Our Journey into Homeschool

 

 

It’s a brand new year if you can believe it, which informs us that the second semester of Journey Beyond Academy is underway and still going strong!

Journey Beyond Academy, is the lighthearted play-on-words, we’ve bestowed upon our homeschooling experience. 

For those who haven’t heard yet, Rachael and I chose to homeschool Journey this year.  The big question is what prompted this decision. 

Why We Chose to Homeschool

“All (people) who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.”
Sir Walter Scott

 

The decision to homeschool wasn’t actually a random one as we’ve sort of been toying with the idea for a few years now.

The idea of a personalized education that focuses more on our children’s areas of interest has always appealed to us.

While providing the opportunity for our kids to explore a range of topics that may typically not be offered in a traditional learning environment, was also a plus!

But pulling the trigger and acting on the notion of homeschooling was another thing entirely. The concept felt more doable when we encountered many families in the Charlottesville area who had already taken the homeschool plunge, and spoke highly of their experience.  We were encouraged.

Since Delaney had graduated from elementary, and Marley made the transition a year earlier, we felt now was a great opportunity for Journey to experience something new as well.

And so, Journey Beyond Academy was born!

Becoming a 4th Grade Guinea pig

“There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.”
Gandhi

 

Okay, I didn’t go to school to become a teacher. And even though I write children’s books and venture into schools for educationally oriented author visits, I don’t have a teaching background. I’ve known from the beginning that this latest endeavor was going to be a learning experience for both Journey and me

I felt an equal dose of excitement and nervousness as we began this experiment because I didn’t (and still don’t) want to mess up and make a bunch of mistakes that will haunt us both in the future.

However, I’m relieved to report that our homeschool trial run has been a fruitful one!

Don’t try this at home

Making the decision to homeschool can be a tough one. So, before you jump right into it, here are 4 things to consider before you attempt it yourself.

  1. Read as much as you can about the process.  
  2. Find out all the legal requirements for your state.
  3. Talk to as many parents who are currently homeschooling and pick their brains about the joys and challenges they each face.
  4. Decide whether you have the time, but most importantly the patience to work closely with your child.

At this point, I feel we are finally settling into our groove, so if you believe that homeschooling is the right fit for your family, then I would encourage you to go for it!



 

 

Our Journey Into Homeschool //




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