I homeschool my kids.
It’s not for everyone. It’s not “one size fits all” and it’s not for every kid or every family. There’s no right or wrong way to teach your kids.
So before I go any further with this post, please know that I don’t think I’m better for choosing to homeschool. I reserve the right to change my mind and send my kids to public school later on down the road. This post is for anyone that has thought about homeschooling or wondered what it’s like to homeschool in the Hub City.
Schooling has evolved a lot over the years. I was homeschooled through my high school years when it wasn’t quite as accepted or looked at as being “normal.” My parents were asked things like: “How will she go to college or get a job?” or “How will she socialize with other kids her age?” Turns out, I graduated high school and then from Texas Tech University with a BS in Nursing, and a whole year early! I managed to hold down the same job for over 10 years until I chose to retire to be with my babies and I have some pretty stable social relationships, so homeschool didn’t seem to hurt me at all.
The truth is, it’s actually pretty simple to homeschool kids in today’s society, especially in Lubbock, TX. Notice I said simple. Not always easy though.
We choose to homeschool right now because I want the freedom to be with my kids all day to do what we want. We want to make our own schedule. If we want to pick up and leave and go on a trip to South Texas to see my 96-year-old grandma, we can. I don’t have to worry about what the school is going to say about missed days. We can do our schoolwork while we’re gone or get caught up when we get back. If we get sick, we just take off and catch back up later. We don’t need a doctor’s note. The flexibility is priceless.
I once asked a teacher how many hours of actual academics happened in the 8 hours kids were in school. Her calculation was somewhere around 2- 2 1/2 hours. I’d much rather sit down and teach my kids those things for a couple hours a day and then have the rest of the day to spend with them doing the things they love, like letting them play outside, read books, or play games.
I regularly hear: “I want to homeschool, but there’s just no way I could. I’m not _______ enough.” (insert: ‘patient’ or ‘smart’ or whatever other self-limiting belief you have.) Friend, don’t do that to yourself. You CAN do it. If its something you truly desire to do for your kids because you know they need this, you’ll figure it out. You’ll find the perfect curriculum that holds your hand every step of the way. They even have videos and resources that provide it for you so all you have to do is tear off the worksheets for your kids. If that’s what you need to start off confidently, do it.
There are so many resources readily available on this topic. You can join homeschool groups on Facebook. Go to curriculum swaps. Go talk to and meet other moms that have done it. Get advice to see what has worked for them.
Do you have a kid that loves sports? Lubbock’s homeschool community sports teams are called the Titans. They have softball, soccer, swimming, track, and so many other options to choose from. There are also lots of communities and co-ops in town. You get to choose which ones you want to participate in. You can do all of them or none. Here are a few that I know great things about!
1. Classical Conversations: The classical model of learning is where a parent goes with the students on “community day.” They provide a lot of the material you learn and you still get to pick your own curriculum. We love this because it helps guide what my kids should be learning but its also laid back enough where I have the freedom to choose what I want to teach at home. They do things that I don’t want to do at home like dissecting crawfish or owl pellets. They also do super fun things like end of year “performances” and Halloween dress-up days. It’s adorable.
2. GRACE Homeschool of Lubbock: A true homeschool co-op for ages 6 weeks – 12th grade. It’s three Fridays a month for half a day. Your child chooses the classes they want to take. They do things like yearbooks and field days. So fun!
3. Kingdom Preparatory Academy: This is a drop off school that’s 2-3 days a week (a little more like half homeschool, half traditional school). You get a fantastic education and the structure of traditional school but fewer days in a classroom and more time at home.
4. Wild + Free: This is a homeschool community that gets together once or twice a month and we go on nature walks or explore the outdoors with friends.
There are so many more but I think you get the idea. We have found a community that’s best for us and we go on field trips to places like the fire station, apple picking at the orchard, and picking honeysuckles at the Texas Tech Horticultural gardens and homeschool day at Joyland Amusement Park.
The website, Lubbockhomeschool.net has literally everything else you could ever imagine to help you be empowered to homeschool your kids if that’s what you feel like is best for your family.
Homeschooling isn’t always easy but has anything about being a parent been easy, really? It’s hard and there were days I threatened to quit, but the end result has been worth it. Being with my kids all day and helping to shape who they’re going to become in society and getting to experience all the things with them as they’re learning is literally the best thing ever. Right now, I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
