Why We Chose to Homeschool
Updated: May 3, 2022
Is homeschooling for your family?
I've always known I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. I knew I wanted to homeschool my kid years before I had one. My brief experience in NYC public schools made me realize I wanted to offer my child more. There are so many excellent teachers in a system that doesn't support them or the students. But that's another topic, and I don't want to get sidetracked.
When Aria was born, I enjoyed every moment. When she began speaking, I taught her ABCs and how to spell her 1st name. I decided to review all my ECE textbooks and notes from my college days. I love teaching, but life took me in another direction, and I never officially entered the classroom. I took everything I learned and began teaching my daughter. At first, I wasn't sure how far I'd go and whether I would change my mind and choose to enroll her in school when she turned five.
Everything went so well, so here we are now at seven years old and still going.
I am not going to lie. There have been some very challenging moments. It seemed like everything she knew the week before was gone by the following week. I had to regroup and reconsider her learning style.
The questions I asked myself:
Is there a learning style that better suits her?
Can I make fun and engaging lessons?
Can I create an inviting learning space?
What's my teaching style?
Do I have the patience?
What are the different learning styles? Some professionals only recognize four, and others say there are seven. I only include five because the others don't necessarily apply to the homeschool room.
Kinesthetic- Learns through hands-on experiences, practicing, and recreating processes to give them a better understanding.
Auditory- Listens well and absorbs information better through music, lectures, and discussions.
Read/Write- Retains info through reading and writing, loves to jot down notes, and writes assignments.
Visual- requires images such as graphs and charts, likes drawing out concepts, and watching others helps them retain info.
Mathematical and Logical- notices patterns and works well with numbers and statistics, and excels in music and computer programming
Discovering your child's learning style will take a little time. They can and most likely will be a mix of all of these, depending on the subject. Generally, there is one style that they will prefer. I discovered Aria loves to be competitive. So she loves timed challenges and getting physical! She doesn't like to sit still for too long. I figured out how to incorporate movement whenever I could.
I created a fun learning space much like a conventional classroom. We have zones for reading, messy projects, and everyday school work. There is also dedicated wall space for all her art creations. When the weather is nice, we move classes out to the yard. It's fun for her to get a change of scenery and me too.
Luckily, being the eldest of three has blessed me with abundant patience. It would help if you had a lot of patience because it can become trying. Once you get into the swing of things, it does become much more manageable. With each grade level comes different struggles, and the most important thing you can do is give your child plenty of positive reinforcement. Learning can be fun, so get creative!
Pros and Cons
You choose the curriculum.
You are getting to know yourself and your child better.
It's fun! (most of the time).
I've learned a lot!
Builds a bond.
You choose your schedule.
Your child excels with one on one learning.
They become more independent as they go up in grade levels.
There is a lot of info out there to help.
Very rewarding when they meet and exceed all their goals.
Avoid biases placed on black children
Cons
It requires a lot of work.
Work-life balance
It can be difficult, especially if you lack patience.
You are solely responsible for their educational success.
Tiring and sometimes stressful.
I am grateful to have the opportunity to educate my daughter. When I encounter parents with children in traditional schools, they all ask the same questions.
FAQ
Won't your daughter lack social skills? No, she has always been very friendly by nature. However, we felt it was vital for her to socialize with her peers, so we enrolled her in karate and ballet. She has made some fantastic friends.
Why? Answered above
Do you need permission from the state? Every state has different rules and regulations. You should contact the Department of education in your county or state.
How do you build your curriculum? This is explained in the video above and is different based on your location, child's needs, and teaching style.
Will you homeschool through High School? Maybe?!?! I will consider Aria's opinions as she gets older, along with her educational needs.
If you have any questions, please comment or reach out via email at happynappycurls@gmail.com or DM on IG @HAPPYNAPPYCURLS13.
Thanks for reading, and I hope this was helpful!
Homeschool Resources, Apps, and Games
Our Favorite Workbooks
The video below is a fun example of a counting and number recognition game I came up with when she was one and a half years old.