The Start of It All

It wouldn't have happened without COVID-19.  That will always be true.

I had always been delighted by the idea of homeschooling whatever children I would have in the future.  But I met my husband, I had a child, and I kept working.  Two years later, I had another child, and I kept working.  Child #1 went to preschool.  Child #1 had many, many problems with preschool.  Child #1 had many problems with kindergarten as well.  I was still working.

I had Child #3 and cared for two other children on the days I wasn't already working.  Child #2 started preschool, and had absolutely no issues.  Child #1 started first grade, and had many, many issues.

The schools in New York closed down to avoid the spread of COVID-19 in March 2020.  We struggled through "distance learning" as arranged by the school district until summer.  Zoom meetings were universally despised, even by Child #2, who had thrived in preschool.  The Fall school year's beginning was by no means sure to be an improvement.

I gathered a stack of books from the library.  I listened to podcasts and considered curriculums.  I began to notice and remember the exact issues we had experienced as part of the official New York school system.  I felt a small amount of fear as the summer drew to its close, even though I probably knew from the beginning that I would not be sending my children to school.  I wasn't ready to make the leap until the very. last. moment.  After submitting the official Intent to Homeschool letter (a surprisingly informal affair sent via email), I unexpectedly cried most of the day.  We were shooting out, untethered, into the unknown and away from the safety of the norm.  We were headed into a new world, and I was frightened of failure.

I said we would start easy.  My research led me to construct a homeschool plan that included lots of time outdoors and stacks of library books about absolutely everything.  We would lay the feast (thank you, Charlotte Mason) and see where it took us! We would follow the children (thank you, Maria Montessori!) and try to make connections from our readings and the outside world.  There might be math and science experiments.  But there would be time for life, time for cooking, time for togetherness, time for personal interests and projects, time for imagination and absolutely no stress (thank you, Rudolph Steiner).

This is how we started our Starter Homeschool.  It is an imperfect experience full of amazement as my children teach each other and make connections each day.  It is frustrating when days don't go as planned.  Maybe this is temporary.  Maybe this is our life from now on.  Maybe my children would do better remaining within the confines of the modern school system.  As weeks pass, I think this last thought less often, but it is always present.  Together, we shall see.