Millions of kids and parents all over the world are stuck at home together right now because of the Covid-19 pandemic. A lot of these kids had no choice but to continue doing school at home by going online to have a meeting with their teacher and classmates then finishing assigned work on their own or with assistance from their parents.
However, since most parents, students, and teachers were ill-prepared to handle this massive change, many are struggling to make this set-up work, especially since some parents are working at home at the same time. As a result, they’re saying that homeschooling is hard or that it doesn’t work.
What people don’t realize is that homeschooling is NOT about bringing school at home. What is happening right now is not homeschooling but more like crisis schooling. Doing school at home by copying what the schools are doing just causes stress for both parents and kids. You can’t make such as massive and sudden change and expect it to be a success.
Ideally, deschooling is advised to provide for a successful transition from a traditional school to a homeschool set-up whether there’s a pandemic or not.
Deschooling is the crucial process that a child and his or her family goes through as they learn to adjust their understanding of learning. It involves very little to no formal school work during the transition period.
Deschooling is beneficial for both parents and kids because it gives them time to adjust to the changes as well as enable them to adequately plan for homeschooling.
Here is a simple infographic that lists down some ideas on how to deschool your child and yourself as the parent.
Now let’s focus on the last part of the infographic.
Deschooling is especially crucial for Homeschool CEOs because you need to learn how to balance homeschooling and business. Running a business can be time-consuming already and adding homeschooling to the equation without being prepared can just overwhelm your entire family.
How exactly can you deschool as a Homeschool CEO?
Decide on a plan that will work best for your unique situation.
Deschooling, same as homeschooling, is unique to each family. There are many different ways to deschool. Figure out what will work best for you and your kids. There are no exact steps to be taken. The point is to relax and let go of expectations. Just make sure you’re following laws on how long you can deschool because it can vary depending on your state.
Plan your day so that you can still carve time for your business.
Figure out how and when to accomplish your business to-do’s during this new season in your life. You will realize that it might be more challenging to take care of business tasks when your kids are at home all day, every day. Just because they’re home doesn’t mean you should put your business aside. Having a plan for your day helps you manage your time better.
Establish new routines and systems in your household.
Routines and systems enable everyone in the family to know what is expected of them and what to do in specific situations such as in doing chores, for example. Discuss these routines and systems with the entire family to make sure that everyone is on board. The transition will be smoother if every family member is cooperating with each other. Routines and systems give you more time for both family and business.
Immerse your kids in certain aspects of your business and let them learn new skills.
Formal lessons are not done during deschooling. Instead, take advantage of this opportunity to teach your kids about your business. Not only will they learn new skills, they will hopefully gain a better appreciation for what you do as well. Who knows? It might inspire them to start their own business too.
Set boundaries and learn to say “no” to your child when you need to work.
Reconnecting with your child is an essential part of deschooling. However, since your child is no longer going to school every day, he or she might think that it’s okay to come to you for anything and everything all the time since you’re there anyway. That is not going to work if you also need time for your business. Setting boundaries and telling them “no” when you need to work teaches them to value your work and respect your work hours.
No matter what you decide to do during this deschooling period, the important thing is to figure out how to move forward with homeschooling by taking the time to assess your kids and yourself.
Just relax and respect the process. You'll come out of it better with a mindset that is prepared to start homeschooling the right way.
