Here's What Homeschooling Really Looks Like

I always thought homeschooling was a crazy concept. I was sure it was only practiced by overprotective families who lived on a farm and partook in some extreme version of religion. But as we get closer to kindergarten, I'm surprised to learn that many families in our suburban area — which has top-rated schools — are choosing to homeschool.

The U.S. Department of Education estimated that there were 49.6 million homeschooled students in the fall of 2012 and 50.6 million in the fall of 2016. Data also showed that homeschooling grew by an average of about 25 percent in 16 states from all four major regions of the nation.

More important, I'm seeing a few homeschoolers in my area hanging out at parks and libraries, looking tired but happy. I always joked that if my kid was homeschooled by me, he would undoubtedly be a C- student because I couldn't teach him a thing. He won't even put his shoes on with me around!

Then again, I'm discovering that homeschooling is less about grades and testing and more about giving your kids the tools and the freedom to learn in their own way. It sounds like I might have learned a lot more growing up that way. Instead, I felt restricted in a classroom, so I focused my attention on boys instead of what the teacher was saying!

Jenni Manhaz, who homeschools a 2-year-old and 4-year-old as well as a fostered teenager and is an homeschooling/unschooling consultant, says, "Not everyone homeschools for the same reasons, but the common thread amongst homeschooling families is that they are all trying to give their children something they believe the conventional system is lacking — autonomy, respect, access to the 'real' world," safety, the ability to truly go at their own pace, challenge, time to develop intrinsic motivation, patience and physical play."

Then again, I'm discovering that homeschooling is less about grades and testing and more about giving your kids the tools and the freedom to learn in their own way. It sounds like I might have learned a lot more growing up that way. Instead, I felt restricted in a classroom, so I focused my attention on boys instead of what the teacher was saying!

Jenni Manhaz, who homeschools a 2-year-old and 4-year-old as well as a fostered teenager and is an homeschooling/unschooling consultant, says, "Not everyone homeschools for the same reasons, but the common thread amongst homeschooling families is that they are all trying to give their children something they believe the conventional system is lacking — autonomy, respect, access to the 'real' world," safety, the ability to truly go at their own pace, challenge, time to develop intrinsic motivation, patience and physical play."

Every Day Is Different

Stephanie explains that her son's days vary.

"Right now, he takes French twice a week from a Haitian man named Stevenson who we adore, and he just started Spanish once a week from a woman in Mexico named Ilse," she says. "He also works on math every day, attends forest school twice a week and is in enrolled in a science class at our zoo. I work from home each day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., so he completes his work during that time and is sometimes at classes."

Stephanie added that they often visit aquariums, museums, and travel frequently, both domestically and internationally.

Child Lead Learning

Manhaz sends her kids to an Agile Learning Center a few days a week, where the program allows kids to direct their own learning. On those days, her kids eat their lunch by 9 a.m. and eat whenever they want throughout the day.

"They navigate taking turns on pedal bikes, climb trees, paint, play in the mud kitchen, and do whatever else moves them," she says.

Their home days are like most people's weekend days. She adds, "And thrown in there on both days is digging for bugs, reading, dancing, pretend play, yoga, relationship building. Our days are full, but relaxed."

Activities, Classes And Groups

A dad in our area and his wife homeschool their three children, and they both say that aside from working on lesson plans with their kids every day, they also go to museums and classes. They have even connected with other homeschoolers in the area and meet at least once a week for play dates.

This all sounds very interesting, but I can't say homeschooling is for me yet. However, I don't think it's an outrageous idea anymore. In fact, it actually makes a lot of sense, especially for those free-spirits and self-directed types. This might be an option to further explore, as long as I can schedule in those much-needed mommy breaks too. Stay tuned!

> https://patch.com/new-york/rivertowns/heres-what-homeschooling-really-looks