Someone asked me if I had experience pulling a child out of school to homeschool and what tips I would have. I first have to mention that I do not have that experience. My kids have been homeschooled from the very beginning. Now, I will have the experience of sending a child to school after being homeschool from K-8th grade. But, that’s a different story.
More and more parents these days are removing their children from school to homeschool. There are a variety of reasons that I have been told about. I know a parent who removed a child due to bullying. Another parent removed a child from school because of the poor academics. Yet another removed a child because the teachers insisted the child needed medication in order to get through the school day. Some of the kids ask to be homeschooled while others resist it for fear of missing their friends. In the end, all kids who were in school and then taken out will have to adjust to homeschooling. So what is the first step?
One thing to do is for the parent to know more about homeschooling and how she will run her homeschool. She needs to research curriculum, methods, co-ops, support and so on. This does not have to be done before homeschooling begins. The more prepared you are the better you will be but you can learn on the go. In fact, learning on the go is pretty much the life of the homeschool mom. Every year is different and every child is different.
Another step is to give yourself and your child a break. You do not have to mimic a school environment. You do not have to use the same curriculum or even begin where your child left off. You will want to assess where your child is to make the year more productive but event hat does not have to be stressful. However, even all of that can take a backseat from the very first step.
The first step is to de-school. Take a break from a schooling mentality. Spend some time together as a family. Find the natural groove of your home and how you want to establish your time and schedule. Allow the child to have a break to mentally prepare for a different environment. Give your child a chance to help create the “classroom” and pick out some books, supplies and decorations. Take it slow. Take it purposeful. And most importantly, do not expect perfection.