Homeschooling and why it can actually be a good thing… 👍

At this point, my company Pilates in the Grove in Miami has been closed for 21 days, the longest the business has ever been shut down. So I’ve been staying productive by thinking about relevant topics to talk to you about and some tips to share.

Recently, there’s been a lot of concern among parents about their kids possibly staying home for the rest of the school year. This leaves many parents anxious about their kids’ academic progress and the thought of homeschooling the next few months.

And because of that, I would love to share with you my firsthand homeschooling experience today...

Homeschooling my 7th grade son for 5 months. 👩‍🏫

Let me preface this by saying that you should give yourself grace.

An abrupt transition to homeschooling can be a major inconvenience, but it is the safer alternative right now. And believe it or not, it can be a mutually fulfilling experience for both parent and child.

I homeschooled my son for 5 months (last year at this exact time) when he was in 7th grade. We made the decision to remove him from his school after a traumatic incident. It was a decision that changed our life from one day to the next. I realized, however,  that the most important thing we gained out of it was the connection we made during that time. We were never really apart and grew closer together. 

And we both learned. 

He was educated in his academics and I learned how much work teachers actually do. But I realized that beyond math, science, and history, there are greater things we can impart to our children.

Homeschooling grants us the opportune time and space to teach our kids life lessons.

During homeschool, I did my best to teach my son how to be resilient during difficult and challenging times (much like what we’re going through now). I taught him how to interact with other people, to give love and support to those around him, and to find his way and express himself in ways that he’s passionate about and truly enjoys.

We DID NOT focus on academics. Of course he did reading (we chose a book of his choosing to read), he did some math worksheets, and worked on fun science projects (mom loves science). We did a lot of our learning outside. 

Long story short, he finished 7th grade and was able to reenter the public school system this year where he is thriving, making friends, and getting straight A’s. 💯

And I couldn’t be prouder of him.

Looking back on it, was it challenging? Certainly. It was definitely a huge change to both our schedules and lifestyle. 

But what I want everyone to take from my story is this…

No matter how crazy your kids are driving you at home, I encourage you to just embrace the time with them. If they’re getting irritated about being in front of the computer or having difficulty understanding the lessons, explain to them that it’s not the end of the world. Those are the little things right now.

Maintaining you and your children’s sanity during this difficult time is the most important thing. 

So give yourself some grace, allow your children permission to figure it out as they go along. And don’t overthink their grades. There are more important things in life right now. And they’re your children. 👪

So stay safe and stay healthy.