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Many families are now shifting from traditional school to homeschool. Entering a new school year with a new set-up can be challenging, depending on the child’s age and personality. It is essential to prepare the kids in advance to make the switch less difficult.
Three parents share their experiences on how they decided to make the transition to homeschooling, the challenges they faced, and the adjustments they had to make.
The shift to homeschool
Anne Estrada, a working mom of two, has been contemplating homeschool since last year. “I wanted to experiment first with my older child who is more independent, but because of the recent pandemic, I have decided to homeschool both of them.”
She adds, “We slowly started shifting early this year. I also had discussions with my husband on the decision. We also talked to our eldest, and we found out that she wanted to do homeschooling and sees the positive side into it.”
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWTina A, an analyst by profession and a mom of two, shares, “My husband and I committed to homeschooling before preparing our kids for it. We then checked the readiness of our home. We bought what was needed to make learning at home fun and easy.”
For mompreneur Aci, it took her two years to finally decide to homeschool her two girls. She did a lot of research, read a lot of articles or blogs, and asked friends who are homeschooling on the pros and cons. According to her, “Mahaba habang pag-iisip, muni-muni at maraming dasal.”
Homeschool challenges
Anne shares that the challenges they encountered were time management and the conducive place for homeschool.
“Without household help and my husband and I working, we have to manage the house chores and even involve the kids to help out.”
They also had to convert one of their rooms into a study room and do their homeschool time in the morning to accommodate their mid-shift work schedules.
CONTINUE READING BELOWwatch nowManaging kids’ emotions was Tina’s challenge. “My eldes feared about gaining new friends and missing her old friends.”
Aci needed to convince her mom to accept homeschooling. “My mom didn’t approve to the point that she enrolled my kids in a public school.”
Reaping the rewards of homeschooling
“My kids watched YouTube videos and memes often. I didn’t prevent them because I was also busy. But now they watch educational videos. We have also spent more time talking to each other, learning and playing gadget-free games, such as piko, “says Anne about homeschooling advantages.
Tina A says of her homeschooled kids, “They’re excited to learn new things and hone their skills. They are now into animation, CAD, programming, guitar, and piano.”
Aci noticed her kids can now grasp and understand new concepts quickly. “They can now study alone and learn things on their own.”
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Cost of homeschool
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWAnne said she managed to save money in the five digits when she considered the cost of transportation, allowance, uniforms, books, and tuition fees if her kids stayed in a traditional school.
Tina A says their family saved around Php200,000 worth of tuition. However, they also spent around Php50,000 to prepare their house and bought materials to support the things their kids wanted to learn.
In the case of Aci, she says she saved about Php40,000 worth of transportation expenses and allowances. That saving was now allotted for the annual homeschool fees of both kids.
Becoming homeschooling parents
Preparing for homeschool starts with parents — after all, you are now the primary teacher. You need to understand how your kids can learn better. Anne adds, “We need to do our research, prepare for the actual lessons, and get involved in their learning process.”
According to Tina A, “For me, the most important thing is to prepare ourselves as parents and our kids emotionally.”
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWAci says you have to be a patient parent-teacher. “I have to wait for my queries to be answered. I also have to wait for my turn to attend the parent orientation, wait for the Assessment Test Schedules and Results.”
Aci adds the second thing a homeschooling parent needs is understanding. “You have to understand how the homeschool system works, be open to seeing a different perspective, give it a try, and make it work for your family.”
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