More on Deschooling

It’s a frightening prospect. Unmoored. Scary. Unsupervised. All alone. No plan, no direction, no guidance. It’s overwhelming.

Instead of having everything decided for you, there are too many choices, too many approaches, too much of everything. And all the ins and outs, all the social norms and groups and procedures are different.

Instead of having your day scheduled for you, you and your child have to make your own schedule, come up with your own plan, set you own goals. Nobody tells you exactly how to do things!

It’s all a bit much.

* * *

You are not alone if you are feeling this way. Most new home educators go through some of this.

The good news is that many have gone before you, there is a lot of support, and you will find your way.

The key thing at the beginning is not to think you have to have everything figured out. It’s better to take your time, as much as you need, to get used to being in charge. Just that is a huge change. Take some time just to consider what that means. What a day could look like if you were designing it. And that you are!

Just sit with that idea for a while. As many days as needed.

After a while of not having someone tell you when to be where and not having someone tell your child what to think about when, slowly start to consider how your child’s learning could look. Explore the different approaches to learning at home. Here’s a link to a brief discussion of the different approaches -- https://www.facebook.com/groups/218913864804730/permalink/1553986734630763/

Start to look around. What activities and groups are in your area that your child might like to try? Don’t overschedule. Add selectively.

Using curriculum? Look at samples of the choices. Don’t rush into buying a year’s worth of anything. See what clicks and drop what doesn’t.

Google “pass the bean dip” for those annoying friends and relations who are suddenly education experts.

Get out, stay in, get up early, stay up late, snuggle with a pile of books, play games, take a walk on the beach, build something, watch a movie, explore a nature trail or an art museum -- do things you and your child enjoy and see how it goes. There’s a lot more to living well than choosing a curriculum (or deciding not to choose one).

All of this is about deschooling -- that important transition stage you will hear veteran home educators harp on. After a while, none of this will seem frightening because you will know how you want to do things and have the confidence to change when you want to.

The hard part is over. You made the big move. Now give yourself and your family permission to adjust to all this free time and so many options. Enjoy!