their kids’ education. Every day the news changes about what schools will look like over the next year. Here are a few “insider tips” on homeschooling that might help you to hop off the fence onto a solid decision for your family.

Test Drive

I’ve been asked over the years how long we plan on homeschooling. My answer has always been that we homeschool year to year and evaluate if we are still on track to continue. After “crisis schooling” for a few months you probably do not want to repeat that experience. Homeschooling puts you, as the parent, in the driver’s seat, not the school. Once you are in the driver’s seat, you should go for a test drive and see what actual homeschooling feels like. I’m confident that it is a much smoother ride than your first spin around the block during the initial shut down of schools for the pandemic. If you hate it, eventually put your kids back in school. If you like it, keep going.

Curriculum

One of the top five most frequently asked questions about how to start homeschooling is: What curriculum should I use? The best advice I can offer is to pick what works for you as the teacher. I personally need a curriculum that is straight forward and helps me to feel confident that I am covering all the requirements for our school district and for testing at the end of the year. I want our curriculum to build from one year to the next. The style of curriculum that best suits me is a traditional curriculum. Now that my kids are moving out of grade school, a curriculum that is valuable for me is one that offers online or DVD teaching for the subjects that are more demanding. Global Student Network offers a comprehensive online curriculum that the parent can facilitate: www.GlobalStudentNetwork.com. Not sure what your style of homeschooling might be? Check out this article to help you figure it out: https://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/homeschooling-styles/

Parental Freedom

The pandemic has exposed the lack of control parents have over the education of their children. When the pandemic started, did you feel you were in control? Was the school telling you how to educate your kids in your own home? Homeschooling allows you to exercise your parental freedom to a greater degree. From the onset of the pandemic, my husband and I were still the ones making decisions for how and when to facilitate our school days, and our homeschooling was not greatly impacted. Our family was stable and our stress was minimized because we had already assumed the responsibility for educating our children.

Plan for Calm Not Chaos

I’m thankful we have maintained a sense of calm and not chaos over the past six months in our home. Yes, there have been bouts of sadness over missing our friends and all the cancellations of our fun activities. But our core homeschooling was not disrupted by the pandemic. However, I did hear about the chaos in other households where parents were managing their own jobs while following the school’s meetings and plans for their kids’ schooling. Going into the uncertainties of this coming school year do you have a plan of how to give your kids a feeling of calm instead of chaos? Yes, homeschooling requires sacrifice, but especially this year I’ve seen the benefit of a lifestyle that is already centered around our own unique family and home. My kids are secure that their schooling will continue as usual.

It is time for parents to take a closer look at the education of their children. Weigh your options carefully. Get off the fence and try homeschooling to see if it is the answer you are looking for to steady your family during this uncertain time.

Since 2004, Global Student Network has been a leader in providing innovative online curriculum to homeschooling families and partnering schools throughout the world.  GSN offers a wide range of online curriculum options.  We have over 2000 course offerings including Honors, AP®, World Languages, and Career and Technical Education courses.  Our program has been used by homeschool families as well as public, private, and charter schools, both nationally and internationally.  Learn more about or try a demo of GSN’s curriculum here: https://globalstudentnetwork.com/curriculum

Sarah Brutovski is a homeschool mom of three children. She grew up just down the street from where she and her husband are raising their family now in rural Upstate New York. When she is not teaching her kids, grocery shopping, or drinking coffee you might find  her training for a half marathon, escaping for a morning at the beach, or chatting on the phone with one of her four siblings. Sarah loves writing on her blog sarahswritingcafe.blogspot.com and currently teaches creative writing at her kids’ weekly co-op.