I thought homeschoolers weren't well educated. Now I'm homeschooling both my children.

• You are not just a teacher when you homeschool. I've been learning so much while teaching my kids.
• Even though I never intended to homeschool, I don't see myself sending my kids to public school.
• I'm able to tailor my classes to what my daughters need at the moment.

If you had asked me before having kids if I thought I would ever homeschool, my answer would have been a resounding "No, thanks."

I had several misconceptions about homeschoolers. I thought that they weren't as well educated, had a strong religious affiliation, or didn't aspire to higher education. I also hadn't spent much time around many of them growing up.

Then I met a new friend who was homeschooling her two boys: one about to enter high school, and the other in middle school. I found myself in awe of how bright her children were and at the opportunities they had because she customized courses and experiences all over the city.

I marveled at how her boys were able to dig deep into their interests. My friend's children were some of the only preteens I had ever met who were able to hold comfortable conversations with other children and adults with ease.

I started to get curious about homeschooling

When I became pregnant with my first child, I started to think about how I would school my own kids and leaned into my own educational values. I decided my primary goal was to raise a child with a love of learning - one who was curious and followed up on that curiosity, and who learned to seek answers and truth rather than just checking boxes because they were the "correct" answer.

My definition of a love of learning included confidence and courage, but I also knew it would require resources that often weren't available in a traditional school system. It wasn't because I didn't believe there were good teachers out there, but simply because it's not possible for a teacher in a room of 20 to 30 children to give my child the attention and tailored experience that I could.

Homeschooling would mean changing some things about my life, like working less and having less time to myself, but I was fortunate enough that I could do that. It would mean sacrifices in time and energy, but I believed that everything I gave up would be worth it.

I started homeschooling a full year before COVID-19 hit, so in many ways I found myself more prepared than a lot of my friends and colleagues. Instead of homeschooling being this seismic shift in our lives, we were just continuing the plan.

I've never looked back

We're in our second year of homeschooling, and it's hard for me to imagine our lives any other way. Every time my daughter begs to do another lesson or experiment, every time I get to witness a moment when her eyes light up or a new skill clicks, every ounce of effort I've poured into her education feels worth it.

Now a mother of two, I love seeing my children's excitement when it's time for school, watching them tackle new challenges with confidence and excitement. I love that I'm able to foster their interests with classes, clubs, and field-trip experiences like a virtual robotics and coding class for my oldest. I love that their education is specifically tailored to them, and they can feel that. I love how they love learning.

The truth is I love it too. The thing people don't tell you about homeschooling is that you're not just a teacher - when you embrace it, you usually find that you're a facilitator in your child's learning, and you end up learning just as much.

I don't see our homeschooling journey ending anytime soon, and I can only hope that this love of learning we've fostered will turn into something lifelong.