
Teaching full time can be a demanding job. Rewarding for sure, but definitely demanding. So what happens when the demands are too much and a teacher’s health is taking a toll? For one teacher, Marianne, it meant taking a step back and stepping out of the role of classroom teacher and into the role of homeschool teacher for her own children. I had a chance to ask Marianne a few questions about her experiences in both public and home school. Here’s what she had to say!
When you were teaching in the public school system, what grade(s) did you teach?
I taught a mild/moderate special ed class with kids from kindergarten to 6th grade on my caseload.
What is something you miss about teaching in a public school?
Hmm …. I miss many of my students. There were a lot of really special kiddos that I got to work very closely with. It was so fun and rewarding to see them struggle and work so hard with something and then having it click. That lightbulb moment is super amazing!
I made a lot of good friends with many of the other teachers. I miss those friendships that helped me through those years teaching in public school. I looked up to, admired and valued many of their opinions and thoughts.
What influenced your decision to leave teaching in a public school full time?
The stress, the hours, and not feeling supported by some administrators was taking a huge toll on my health. I needed to decrease my stress so that I could be healthy.
What influenced your decision to teach your children at home rather than send them to a public school?
My oldest was getting ready to enter kindergarten when we were in the middle of the Covid 19 pandemic. My husband and I didn’t want her first introduction to school to be under such stressful and unknown circumstances. I have a sister who had mentioned homeschooling years before and so that thought was already there. We decided that we would try it for kindergarten and see how it went. Homeschooling ended up being a great fit for my daughter and our whole family. I loved getting to have that time with her and that I got to experience those amazing lightbulb moments with her. All the stress, hard work, and sacrifice was worth it for us. Every year we evaluate if homeschooling is still the right fit for our family and so far it’s been a yes every year.
What are some of your favorite things about homeschooling?
I have so many favorite things! I love the researching, the planning, the time spent with my kids, the crafts, the books, the lightbulb moments. It has truly been a positive experience for us. Now that isn’t to say it’s been easy or we haven’t had whining and complaining… we have oodles of that. Some days the school bus looks kind of tempting, but really when I look at the last 5 years I wouldn’t change the decision to homeschool.
There has been a recent increase in the number of students being home taught. What do you think are the reasons for this increase?
I think there are a lot of reasons. Some reasons may be because of the increase of school violence and shootings. Some people don’t agree on topics and curriculums being used. Those reasons feel more fear based, but they are reasons.
Some other reasons that there could be an increase could be just that homeschool is talked about much more and is becoming much more “normal.” I think that during the pandemic a lot of people realized that there were a lot more options available for their children’s education than they ever knew about. I think there are more resources, more coops, more groups, more options available and it is letting parents customize the education that fits best for their child.
Some people have some misconceptions about homeschool. What would you tell someone who is feeling negatively toward homeschooling?
I think I would ask the person if they genuinely want to know more about homeschooling to change those feelings. If so, find a homeschool family and ask them about it. I don’t know a single homeschool parent who isn’t willing to talk about to people. What things are specifically bothering you about homeschooling? Get answers to those questions. If you don’t really want to change those negative feelings, just leave homeschool families alone.
Lastly, what advice would you give to someone who is considering homeschooling their children?
Do it! It’s going to feel overwhelming, but there are so many people and resources out there to help if you want to. Also write down the reasons why you are homeschooling and refer back to those in the hard days that bound to come.
Thanks, Marianne! What a neat experience for her and her family to get to share those learning moments together. How cool is it that she gets to do what she loves with those she loves the most? A rewarding experience, for sure!