Homeschool: An unexpected and beautiful surprise!

It was a challenging year. I and many other mothers were already tired of doing so many tests for Covid, Flu, Strep, and RSV for every sneeze our children gave. In reality, all the symptoms could be characterized as a simple cold, but everyone's fear was so high that we preferred to do all the tests to avoid being surprised with a more serious issue.

It wasn't fun to see our kids go to school and spend the whole day wearing a mask that didn't let them see their friends' faces. Also, the schools required different quarantine measures according to the child's symptoms. Virginia is a state where the cold prevails much of the year. It's hard to take the kids to the park or outdoor activities when it's freezing.

There were rumors of frightening happenings in the public schools. They said that parents should not get involved in their children's education. Really? Parents should not be involved in their own children's education? Other weird things were happening in schools, parks, libraries, and other environments where children attended.

I had never thought about the possibility of homeschooling my children. I remember that I had a neighbor who homeschooled her son. My husband, who is American, thought it was something weird. However, I started thinking about the possibility! I researched it and ended up watching many videos of American moms who had been homeschooling for years. These videos presented their reasons and demonstrated their love for homeschooling. With each video I watched, with each blog I read, I got close to this process.

Finally, and to my surprise, I was decided! I'm going to homeschool my kids. I wrote down my reasons and my goals. I researched about curriculums, state laws, how to do assessments, and how to dedicate a home environment for homeschooling. Two months later, I started an incredible journey of learning for me and the kids.

Happily, I quickly discovered that homeschooling should be a fun, light, collaborative, and respectful process. A child can't be good at everything, just as adults aren't. This underpins my main goals of homeschool discovering, developing, and nurturing my children’s natural skills and talents. That first year, I used the most advanced curriculum I know, and we still had time to take several days off, go on field trips, travel, have playdates, and take ballet, swim, and guitar lessons. We also adapted our schedule when necessary.

Time was on our side. We didn't have to be in line for the next class or to use the bathroom, we didn't have a short time for snacks, and lunch was healthy and warm. Plus, we had breakfast together, no rushing, no eating the last piece of bread in the car, and no yelling about being five minutes late for school.

Many people question homeschooling. However, the statistics reflect impressive results. I will present just a few of them:

• According to recent statistics, from 2019 to 2021, the rate of homeschooled children increased from 2% to 8% in the US;

• This percentage has grown between 2% to 9% each year;

• In 2022, 4.3 million children were homeschooled;

• Compared to those students who attend traditional school, homeschool students outperform the areas of social, emotional, and psychological development, according to 87% of participant surveys;

• Young people who were educated at home have fantastic academic performance when they reach university.

If you want to adopt homeschooling as a lifestyle for your family, but don’t know how to start, I can help you. On this journey, I have taught, but I also have learned. Homeschool involves dedication, respect, and reciprocity, but most importantly, lots of love.