Homeschooling in Tough Times: Learning Through Crisis Without Giving Up
Sometimes life happens. Or, as the young people are saying these days, “life can be lifey.” It is full of chaotic and unpredictable events that can throw a wrench into your carefully crafted homeschooling plans. For example, you might be dealing with:
- A big cross-country move that upends your physical learning space and dominates your attention for weeks on end.
- A family tragedy, such as the death of a family member, that makes it difficult to focus on education.
- A medical crisis (whether parent or child) that consumes energy, time, and resources.
- The loss of a job that places extreme financial stress on the family.
- An environmental disaster, such as a hurricane, flood, or wildfire, that forces a temporary relocation.
- The birth of a new baby with all the details and life changes that entails.
These sorts of chaotic circumstances can be extremely disheartening because they prompt you to question your commitment to homeschooling. You may start thinking, “This is unfair to my children. They deserve a reliable educational experience that I simply can’t deliver because of these circumstances.” Your situation sometimes draws unsympathetic comments from relatives urging you to throw in the towel on homeschooling. Faced with these pressures, you may even consider putting your children into a brick-and-mortar school just so they’re getting something consistent.
But don’t give up just yet!
Why Homeschooling Is Just What You Need
While “life can be lifey,” just because your routine has gone off the rails doesn’t mean your homeschooling is in tatters. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that you might be better off right where you are.
Homeschooling is uniquely suited to meet families in their most chaotic moments. When crisis hits—whether it’s a death in the family, a medical emergency, or a major move—traditional school settings can actually be harder on children. In a classroom, your child might struggle to keep pace academically while also coping emotionally. There’s little flexibility to pause, catch up later, or simply process life’s upheaval.
But homeschooling gives you all of that, and more. It provides the space to slow down, adapt, and support one another as a family. It gives your children the comfort of learning at home, close to the people and rhythms that feel safe.
So take heart. You don’t need to choose between learning and living. Homeschooling allows for both, even when life feels upside down.
Let’s look at some practical strategies to help you homeschool effectively through the mess.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
When life gets chaotic, you need to take a lesson from the story of the tortoise and the hare. Remember, slow and steady wins the race! When life throws your ideal homeschooling regimen out the window, it’s essential to keep moving forward. How quickly you go isn’t important; maintaining movement is far more essential.
For example, suppose you were used to doing a 45-minute Spanish lesson with your daughters each morning before lunch, but the birth of a new child has made this impossible. Instead of giving up Spanish altogether, have the girls do a flashcard review for 15 minutes to keep their vocabulary skills fresh. Or if you’ve been accustomed to reading 20 pages of history each week with your son, maintain the reading but cut it down just a few pages when you have a spare moment. Progress will be slowed, to be sure, but this way you can at least “tread water,” allowing you to maintain momentum and pick back up with ease when life calms down.
Homeschool in the Off Season
Chaotic life events may compel you to abandon the traditional two-semester model of education. For example, your circumstances might require you to homeschool during the summer or follow a lighter schedule year-round, rather than cramming more into only two semesters. While summer vacation is a staple of modern education, there’s no reason you must give up schooling in the off-season. Indeed, in some circumstances, it may be preferable.
Related articles:
- Maximizing Flexibility: The Benefits of Year-Round Homeschooling vs. Two Semester Model
- Tips if You Fall Behind: Homeschooling Schedules“
Relaxed Schooling or Unschooling
Unschooling is a type of homeschooling that eschews traditional, structured classes in favor of creating a learning atmosphere through everyday life. The basic principle is that unschooling is an education that occurs outside of a formal structure. Typically, there are no fixed classes, study periods, routine homework, or curriculum. There is a greater emphasis on connecting education with natural life experiences: travel, books, household chores, play, work, reading, and a child’s own natural curiosity. Unschooling works from the principle that life itself is educational, stressing the connection between life experience and education. The inherent flexibility of unschooling makes it ideal for situations where life is not cooperating.
To learn more about unschooling, check out:
- Introduction to Unschooling” by Phillip Campbell
- Patrice Jennings’ interview on unschooling on the Homeschooling Saints podcast.
- Catholic unschooling and relaxed homeschooling archives (click Older Posts to keep reading).
Take Time to Heal with Reading
Sometimes these chaotic life experiences can be physically or mentally traumatic, requiring time to heal. If grief is involved, there is a natural timeframe for healing that must be respected. During these challenging times, it is best not to rush back into formal academics. Instead, set the textbooks and lesson plans aside and focus on something softer, like reading. Read-alouds, audiobooks, and reading for pleasure are all excellent ways to maintain an educational mindset while giving your family a break from rigorous academics. Read-alouds in particular can also be occasions of family bonding and emotional closeness that can be so healing in difficult times.
Reach Out
Even if your homeschooling slows to a trickle, your family does not have to be idle. Use these times to connect with friends, family, and the Catholic homeschooling community. Volunteer your children at your parish or for a local charitable cause. Reconnect with old friends. Have the children spend more time with extended family to give yourself a break.
And don’t be afraid to ask for help. This is the time to lean on your support system. Your local homeschool group may be able to organize a meal train, offer rides to co-ops or homeschool events, or even lend a hand with housekeeping. Many parents are happy to step in, especially to cover subjects, activities, or to check in with your children. Most importantly, they’ll offer their prayers, which is no small thing during hard seasons. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s an act of humility that builds community and opens the door for grace.
When trouble strikes, there is a tendency for us to withdraw and turn inward, either because we don’t want to burden others with our difficulties or, quite simply, because we are in fight-or-flight mode and lack the energy for socializing. However, if we have the resolve to turn outward instead of inward, reaching out can be a wonderful way to keep our family engaged during challenging times.
Even the Smallest Steps Count!
Life’s chaos doesn’t have to spell the end of your homeschooling journey. It’s not about perfection or sticking rigidly to a plan. It’s about resilience, creativity, and trusting that even the smallest steps forward count. If you can embrace the messiness and lean into the flexibility that homeschooling offers, you can weather the moments when life gets lifey.
Keep going forward, even if it’s just a little spark of learning each day. Your children are learning more from your perseverance than any school or curriculum could ever teach.
What are your thoughts on this topic? Join me and other homeschooling parents in the Homeschool Connections Facebook Group or in the HSC Community to continue the conversation.
