It’s Not Me, It’s You: 6 Steps for a Clean Breakup With Public Education

If you’re thinking about homeschooling your kids, then you’ve probably already considered all the reasons why public education might not be the best fit for your family. Maybe you’re concerned about the quality of education your kids are receiving. Maybe you’re worried about the environment at their school—the bullying, the peer pressure, the lack of parental involvement. Or maybe you simply want to spend more time with your kids and be more involved in their education. Whatever your reasons, if you’re considering homeschooling, there are a few steps you need to take to make sure the transition is smooth for both you and your kids.

1. Understand Your Reasons for Wanting to Break Up With Public Ed
Before you make any decisions, it’s important that you understand your reasons for wanting to homeschool in the first place. Are you unhappy with the quality of education your kids are receiving? Do you think they would learn better in a different environment? Are you concerned about their safety at school? Once you know what your reasons are, you can start to figure out if homeschooling is really the best solution for your family.

2. Prepare Yourself and Your Kids for the Breakup
If you’ve decided that homeschooling is the right decision for your family, then the next step is to prepare yourself—and your kids—for the change. This means doing some research on homeschooling and coming up with a plan for how you’re going to make it work for your family. You’ll also need to sit down with your kids and explain why you’ve decided to homeschool them. It’s important that they understand that this isn’t a reflection on them or their abilities—it’s just a different way of learning that will work better for them and for your family as a whole.

3. Tell Your Kids About Your Decision in a Way That Is Respectful and Sensitive
Once you’ve made the decision to homeschool, it’s time to tell your kids about it. This can be a difficult conversation, but it’s important that you approach it in a respectful and sensitive way. Sit down with them and explain why you’ve made this decision—without putting down public education or their teachers. Reassure them that this isn’t anything they’ve done wrong and that they’re not being punished in any way. Help them understand that this is just a different way of learning that will work better for them and for your family as a whole.

4. Explain The New Homeschooling Plan in Detail
Once you’ve explained the decision to homeschool to your kids, it’s time to start getting into the nitty-gritty of how it’s going to work. Share with them your plan for homeschooling—what subjects they’ll be learning, how often they’ll be learning, what types of materials they’ll be using, etc.—and answer any questions they have about it. The more detailed and specific you can be, the better prepared they’ll be for the transition.

5. Answer Any Questions Your Kids May Have About Homeschooling
Chances are, after explaining your decision to homeschool and sharing your plans with them, your kids are going to have some questions—and that’s OK! This is a big change for them, so it’s normal for them to feel hesitant or even scared about what comes next. Be patient with their questions and take the time to answer each one thoroughly and honestly. This will help put their minds at ease and make them feel more comfortable about this big change in their lives.

6. Help Your Kids Transition Into Their New Homeschooling Routine
The final step in breaking up with public ed is helping your kids transition into their new homeschooling routine smoothly. This means getting organized ahead of time so that there’s minimal disruption when school starts up again (if it hasn’t already). It also means being patient as they adjust to this new way of learning—it might take some time for them (and even for you!) to get used to it but eventually things will settle into a new normal.Homeschooling can be a big adjustment for both kids and parents alike but if done right, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience for everyone involved. If you’re considering making the switch from public education to homeschooling, following these steps will make things a little easier. You could even read The Tuttle Twins and the Education Vacation to your kids in preparation for the switch.

In it, Ethan and Emily and and their parents learn about the true history of the American education system and decide that they are more than lumps of clay to be modeled by teachers and administrators and sent down a conveyor belt with all of their peers. Even though they love their teacher, Mrs. Miner, they make the hard (and right!) decision to exit the system and take responsibility for their own education. It’s a liberating and empowering story that helps kids remember that they are individuals with unique talents, interests, and abilities—not just homogeneous members of a collective.

Check it out today, and don’t forget to be excited! This is the best breakup you’ll ever go through!