As parents, we’re not against the public school system. It just wasn’t working for us. From sunup to sundown, every day was a rush, and dinner was always late as we scrambled with the kids to get homework done. Our mornings started at 5:30 a.m. Waking our four children up — now 6, 9, 11, and 14 — an hour before the sun rose was becoming a daunting task. It felt like we were becoming robots.
Morning car rides were silent, and rush hour traffic was unrelenting. We’d arrive at school, kicking kids out and throwing backpacks thoughtlessly. It was gut-wrenching. The real kicker was having to transport our children to two separate schools; let’s just say there were more days than we’d like when they weren’t on time.
We tried to see if before- and after-care would help, but it was nearly $200 each month for the three of our children who were attending school at the time. None of it felt sustainable.
We started homeschooling and don’t plan on going back to public school
It was the beginning of the 2022-2023 academic year. My wife, Lola, was a teacher, and she told me she was ready to resign and teach our own children, as well as to get an RV for us to travel in. I asked her what we would be doing to earn an income, and at first, we were clueless.
It was on a trip to Key West, FL, that we discovered the wonders of work camping. In short, we exchange work hours for wages and an RV site.
I was thrilled with our new arrangement. Our kids weren’t sure about it at first. They were worried about leaving their school friends behind, and though they kept in touch with their school friends the first year, they’ve since made plenty of new connections. Now that we have traveled to 31 states in our RV, our children have friends across the country, as well as in Germany and the United Kingdom.
Homeschooling allows us to give our kids what they need
Initially, we faced backlash from family members for homeschooling our children. However, we felt we knew what was best for our children. In fact, when we introduce ourselves to other families as homeschoolers, we often hear that they’re interested in trying it out, too.
And while I’m not saying we have all the answers to homeschooling, I’m confident in saying that our kids have grown in ways we couldn’t have imagined if they were still in the public school system.
For example, our youngest daughter was diagnosed with ADHD, and in the public school system, she wasn’t getting the support she needed. Teachers didn’t understand why she had trouble staying on task or remaining seated. Now, she is receiving the one-on-one time that she needed. We’ve discovered that she learns best while on the move. It’s as simple as standing or being in different environments so she doesn’t get bored with the same routine.
Homeschooling allows us to focus on each child as an individual. Finding their niche and giving them the kind of attention they need is much more important to us than receiving an A or B on a test.
We approach homeschooling with a hands-on approach
When we first started homeschooling, we knew we wanted it to be different. After an email from the Duval County Public School system in Florida confirming that our children have been assigned to home education, we were all excited for new beginnings. In Florida, we’ve found it fairly easy and convenient to follow the state’s guidelines. After three years of homeschooling, we often ask our kids if they want to return to public school, and for now, they don’t.
At each state we stop in, we explore and visit museums, exhibits, national parks, national monuments, and local libraries; all of these stops offer new learning opportunities. We’ve walked through the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., for example, and taken a nature cruise in Bar Harbor, Maine, to learn about wildlife, such as harbor seals and Atlantic Puffins.
The main challenge of homeschooling is reminding our children that they can’t sleep past 9 am every day. We haven’t encountered any significant challenges yet; however, we know they could come up. For now, we are enjoying not missing the key moments in our children’s lives.
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