Three Steps To Seamlessly Transitioning Your Homeschooler To School
Homeschooling environments can all look different. Some homeschooled children will have a rigid schedule that involves waking up early, going through a full day of lessons then having homework. Other students may have a regimen that is a little more relaxed, with just a few hours of coursework per day and more learning through daily life with parents. If you have been homeschooling your child and you are interested in sending them to regular school, you will need to properly prepare them and yourself first. Here are three steps to making a seamless transition to regular school for the both of you.
Participate in classroom observations at several schools
If you are not sure what type of school you want to send your child to, it can be a good idea to look at several different places. You want to find a school that will match the type of learning environment that you currently have at home with your student so that they do not have a hard time with major learning changes. Ask to sign up for a school walkthrough and a classroom observation one day for each school. Select the learning environment that you think matches what you have been teaching at home.
Start your child in extracurriculars the semester before school
If you have one semester or one summer before your homeschooler will begin classes at their new school, sign them up for extracurriculars in the area of their school the semester prior. This can be any type of class that they show interest in, including sports, music, community service social groups, pageants, or more. You want your student to start being around those who will be going to their school as soon as possible so that they do not feel a sense of isolation when they start school.
Write down some ways that your student enjoys learning
One issue that you and your child may have when transitioning to a regular school is that they may not have a learning approach that is tailored to their specific desires any longer. To combat this, come up with a list of ways that your student feels that they enjoy learning or methods that they have found help them retain information. Request a meeting with or email your student's future teacher to get an idea of the curriculum and how they teach. Present some of your concerns about your student's learning methods being used to determine how their future teacher will handle this particular method. Many teachers are happy to know a little more about the challenges and strengths of specific students, as they can be sure to have tools on hand to help them.
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