Oof. What a wild ride 2024 has been thus far, and we’re so close to the close of the year, which is just insanity to me. We’ve had some of the highest highs, some of the lowest lows, and we’ve experienced a little bit of everything in between. Last winter was a doozy for us. Homeschooling in interior Alaska was so different, and it felt so isolated that we knew we had to make some big changes, so we decided to try out public school again. Well, three months in, and we made another big change. We’re homeschooling again! It’s not something I ever honestly thought would be in the cards for us, but here we are.
Why We’re Homeschooling Again
So much has changed in the past year. I got a part-time job working from home for a company I worked with 10 years ago, and it’s been amazing. We found out that we are, in fact, moving again this summer. We transitioned from winter, to spring, and to a glorious – but short – summer season, and the kiddos went back to school in August, and it started great. They were loving having peers with them every day and, for a bit, it felt like a great fit.
From the start, we’d told the kids if it wasn’t working, we’d revisit homeschooling, and we began to see cracks in the facade. Spencer started falling behind despite his amazing teacher. He just needs to move a little slower and take his time, and with 25+ kids in a class, that’s not easy. Porter was so far ahead that he was absolutely bored and just sitting doing his work in the back. His teacher did her best to keep him busy and excited, but she has a challenging class, and it was hard. Mieke was enjoying kindergarten, but she kept asking to come home. So, after lots of back-and-forth, we bit the bullet and made the decision last week.
Homeschooling 3 Kids in 3 Different Grades
Things look a little different this year than last year. As we prepare to dive in in earnest, I’m fully aware that we now have three kids in school, and all three kids are in different grades. Mieke is in Kindergarten, Porter is in 3rd grade, and Spencer is in 4th grade. Each of them has their own individual learning style, too. Spencer does best in slower, more even-measured learning bursts. We take our time and do a lesson then a break until we complete the day’s tasks. Porter is very self-led, and he’s in 4th grade math/science, so he tends to move quickly by himself. Mieke is our outlier, and it’ll be a new thing for me to work with her on basic letters, handwriting, and math.
Am I completely confident I can do this? Absolutely not. I’m terrified. I do, however, know our kids thrived in this environment last time, and with a PCS in less than nine months, this will afford us flexibility to do it on our time. We’re mixing our old favorite programs (The Good and the Beautiful for ELA and Math-U-See for math) with new things like Miacademy online for science and a new world and US Geography program.
The Bottom Line of Homeschooling for Us
Ultimately, for us, it’s about meeting each of our kiddos where they are. I’m hopeful that this winter will look much better than last year, and we already know we’re heading to NH next month for the holidays, so this gives us the freedom to move around on our terms. We’re excited, nervous, optimistic, and ready to pivot and adjust as needed. So, cheers to another “first” day of school for our little Moores!
