​The Truth About Homeschooling

This is an honest account of my first year home-schooling one of my three sons. I don't know if home-schooling is right for you or if it is even right overall. I believe there are multiple routes to happiness and fulfillment. There is no wrong or right way to provide education for your children.

Homeschooling began entering my thoughts when my middle child began 6th grade. It had been weighing heavy on my heart since 2015 to spend as much time as possible with my last two children. When my oldest Michael graduated, it made me realize the old adage that "time really does fly fast'. The reality was becoming all too close to the heart. How can I maximize my time as a parent bringing up my children to the best of my ability? In a lifetime, raising kids is but a small sliver of your life.

So I took the dive. Kobe began home-schooling in September of 2017. I do admit the first semester of home-schooling I hovered over Kobe doing his schoolwork and micro-managed him. I wanted to know how intense it was and if he was on the right track. Would the material be hard or easy for Kobe? In a way, I was also assessing the curriculum. Was it easy or difficult? Would I, an adult be able to pass it? Were the online classes user-friendly?

I found that some of the subjects’ questions were trickier than others. Math and English were more straight-forward while History/Geography and Science were more complex. I failed multiple tests on History even after reading all the material, completing the section exercises, and taking the practice quizzes. We were very fortunate to have a great teacher that worked with Kobe on changing the curriculum for Science and History while keeping the traditional route for Math and English.

Secondly, I was taken aback by his study and note-taking habits. They were non-existent. We developed a system of reading, note-taking, and responsible, smart test-taking. He knew when his assignments were due and he would log in everyday to complete them.

The first semester was a huge learning curve in terms of scheduling and getting used to having someone at home. I admit at times we were at odds. Most of the day, Kobe is at tennis so he's not missing out any physical activity or social interaction. He probably completes his schoolwork in about 2-3 hours a day. The biggest benefit of home-schooling is having dinnertime as a family once again. With physical exercise and studying being completed during the day, we once again enjoy loads of free time to spend together as a family.

The second semester has been much easier. Kobe knows what the expectations are. Hard work and trying your best is what we expect. I also have learned not to hover and allow him to make mistakes. Sometimes that means he gets a bad grade for turning in work late or not completing assignments to the best of his ability. I think we both learned a lot in our journey thus far. And if this says anything, we plan to home-school our youngest son, Jojo next school year.

I hope this helps you in your journey. Leave any comments below. I'd love to hear from you.