So many people are eager to begin homeschooling. They feel as if they need to start as soon as their child is pulled from either public or private school. The problem is that if you do that, you will miss a crucial phase: Deschooling.
Deschooling is a time to refresh, reflect, and rediscover how education can look.
Public and private schools are institutionalized. There are certain expectations and culture that goes along with institutionalized schools. Homeschool should NOT look like public or private school. This is why deschooling is a recommended step when diving into homeschooling especially when leaving public or private schools.
There is probably a pretty good reason why you chose to pull your child(ren) from school. Sometimes that reason is that the child isn’t being successful in school. Perhaps they are “behind” and struggling to keep up with their peers. If that is the case, your child more than likely doesn’t enjoy school. Imagine being in a physics class and not understanding what is being taught. You’d probably not feel too good about yourself and wouldn’t want to continue to pursue physics.
Deschooling allows the time to for you and your child to refresh your minds. It gives you an opportunity to rediscover the love of learning. Humans are curious by nature. Sometimes the flame of curiosity is extinguished due so many factors. It is our job as parents to nurture the embers to get that fire going again.
What does deschooling look like?
Deschooling looks different to every family. What it should NOT look like is school. There should be no workbooks or worksheets. There should not be any mandatory reading or math drills. Just because it doesn’t look like school does not mean that learning isn’t happening. Not only is this a time to refresh, it is a time to re-imagine what learning can look like.
Deschooling looks similar to a summer break. There’s no real school work going on yet there is plenty to do.
- Go on hikes. Really observe your surroundings from trees to the tiny mushrooms.
- Bake a new recipe
- Do a puzzle together
- Take up a new hobby such as knitting or woodworking
- Build a model car or airplane
- Play board games
- Listen to an audio-book or check out a new podcast
- Go to the library and check out their events
- Paint something
- Rearrange the house
- Have daily quiet time
- Watch a movie or documentary
- Check out a local museum
- Go on a trip
While almost everything above may not seem like “school”, I guarantee you that learning is going on. School doesn’t have to be worksheets and reports. This time isn’t wasted… I promise.
How long should I deschool?
There is no actual length that you need to deschool. I personally think it all depends on you, your child(ren), and your situation. There is a guideline to deschool for a month for every year your child was in school. I feel like you will go into it and just kind of feel when you are ready to start your curriculum. Eventually, you and your child(ren) will feel refreshed. You will feel like you are ready to learn again. That flame of curiosity has started and as their teacher, we need to nurture it so it can grow into a fire.
Is deschooling only for those left a school?
No. My children have never been in public school. However, I have. Not only did I go through the public school system, I was a public school teacher. When my first born started kindergarten, I found myself duplicating public school at home.
We did all the worksheets and workload just like in public school. I found myself making him take his unfinished work to the park and finish it on a clipboard on a bench while his 3 year old sister played. After a month of this, my mama heart didn’t feel right. I also felt exhausted and overwhelmed while my child who loved learning before no longer enjoyed it.
I didn’t know at the time that there was a thing called “deschooling”. I decided to just stop what I was doing and focus more on play, life skills, read alouds, and experiences. I continued to do that until I felt like I had figured out what I wanted to do. Life and school went by much more smoothly.
Do you only deschool once?
You may only deschool once, but it can occur more than once. Say your child is starting to push back and fighting while you are doing school work. It might be time to reevaluate what you are doing. Perhaps the curriculum isn’t fitting your needs anymore or maybe your schedule has become too much or not enough. You can deschool anytime!
Homework for YOU while deschooling…
Take this time to really think about what kind of school you want and what kind of school your child needs. Get to know your child on a different level. Learn his or her interests, strengths, and weaknesses. Learn what subjects he or she likes and which ones are hated (and why!).
Notice the rhythm to your day and when your child(ren) are most attentive. This will help you build your routine when you do start doing school work. Some children do better waking up at 9 and doing school after lunch while others are up at 7 am and perform better doing all their school work before lunch.
Research curriculums AFTER you have gotten to know your child better and decided on what kind of school will work best for your family. This will save you a lot of money in the long run. Join some homeschool groups on Facebook or a local group and ask the parents what they use. This will be super helpful. In addition, you can read more about homeschool curriculums on Cathy Duff’s Reviews. Make sure whatever you do decide to do aligns with your state requirements.
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I’d love to know your thoughts on deschooling and any questions you may have!
Leave me a comment below or email me at thelifeschooler@gmail.com.
