The most important thing to do right now is to grant permission to yourself and to your child.
Permission for what?
Permission to Decompress
No longer constrained by the school schedule, you get to take a breath and move at your natural rhythms. Sleep when you are tired. Eat when you are hungry. Do things that feel good. Rest. Read. Play. Get outside as much as you can.
Permission to Deschool
If I had to guess then I would say you are a product of the public school system. So you have deeply-engrained ideas about education. But you are suddenly homeschooling so you have at least a glimpse of or curiosity about how education might be different. Give yourself permission to explore as much or as little what are alternatives to the achievement-oriented, deficit-model that drives most of the schools in the western world.
Permission to Trust Yourself
You are capable.
You know a lot. You are resourceful. You CAN create a learning plan for your child that is as joyful as it is challenging.
Permission to Trust Your Child
Your child is capable. He/she/they can and will learn. Trust their rhythms...sometimes it might seem like they aren't learning a thing and then they'll speed through months worth of work in a week. Trust that their interests will bring rise to everything they need to know, including "academics" but more importantly the soft skills of resilience, persistence, and self-care.
Permission to Be Different
As a homeschooling parent you are different from the vast majority of parents in your neighborhood. And even within the homeschool community you will be different. You get to be.
Permission to Set Intentions
You get to set intentions for your homeschool life - both the learning part AND the living together 24/7 part. Your intentions can be as vague or as specific as you need. Plus you get to change them whenever you want.
Due Diligence
You can and should do your due diligence. Research educational philosophies (self-directed, unschooling, classical, secular/eclectic/academic, etc.), curriculum, local and online classes, and local and online communities. Read stories about homeschool. Ask advice.
But in order to do all that well and maintain a loving and lively home and family, you need permission to do it your way. I give you permission. More importantly, you need to give yourself permission.
So take a breath, pour yourself a comforting beverage, and smile to yourself. You and your family deserve to enjoy finding your way in the homeschool life.
Warmly,
Julie
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This was written as part of the GHF Learners September 2021 Bloghop.
Recommended Reading for Permission:
No one should stress over worksheets so I wrote the guide for learning math from everyday life...because when the world is your classroom you are free to learn math that matters.
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