How Do I Get Started with Homeschooling?

So, you’re thinking about homeschooling? That’s how you stumbled across our page, right?! Whether you’re ready to make the jump, still trying to get your feet wet, or standing to the side asking how you got to a homeschooling page that is making references to creeks (Can you tell we’ve been outside all day?) you’re in the right place!

For years, I’ve had people ask me – How do I even get started when deciding to homeschool my children? And I always give them the same general rundown that I’m about to give to you…

Step 1: Say a prayer, and jump. This means a couple of different things: First, start by doing some research into your state’s homeschooling laws. Each one is different, but truthfully, if you’re getting started in Tennessee, it’s pretty easy!

Step 2: Unenroll your children from traditional school (if they are currently enrolled) by sending an email that includes your “intent to homeschool” form. This can be found online, or you can reach out to the attendance counselor for more direction. If you choose to enroll with a Category IV school, aka Umbrella School, they will do this step for you!

This is a bit controversial, but I always recommend registering with an Umbrella School – they will do the boring stuff for you. Things like sending in your “intent to homeschool” (mentioned above), sending in your yearly attendance to the state/county, and will provide that extra layer of protection from you and the board of education. My personal favorites are Homelife Academy, Honor School, and Farm School.

Step 3: Choose your curriculum. This is usually the part where parents get overwhelmed and frustrated because there are JUST. SO. MANY. OPTIONS. Lucky for you, we offer Curriculum Counseling for all 50 states! This is such an incredible opportunity for you to skip the frustrations, skip the wasted money, and get straight to the good stuff.

A Curriculum Counselor is someone who will hold your hand and tell you it’s all going to be okay – no, seriously. Our services begin with an informational call and a request for you to take a learning/teaching style test. I promise it’s totally painless, and won’t bring back the childhood trauma of pop-quizzes! The test just tells our counselor how you teach best, and how your child learns best! Our counselor will work to get to know you and your family better by asking things like: “How much time do you have per day to spend on book work? Do you prefer more workbook type learning or hands-on? What is your budget?” Etc. etc. This is super helpful information for our counselor… She can then recommend curricula that will work best for your family.

Once you start your homeschooling journey, our Curriculum Counselor will follow up with you to see how it’s going. Are you and the kids loving the curriculum, or do you think there needs to be a change somewhere? She will help you maneuver the (sometimes) bumpy road of choosing the best curriculum for you!

I know you’re thinking, “Where can I find such an angel on Earth? Don’t worry – I’ll post the link at the bottom of this blog post!

Step 4: Decide what your schedule is going to look like. You can decide to do bookwork 5 days a week, or just two – When kids are with their parents, learning is happening all the time! Do you plan on joining a co-op, tutorial, or meet-up group? Are you leaning towards more outside, free-time or structure inside the house. Are you thinking about unschooling or sticking to a strict routine… or maybe you want to mix it up a bit. There isn’t a wrong answer here. As long as you are spending intentional time with your kids, you are providing an excellent education for them.

Most of the time our days look like bookwork for a few hours, classes and clubs for two full days out of the week, and educational field trips on Fridays. We plan several weeks throughout the year to travel to places like Washington DC, Colorado, Williamsburg, VA and the Caribbean. Our kids are constantly learning through real-life experiences, and not just reading about these places behind a desk.  

Step 5: The final, and most joy-filled part – Cherish every beautiful moment with your babies. Homeschooling isn’t always easy. Sometimes, it feels like the rug’s been ripped out from under you with teenage attitudes, sibling bickering, and screaming babies, but hold on, mama. The long days are worth it too. If you’re feeling stressed, and tired – turn on an educational documentary, go for a walk, or snuggle with a good read-aloud. But don’t give up.

Each day that you spend teaching, reading, and caring for your babies is a day they are safe, and cared for. It’s the days that turn into weeks, then months, then years that have us moms of teenagers wishing for that time back – even the days we wanted to give up educating them at home.

So, if you are ready to jump aboard the homeschooling journey with us, just know you’re not alone. We’ve got you. There’s an active community waiting on you and your family – you’ve found your place here in the Tennessee Homeschoolers group. You are Welcome Here!

And as promised, follow this link to our Curriculum Counselor informational page, click, “add to cart” and check out! You’re on the right track, friend!

https://tnhomeschool.org/product/curriculum-counseling/

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