Sharing more about how long we plan to homeschool, and why we’ve chosen to do it—just over a month left in the school year.
Hi friends!
I hope you’re having an amazing week! I’m so grateful so many of you have signed up for our Spring Forward Challenge. Don’t forget to register here—it’s completely free and will be a ton of fun. If you’re looking for a boost of motivation as we head into spring, this is the perfect way to do it!
For today’s post, I wanted to share a little more about our homeschool journey and what’s been happening. I’ve mentioned that we’ve had a rough few months, and it’s been tricky to navigate how and what to share. I’ve always been open with you about my life, but the purpose of this blog has always been to share my experiences, not my kids’. It’s a fine line to walk, especially since they’re such a big part of my life, and I feel like so many of you are part of our family. At the same time, I never want them to feel like their privacy is compromised by what I share here, so I’ve always tried to approach my content carefully, especially as they’ve gotten older.
Long story short: In January, we moved Liv to a different private school. We were all struggling with the amount of homework, tests, and assignments. It was especially tough with her competitive dance schedule. We switched studios and cut her hours in half, but she was still up until midnight every night (for the past two years or more) trying to finish everything for school. I’m a huge believer in hard work and think academic rigor has its place, but it was just too much for everyone. So, we made the change, and she’s thriving now.
When Liv switched schools, it was the first time P wasn’t in school, which was hard for her. The Pilot also retired, which was a huge transition, and P started having more frequent stomach issues. (Her stomach has been a concern for years—she had severe reflux as a child and was on Prilosec and Zantac, which have since been recalled for scary reasons.) She saw multiple doctors, had ultrasounds, and was told her stomach was “healthy.” She also started CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) every week, sometimes twice a week. Her stomach pain and anxiety were so bad that she missed many days of school, and we were struggling to keep up with the overwhelming amount of homework, classwork, and tests.
The Pilot, who was retired at the time, taught her the content and made sure she completed large packets of classwork, taking her to school for tests. When he returned to training for commercial airlines, I couldn’t juggle solo parenting, work, and trying to keep up with all the missed schoolwork. So, I gave her the choice: either go back to school, or we could pull her out.
I never intended to become a teacher, but I’ll do anything for our kids. If this is what she needs right now, I’ll make it work.
(We love Nicole The Math Lady! Amazing Rec from Brittany.)
It’s also worth mentioning that I decided to have P take a Food Sensitivity Test (and some other functional labs) and discovered the root cause of some of her gut issues—her gluten sensitivity was extreme. No wonder her stomach hurt! Once we established protocols and removed gluten, her stomach pain decreased significantly.
Our plan now:
- There’s a waiting list at the new school, but she likely won’t be able to get in until 5th grade.
- Until then, we’ll homeschool. If she decides to return to school, great. If not, that’s fine too.
The funny thing is, I was once really hesitant about homeschooling. Pre-kids, I thought, “How can a parent expect to teach their kids better than a trained teacher?”
Throughout the girls’ time in school, we’ve had some incredible teachers who were born to teach. They love kids, love what they do, and go above and beyond. But we’ve also had some teachers who… just aren’t great. They’ve said bizarre things in class, shamed kids in front of their peers—and this is in a private school environment where you’re paying for your child to be taught by instructors who sometimes seem to dislike kids altogether. Most nights, we spent three to four hours on learning because the content wasn’t being taught effectively during class.
I also used to think homeschooled kids might be awkward because they didn’t have as much social interaction. The reality is, every homeschooled child I’ve met has been kind, articulate, friendly, and incredibly smart.
While I’ve seen homeschool friends and dreamed about how fun it could be, I never considered it as an option because I work from home, juggling client calls, content creation, podcast interviews, Zoom meetings, and IHP work. I didn’t think I could add more to my plate, but I didn’t hesitate when we reached this point. I’ve adjusted my schedule so most of my content creation happens on weekends. The beauty of homeschooling at this age is that it only takes about two hours a day.
This post is already pretty long, so I’ll share another one soon with the curriculum we’re using and how we structure our days.
Thank you all for your kindness and support over the past few months. In many ways, it’s been a tough year (this is just one aspect of it), and being here with you every day is a bright spot. We’ve just finished our first full week of homeschooling, and I feel excited and hopeful! I’m also grateful for the extra time we’re spending together and for all the amazing homeschool activities Tucson has to offer!
xoxo,
Gina
