When my oldest was younger, she was obsessed with the idea of school. She used to play it everyday and learning was her fun. We would sit for hours and do workbooks, instead of play... She just couldn't get enough. So, when it came time for preschool, I thought I'd just continue with our same home routine as we had being doing all along. But, she wanted to attend an actual building. Which broke my heart - however, we honored her wishes and she started her mark in the traditional education system
And, my second child just followed suit... I won't bore you with the details of what brought my daughter to finally be homeschooled - It's a long story - You could search all that in my old blog posts and watch the actual video rants leading up to her being pulled from school on my Instagram stories (they are saved in my highlights under, school rants)... Spoiler: My daughter was pulled from traditional school the beginning of her 4th grade year (last school year) due to some unrealistic, borderline corporal punishment rules that were instilled.
But, during the years they attended traditional school, I continued my distaste for the education system through my writings and Instagram rants - it was therapeutic for me and I felt like I was able to hold people accountable for the way they treated children. Deep down, I was hoping it would be an eye opener for some teachers and policy holders... Fun Fact: It wasn't.
Then, the virus hit and everyone was scattered all over the place and left to figure out their next move, which wasn't a move anyone was familiar with... During that time, it was more survival, than education.
Fast forward to this year, where (like most families) I was left trying to figure out what to do with my son... My daughter was already going to be home, that was a given. But, my son thrived in school. He loved it. He enjoyed being around all the kids and being part of the classroom... However, I just couldn't send him into this new, unrecognizable environment. I felt for us, it would just add unnecessary stress.
So, we went the same route as my daughter - our district's cyber program... And, both of my children absolutely love it and are doing so well with it...
On Instagram, I get asked a lot about how we homeschool... Well, here's the low-down... We chose our district's cyber program because, it follows the same curriculum that their classmates are doing in school (although, not so much now, during the pandemic hybrid style). The reason for this is, my daughter talks about going to back to school eventually. She wants to attend high school and this program will allow her to slide back in flawlessly, without mismatch credits or any hiccups during the transition. On this cyber program, they could even attend every one of their specials in person. So, they get assigned a homeroom and they follow that homeroom's schedule - they could attend art, music, gym, STEM/health, and library in person, throughout the day, if they wanted. They could attend the in-person assemblys and any fun event they are having at the school... My daughter loved this because, she has been attending school in that district since preschool, so all her friends are there - technically, the cyber kids are still students in the district. So, last year, she loved the idea of only being dropped off for 40 minutes a day, to see her friends and do group activities, then being immediately picked right back up to go home.
Although, this year is completely different due to hybrid, so they can't attended any in-person specials. But, they're on the Google Classroom list and they are still able to participate with their videos and interactive events.
The reason I fell in love with this set up as a parent is, as a type A personality, I was always so nervous about traditional homeschool and where they would fall on the achievement side - like, would I keep them on track? What if I picked the wrong curriculum? What if they aren't learning enough? Essentially, things like that... Basically, I know that I need to be "deschooled." And, I know the homeschoolers who are reading this, are having an aneurysm - I'm sorry... But, I didn't want to go through that process, if my children were going to eventually end up back into the district anyways...
Our Homeschool Classroom
So, this program was the best of both worlds. It's just a preloaded online curriculum that is 100% parental involvement. There isn't a teacher - Hence, I'm the teacher. And, everything my children need to do, to stay on track, is all loaded in sequential order.
A typical day is... We wake up late, eat breakfast, then I sit down with my son and we do his work first, then I sit down with my daughter and do her work (because hers takes longer). We start out everyday with a "read aloud book," which right now, is our Fall/Halloween stories. We cuddle on the couch and I read them them the story - It's a nice transition into school... I break up our classes into only 4 days out of the 5 days... We get 1 full weeks worth of assignments completed in 1 day - instead of breaking up every subject and doing a little each day... This way, they have 4 subjects and 4 days of online materials - which range from 1-3 hours a day. On that 5th day (which is usually a Thursday), we do child led learning. That means, they pick what they want to learn - It has nothing to do with the cyber program... We have workbooks they work on. We do chalk board writing prompts, they play Adventure Academy, Prodigy, we do science and social studies, watch documentaries - things like that... Or, that's our day to go on adventures, on trips, meet up with friends, etc...
My daughter with her online program
My son doing his offline materials
Reading additional materials on her social studies subject
Learning about maps
Our days look very similar to a traditional homeschooler. And, we are not considered cyber because, it's not set up like a cyber school - There are no teachers, no virtual lessons, no live groups, nothing... It's more or less like a homeschooler, who uses book curriculum, however, ours is online.
I hope this answers some of your questions that you all asked... And, if you're just stumbling upon this, I hope this resonates with you and helped you in some way... Just know, these are unprecedented times and what might work this year, might not work next year - Hang in there! You're doing great and you're making the best decision for your family...
Be sure to check out my Instagram account - Click Here to follow all my daily posts... And, here are some random photos of our offline curriculum materials and some school room decor (My children are 2nd and 5th grade) -->
Thank you for stopping by <3
