Our Journey To Homeschooling

I did not know I was going to home school my children, but after years as a teacher and sending my children to school, I changed my mind. I love home schooling with my children, actually we unschool, which is a philosophy adopted from John Holt. Unschooling does not just apply to academic subjects; it’s a way of life. We live and learn as a family, subjects are not separated they flow together naturally. We follow our hearts and learn what we are ready and willing to learn. We trust our children will learn everything that is of value to them.

We have experience with a few types of home schooling, before finding our niche in unschooling. When we first started I did have a schedule and curriculum for math and reading. My son did all right with it but he really just wanted to get through it, so he could do what he really wanted to do…play games and build stuff. My daughter really needed a break, she needed to deschool but was unable to let herself. She struggled with the school at home concept. We have been eclectic homeschoolers, taking what worked and leaving the rest (this can get costly;-). After much research and soul searching we ended up totally unschooling. Child lead learning at it’s best! Now everyone had to deschool, including Mom and Dad!

The decision to home school our children has changed our lives, for us it has been less about academics and more about relationships. Relationships are the most important part of life, without open honest loving relationships what’s really left. The multiplication tables…I think not! We respect each other’s passions and differences. We help each other achieve our goals, all for one, one for all.

My relationship with my children was starting to become strained due to school pressures. The daily grind was no fun for us. Get up! Get dressed! Come on were late! Bye, love you! Hi, get your homework done! NOW! Yes I’ll help…but not for the next 3 hours! Get ready for soccer! Come on were running late! There was no time for fun or love or relaxing as a family. We were fighting a lot, and I was losing her trust. Now thanks to home schooling we are close, we hardly ever fight, and we have plenty of time for FUN! Our trust in each other has been rebuilt and we live joyously. We relax and snuggle sometime during the day…everyday!

I know there are a lot of people out there who think lives not about fun…I disagree! I don’t want to teach my kids that life is drudgery, something to endure. Life is a journey, along the way we love, learn, cry, no matter what life is gonna happen! Life has much to offer and no it’s not all fun, but we do have a choice to how we react to it. If we react with an open loving heart all is well…no matter what! If that’s the one thing I teach my kids, I’ll be happy.