Off The Hamster Wheel

As many of you saw in my newsletter last week, I am homeschooling my 8-year-old son. It blows my mind to say that out loud. I have no experience with homeschooling, as a product of public school myself. But it was absolutely necessary for him.

I was in the rat race. I was on the hamster wheel. I kept doing what everyone else was doing, because that's what I was supposed to keep doing, right? If you would have talked to me about home schooling two years ago, I would have actually laughed at you and said absolutely no way. For one, it didn't sound interesting to me at all (mostly because I didn’t yet understand the possibilities). And also, and this feels very vulnerable and humbling to say, but the fear of getting off the hamster wheel kept me stuck on it. What would people think if I became one of those weird homeschool people? What would happen to my son if he didn't have a social life? Would his friends or his friends’ parents shun him? What if he falls behind? What if he doesn’t learn how to be teachable/coachable by someone other than me? Public schools are good for kids, right?? I told myself ALL the things. These questions make me laugh now. But they were genuine when I was asking them. And the reality was that it wasn’t serving my son. So finally….I just jumped off the hamster wheel.

(Note: I don’t know if I’m going through some kind of phase or life crisis or something, but I’ve really been giving two middle fingers to the hamster wheel these days! )

I’m not going to say every day is a 10, but honestly……..I love homeschooling. I really didn’t think I would. But I really really do. I am a certified 5th – 12th grade math and English teacher, and spent seven years teaching, so it feels natural. Plus, we are doing some COOL stuff! SOOO much reading, science experiments, history, hands on math problem solving, economics, and financial literacy. I’m even helping him start his own business! We are connecting. We are having conversations about government, values, acts of service, wants vs. needs, scarcity and abundance. We are digging holes in the ground and using our five senses to describe what we find. We are thinking critically and problem solving in math. We are learning about spending, investing, saving, and giving. I've seen such a positive shift in him even in the last two weeks.

I know, many of you are thinking, yeah yeah, you wouldn’t tell us the bad stuff. You have to tell us the good stuff to justify your decision. But here’s the thing, for maybe the first time in my life, I don’t feel the need to defend myself to judgement. I know I am receiving it, and I feel completely at peace with this decision. Not just because I need to try to convey that on social media, but because I actually feel it. I KNOW within the depths of my soul that this was the right move for my little guy. Will it be all sunshine and rainbows? Heck no. Will there be downsides? Of course. But when looking at his life holistically, there is no doubt in my mind that it’s the best decision for him. And that feels REALLY good.

(Note: Our decision had nothing to do with the school he was going to. In fact, as public schools go, I think ours is excellent. My six-year-old daughter is still going to public school. So this isn’t a knock at public schools.)

Though my son is his own individual case and had his own unique reasons, I do have some general beliefs and values that helped push me towards the homeschool route:

• Connection between parent and child

• Learning through genuine experiences

• Space for boredom that nurtures creativity and exploration

• Slowing down childhood

• Slowing down life

• Education guided by play, stories, curiosity, exploration, critical thinking, and problem-solving

• Learning real life skills in real life application

• Going beyond the core subject to learn electives like economics and financial literacy

• I want to raise thinkers and doers

• And most of all, I want a strong foundation of family values that can only be achieved with slowing down and making intentional efforts to provide them

Sometimes the best things in life show up after you decide to follow your gut. I didn’t choose homeschooling because it was easy or popular, because it definitely isn’t either of those things; I chose it because it’s what my son needed, and I am so proud of myself for having the courage to make this choice for him.

So here we are. Off the hamster wheel. Exploring our own wild little trail. And I am so grateful.

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