Weighing your options for back to school this year? Wondering if you have what it takes to be one of “those” homeschool moms? For one regular mom’s honest journey into the world of homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic – read on!

In my case, I had already been feeling the urge to homeschool long before the pandemic started. It was always my plan to switch from public school to either homeschool or private school after the lower elementary grades. The pandemic just provided the perfect excuse. In February, just before spring break, I decided to bite the bullet and pull my second grader out of school for the rest of the year.

The writing was on the wall; she only missed a week before the school announced they would be moving to virtual learning. As I watched all my mom friends struggle to keep up with the district’s impossible standards and confusing requirements, I felt so relieved to be in control of my own schedule – and my own curriculum.

So how did our homeschooling journey go? We had a great semester together and bonded in a deeper way than we had since she started school. I chose a “piecemeal” approach, pulling together curriculum, used books and free resources from many places offering special content during the pandemic.

Although we didn’t get to experience the co-ops, field trips, and other in-person gatherings I had originally planned on incorporating into our homeschool time, we were still able to have fun together and explore some unique opportunities that my daughter was interested in – albeit virtually.

Best of all, I learned so much about my daughter during our time together. I learned what her academic strengths and weaknesses are, what her learning style is, and where we need to focus some extra effort. It may not have been the experience I wanted – but it was the experience we needed.

Although we have decided on private school for this upcoming year, mostly as a compromise with her father, I would homeschool again in a heartbeat and recommend it to anyone struggling to make sense of their options this fall. My only regret is one I see echoed often by homeschool parents – that we didn’t do it sooner.

With the new school year fast approaching, I am often surprised at how very little I see the homeschooling option mentioned by frantic parents wondering how on earth they are going to make things work. Everyone I know (myself included) has been agonizing over sending their child to school vs. selecting the online learning option. I’ve seen countless parents of preschoolers and kindergarteners wringing their hands over the new expectations that their 4/5-year-old sit in front of a computer screen for 8 hours learning with their virtual teacher.

Every chance I get, I tell these stressed-out mamas about my positive experience and about the virtues of homeschooling – namely that you can control your own schedule and set your own hours – a HUGE benefit for working parents and single parents like myself. Kindergarten work especially can be done in just a few hours every evening when mom and dad are home. It is a common misconception that homeschooling requires more work and is just too hard for the “average” person to do.

On top of this misconception, new homeschool parents are often overwhelmed at the wealth of information available online from other homeschool moms and dads – schedules, curriculum, printables, co-op groups, apps, online programs, even differing styles of homeschooling itself. There are so many options out there it can be difficult to know where to start.

IMHO, homeschooling is one of those things – like parenthood itself – that you can never quite be ready for until it happens. The best way to figure things out is just to jump in and see what works best for you and your family.

There are so many factors that go into deciding on what kind of homeschool style, curriculum, and schedule works for you. Parental availability in light of work schedules, the number and ages of siblings who need to be homeschooled, whether you’re looking for religious or secular curriculum, the learning styles of each child involved, your family’s budget and many more factors all influence what your life as a homeschooling family will look like.

And it’s ok to let it all unfold – even if that means you change the schedule as often as you change your bra or you try 5 different curriculum programs in the first year before you settle on the “one”.

So whether you take a relaxed “unschooling” approach or schedule each block of your homeschool day down to the minute – know that it’s ok. And remember that your homeschooling life will look as unique and diverse as your family itself.

Asking if you have what it takes to homeschool your child is just like asking if you have what it takes to parent and guide them in every other area of their lives (hint: you do). No one knows your child and their own unique educational needs like you do. But whatever you choose this school year, know one thing – you’ve got this!