I discovered that homeschooling, like most endeavors, is best learned by doing. You can prepare—just as you might for childbirth—but in the end, shit happens and you have to be willing to go with the flow. The trick is to trust that in the end, your kids will come out all right; they will learn, one way or another.

Unfortunately, I am far too controlling to trust that, but I’m learning.

Before we left the U.S. for our grand two-year trip around the world, I did as much research into homeschooling our kids, ages nine and three, as I could. At minimum, I had to learn enough to know what to do, or more specifically, what I would do. I needed to have some structure or goals in place.

My husband Pierre, on the other hand, planned to “wing it.” No books, no research, no pre-conceived plans. Just learning from the world around us as we lived our daily lives. Yeah, right, I thought. Back to my research.   [Read more…]