Choosing to homeschool is so exciting, nerve-wracking, fun, hard and confusing all at the same time! How do you navigate all of the choices and make the best decisions for your family and each child? Keep reading to hear a little bit about how we made the decision to learn at home and how we make curriculum choices in our home.

When my son was entering kindergarten in 2011, we did what most parents do and took him down to the school nearest us in our district and enrolled him. We didn’t think twice about it. My husband and I were both raised in public and private schools and that is how we thought we would educate our children as well. After all, we turned out alright, right?

But was that a good decision?

That year ended up being a hard year. It was a hard year for our marriage. It was a hard year for our children. Let’s just say it was not good. And that story is for another time. But being such a hard year, it became evident to us that public school was not a good option for our son. He cried every day. He had cried and clung to us each time we dropped him off and was quiet and withdrawn in class. The poor guy had stomach aches and headaches. He did not thrive, class was torture not fun, and he was so shy he couldn’t make friends. He didn’t complete his work in time because he was so meticulous his teacher kept him in from recess and withheld art. In short, he was miserable and because he was so miserable we were too.

So what did we do?

Halfway through the year, we pulled him out of school and started to teach him from home through the K-12 program. We weren’t completely on our own, we checked in with a teacher over the phone once a week and sent in a sampling of his work for grading. That was our first taste of formally educating our children at home. And do you know what, we loved it!

And then…

During his kindergarten year, we made a big move halfway across the country. From Oregon to North Dakota in an RV, we continued homeschooling. We finished kindergarten and made a conscious decision to keep homeschooling. I felt called to teach my children, but not necessarily equipped. That next year, I looked through so many curriculum catalogs I went cross-eyed. So. Many. Choices. Most of them looked fun, some were colorful, workbooks, worksheets, living books, textbooks and so on and so on. Where to begin? How to make a good choice? Those first few years I think we tried everything, well almost. It wasn’t until I truly understood that each of my children have a distinct learning style, and I have a distinct teaching style, that we started to find our groove.

My advice to you…

If I could recommend anything to a parent looking to start homeschooling, it is to discover your child’s learning style. I recommend this book to help get you started. I also want to say that no one has a perfect first year. It will be messy. You will be learning what works and what doesn’t. As a matter of fact, this may take many years. Don’t stress it.

And don’t get sucked into the comparison game. What you do in your school doesn’t have to look like what I do or anyone else for that matter. Everyone looks pretty on Instagram. Everyone has a Facebook face. Let’s all start being real and start encouraging one another. Your curriculum will be different from mine. Nothing is a one size fits all. What works for me, won’t necessaritly worlk for you!

So what are we using this year?

This year I am teaching two children in kindergarten, a sixth and an eighth-grader. It is not easy let me tell you! And sleep? What is sleep?I will be posting a breakdown of our curriculum choices so far this year very soon. We will almost always change something mid-year if it just isn’t working for us.

What is your homeschool story? I’d love to hear how you made the decision, or if you are considering making the decision in the comments below!