Homeschooling your children is a privilege. It gives parents the opportunity to be more hands-on with their kid’s educational experience. It’s a platform that allows parents to choose a curriculum that they feel is designed to help their children succeed in life. As children get older, however, many parents are opting to transition them back into “traditional schools” to finish out their educational experience.
Private schools are often a next best option in that they provide the same close learning environment while offering kids the opportunity to socialize and grow amongst a group of their peers. There are orange county private schools as well as schools all up and down the east and west coast that provide a safe, fun, and educational environment for your children to succeed both in college and in life. If you’re transitioning your children into private schooling, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind.
Scheduling
A bonus for homeschooling is that essentially you can start school whenever is most convenient for your family. Now that they’re back in school schedule will change. You’ll need to get your kids into the routine of going to bed on time, waking up early, brushing their teeth, washing their face, taking a shower, getting dressed, eating breakfast, and headed to the school bus. They may be a bit cranky at first, but with practice, they’ll get the hang of things. Alarms are very useful as well as prepping as much as you can the night before including lunches, ironing uniforms, signing permission slips, and gathering bookbags by the door.
Classrooms
The great thing about private schools is that many of them have smaller classroom sizes. This means your child won’t have to be one of 20 or 30 with one educator in the room. You may still need to prepare your children for this, however. It can be different if they’ve been used to only having siblings around to having to share the attention of the teacher amongst other things with a group of peers their age. Perhaps you can enroll them in summer programs the private school may have for incoming students. This provides them with a social environment to get to know their peers prior to having to start school in September. It can make them feel more comfortable and less alone in the classrooms.
Workload
Although you followed state guidelines when it came to building a curriculum for your children, you may not have given them the same workload that will be required once they return to private schools. Such schools are designed to prep students for high school, college, and beyond and, therefore, they require more of the students. This may include rigorous homework assignments and in-class projects. You can invest in things that can help them stay on top of their schoolwork like binders, folders, calendars, and set reminders on their phones.
Home Life
In the beginning, your children may really miss being in the comfort of their home. You too may feel a bit down about the whole thing. The time you once spent together has now been cut by their need to go to school during the day. Try to keep everyone’s spirits up by spending quality time with your children when they get home. After homework is done and dinner is made, inquire about their day, play video games, watch a television show, or go out for ice cream. Just do what you can to maintain the bond you have with your kids.
For some families, allowing their older children to re-enter traditional schools is the best way to prepare them for higher education. If you’ve decided this is the route you want to take, remember there are going to be a lot of changes in school and at home. For the best advice on transitioning from homeschool to private school, be sure to talk with the student counselors on tips for making the process easier.
