Helping Kids Transition to Traditional School After Homeschooling

It's not an easy choice deciding which methods to use when it comes to your child's education. Your kids may have started with traditional school or may have always been educated from home. Either way, for whatever reason, you have decided to switch things up and send them to a traditional school. This may require some patience and understanding on your part. Then again, some kids adapt right away. As a seasoned homeschool parent, I am struggling with the recent choice to temporarily transition my kids back into a more traditional schooling method. Here are some of the things I am learning along the way.

Start transitioning ahead of time. Before starting in the new school, prepare your kids ahead of time. This way, when the time comes, they are already used to the idea. If possible, give the kids as much time as they need to adjust to the idea. If you just drop it on them all of a sudden, it may be more difficult for them to transition, due to stress. Even if you run your homeschool much like a traditional school, it is still a different environment. Sometimes you may not have a choice. But if you do, consider advance preparation.

Listen to your kids. The very first thing you can do is keep an open ear. Your kids may be thrilled about the new decision or they may detest it. Whatever their thoughts, open up and listen to them. At first, do not express your thoughts, opinions, reasoning, or anything else. Just listen. They need to know that you care what they think and feel about traditional school, whether it is what you want to hear or not. They may not want to return for a variety of reasons. Then again, they may be excited about it. If so, listen to them and know that it does not make you a failure as a homeschool teacher. They may just want to try something new.

Be understanding. If your kids do not want to go back to traditional school and prefer homeschooling, be understanding. Even if you have no choice but to place them in a more traditional school setting, it will help if you show them you care about their feelings. This is where you can explain your reasons for the change of educational plans, noting that you understand their feelings on the matter.

Explain your choices. The kids may not understand why you all of a sudden do not want to teach them any longer. Some ids may take this like abandonment at first. If they rebel, explain to them why you are making this choice. Perhaps you need to go back to school yourself, like in my situation. Maybe you need to get a second job that will take time from the kids. Perhaps you just don't feel up to the challenge anymore. Homeschooling is a difficult job and is not for everyone.

Tour the schools. Taking a look around schools and becoming familiar with the setting can help ease kids into this new transition. Even if your child has been schooled in other ways besides home education, a school tour can still be beneficial. We have been lucky to find a school with a philosophy and style very similar to the way we homeschool. Start off with an internet tour (if the school has a website). Then, transition into a physical tour. The internet tour should help you and your child learn which schools are best, as well as what to expect. The physical tour does the same, but in a more personal manner.

Establish connections. The next thing you want to do (if you haven't already) is to make friends with people in the area. If you are already in the neighborhood of the new school, that makes it easier, especially if existing friends attend the school. If not, visit often and get acquainted with people. When your kids start attending the school, the transition can be smoother if there are kids they can relate to.

Have patience. Once in the school, the kids may come home upset more than once. This is a normal part of the transition. If you cannot go back to homeschooling, you will need to learn to be understanding. Most kids will learn to adapt to the transition.

Avoid negativity. No matter how upset the kids get or how anyone else portrays your decision, you cannot show this to the kids. You or someone close to you may be upset with your decision to stop homeschooling. Do not let the kids see you upset. If you are unable to homeschool at the moment (or no longer desire to), the kids need to be able to get used to that. It will be much easier to transition if things are kept as positive as possible. Even if you are feeling guilty on the inside, there is no need to worry the kids with that.

Related Articles from Lyn:

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