They have questions.
And they don’t know where to start.
To these families, let me say this.
Welcome.
Welcome to this community that you were not expecting to be a part of.
We are so excited you are here.
You may never have planned to homeschool, or thought about it but never quite got around to it… and you now find yourself here, feeling a bit lost and alone and maybe a bit frightened and unsure.
Everything is going to be OK.
Your kids are going to be OK.
YOU are going to be OK.
This is not ‘school at home’.
This is not what you were doing during iso.
This is SO much more.
It’s an exciting new way to live, and to learn.
The very best thing you can do right now is connect your local community.
If you haven’t found them yet and don’t know where to look, do Facebook searches, ask around on local pages… find your group! It will be there, and it will be your greatest asset.
As restrictions continue to ease, you will quickly discover just how little ‘homeschooling’ is actually done in the home.
We learn everywhere, we are part of active social communities and our days are filled with activities, from music classes to gymnastic sessions to library visits, museum visits or trips to the farm to learn about food production.
You are going to be busy – but you’re going to have a lot of fun!
I know that homeschooling is not the right choice for every family.
Lots and lots of my friends kids went back to school this week.
Do I think they made the wrong decision in doing that?
Absolutely not!
They made the right choice for their family and I love and support them in that – just as they love and support me in my choices.
This article was not written to argue over whether or not kids should be back at school.
That decision is unique to every family.
This was written to let the families who decided that for right now, home is the best place for their children’s learning to continue, that they are not alone.
There’s a whole community of us here, excited to welcome you into this new chapter of your life.
And it really is going to be OK.
Promise.
Samantha Johnson is a writer, mother and fan of facts, fiction, feminism and families. You can follow her on Facebook.
