Our homeschool journey is a little different than others you might be familiar with. One of our children is still in public school, and the other I began homeschooling just over two years ago as he began experiencing challenges resulting from ADHD.
I was not the mom who had beautiful visions of homeschooling. In fact, I was the absolute opposite, often telling myself, “I am not qualified!!” But after four years of trying desperately to find a solution for my son, all while watching his confidence and academics continue to go downhill, we finally decided school was not the optimal learning environment for him.
The decision to homeschool was both a relief and terrifying. I really had no idea what we were going to do, and my only plan was to jump in and figure it out. We are very fortunate to live in an area that has a large homeschool community, so I reached out to many members of that community and started asking a lot of questions. We found a homeschool co-op that meets once a week and uses a curriculum that is perfect for my son’s learning style. Even better, we got to ditch the desk for most assignments and had the freedom to alter the curriculum to better fit him. I am completely in awe of all the courses and programs out there that are so user/teacher friendly and so many options for different learning styles.
This journey has not been perfect and there have been plenty of tears (happy, angry, and sad) as we have learned to navigate this new-to-us homeschooling world, but it has also been a beautiful growing experience for both of us. I am reclaiming my education right alongside my son and it has been so fulfilling to watch his self-confidence grow. Homeschooling podcasts are my new best friend and learning how to teach my son in as active a way as we can remains a constant challenge and goal. We have gained many new friendships and are never lacking in activities and events to attend and I treasure all of this this time I get to spend with him (most days).
As we settle in comfortably we look forward to adding in plenty of nature time and community service. I have no regrets and look forward to the years ahead in our messy, sometimes scary, but most of all amazing homeschool life.
Becky Notch lives in Kalispell, Montana with her husband, Curtiss and three sons: Cayden (25), Liam (8), and Luka (7). Becky has worked for Costco Wholesale for almost 18 years and enjoys spending time with family and friends hiking, reading, and looking through real estate sites. Becky serves on the board of directors for the Children’s Development Center as a parent representative for 1 1/2 years.
