When I started my homeschool journey thirteen years ago, I was a public school teacher. My son, heading into third grade, had been attending public school as well. I had many friends who were homeschooling, but it just had not been an option for me until that time. As we reached the end of the school year {before I started homeschooling}, we learned we would be moving for the third time in three years. We would be moving to a new school for the third time in three years. I was already discouraged with my job. I didn’t like the politics of public school teaching. I was dissatisfied with Logan’s education, and I knew in my heart that I could do a better job teaching him at home at his pace. So, my husband agreed to let me give it a try – for just one year. 😉

Unfortunately for Logan, I was still in the public school teacher mindset. Homeschooling that school year looked very much like “school at home.” It wasn’t a horrible experience, but it wasn’t as fun as it could have been. I used textbooks for everything. He sat at a desk, and so did I. I assigned work as I did in my classroom. We tested and graded and filed everything away in his little binder at the end of the day. Then, “school” was done.

Fortunately for us all, Logan actually liked “school.” So, he wasn’t put off by the transition. Workbooks and textbooks were okay for him. It’s what he was used to so he didn’t know any different.

Fortunately for us all {I can say that now since hindsight is 20/20}, that is not at all how Isaac was wired. He needed to move. Sitting at a desk all day was torture for him. Textbooks were dry and boring and did NOT hold his attention at all! So, it was time for me to do some research. I learned that I didn’t have to recreate school at home. No matter what college had trained me to think, that was NOT the “right” way to educate every child. It does not work for everyone. There is so much more to learn than what an editor can cram into one textbook. Life isn’t broken up into chapters, and education doesn’t have to be either.

We became big fans of literature-based unit studies. We didn’t throw out all of our textbooks, because I am not wired that way. {Yes, it is important to find a happy medium between what works for your kiddos and what works for you.} We could read a book, Stone Fox for instance, and branch off into a study of sled dogs and the Iditarod. We chose a racer, and tracked their progress on a huge map of Alaska that I drew and hung on the wall. The kids still talk about that project. However, we also had times where they had to sit at their table/desk to do math or grammar from their textbooks. We were able to find a happy medium. It worked for us so it made our homeschool experience a positive one.

So what’s best? Honestly, whatever fits your family needs is best! If you’re kids enjoy the structure and layout of traditional school-at-home methods then do it. If, like me, your kids enjoy a blend of “a little bit of a lot of stuff” then do it. If your family enjoys learning with nothing but hands-on learning, living books,  and following their delights then do it.

Find what works best for you, and embrace it. Find your happy place and teach from there! You may find that your ‘happy place’ changes from year to year based on the ages and learning styles of your children. The beauty of homeschooling is the ability to adapt to the changes in your family dynamics.