How did you know and other practical question! :)

[lj1977]

Hello!
Firstly, can I say that I have been reading through the threads for over an hour here, and I have been really inspired and excited to hear about people's experiences.
I have toyed with the idea of home educating for a few years, but recently got really serious about researching and talking to the home schoolers I know to get some clarity. My first son is in Prep this year and my youngest due to start 3 days a week kindergarten next year. I think this is the catalyst for my thinking going up a few gears!

I LOVE the idea of teaching my children, and having a more flexible life for them. School is exhauasting for little ones, and I really struggle that we put them into school at the age of 4 without us there to guide them and nurture them.

The irony is I had planned to go back to uni to finish my teaching degree (but now I am not so sure!)

I suppose what I would love to hear is how did you know that this was the path you wanted to go down?
How long did it take you to prepare for this life change?
Practically, how long does it take you to prep lessons, themes etc?
How do you cope with the intensity/pressure of educating your children?
Do you crave time out? How do you get this?

I have many more, but I will force myself to stop here !
Thanks everyone.

[zenifa]

Hi :wave:
I'm happy to jump in and answer this
I suppose what I would love to hear is how did you know that this was the path you wanted to go down?
Dh and I had been considering educational options for our eldest from around the age of 2 (& I was pregnant with DD2) - when people were telling me we should put her name down for the best schools etc. I had workmates that were considering and were actually doing home education, so it seemed like another option to explore and the more we read and talked to people the more it fitted in with our parenting and family, it was a natural extension to the parenting we had already been doing (natural parenting and natural learning). We wanted our girls to have a love of learning and to share in their journey of discovery, so sending them to school didn't sound like the best option to do this.

How long did it take you to prepare for this life change?
It took DH and I around six months of talking, reading (books, online) and talking to each other and others to really agree that this was the right path for us as a family and best option for our girls. Then it took about a year where we started to connect more with home educators IRL and online, tell our family and friends (this can be HUGE), and find the confidence in ourselves and the process, and really embrace the lifestyle as home educators. So now we are two years into it (since we made the decision) and we haven't looked back - we are still deschooling all the time, but that is us as the adults, the girls haven't really noticed any change in what we do or how we parent, although DD1 didn't start prep this year, so she is very proud of being an unschooler.

Practically, how long does it take you to prep lessons, themes etc?
We are natural learners so we don't strictly follow curriculum, I follow my DD1's lead and she's prep age this year. We are meant to do an hour/day, but as she's a very keen learner we often do more - maths, reading/writing, science, and activities that cover all different subjects and learning areas including history, geography, etc. They say 1hr/day or 5hrs/week for prep, then 2hrs/day or 10hrs for primary and then 3hrs/day and 15hrs for secondary, but it depends on the child and their interest and motivation.
We do a variety of things, using a variety of resources, so its up to you.
How do you cope with the intensity/pressure of educating your children? It is a huge responsibility and commitment taking responsibility for your child's education but its not easy to delegate it either, given what some schools/teachers are like (& no I'm not bagging schools, but its not a coincidence most home schoolers I know are teachers) and given some of the current national education policies. The more I read and learn from others the more I see that this is the right decision for us so I don't find it too intense or pressure filled, in fact the option of sending my kids to school sounds more stressful.
How do I cope - read lots, talk to others who are doing it, build community around me of homeschoolers and others who support our parenting and our children.
Do you crave time out? How do you get this?
Yes, but its not different to parenting, and I guess that is how I see our homeschooling experience, I'm not the teacher, I'm their mother.
I enjoy being with my children, and my DH and I both home educate our girls. I do work 1 day/week so that is my 'break' plus I have other activities I do to get time out and a break, plus I have supportive family (mum and mum in law) who look after the girls when I work or have appts. I also have a network of great friends and others in the home ed community who support me to have time out and prevent burn out.

Hope this helps