Experiencing homeschooling in Canada: The Intro

Leaving home

Experiencing homeschooling in Canada- how would that be? The die was cast, and there was no turning back now. We had begun preparing for the move in 2018, and now finally in 2022 the wheels were turning.

Putting your life in a suitcase is a very big job. Besides the documents we already had in our house, there were others that we had to source elsewhere. We were always on the move somehow because there was a lot to do. I stopped being consistent with schooling Mufaro because I had a lot of packing to do. I sought for help from those around. My niece would assist here and there when she could: her plate was full already with her college assignments and tests! So most of the time became play time for Mufaro. I was now falling behind already, yet we had just begun😒.

Fortunately (again) my sister-in-law who was in Canada already knew a couple, also originally from Zimbabwe, who were homeschooling. She connected us and we had a lengthy chat on the subject. Because of my experience at home, some of the things were different and didn’t make much sense then. Indeed, some things would only take on meaning once I landed. Anyhow, I was both excited and apprehensive of experiencing homeschooling in Canada. Would I manage? How about family finances? Did that mean I would shelve my career forever and stay home with the kids? I had never been with my kids alone for more than two weeks; we had a very dependable domestic helper or family to lean on most of the time.

Transition period

We left home in June, 2022. It was winter in Zimbabwe and by then we had added another boy to our family 10 months prior. He had a slight cold so you can imagine how the long flight was. Being in a new environment also made him clingy; add jetlag to the mix and I didn’t feel like myself at all. It took me all of 2 months to start feeling like a human being again! It was summer vacation when we arrived so we just took things slow, yet at the back of my mind I wanted to catch up on work left undone.

I went to the Correspondence school before we left Zimbabwe to get material and a transfer letter, just in case. However, it turned out she didn’t need the letter because I was registering her in first grade anyway. It was like she was just starting school. My compatriots held my hand and guided me in the application process to the school in which their child was also in. I could choose from three options: full online classes; shared responsibility- where some subjects are taught online and some by the parent; or the parent-led option where the child is taught in the home. I took the home education option: I would be in control of my child’s learning. In the interim, I would try to finish with material from home. I laugh! It wasn’t easy to even get the ball rolling!

Settling in

Homeschooling in Canada was different for me because I needed to settle to a new rhythm. We certainly needed a routine, or semblance of one. I had hoped to finish off the material I had brought before embarking on a new curriculum, and there were so many of them to choose from! The choice was made for me quite by accident; partly because of what I was familiar with already. That was when I found out there were two curricula which shared the name Sonlight. I had been using one for Bible lessons, and then bumped into the other, mistaking it for the one I knew. The former is free (Sonlight Education Ministry), but the latter you buy. I only took Math and Language Arts from one, the other has Bible and Science (nature). No need to burn us out by eating a whole elephant at once!

Reaching out to other homeschoolers has made our journey easier. You know you can always reach out to someone in the same situation for support and tips. Sonlight has an app which has a community and mentors to help out. That was another life-saver. I could read others’ situations and totally relate. If I got stuck with something I could also freely ask. And everyone was ready and willing to help. Adjusting to a new life has its challenges and pleasures too. Schooling an active 6 year-old while managing 2 more plus the home is no easy feat!