Homeschool 2020

When the pandemic hit and schools turned to distance learning, I had a choice to make about my son's education. The obvious path seemed to be to plunk him down in front of a laptop, for several zooms every day. Instead, I made the choice to homeschool. This was too delicate and precious a time in his development, and I also feared consequences far beyond a bad academic year. We had no idea how long the pandemic would last. With everything closing down left and right, and with very little information available, I imagined what the upshot of home confinement and school via screen could be. I suddenly saw an apocalyptic vision of my son as a bleary-eyed, isolated, jittery, depressed and fearful child. My mission became clear: Take ownership of the situation. Maintain a sense of normalcy amidst the crisis and dread. Create the kind of experience for my son that would enrich him, and make him excited to greet each new day. This book is a sort of memoir of my homeschooling experience, told through 21 detailed chapters. My hope is that this book can serve as an inspiration and a manual to other parents. But not only for as long as we are in this schooling crisis. I hope that the lessons here can trigger some out-of-the-box thinking about elementary education. The fear and uncertainty of the pandemic forced a lot of people to lean out, to step back, to withdraw, to self-isolate. I like to joke that I not only leaned in to homeschooling, but I leaned in so far that I am basically horizontal. After a year of homeschool, of triumphs and mistakes, I may have been the one to get the most valuable education. I've discovered a true passion for teaching and inspiring kids. With that passion, I've founded Push Academy, an organization dedicated to sharing the tools and lessons from our humble homeschool with the wider world.Many of the lessons contained in this book are completely original. Many draw from other disciplines like improv and CrossFit. My approach is to focus on the essential and engaging, and to cut out dreaded worksheets and busywork.Chapter List:Basic Math; Applying Math To Real World Challenges; The Alphabet. Vowels, Consonants and Syllables; Punctuation; Possibility and Probability; Vocabulary; Double; Idiom; Improv Games; Auction; Getting Kids To Love Writing; Basic Geometry; Chess; The Castle Lesson: Ratios and Alphabetical Order; Debate: Dragon vs. Unicorn; Elocution and Tongue Twisters; Memory Games; Painting With Light; Nation and Leadership; The Field & Playground: Games, Activities, Ideas; Performance; Appendix A: Vocabulary List; Appendix B: Chess Performance