Transitioning Your Child Smoothly from Mainstream to Homeschooling.

Why the transition from mainstream to home schooling?

There are many reasons why you would like to take your child out of mainstream education and start homeschooling your child. Every family has a different reason and it’s OK to be different. As I started my children on homeschooling, right at the start of their education, I did not experience transition.

However, due to the many questions I have received on social media, I decided to do some research, so that I could come up with a structure for people to follow. As we live in Zimbabwe, where most people are feeling the economic meltdown and are unable to afford private education, parents are having to look at other methods of education.

Whatever your reason for change may be, if you follow the steps below, you will be able to embrace the change and have the confidence to run with it.

“The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” – Luke 6:40

-Remember if you diligently keep up with your child’s education, you can always enroll them back into mainstream schooling in the future, should the need arise.

There is no ‘right’ way to homeschooling, but here are a few useful guidelines.

10 Steps to follow, to insure a smooth transition from mainstream schooling to homeschooling.

1. List the positives and the negatives of your particular situation.
2. Don’t be bullied into or out of your decision.
3. Give yourself enough time to do your research and choose a a solid, well managed program, with checks and balances.
4. Make sure the education program you choose has diagnostic tests, so that your pupils will slot into their individual level.
5. The program you choose needs to be one you can stick to for the long run. Swapping and changing is very detrimental to a child’s well being and academic progression.
6. Explain your decisions to your child as you implement the positive transition steps.
7. Be realistic with goals for yourself and for your child.
8. Keep praying for the right solution and work through the solution with faith.
9. Change is stressful, but can be extremely rewarding.
10. Dithering is not helpful… Once the decision has been made, seize the challenge and run with it!

1. List the positives and the negatives.

• There will always be positives and negatives, to everything one does, so it is best to concentrate on the positives, then look at how to change the negatives into positives. You will be surprised at your results, as most negatives can be turned into positives, with prayer and effort.
• No education program is perfect… You need to choose a program with your child’s and your individual circumstances in mind.

2. Don’t be bullied into/out of your decision.

• People naturally want you to follow their ways, so doing something different from the crowd takes strength and courage.
• Nothing is better than getting your strength from the Lord and the peace of mind you require to do the transition.

3. Give yourself enough time to do your research and come up with a solid, well managed program, with checks and balances.

• Do this a few months before you take your child out of mainstream schooling.
• You may want the English Cambridge system or an American System. Both have pros and cons.
• Each child is different and so look for what will suit your child/ children(if more than one) best.
• What is legally allowed in your country also needs to be researched, as education laws differ from country to country.
• Follow homeschooling blogs to find different options.
• You can choose an all in one program, a core program, or you can design your own!
• Don’t try to do a program designed for teachers, if you are not a teacher. This will cause problems in the long run, as well as putting you under heaps of unnecessary stress.
• There are hundreds of programs out there to choose from. It can get overwhelming! Look at the ones that have achieved the results you are looking for, whether it’s short term or long term results. This will narrow down the choices and enable you to make the right decision.
• Whatever you chose keep it simple to begin with. You can add on extras as you become more confident.
• Think out of the box! Maybe you would prefer to employ a tutor, or send you child to a small homeschool, which is already up and running? The options are limitless.

4. Make sure the program you choose has diagnostic tests.

• Most programs have diagnostic tests, to enable you to see where your child is academically, in each subject, before you make the transition.
• Most of these can be taken on line. Accelerated Christian Education has a free online Diagnostic Test.
• It’s a perfect way to see what stage your child is at with their education and gives you the level as to where they need to slot in.
• If the results show that the child is behind with certain subjects don’t be alarmed, as they can catch up quickly, once they start the program. Remember, homeschooled children have less downtime than mainstreamed children, as much time is wasted in mainstream schooling, due to the logistics of running a school with hundreds of pupils.

5. The program you choose needs to be for the long run.

• Changing programs can produce learning gaps, resulting in added work and stress to both parent and child.
• Best take your time and chose your program carefully and wisely, with your children’s goals in mind.

6. Explain your decision to your child as you implement the positive transition steps.

• You can buy the books and do some extra work at home each day, to kick start the transition process, or you can go out and visit home schools. This way the child can see how homeschooling will work, once the transition is made.
• Happy mainstream children will need extra incentives to transition them. Be creative with this…
• Keep the lines of communication open between yourself and your child, as they will be bombarded with questions from their peers and teachers. Open, honest communication will reduce unnecessary stress.
• At the end of the day, it’s a family decision, which the child needs to embrace to see the family as a team. The decision is always for the betterment of the family and not to punish the child..
• Make time for them to see their mainstream friends so that they don’t feel left out, or lost.

7. Be realistic with goals for yourself and your child.

• Don’t try to build Rome in a day! Take the slow and steady route.
• Best do the job carefully, to avoid issues further down the road. c. Keep it fun, adventurous and enjoyable!

8. Keep praying for the right solution and work through the solution with faith.

• Don’t over think the issue. Face each challenge head on and try to work a manageable solution, through faith and prayer.
• Keep focused on reality and don’t try to sugar coat it. Reality is what it is, so embrace it and work with it, not against it.
• Constantly review your short and long term goals, to keep the focus.

9. Change can be stressful, but extremely rewarding.

• Manage your stress and keep focused on the end result.
• A happy, healthy family is very important, so take time to be that happy healthy family and not the family trying to keep up with the world.
• You may lose friendships over your decision, as that is how life is. However, by expecting negativity, you won’t be shocked by it..

10. Make the decision and run with it.

• Nothing in life is perfect, but taking charge of your child’s educational destiny is very important and can be done with prayer, effort and wisdom.
• Find a good homeschooling community near you, that can give you support and guidance.

Finally……. Just Do It!

From all the people I have talked to, who have transitioned to homeschooling, I have found that 90% are very happy they made the transition. Education needs to change, especially in this age of technology and I think it is happening faster than you think!

Khan Academy is a free online schooling and it currently has over 1 million kids using it daily, all over the world.

Go check it out!

Modern communication systems are allowing us to achieve more at home and are keeping us up to date with technology.

Remember you are doing everything out of love and for the betterment of your family. New beginnings are scary and the start often feels like chaos, however it will ease up with time.

Homeschooling is a thing which grows daily and blossoms over time. It’s a living moving, creative experience. Go with it and develop your own, very special and varied family memories.

The more you work at something the greater the reward. Keep Growing, Keep Praying and Keep Loving…

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10. (NIV).

Prayer: Father you have a plan for my child and his/her education. Please give me the strength, wisdom and discernment to realize the plan you have for him/her. Thank you Father that you know everything my child needs and will guide me each step of the way. -I am truly grateful. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

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Please feel free to contact me for any further information. I have many contacts of people who can help you. -I should also love to hear your thoughts on the above…