Summer - The Homeschooling "In-Between" Season

We convince ourselves that because we're thinking about education, we're making progress.

But thinking isn't always the same thing as noticing.

And planning isn't always the same thing as understanding.

Before You Change Anything...

Before you decide what next year should look like, take a moment to look at what is already happening.

• What excited your child this year?
• What captured their attention?
• What conversations kept resurfacing?
• What skills developed naturally?
• What challenges helped them grow?
• What surprised you?

Sometimes we're so busy looking for what didn't happen that we completely miss what did.

One of the most powerful shifts parents make is learning to notice learning before trying to improve learning.

And where do we notice it?

In the child.

Not in the curriculum.

Not in a checklist or a plan for next year.

The child is still the curriculum.

• What are they interested in right now?
• What are they talking about?
• What are they creating?
• What problems are they trying to solve?
• What skills are they developing simply because they care about the outcome?

The summertime pace allows us to slow down a little. Without having to hurry off, we can take a minute to see what these observations can tell us. It will be far more individualized and tuned into your child than any curriculum website ever could.

One thing I've noticed after a month of coaching calls is that I rarely spend thirty minutes telling parents what to do next.

Most of our conversation is spent helping them see their own situation more clearly.

We look at the child in front of them.

We separate fear from facts.

We notice what's already working.

We remember what they've already learned about their family.

I've started thinking about these as orienting questions. They're not questions designed to tell us what to do. They're questions that help us figure out where we are. And when we know where we are—when we've really noticed our child and our family—the next step usually becomes much easier to see.

You Don't Have to Solve September in July

I think this may be the reminder many of us need.

You do not have to solve September in July.

You do not have to figure out the next twelve months this week.

You do not need a complete plan before your child can continue learning.

Learning is already happening and life is still unfolding.

Curiosity doesn't stop because you haven't finalized next year's plans.

Summer invites us to slow down enough to see what's actually there before rushing into the next thing.

The Gift of the In-Between

Liminal spaces can feel uncomfortable because they lack certainty.

But they're also where reflection happens.

Noticing patterns and maybe reconsidering old assumptions can lead us to where new possibilities emerge.

If you feel tempted to rush through the discomfort to make a decision or you have that urge to make a decision and buy something. You can see your own pattern.
It's as if creating a plan will fill the space and stop the worrying.

But we've done that before. How many decisions have we rushed through - and regretted later?

Sometimes the most valuable thing we can do is simply remain in this uncertain space for a little while.

But if we shift our focus to OBSERVING more, to listening and noticing, we'll gather more data. And that data is what's going to make it easier for us to trust.

So...

If you're feeling uncertain right now, that's okay. It's a good thing really.

Summer, as this in-between season, gives us permission to NOT make a decision yet.

Let's keep gathering information without jumping to make a fast answer - without all the data!
When you can notice your child more, the rhythm of your family, you might see things working you overlooked before.

Allow yourself to sit in this liminal space a little longer.

You may discover that clarity arrives not when you force it—but when you finally give yourself permission to pause.

And if you need a little hand-holding while you do this...

I can do that with you. I can help you refocus on your kids and what matters most to you. We can talk 1:1 or maybe it would be helpful to talk with a whole collection of parents on this unschooling path. We know what mainstream status quo looks like. Maybe it's time to pull back the curtain and see our options to that.

You can hop into our community any time, or get on my calendar for a quick private call. Whatever you need.

Take care! Happy Unschooling.

~Sue

Get the

Unschooling App

Get Community Support