Deschooling 101

One thing that most people forget when they start homeschooling is the very first step: Deschooling.

Deschooling is the process of letting go of the “school mentality”. When families leave the public or private school system, there are a lot of things they need to leave behind in order to be successful at homeschooling.

What is Deschooling?

Deschooling is a process where both parents and children unlearn the school system and learn what their new homeschooling norm will be.

Who Should Deschool?

Anyone who is leaving the school system, public or private, should take some time to deschool.

Why Should You Deschool?

There are so many really important reasons why you should deschool.

• It allows families to unlearn school-based expectations, behaviours and schedules
• It gives time for kids to get the novelty of “no school” out of their system
• Parents get time to adjust to having the kids home all the time. With the kids home all the time, there will be more mess, more snacks and more friction.
• Deschooling allows time for parents and children to “reconnect” and grow their relationship.
• It’s the perfect time for kids to find their true passions, explore their interests and hobbies
• For some, it’s also a time of healing from the stress of school or from negative situations that occurred at school.

When and How Long Should You Deschool?

As soon as you leave the school system, you should start deschooling. It’s the first step in starting your homeschooling journey.

As for how long, that really depends. The rough rule of thumb is 1 week to 1 month for every year your child was in school. For example a grade 5 student would need anywhere from 5 weeks to 5 months of deschooling. The amount of time will really depend on the child and how stressful their time in school was. If they are leaving on positive terms, then they would probably need a shorter time. But if they are leaving on more negative terms (for example, struggles with learning, administration or bullying), then they will need more time to heal and destress.

Where Do You Deschool?

You can deschool anywhere and everywhere. Just like homeschooling!

How Do You Deschool?

It’s a little counter-intuitive, but it’s a time of no educational activities. No worksheets, workbooks, or curriculum. It’s basically a lot of free time, allowing families and children to find their natural schedule, family rhythm, and what the kids are actually interested in.

Most families focus on life skills, chores, establishing what they want their family to be. Some might even take some time to focus on establishing healthy behaviours and becoming more healthy in general (more sleep, working on mental health, and dealing with a health issue).

For parents, take some time to just focus on your family. Don’t even look at curriculum for the first few weeks. After that, start to do a little more research and maybe some reading. “The Brave Learner” by Julie Bogart and John Taylor Gatto’s “Dumbing Us Down” are two of the top books I would recommend for new homeschoolers, along with our own book, “How to Start Homeschooling: When You Have No Idea Where to Start”! When you feel you are getting to the end of your deschooling phase, then it is time to start looking at curriculum.

Deschooling is a time of transition, relationship building and finding your new normal, what ever it is.