Homeschooling – An Update

We are starting our 7th year of homeschooling this year and it has only been in the last year or so that I have stopped questioning everything. That is not to say that it is easy but I do know with absolute certainty that neither Jack or Emma will ever go back to traditional schools. 

Last year, after Emma’s ADHD diagnosis we started making a few changes and ended up sending her to a tutor 4 days a week with another little girl. It was the perfect solution to the challenges I faced with Emma and school. Her tutor provides her with the routine and structure she needs and she gets to do it with a friend. Her tutor homeschooled both her boys until high school so she understands the homeschool environment and works with the girls separate challenges and needs. Emma still doesnt particularly enjoy the actual subject matter but she has a friend and enjoys the routine of it all – so it is working for now. 

Jack is a little more challenging. We have spent the last 2 years also unschooling him, by default. But with some maths sprinkled in here and there. He has been so against doing anything and when I did try, he acts like its all Greek and he doesnt understand any of it! It has been super frustrating. We tried Impaq last year but the amount of book work was insane and didnt work for either of us – we made it to the first time and then bailed on that. 

While I don’t actually need him to finish anything formal, I did need him to not just sit at home and veg for ever – he has to do something that adds some meaning/value to his life. 

Late last year I signed up to Kairos, with the idea that he does the American High School Diploma because we can largely build out the subjects how we want. But he was still pushing against it. After discussions with a few people – I made the suggestion to him that we spend the year starting a business – instead of fighting to get school done every day, we put that energy and focus into figuring out a new business for him. That way he is learning something and making some money. But when I suggested it to him, he said he rather wanted to do school.

For now, thats what we are doing. We are working our way through the American Homeschool Diploma. Basically we have a lot of wiggle room and freedom to build each subject out in a way that works for us. he can earn credits for things like his rock climbing which does make getting his buy in a lot easier. 

I am not 100% sure where each child’s journey will lead but I do know, with 100% certainty that it will all work out like it is meant to. The days of forcing kids into universities are over. A university degree is no longer coveted as much as it used to be, especially now with AI in the mix. I do feel like this makes education for those of us who have opted out of school, a whole lot more fun because the world is now literally our kids oyster!