After a very dangerous situation forced us to look for educational alternatives (a classmate stabbed another in the head with scissors) I was determined to �Do it right.� (After all, we had grandma to answer to!) We had a schedule, a curriculum, a schoolroom. My poor Kindergartener didn�t know what to think! Here he is, safe at home after what was a pretty traumatic school experience, and mom was making him do school work! It lasted three days.
Many families find the transition from classroom to homeschool easier with a period of deschooling. If you pulled your child from school because of a bad experience, lack of motivation or some other �negative�, deschooling might just be the �positive� you and your child needs to start your homeschooling off on the right foot.
Simply put, deschooling is giving your child (and you!) time to regroup after coming out of a public school and beginning a home education. The longer a child has been in school, the longer it *usually* takes to get out of the desk, chalkboard, raising their hand mentality. Many times, the bell and desks and schedules are so ingrained it is hard to think �outside the box.�
Deschooling also gives you a chance to figure out what your next step should be. It will give you time to develop your educational philosophies, discover your child�s learning style, and just learn to enjoy your child again! Giving your child the time to rediscover his love of learning and regain his self-confidence is probably the most important thing you can do to assure that your homeschooling adventure is a success!