Why homeschool

As I sit here absorbing the news of school district after school district scrambling to decide their approach to this school year, and then many of them reversing or amending those decisions last minute, I have never felt more happy to be a homeschooling parent. I am happy to be the boss of our school year. I'm also grateful for all those extra minutes with these humans I made. So with gumby like flexibility, the Kastners are going to weather this pandemic right from the comfort of the place we've always been... schooling at home. I don't believe in telling other people what to do; however, if virtual school is being thrust upon you (for some of you at the last minute), could I please tell you something? It's not too late to homeschool. 

With virtual school someone else sets the rules, curriculum, time frame, everything. If you homeschool, you are the boss. You pick the subjects and curriculum. You can choose to use the subjects and curriculum your public school was using, you can choose a different curriculum, you can make up your own! We have always used a mashup of many different curriculums: we love Abeka for language, science, and history, but Saxon is our math choice. I've found other things I like too: Apples for spelling and phonics review and Khan Academy for math support. I make up my own sometimes. For senior year, I create a literature course based on my child's interests. We've done military literature and graphic novels so far. You can go with free options or pricey options or anywhere in between. The choices are literally limitless, and YOU are the boss.

Homeschooling has been the hardest, best thing I have ever done. But what I have valued the absolute most is time. More minutes with these awesome humans I'm molding is something I will NEVER regret sacrificing for. If you can find a way I recommend figuring out how to get more minutes with your humans. You will love being the one there when a light bulb moment occurs. As long as your kids have to be home, why not be the one interacting with them instead of a teacher on a screen.

When Noah was approaching school age, we investigated virtual school. Ultimately we did not choose that route. The biggest reason we opted against virtual schooling was the rigorous specifications that would be imposed on us. We like to school all year long. The start and end of our school year is dependent more upon when we finish our coursework than a date on the calendar. Our school day never really starts or ends. Algebra at 8 p.m., math at a picnic table while on vacation, diagramming sentences on the driveway, these are all real things that happen in our homeschool. For me, the flexibility is one of the biggest reasons we continue to chose homeschool over virtual school. As I hear people lament about logging on to zoom meetings at specific times and enforcing teacher chosen assignments,  it just occurs to me that homeschool would be a more flexible option. 

I'm sure the thought of homeschooling sounds overwhelming, especially in the middle of a pandemic, at the last minute. But having done this for 13 years, I can with absolute certainty say you CAN do this. I know you can! I would be HAPPY to be a resource to you. The very first thing you would need to investigate is your state's regulations.  Use this link:

State Homeschooling Regulations

Then please reach out to me if you want any advice, help, ideas about homeschooling. Wherever you land, good luck! And remember there is not a perfect option for this unprecedented situation we are facing. Find freedom in picking the flawed option that works best for YOUR familt.