Suddenly Homeschooling – Ten Years On

It’s been a long time since I started suddenly homeschooling my 2e kids. I was a sleep deprived mum with a preschooler and a 3 month old baby that wouldn’t sleep…and I’d just had my job go redundant.

But homeschooling? Well, a number of things tipped the balance. And I found I needed to ask myself difficult questions.

Suddenly Homeschooling Ten Years On, yellowreadis.com Image: Green and gold-enbossed blue books

Mental Health vs Standard Education?

Was my son’s mental health worth keeping him in a dangerous environment? We didn’t realise at the time, but his preschool had broken the Disability Discrimination Act in their treatment of him. I won’t tell that story – that is his to tell in his own time.

The answer was obvious. He needed out. And though I enjoyed the moments of not looking after a baby and preschooler for a few hours, it wasn’t worth the mental anguish we all went through.

Education? Or Glorified Baby Sitting?

The second moment was realising they had payed no attention to his needs in education either. We walked in with assessments saying he was years ahead of the other kids. A year later, after assuring us he would have access to books at his ability level, one of the teachers exclaimed in surprise that he could read. My boy walked in there reading. They had no clue.

Suddenly Homeschooling? How Could I Do Worse?

We were all at breaking point. I figured, how could we do worse?

So I started. We did games and read books when my daughter slept. Sometimes I dozed while he built amazing Lego things.

I wrote a lot on our journey. It’s my thing.

It’s been ten years since that moment. Ten. Years.

Image: Blank book and pen and vase with rosemary

Ten Years On

I won’t say I haven’t looked back. I have my doubts, my moments of terror still. And it’s been a hard decade in some ways. But homeschooling? That’s been amazing. I haven’t regretted that at all.

My baby boy is doing well. And this month he starts his first university course. Really. I am so proud of him. The boy one psychologist told us would never go to university. (Bah humbug to them!)

Homeschooling has given both my children one thing that can’t be replaced: Joy. Joy in discovery; in learning. In being themselves, unfettered. And it’s infectious.

Today I am sitting here writing while my kids make numerical puzzle games for each other. And the menus are in Japanese, which they are taking great joy in reading!

Suddenly homeschooling has been such an amazing journey.


Suddenly Homeschooling Journey

You can read more about our homeschooling journey below. From our early years through to where we are now, and many of the adaptations we have made to make homeschooling work for us.

Image: Box of Molymods for Chemistry

Early Years

The “How We Homeschool” series:

Unit Studies, How We Homeschool – Part 1
Shorter Unit Studies, How We Homeschool – Part 2
Prepackaged Curriculum, How We Homeschool – Part 3
Documentaries and Online, How We Homeschool – Part 4
The Joy of Crafting, How We Homeschool – Part 5
Records and Managing, How We Homeschool – Part 6

Unschooling

Unschooling is something that we have drifted towards, here are some examples of later homeschooling.

Creating an Unschooling Environment for my 2e Kids
Record Keeping With a Natural Learner
Unexpected Moments: Trusting the Process of Self-Directed Learning
Teaching a Child Who Won’t Be Taught
“But They Only Want to Play Games!”

Image: Medical Helmet for child with butterflies

Disability

Read here about some of our work arounds and adaptations for our disabilities:

ADHD and Giftedness: Strategies That Work
Homeschool Writing Problems and Solutions
Ideas For Creating An ADHD-Friendly Homeschool
Transitions Are Hard: Here are Things That Help


Suddenly Homeschooling - Ten Years On, yellowreadis.com. "Now What? Suddenly Homeschooling, GHF Writer". Image: Dad and two kids at a table on laptops with plants and bookcase in background

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