Popular Post HS Mom in NC Posted August 4, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted August 4, 2022 (edited) It's been 22 years of homeschooling 3 kids K-12 with a few years of researching homeschooling intensively before that. Today I closed out my homeschool with the state, cleared out bookshelves and supplies, and donated them. Youngest starts cc in two weeks. I saved 1.5 shelves of favorite children's books (we're read aloud K-12+ people) and kept a half a shelf of lapbooks from Story of the World 1 and the accompanying activity book. The notebooks of Story of the World 2-4 and activity books are gone. It wasn't as emotionally intense as I thought it would be. I said lots of prayers of thanksgiving to God that I was able to not only homeschool them, but homeschool them the way I wanted. It was a precious gift. Now I'm a permaculturist (AKA Permie) afforesting full time. It does feel a little strange and disorienting, but I'm acclimating to it. I joined 2 local book clubs and a ladies' group for 40+ two months ago, so I think the transition will be manageable. How did the rest of you do transitioning to your post homeschooling lives? Edited August 5, 2022 by HS Mom in NC clarity, perimenopause brain 49 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 It sounds like you're doing great -- yay for you!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 (edited) Like you, I am so grateful for my wonderful years homeschooling. My transition was quite smooth because in my daughter’s senior year of “high school” I got a part-time job. That flowed into a full-time job which I LOVED until the pandemic. But even after that I transitioned to a different better place of work. Eight years since I stopped homeschooling, I have been unable to get rid of the HUGE box of binders of my four children’s “portfolios” that our state requires. Dh thinks I should throw it all out, and maybe I should. Just not yet. I love the fact that you joined two book clubs (and maybe I’m a little jealous of that too! 😉) Edited August 4, 2022 by Amethyst 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 Well done!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 Congratulations! I pray the transition goes smoothly for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 30 minutes ago, Amethyst said: Like you, I am so grateful for my wonderful years homeschooling. My transition was quite smooth because in my daughter’s senior year of “high school” I got a part-time job. That flowed into a full-time job which I LOVED until the pandemic. But even after that I transitioned to a different better place of work. Eight years since I stopped homeschooling, I have been unable to get rid of the HUGE box of binders of my four children’s “portfolios” that our state requires. Dh thinks I should throw it all out, and maybe I should. Just not yet. I love the fact that you joined two book clubs (and maybe I’m a little jealous of that too! 😉) I have slowly gone through our portfolios and other homeschooling stuff and have saved only the highlights. Well, what I think are highlights - my kids may disagree but I think that when they are older they will appreciate having *some* mementos of their homeschooling days. If not, of course they can discard it all themselves. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 We finished homeschooling during the lockdown. I can't part with my homeschool records yet, but I've taken photos of the highlights. I'm trying to determine if that's "sufficient" to bring back the fond memories. I'm very active with our local Friends of the Library group, and prepping to move to the city our 5 kids now live in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 Congratulations! Permaculture?!? How awesome! I lean that way, though we are in a suburban subdivision so that has - so far - prevented me from going as far as I would like. Maybe some day. I do have a 25+ year organic garden and started putting in a food forest earlier this year. I would love to connect! My DS graduated high school in 2020. He started at a community college in 10th grade and worked up to point he did all of his senior year at community college. He is going to a semi-local college, but lives in university housing. We had a very smooth transition. I started a small business and adopted a puppy when my son was in high school so both of those things probably helped with the transition. LOL congratulations, again! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 Well done! I'm enjoying post-homeschool life. Getting ready to start my second year as a math teacher (well, plus the 4 years in the 90's). I have a file-size bin for each kid's most memorable stuff. I saved lots of drawings and things they wrote--some of the creative stuff. My youngest was going through her bin a year or two ago and we were just cracking up at some of it like her Parseltongue Primer and a home-drawn catalog with a Genghis Khan action figure. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 Yay! I homeschooled for 12 years and thought I’d be a sniffly mess when it ended…but I wasn’t! The time was right. I transitioned into a job that I love and my sons are thriving in what they’re doing now. I’m so glad that your transition is going well! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 Congrats!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopmom Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 Well, I got a job teaching public school, 😂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted August 5, 2022 Author Share Posted August 5, 2022 Thank you all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 (edited) My transition was rocky, complicated by a serious illness. As dd's graduation approached, it was also time for ds to enter his freshman year of high school. He really wanted to attend a regular school, and we could see the many ways this would fit his personality and goals, so of course we supported him. However, that meant that I was done homeschooling four years ahead of schedule. I had been hospitalized at the start of dd's final semester of high school (and ds' final semester of eighth grade), and I had a loooooooong recovery. I was technically "well" when ds started his freshman year of high school, but my reality was that--though euphoric that I was alive after my devastating illness--I was chronically exhausted and suffering many long-term ill effects of my illness. The house was so empty!! One saving grace was that I got a job that was interesting and that gave me the opportunity to both teach and write, both of which I love to do. I also made myself busy, continuing to teach at local co-ops and trying some volunteering. I sorted through what seemed to fit and what wasn't a fit. Discarded what doesn't fit and opened new avenues. My latest and by far the most exciting is dipping into teaching English as a second language and supporting foreign exchange students. Another key part of the process was taking charge of my health aggressively, embracing exercise and sleep and better dietary habits. Dh and I also decided to do foster care while ds was in high school, and we had the gift of a couple years with a foster daughter whom we treasure and adore. It was so hard to lose her. My daughter and son are both grown up, and our foster daughter is not with us, so the house is still so empty. But even so, the transition away from homeschooling is complete. I was sad to see the end of those years and even more devastated to lose our foster daughter, but I have built a thriving life with interesting things to keep me occupied. I think the real key to stopping a much-beloved role with much-beloved people is finding new activities that are of genuine interest. Edited August 5, 2022 by Harriet Vane 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corbster98 Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 (edited) Congrats on your journey and what seems to be a wonderful transition! I hope you enjoy your local book clubs and ladies group 🙂 I agree with you on saying many prayers of thanksgiving to God as I have been doing the same. What a beautiful blessing homeschooling has been. I am just now completing 14 years of homeschooling along with the huge transition of my husband retiring from 26 years active Army service. Huge lifestyle changes for our family. I am finding ways to stay busy.... we are hosting 2 exchange students this year 🙂 I also have trips to the lower 48 planned to see both of my adult sons, one that just graduated college and commissioned into the US Army and one that is starting college this month in Kansas. Edited August 5, 2022 by allySW 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopmom Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 I’m coming back to this to add- that’s amazing that you sorted and donated already! Good for you. Sometimes the things are hard to let go of. congrats & enjoy your new roles 🙂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 I didn't. Just as I was finishing, we started fostering (again). We adopted the three middle kids then each of the little ones. I'll never be done. LOL 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 My last four years were a slow slide as I started working more and dd started online outsourcing and DE-ing more. By her senior year, I was full time and was only teaching dd one subject. However, it was during the height of the pandemic so we were all doing this from home. There was not really a moment when I felt "done," it just sort of fizzled out. That said, I parted with curriculum as we finished each year. I do have three large totes of all output. It is all organized and sorted by year. I started keeping it just in case I ever needed to supply proof of homeschooling effort and I do not intend to keep it forever, but I have unlimited attic space so plan to hang on to it until some point when dd might have enough distance to decide what parts she might like to keep for nostalgia, then toss the rest. One cute little thing still in use is a cheap letter-sized whiteboard. The kind with lines on one side (for learning to write letters) and blank on the other. It was one of the first "homeschooling things" I purchased and we used it daily from K-12. Even in the very last subject I taught, I would write the daily assignments on it. Millions of math problems, Latin translations, sentence diagrams, and spelling quizzes graced its surface. We began most math problems by mapping it out on that board. Dd took it to college and is STILL using it for her math work and to do lists. That was the best-spent $10! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 (edited) Congratulations!! I’m done this year, too. But it really not by choice. It has always been The Plan for our kid to go to the local Christian School when they got to high school. It is my and my parents’ alma mater, and for better or worse, it is What Is Done around here in the circles we run in. Nobody homeschools high school. When second child enrolled, I needed tuition $ so I started working for a homeschool charter. I could work from home and still homeschool. I am starting my fourth year with them and, especially with Covid, the school growth has exploded, and I discovered last year that I just couldn’t homeschool and work. So, this year my remaining daughters are going to Christian School, even though they aren’t high school yet. I wish I had time to feel emotional about it. I am a little sad, but this job has me so consumed (we started back to work this week, but our school doesn’t start until Aug. 15j that all I think about at this point is work. Edited August 5, 2022 by KrissiK 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scholastica Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 22 minutes ago, skimomma said: My last four years were a slow slide as I started working more and dd started online outsourcing and DE-ing more. By her senior year, I was full time and was only teaching dd one subject. However, it was during the height of the pandemic so we were all doing this from home. There was not really a moment when I felt "done," it just sort of fizzled out. That said, I parted with curriculum as we finished each year. I do have three large totes of all output. It is all organized and sorted by year. I started keeping it just in case I ever needed to supply proof of homeschooling effort and I do not intend to keep it forever, but I have unlimited attic space so plan to hang on to it until some point when dd might have enough distance to decide what parts she might like to keep for nostalgia, then toss the rest. One cute little thing still in use is a cheap letter-sized whiteboard. The kind with lines on one side (for learning to write letters) and blank on the other. It was one of the first "homeschooling things" I purchased and we used it daily from K-12. Even in the very last subject I taught, I would write the daily assignments on it. Millions of math problems, Latin translations, sentence diagrams, and spelling quizzes graced its surface. We began most math problems by mapping it out on that board. Dd took it to college and is STILL using it for her math work and to do lists. That was the best-spent $10! I just have to say I’m picturing the entrance to your unlimited attic as being through a wardrobe. 😂 Also, the white board story is adorable. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 My older three are done but I had a gap before #4 so we have 5 more years with him ❤️ I love this post and I've been thinking a lot about what life will look like when he's done too. I'll be following this thread for ideas and thoughts and experiences so thanks to all who share 🙂 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 20 hours ago, HS Mom in NC said: How did the rest of you do transitioning to your post homeschooling lives? I went back to school a year before we were fully done homeschooling. The very end involved me offloading a ton of leadership roles that I had within the homeschool community so that part was a bit of a relief. I missed hanging out with the moms. The kids were all really ready to transition at the times they did (all of mine started PS in 8th grade). My last year with the youngest was really sweet and we made the most of it. We ended well and I had a lot of peace about it. During their public high school years I was also in school, which actually worked out pretty well. Then Covid, which made all of our school lives pretty crappy. And now they're off to college and I am starting a new career. It's impacting our last summer together more than I would have hoped but we're still connecting. I'm longing for a really good family vacation. It'll have to wait until next summer, I think. Me working now has added an influx of college funding which gives me a lot of joy. We've never had much to spare around here and I'm loving being able to provide this for them. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indigo Blue Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 Congratulations! You’re adjusting so nicely. It was pretty tough for me. It was the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. All special things are packed in a tub in the attic. It’s still such a joy to look at those things. I remember the day we pulled ds from school, and I remember the day when I told ds I’d just officially closed our school. So bittersweet. Enjoy your garden! 4 hours ago, skimomma said: Even in the very last subject I taught, I would write the daily assignments on it. Millions of math problems, Latin translations, sentence diagrams, and spelling quizzes graced its surface. We began most math problems by mapping it out on that board. Dd took it to college and is STILL using it for her math work and to do lists. That was the best-spent $10! Same! Ours was a bit larger. I stuck magnets on it and put it on the fridge. We used it for lots of things, including writing out the daily schedule. Later, when older ds was in high school, I’d be getting dressed as he left for school. Younger ds and I would later walk into the kitchen to find that older ds had erased everything and had rewritten the whole board over in French! It was funny because he was the only one studying French, so we did not understand any of it. Later still, when older ds was in college, he would be at home visiting, and the conversation would turn to some interesting but complicated topic he was studying. He would use that board draw out the most interesting but easy-to-understand presentations! Eventually the board was never used, and we now no longer have it. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweets Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 It was a big transition for our family. My husband retired from his job the same year as our youngest started dual enrollment for his junior year. Basically, our homeschooling journey ended in 2014, but five or six years prior to that, I had enrolled them in a homeschooling group that was fee based and they did the majority of their classes there from seventh grade to tenth grade. A friend of mine sold me her small online business, and I ran that until Dec 1, 2021. I really enjoyed doing that business for sewing and making clothes, but it became very hard to maintain prices due to increased costs. So, we closed the business. Now, we are planning traveling adventures, taking care of my granddaughter, and I do keep sewing but this time for myself. I have always enjoyed sewing for many years, but I lost my enjoyment of it when I was doing it for a business. I might open an Etsy store next summer. I used to have one. My husband and I were just talking about this subject. He is very bored. He enjoyed working and coming home to a busy household. Now, our lives are quieter. He used to work part time at Lowes to fill his time until the pandemic. Now, he is working on finishing an addition to our home. I like our quieter life. I can tell I am getting older and less inclined to deal with drama and arguments. I get my granddaughter every other week, so I'm still involved in school (public) and soccer and the daily dramas of an 8-year-old, especially hair and clothes. But on my "off" week, I really enjoy the slow pace and daily naps. I will always, however, be grateful for my chance to homeschool my two youngest from kindy to high school. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 On 8/4/2022 at 3:01 PM, HS Mom in NC said: How did the rest of you do transitioning to your post homeschooling lives? I had a rough time. I had always been working part-time while homeschooling; I am a college instructor and upped to teach full-time when oldest left for college, and took on a big project of redesigning a large class. I thought that would suffice - but boy, there was SO much time and energy left over, and I felt such a lack of purpose. It took me a couple of years to recalibrate and throw myself seriously into my writing, as a way of redefining myself and developing a new identity. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easypeasy Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 Congratulations! I'm heading down the same path. Even though my youngest homeschooled kid is entering his sophomore year of college, so I've been technically finished for a while, we had a bonus kid who I helped through the college app season & through his senior year of high school, so my brain has still been in "I have a kid in school" mode. Started clearing the shelves during Covid. Wow. I saved a lot of stuff. lol I still have some super thick binders where I stored my kids' stuff a la The Well Trained Mind method for years and years that I can't quite toss. Every time I try, I just start flipping through the pages and lose hours of my day, lol. I've told my kids that one day, when I'm away on a vacation or something, one of them is going to have to toss those binders for me because I physically cannot do it. I've already pulled out a few sample pages and taken pictures of others, but the physical act of throwing those into the garbage can makes me feel ill and stressed out. 🤢 It was a lot easier to toss the high school stuff in those binders. Probably because there were lots of typewritten pages (so not as sentimental without the little drawings and narrations and scrawly handwriting). It was an honor - this journey. 🙂 There were a lot of cons along the way that make me unsure if I'd do it all over again and my doubts have left my kids unsure if they will homeschool when it's their turn - but they'll figure it out, I'm sure, and do what they do for their own reasons. Just like I did with them! 🙂 Best of luck to you!!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 Awesome! How did I adjust? I got a full time job, fostered to adopt a child, and took in my elderly father. 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 On 8/4/2022 at 4:01 PM, HS Mom in NC said: How did the rest of you do transitioning to your post homeschooling lives? I think that one fortunate thing for me is that I've been able to maintain regular social activities with a small group of former homeschool moms. Their friendship and support has been a true blessing. We walk together, or in the summer kayak together, on almost a weekly basis. Our dc are often playing on-line games together as well. Though the homeschooling activities are all over, the friends that we met on that journey are still an important part of our lives. 😊 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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