I have always been a very traditional girl. 

I went to public school, went to college, got a job, got married, had kids, bought a house in a suburban neighborhood that we made sure was in a good school district.  We worked hours that allowed for our kids to be with us as much as they could. 

Sure, we were stressed.  We were tired.  

But that’s just what you’re supposed to do… right? 

And then covid.

The night that the schools announced that they were closing for 3 weeks, our daycare notified us that they were closing down permanently.  And eventually, the schools closed for the remainder of the year.  And we had remote learning.  My son’s kindergarten teacher tried her best- but it was a lot to have a spirited 6-year-old focused on a computer doing things he was not interested in.  And our patience did not have a lot of bandwidth.  My husband and I were working remotely full time while trying to care for a kindergartener and a 2-year-old.  (side story: my husband once had to leave a Zoom meeting because our 2-year-old decided to run outside in her birthday suit).  

Discussing *Actually* Homeschooling

That school year ended- whew!- and the pressure was released for a few weeks.  But then came the discussions about the next school year. 

Are masks going to be required? 

How would we manage if they choose remote learning?

How will our kids adapt to random shifts to remote learning because the covid caseload is up too high? 

And then Josh said it: “Why don’t we homeschool?”

When I think of my reaction, I picture myself as Leah Remini saying “Um, no” (in particular I’m thinking of when she guest-featured on Friends).  But my husband is a salesman at heart– and he just did not stop (in his defense, he did not steamroll- he was just passionate). 

He sent me articles on the benefits of unschooling and interest-based learning.  He told me about how when he was young he got in trouble a lot at school because he had a hard time sitting still for so long.  We talked about how stressful it would be if we were going back and forth between going to school and remote learning.  We talked about how the kids wouldn’t be able to see their grandparents because their grandparents were at high risk for covid. 

He convinced me (and promised to do all of the paperwork).  

That was our journey to deciding to homeschool.

Why did we continue to homeschool after the 2020/2021 school year?

Because it was fun.

Because our son thrived.  He was able to learn at the pace that worked for him. 

It was barely a discussion about whether or not we should continue.  It was a resounding “hell, yeah!”.

Homeschooling Highlights- Year 1

1. At Christmas, we learned about different cultures and prepared their traditional holiday foods- like tamales or roast duck, or potato dumplings.  
2. We got to slow travel and spend time learning outdoors
3. Our son learned to read.  Since he was 4 ½ we were reading him chapter books.  In kindergarten, he got bored at storytime because they were picture books and didn’t have much of a plot.  He liked chapter books.  He got bored learning how to read- he wanted more plot than what the easy read books could give him.  My husband had started reading him Harry Potter, but because we were both working full time, he could only read so much of that book at one time to our son.  Eventually, he got tired of waiting to be read to and just worked on finishing the 600 page book on his own.  We haven’t looked back.  He has been an avid reader ever since.  And he still loves cuddling up to us and being read to.
4. We were able to be there for him through emotionally difficult times.  Our son is very passionate, smart, and sensitive.  We were able to be with him through his spectrum of emotions.  Pandemics are hard on kids, too. He didn’t need to bottle it up until he got home.  
5. That first year wasn’t always pretty- some days were hard.  But that was ok.  There was no deadline to to the school work.  Some days we needed to get our wiggles out more.  Some days we needed to just get out of the house.
6. I realized that I didn’t want my son to only learn.  I wanted to facilitate a love for learning.  Read the books that excite him.  Do science experiments that spark his curiosity.  Learn about animals by going to the zoo.  Get inspired by nature. 

Revaluating Our Work/School/Life Balance

Circling back to the stressed out/tired parents that we were, this decision to homeschool pushed us to re-evaluate our own values. 

It took us about 6 months of conversing and budget planning to decide that we don’t need to both have a work/life balance.  We were a team.  Last year my husband came to me and said, “Why are we both trying to have it all?  Why don’t we exploit what we are both better at?” 

Josh likes to work and enjoys creative ways of making money.  I longed to be with my kids without external pressures.  It’s been 6 months since I left my job and our happiness has skyrocketed.  The kids have more attention from the both of us.  We have more family time.  Josh and I both have more time for self care.  Covid was a terrible time for many- but for my family, it pushed us onto a journey of finding a richer life.

Transitioning to Roadschooling

This year, we have decided to take our homeschooling on the road.  We have been on the road since March 2023 and don’t have an end in site yet. We began fulltime roadschooling as a family in our camper and have since transitioned to being a full time house and pet sitting family through a rather incredible app and community that we’re glad to share about.

We’re currently in the US, but are considering on international travels too.  The kids are learning through hands-on experiences and we have been able to incorporate their interests into our curriculum- from science experiments while camping to learning about local cultures and history while pet sitting in different regions. Homeschooling has given us the flexibility to take advantage of unique opportunities and make unforgettable memories as a roadschooling family.

As scary as times may have been, we are grateful for the journey that led us to this lifestyle and look forward to what the future holds. Overall, homeschooling has allowed our family to thrive and grow in ways we never thought possible, proving that sometimes taking a different path can lead to even greater rewards. Homeschooling may not be for everyone, but it has definitely been the right choice for this roadschooling family.