Using the holiday break to begin homeschooling

Homeschooling is trending and seems to be everywhere right now. You have been thinking about it for the entire school year; maybe even since last year. All of the “what if’s” and “how to” questions are valid. Those thoughts are probably swirling around in your head and you keep saying, “This is it! I’m going to begin during the holiday break.” 

You have been waiting for just the right time to pull your children from the public school system. It has crossed your mind more than once. Thoughts like, “If we can just make it to the holiday break and then we will start homeschooling. I just won’t take them back.” While it is perfectly okay to do that, there is a right way and a wrong way to take care of this. Keep reading and we will go over the basics of how to do this legally!

First, I want to let you know that I understand what you are going through because I have been where you are. You can absolutely begin the process of homeschooling during the holiday break. The great news is you can begin at anytime in most cases.  

I know about your struggle

Homeschooling can be a daunting decision. What you are going through is completely normal. When my children were attending public school I was very involved with the public school system.  I never imagined I would actually homeschool. Take it from someone who was the PTA president, cookie fundraiser, t-ball manager, football mom and all things in between turned homeschool mom. 

Our lives were radically changed 7 years ago when I made the decision and took action to begin homeschooling. Just like you, I had tons of questions and doubts. I made decisions and then backed out, and then I waited to take action once again‒it was a vicious cycle. When the holiday break came I wanted to pull my kids out but I had no idea there were others out there who were living this homeschool lifestyle. 

Looking back I would have loved to know real people who were already doing what I needed to do for my kids. To know that I was not alone! For my sanity and peace, I desperately needed to get out of the social rat race, morning commute and afternoon pick up lines. It would’ve been so helpful to have had a support system to help me get through. I probably would have started sooner if I had a system of support.

Support is necessary

As I briefly mentioned above, in reality, I had no support. At times it seemed like it was me against the world, swimming upstream and trying to stay afloat. It felt like I was holding tightly to a random floating branch I had found; this was not working. Everyone around me including my family did not understand what I was wanting to do. They would laugh and mock me, I couldn’t talk to them about my homeschooling pursuit.

I finally did pull my kids out of public school after three years of telling myself it was time. Once I did we had some really hard hard days hit us with a family crisis and that’s when they would just badger me and tell me I needed to just put them back in public school. That was not what a new homeschooling mom needed to hear. I needed support and encouragement. What I got from my family was agony and turmoil. I needed a community. It was the lack of community which actually caused me to create our online community. This community is for both new and veteran homeschooling moms! 

It’s a safe place to ask questions where you can be worry-free of hearing condemning statements like, “Well that’s such a dumb idea! Why would you even want to do that to yourself?” The fact that I had no one cheering me on kept me quiet and hiding for way too long. At the time when I wanted to take my kids out of school, I really needed support, encouragement, and resources to help me in my decision. If you need a community you can join us here.

How to begin homeschooling legally

If you are ready to take the plunge into the world of educating your own children make sure to review the basic rules for your state at the homeschool legal defense website, to follow click here HSLDA.ORG. 

You will also need to check with the specific regulations in your state. Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states of the United States from the date of this post. Most states have little to no regulations; however, a handful of them do have strict regulations regarding homeschooling. 

Most states require you to write an intent to homeschool letter when withdrawing the child from public school. If you have specific legal questions regarding this please contact the HSLDA website above. They are super helpful and you don’t have to be a member to ask questions. Make sure you keep copies of all documentation you provide to the school during the withdrawal process for your own records. Also make sure you get this done so that the attendance office is aware and won’t cause you issues later on down the road.

You can do this!

It may seem overwhelming some days and you may think you are nuts for wanting to homeschool your own children. I want to encourage you to try it. After all, you won’t know how it will be until you give it a go. If you are a new homeschool mom and could use extra help to start or continue home educating your child, email me today for a complimentary consult and see if a homeschool expert and mentor is a good fit for you. You can reach me at iamkrisscoon@gmail.com. Please allow 24 hours for return email correspondence.

XO- Krissy

I hope to see you in our online community!