How Come Homeschool?

There are countless reasons why families choose, or are chosen by, homeschool. This is how we found ourselves in a season of schooling at home...

For some context - previous to this year girlfriend had been enrolled privately since she was 2. She started pre-k 3 two weeks before her third birthday attending full days (7:30 - 2:45), five days a week. We signed her up for the play-based pre-k program at my high school alma mater because they were on the short list of places/people I trusted with her at that age.

In addition to comfort with the community class size was a massive incentive in enrolling her where we did. She was 1 of 10 students in her class which I firmly believe aided in her success. She acclimated seamlessly and loved school from the beginning. Sadly, over the summer of 2020 our school closed their doors permanently, after 100+ years, pushing us to find a new academic home for her.

We chose another small, private campus close to us. I was nervous for her having to navigate a new environment and community. Especially on the heels of covid. She however was steady. She walked into her new school & new expectations excited and had yet another amazing year. She performed at the top of her class, was every bit of herself and thrived. Her growth was so visible!

Now in the background our family of three was living in two states and at the furthest 300 miles apart. Fred came home when work permitted which by the grace of God was more and more frequently over the years but still wasn’t often enough. His career gradually brought him closer to home with the closest being his latest move - at 100 miles.

Between the tension that dynamic brings and me working in a capacity that sapped the joy from my life at a constant rate we started mapping what unifying our family looked like. Unification simultaneously created the space for me to begin exploring work more creative and fulfilling. It however meant girlfriend and I moving that 100 miles last summer and eventually in the fall - a new school.

The plan was to buy our first home at the end of last September which likely threatened - yet another new school mid-way through the academic year. Now she has crushed every transition and evolving dynamic our family has seen but given how deeply connected she had become to her last school community it was just more to than I was willing to ask of her.

Despite my grave inexperience in education (read: none. nada. nilch. zero.) and my unpreparedness we committed to homeschooling this year to give her the consistency, space, flexibility and grace she deserved. It was in this moment I realized I had no idea what I was doing.

At all.

But we’d figure it out together…