Hey friend,

Let me guess: it’s 2 a.m., your phone is glowing like a judgmental lighthouse, and you’ve just searched

“best homeschool curriculum for 2nd, 5th, and 8th grade (that won’t make me cry or sell a kidney).”

There are now 73 open tabs. Half contradict each other. One is in Latin.

Meanwhile, your kids are asking if today’s lesson is on Minecraft or Ancient Rome, and you’re wondering if “asking Siri” qualifies as independent research.

Sound familiar?

Welcome. You’re one of us now. Grab your coffee and pull up a chair.

Homeschooling is sacred and messy, beautiful and chaotic—often all before 9 a.m. You’re teaching

multiple grades, adapting to wildly different learning styles, and fielding questions from well-meaning

relatives who still don’t quite understand what you do all day. (Spoiler alert: everything.)

You’re Not Doing It Wrong—You’re Just Teaching 3 Grades at Once

Maybe you’ve got a first grader sounding out CVC words, 

a 5th grader knee-deep in fractions, and an 8th grader trying to convince you that mitochondria aren’t relevant to real life. All while your toddler is chewing on a glue stick and your dog just ran off with a dry erase marker.

Trying to run three separate school days is how burnout wins. That’s why I swear by multi-grade unit studies. One topic. One prep. A million directions. Littles color and listen to a story. Middles write a paragraph. Bigs do research or build a presentation. It’s like a family dinner —educational, chaotic, 

Hopefully, fewer complaints than spaghetti night.

The Peanut Gallery Is Loud—but You Don’t Have to Listen

You know who I’m talking about. “But how will they get into college?” “What about socialization?” “I just don’t want them to be… weird.”

Bless their sweet, confused hearts.

They don’t see the science experiments erupting in your kitchen, the couch cuddles during read-alouds, or the lunchtime debates that would make a philosophy major sweat.

You don’t owe anyone an explanation. But if you want one, here are a few to keep in your back pocket:

 • “They’re learning at their pace—and it’s going great.”

 • “We’re focused on building strong learners and good humans.”

 • Or my personal favorite: “It’s working for us—and that’s enough.”

About That Socialization Thing

Ah, yes —the Official Question of homeschool life. Look, homeschoolers do socialize. They often interact more meaningfully—and with a wider age range— than kids in traditional classrooms. Siblings. Neighborhood kids. Church groups. Scouts. Park days. Grandparents. Online clubs. Minecraft meetups. Field trips. Group projects. We’re not raising cave dwellers. We’re raising well-rounded, well-connected, emotionally intelligent humans.

And guess what? They don’t even need shoes to make friends in virtual clubs.

(Although I do recommend brushing their hair occasionally. Just in case the Zoom camera comes on.)

You Don’t Have to Be Everything

Let’s just say it out loud: You are not a failure if you don’t make every lesson from scratch.

You are not lazy if you use printable resources.

You are not falling behind if your day includes tears, snacks, and skipping science because the toddler

dumped the glitter.

You were never meant to do this alone.

Lean on what works. Flexible curriculum. Unit studies.

Open-and-go resources. Printable libraries. Online

tools. Friends who won’t judge your “morning basket”

when it’s actually a cereal box and an audiobook.

If your house is a blend of glitter glue, algebra, and mild panic—you’re not broken. You’re just homeschooling.

And if you’re wondering whether you’re doing this

right?

You are.

Homeschooling doesn’t have to be perfect to be powerful. It just has to work for your family.

Now go reheat your coffee (again). You’ve got this.

With messy grace and caffeine,

Heather Leach

Founder, Schoolhouse Online