Thinking About the Journey of Homeschooling for Your Family

By Diane Connors

The sound of the school bus just passed by again this morning. Quietly sipping on your coffee, now that the house is empty and quiet, once again you wonder. School has been in session for a few weeks now. Being unsure about sending your kids back this year is still weighing heavily on your mind as you are already aware that the previous challenges are again continuing. Where is the peace in your day? Does that sound like you? Can you relate? You’re not alone.

Most families start their homeschool journey at the beginning of the school year, and then again after the December holiday break. Sometimes, they have used the time before making the final decision to move forward with home education, to learn how to begin. It can be helpful to know there is a lot of support available to you because tens of thousands of Connecticut children are homeschooled. The trail has been blazed for you. Let’s look at some basic information that won’t overwhelm you and offers easy steps to take to get you started on what might well prove to be one of the best decisions you’ve made for your children.

When your children are enrolled in public or private school, they are legally expected to be in attendance at school. When you withdraw your children, you are finished with that experience. Once your children are withdrawn (view Connecticut Homeschool Network’s Letter of Withdrawal for public and private schools at CTHomeschoolNetwork.org/Letter-ofWithdrawal), the district has zero jurisdiction over your family. You are now a home educator, and you have the freedom to instruct our child as you see fit.

The school district might ask you to complete a Notice of Intent (NOI) form, but it’s important for parents to be fully informed—that is only a “Suggested Procedure for Home Instruction,” and it is not required by law. Most parents don’t bother with it as it serves nobody; it is simply a compromise document that was developed in 1990. The major homeschool organizations in Connecticut suggest that you do not file the NOI; if you receive such a request from your school district, you are free to just file it away. Know your rights.

Now, what? It’s easy. It should be easy and fun. Deschooling is recommended by many homeschoolers who have been where you are now. Unlearning the Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. mindset is important. Children are always learning, and academics is an important puzzle piece—but it’s not the whole puzzle.

Deschooling is a time period to leave behind the stress that led up to making the decision to leave the school (read more about the concept at TheHomeschoolMom.com/ Homeschooling-101/Deschooling). Relax. Take some day trips. Read some books. Have lunch with friends. Learn who is homeschooling in your area, if you haven’t already done so. Join homeschool groups. Talk to your children about non-academic things they are interested in: sports clinics, volunteer opportunities, joining civic organizations like scouting, a homeschool support group or co-op, or start something small in your area.

From the phase called “deschooling,” transitioning into the academics can—and some might say should—be a gentle process. You are all literally learning to think in a new way with a newfound freedom in your week. Whether you use a free curriculum created by those that paved the way before you, purchase a boxed or online curriculum, or have the confidence to create your own, you can ease into it at a part-time to full-time pace. That said, studies on the time needed to do academics is surprising to many parents. It varies from less than an hour a day to several hours a day for older homeschoolers. When there are no school bells ringing, changing classes, going to lunch, gym, music and more, the structure of a public school day is different than it is for homeschoolers. Many complete their academics in the morning and use the afternoons for other things that interest them. It might be learning a martial art, taking a guitar class, studying some topic of interest with another homeschool friend, going to the park for a meet-up, and the list goes on. It is what you create it to be and that can be different from season to season or year to year. That is true freedom in education in

Connecticut—something thousands of families have fought long and hard to sustain in the state. It works.

Home education is exploding in popularity, not only in Connecticut, but across the nation. You c-a-n do it. It can be time consuming when children are younger and need more one-on-one support and guidance, but it certainly does not take 6 hours a day. Learning is not just something that comes from books, although it can. It comes from what most homeschoolers know or come to realize: it truly is a lifestyle and you create your life, from year to year, to work with what you choose to experience. It’s a wonderful, successful model of education for those who want it. Millions of home-educated children across the country have grown up, started businesses, gone on to college, and eventually transitioned to adulthood and created their own lives. It’s not uncommon for them to raise up a new generation of homeschoolers. With that, we are also seeing a new trend: parents who homeschooled their own children are now helping to homeschool their grandchildren. That is called “success.” Go for it. You, too, can open up a whole new vista of freedom in learning, for your children.

To get accurate information on your rights regarding Connecticut home education, learning styles, academic options, time management and more, be sure to network with other parents who are new, current or prospective homeschoolers. Join them on social media and read supportive and informative materials at Connecticut Homeschool Network’s CTHomeschoolNetwork.org website. You can also visit the National Home Education Legal Defense at NHELD.us for information on your legal rights.

Diane Connors, the founder and current co-president of Connecticut Homeschool Network (CHN), has been homeschooling for over 30 years with most of her 10 children. CHN is the largest homeschool organization in the state.