Round the Table Homeschool Talk

The percentages of homeschooling have grown in the past few years. In fact, John Hopkins School of Education states that homeschooling has increased around 5% every year and 36% of the United States reported that they have the highest homeschooling numbers ever. Homeschool Growth: 2024-2025 - JHU Institute for Education Policy

One of the keys to homeschooling is recognizing that there are many different ways to homeschool and how homeschool is not a one size fits all, which is exactly why many choose to homeschool in the first place. Homeschooling style is about what fits your family best to create a thriving environment and education for your children.

The best homeschool encouragement and support comes from others who are homeschooling. So, whether you are thinking about homeschooling or are already homeschooling and want to hear from other homeschool moms, this post is here to answer all your homeschool questions.

We apologize in advance if you receive this article multiple times, but that just means you already subscribe to all three of us which is wonderful. If you are a homeschool parent that we don’t already follow along with, please comment below!

Please welcome 3 wonderful homeschool moms at different stages of their homeschool:

Tara, Jessica, and Brooke

Tara at Home Sweet Homeschool

Hi! I am a reformed thinker that went from thinking homeschooling was “weird” to basically being obsessed with it and highly recommending homeschooling to anyone who is considering it.

I am a homeschool mama to my four children, two boys, and two girls, aged 3, 4, 6, and 7. We are about to start our fourth year of homeschooling with a preschooler, kindergartner, 1st grader, and 3rd grader.

We believe in stay-at-home days, slow mornings, doing read-alouds snuggled up on the couch, and lots of field trips. Homeschool should be flexible and you should design your homeschool to work for you and your individual family.

I live near Charleston, SC, but I grew up on Long Island outside of NYC. I love doing activities with my family, serving and spending time with my church community, date nights with my husband, mom nights, pedicures, pizza, and Spanish moss. These are a few of my favorite things. Excited to talk about all things homeschool!

Jessica Fickel at Gratefully Wild Home

I am a mama of 7 beautiful children, 4 boys, 3 girls, and I homeschool 6 of them. I am a second generation homeschooler, and I have homeschooled my kids since the beginning of their education, so 10 years now! This coming school year, I will be homeschooling grades K-9th grade. I am still shocked that I now officially have a high schooler!

I actually have tutored homeschool students and helped other homeschool moms for many years, collectively, that puts my homeschool experience at about 20 years. We do follow a classical style curriculum in our homeschool along with recently beginning to attend a homeschool hybrid. I am required to be there with my children and help teach, so it has been a perfect blend of support while still having our fond school days at home. My now 12 year old daughter, entering 7th grade, has dyslexia and dyscalculia. That has been a challenge, but I have learned so much along the way. I am so grateful that I can work with her at her own pace.

We live in Maryland on a wooded property, between not only the wildness of the location of our home, but also the fact that I have very 7 active children is why my Substack is called Gratefully Wild Home.

Beyond homeschooling, our family loves traveling, camping and hanging out with friends. My favorite memories are spending time with my husband and kids no matter if it is in the home or on a travel adventure. I also love reading and if you ask me if I want a dessert, it will always be ice cream. My other happy place is the beach. I not only love talking homeschool, but also motherhood and all the beautiful aspects as well as the challenges of life.

Brooke Z at The Pondering Scottie

Hi, I have been happily married to my high school sweetheart for 36 years, we have two wonderful grown sons that we homeschooled for 15 years (preschool - 9th grade) and we now have 3 adorable grandchildren that I get to play with a couple days a week! We scarcely knew of anyone homeschooling back in the 1990’s (writing that makes me feel like a dinosaur!) except a distant relative we never saw and a couple families in our community.

Now that my children are grown, I have the desire to help encourage other moms and parents who are investigating this lifestyle of learning or already homeschooling their children. Your children’s education is to be taken seriously so it is a very important decision to make. I am still passionate about homeschooling because after all these years, I see how it works, I see the benefits, I see the lifestyle of learning, I see the fruit of our labor! I couldn’t have done it without the Lord giving me a peace about homeschooling our boys and my husband’s support of letting me fulfil my dream of being a stay-at-home mommy and a teacher. It was a tremendous blessing!

I’m a Midwest gal that loves to read, write, paint, be out in my gardens, find a bargain at a thrift store and spend lots of time with our grandchildren. My husband and I love to travel and have a goal to vacation in all 50 states, we only have 11 more to go! I started a Grammy Group in 2022 and am excited to talk about family and homeschooling today!

Now, let’s get started:

Tara: I had zero intention of homeschooling. My husband always wanted me to, but I thought I would be a stay-at-home-mom until all of my kids were in school & then I would go back to teaching. We decided we didn’t want to send our kids to public school. We are a Christian family and we didn’t want them to be learning things that weren’t aligned with our faith. We looked into Christian private schools and they were quite expensive, so I went to the homeschool convention in 2023 which got me REALLY excited and we never looked back. We began to homeschool in fall of 2023.

Jessica: Since I was homeschooled, I always intended to homeschool my children. I did look at some Montessori schools when my older kids were little, because I just wanted to see other options, and we also talked about Catholic private schools. However, seeing the cost and knowing I could homeschool, the choice was very clear. My husband did not need much convincing because he saw how wonderful and well formed my siblings and I were. We also both felt strongly that homeschooling was the best fit for our family because it gave us full control over our children’s education, a freedom of schedule and the opportunity to create a unique family rhythm centered on our faith.

Brooke: In our area, the public schools were not very good and the private schools were too expensive on a SAHM budget. So, after much thought, prayer, research and meeting another sweet homeschool mom randomly one day, I knew homeschooling was the right fit for our family! It would allow for slow mornings where I wasn’t always trying to “hurry” my boys along. Homeschooling would allow us time. Time to talk, think, learn and to just “be” a family. It was a wonderful lifestyle of relaxed learning and a time that I look back on and cherish in my heart.

Tara: I was not homeschooled, but my husband and his siblings were. I found out a few months ago that my in-laws prayed for me to homeschool from the moment my oldest was born and God certainly answered that prayer!

Jessica: Yes! I am a second generation homeschooler. My mom pulled me out of school halfway through 6th grade and the rest is history. She actually gave me a choice to go to a private school for high school, but when I shadowed, I could not believe the demands of the schedule and realized how little I would be home. I requested to be homeschooled for high school, and I loved it! Really, my mom went against the grain and pioneered homeschooling groups in our area. When we were out and about as kids, we would always get the “Shouldn’t you be in school?” question. I am so grateful that now it is SO normal to see homeschool kids around.

Brooke: No, my education was in the public schools from pre-K through post-graduate college.

Tara: When I was uninformed and ignorant about homeschooling, I was absolutely concerned about socialization. But I would argue that my homeschooled children get more socialization than their peers because they socialize with people of all ages. Between church, co-op, enrichment classes, art classes, gymnastics, baseball (sports in general), play dates, park dates, family/friend time, field trips, and everyday life, they are given oodles of opportunities to socialize. A lot of people in my neighborhood homeschool so that has made it really easy to provide social opportunities as well.

Jessica: Since I was homeschooled during a time when homeschooling was frowned upon and I still had a very social life - friends, sports, plays, and I even had a prom - I was never concerned about socialization nor did I feel I missed anything. Now that I am homeschooling my own children, I can see how homeschool life actually gives kids more freedom for socialization because it puts them in natural situations with not only their peers, but adults and kids of all ages. There is no sectioning off according to age. Instead, the older kids help with the babies and all the kids learn to talk to adults. In fact, today, a friend picked me up so we could go to a talk together. Her kids were not with her, and my 9 year old son ran out and said, “Wait, I want to say hi to Mrs. W!” Yesterday, when we were at the lake, not only my kids, but my kids’ friends played with my 2 year old. Currently my rising freshman son keeps me very on my toes with all of his social engagements! I am so thankful for the friends he has, and that I also know his friends’ parents. He is about to enter high school and he is even able to be on a high school Christian football team. There are endless socialization opportunities for homeschoolers, especially with sports and co-ops.

Brooke: Oh the socialization question! No, I was never concerned with socialization, though everyone else seemed to be! I simply told those that were concerned, “My boys socialize with who I want them to socialize with: our own family, grandparents, our friend’s kids, kids at church, sport teams, etc.” My sons were always recognized outside of the home for being so well behaved and polite. They were well liked and made lots of friends on their own growing up. If anything, I think being homeschooled enhances a child’s socialization because they are in a family with all different ages and can practice effective conversational turn-taking, eye contact, ask follow-up questions, and introduce interesting topics to discuss with family and friends!

Tara: Not applicable to me, so I’ll let you ladies answer this one. :)

Jessica: I am not near the end of homeschooling, still have at least 18 more years to go - trying not to sweat over here - but I am 10 years in, so I can speak to this slightly. One thing that I am glad about is even though the internet is an excellent homeschool source, hence one of the reasons we are doing this post, in the beginning I focused on taking advice from my mom and her friends. I was blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful veteran homeschoolers when I began my homeschool journey. It gave me a lot of confidence.

One thing I regret doing is not seeking outside help a little sooner. When my mom passed, I was juggling too many balls and things definitely got dropped. As a homeschooling parent, we can do so much, but recognizing it is okay to not do it all and to not be shy to take advantage of all the wonderful resources out there. Accepting help is not giving up.

Brooke: Looking back after all these years, I am grateful that I had the opportunity to homeschool, that I was confident in my decision and abilities to educate my sons at home through 9th grade during a time when it was rather “against the flow” to do so. We kept our schedule simple and did field trips and learning extensions privately (vs. co-ops), a weekly afternoon art class and a Christian scouting group. We schooled in the mornings mainly and into the early afternoons if we needed to in the later grades. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t change much. The boys went on to a private high school then state colleges, graduated with honors, met their wives and well, the rest is history as they are now coming back home to visit with grandbabies!

Tara: Always be their mom first, their teacher second. Sometimes putting the school away for the day is best for everyone. The relationships come first.

Jessica: Be more flexible; all the boxes do not need to be checked. I definitely had a lot more images of what my homeschooling would look like, and none of them came true as each of my children are unique and learn differently. Being in tune with what they need and knowing what worked for one kid may not work for the next. A completely checked off list does not mean the day was complete; a complete homeschool day is where everyone learned and thrived.

Brooke: You don’t have to teach everything in all subjects at all times. I would have probably slowed our pace a bit and let the boys go down more “rabbit trails” of learning on their own. I think I would have encouraged them to try more entrepreneurial endeavors, too!

Tara: I don’t think it matters if they are boys or girls, I just think it depends on the kid. But for me, my boys have been a little easier. My strong-willed daughter gives me more pushback when I tell her it is time to get something done. Sometimes I let her wait until later, but sometimes I need her to do it when I ask depending on what we have going on that day. I just gently remind her that she shouldn’t be giving me a hard time because there is a school up the block she can go to for 7 hours a day if she wants… haha I kid, I would absolutely not send her there.

Jessica: No, I do not think it is harder to homeschool boys or girls. It depends on personality type and whether or not there are any learning disabilities. There are going to be phases where one child may seem more difficult, but it will pass and then the next kid will have his or her challenge. The beauty of homeschooling allows us to meet where each individual kid is at.

Brooke: I homeschooled our two sons, so I don’t have anything to compare it to on this matter. Kids are all different, one son would have rather played sports than do school and the other son would have rather done school than play sports. It’s a balance, you do the best you can!

Tara: This is something I sort of dealt with. My husband always wanted me to homeschool and I wasn’t interested. Eventually, we discussed why it would be beneficial and once I understood it more, I was on board. I would suggest reading books about homeschooling and attending the Great Homeschool Convention if you can swing it. Sometimes when people aren’t interested, it is because they are just uninformed about it or intimidated by it since it is new to them. I love the book Call of the Wild + Free by Ainsley Arment. It busted a lot of homeschool myths for me and I learned a lot from it. Also, pray about it. Always pray. Pray for God to give you wisdom on what to do regarding your children’s education.

Jessica: I did not experience this as my husband was completely on board. However, if a friend asked my advice on this, I would recommend first taking it to prayer. Then, sitting down with the spouse and going over both sides. Invite the spouse to do the research together and also have a homeschool family or parent over to do dinner. Moms in our church who did not want to homeschool, if they came around, it was because of meeting and talking with those of us who have been homeschooling.

Brooke: Thankfully, my husband was 100% on board and supportive of homeschooling. He trusted me completely in this area. If he wouldn’t have been then I would definitely take the matter to God in prayer and discuss with my husband more about the benefits. Only God can change our minds, hearts and desires. I believe God would want a husband and a wife united in the decision to homeschool their children.

Tara: I’m not there yet. This one is for you, Jess and Brooke!

Jessica: I first recommend checking with the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (hslda.org) to check with the requirements for your state. They also have so many resources for record keeping. Some states do not require much or others have more check-ins and portfolios are needed. I am actually enrolled in a Catholic Homeschool Curriculum called Mother of Divine Grace and they keep all my records and transcripts for my kids. I am additionally registered with an umbrella with my state that helps file everything with the county. This gives me peace of mind that if anyone comes knocking on my door, I have two organizations that have kept my paperwork.

In regards to transcripts, there are many sample transcripts online and it is doable to to create your own. Many moms in my area have done this for high school, and their kids are being accepted to colleges.

Brooke: I kept extensive records of our work every year. Although our state was pretty lenient in their homeschool laws, I didn’t want any doubt should someone come knocking on my door. (That never happened thankfully!) I dated everything, kept detailed lesson plan books, kept lists and pictures of the academic books we used, kept receipts of books we checked out in the library, kept track of our hours schooled, lists of field trips, descriptions of other education things we did outside of the home (ex. A baby shark dissection at an area community college.) I kept track of their grades, with percentages, wrote grade cards and comments, I kept totes full of their individual work as part of their portfolio.

When it came time for my sons to interview at the private high school God led us to, I had their semester grades for each subject on a professional looking transcript form and some samples of their work. Since the school was now used to homeschool families attending by 2011, they took those for their high school records. They even waived standardized testing because of what I showed them. (Spoiler alert: The boys went on and did well in high school and college, homeschooling works, sweet friends!)

Tara: My favorite parts about homeschooling are the flexibility and the memories I get to make with my children. I love that we can start and end when we choose (as long as we do 180-days of course), and make our breaks when we want them to be. We can avoid crowds because of this. We went on a trip in April and one of our days we went to Legoland and didn’t wait on a single line. It was glorious. We do a lot of field trips and are constantly making memories together. Snuggling and reading on the couch or porch swing will always be one of my favorite parts though.

The most challenging for me hasn’t been the academics, but the distracting toddlers. Luckily, my youngest is now 3 and is very independent so sometimes she just plays independently and happily upstairs while we are doing school. She also happily sits in on our read-alouds as long as she gets to sit on my lap. I would choose my challenges any day over the challenges at a public school.

Jessica: My favorite thing about homeschooling is the lifestyle. My kids are home with me everyday and I am able to witness firsthand their education. I love the freedom of schedule and also how we grow together as a family. As my kids are growing, I am also loving how there are so many opportunities for the crucial conversations with teenagers.

The most challenging part has been managing how to work with all the different age ranges while also running my home. Yet, as the years of homeschooling add up, I am learning and growing! We recently joined a homeschool hybrid so I had more support and that has been a game changer for us.

Brooke: One thing? That’s like choosing a favorite child or something! Here are a few of my favorite things about homeschooling: allowing my boys to have extended childhoods, where boys could be boys, where Jesus and the Bible could be freely taught and modeled, where they could grow safely and be supported in their own interests and not be influenced by teachers or peers, where they could play outside for hours, sleep in and bring their dog to math if they wanted to. Where we could all have a relaxed lifestyle of learning overall! I could teach them what I wanted to teach them and have the freedom to tailor to their individual interests and abilities, where we could spend time together as a family, where the boys were each other’s best friends (and Best Man in each others weddings, keeping a promise they made to each other when they were kids! Cue my mama tears!) We could make our own school calendar, we could travel on off-peak times at often cheaper rates and be less busy, where we weren’t put on anyone else’s schedule but our own. There are so many great things about homeschooling!

Challenges I faced personally were in teaching math (my least favorite subject!) in the middle school years and then motivating my oldest son when he was not putting forth much effort into his schoolwork when I knew he was quite capable of doing so much more and better. (But God had a plan for both!)

Tara: This is a topic I am familiar with since all of my homeschool career has included babies and toddlers. We are now entering a new phase as my youngest just turned 3; however, the best advice I have is to spend time with the toddler first thing in the morning. Read a couple picture books or play with them. Then they are more likely to disrupt less since they have already had some time with you. Also, let them sit on your lap whenever they want. I have special pages in my planner that I don’t use, so I call them “Wynnie pages” and my youngest colors or puts stickers on them. It keeps her busy and quiet while we work. Also, buy them coloring books or pre-school books from the Dollar Tree and call them “their school.” They will happily sit at the table beside you because it makes them feel like a big shot.

Jessica: Oh, aren’t those babies and toddlers so cute!? But yes, homeschooling with babies and toddlers definitely adds some interesting gymnastics to the homeschool day. Most importantly, make them feel that they are part of school. I usually keep a stack of old workbooks and give it to them as their “school.” Also, having a bin of a busy toy such as magnaformers they only play with during school time helps. If you do have multiple children, I do rotate children helping with the little ones, which they are usually willing to jump to because it means procrastinating their own school work- ha!

Remember also to keep them fed. Toddlers love lots of snacks. There are many days where I also have homeschooled from the couch nursing the baby, or teaching a math problem while also changing a diaper. Lastly, remember toddlers and babies will interrupt - there is no avoiding it. Starting your day knowing this helps keep frustration down and makes you more flexible as you attend to the needs of all the children.

Brooke: I did not experience this and do not know HOW you sweet mamas juggle little ones while educating the older ones. My hat is off to you!

Tara: My kids are all really close in age, the two oldest are only 17 months apart. I find that after breakfast, I let them do independent work all at the table (usually math) and I spend some time with the toddler. Then I give them play breaks so I can work with each one independently. Sometimes the other 3 are upstairs playing. Sometimes I do school work on the porch with one of them. Finding time to work with each of them one-on-one is easy because the others are very happy to go and have some free time.

Jessica: First of all, focus on the priorities of the day. Work on the schedule that suits your phase of life currently. I always find completing the younger kids in the morning is the best. Kids are happier and the older kids can either start independent work or help with toddlers. Then I rotate through the older kids as needed. As they become more independent, schedule check-ins with the older kids about twice a week. Usually, this can be in the late afternoon or even in the evenings.

Block scheduling is also very helpful. There are subjects that need to be done every day such as math and language arts, but science, social studies, and fine arts can be rotated through the week. There was one point where everyone was about 4th grade and under and I kept falling short as they all still needed my help, so I would rotate who would start first for the day. That way there was a balance of making sure everyone got individualized attention through the week.

Combine subjects where you can as well. Those close age ranges: history, science, and fine arts can easily be combined.

Additionally, do not be afraid to outsource. Co-ops are great, but my recommendation is if doing a co-op, especially for the older grades, when out of the house to make sure that it is to help complete a subject.

I also recommend making sure there are no activities before 2 pm at least 3x a week (unless it is for an academic purpose). That way the day is focused on school time till then.

Those homeschool extra curricula are always so tempting, but they can take away from school time.

Lastly, give yourself grace. When homeschooling so many there are going to be very challenging days. That is when you look at the course load and say, “OK, what actually HAS to be done today?” Scratch off the rest and start fresh the next day.

Brooke: We started officially homeschooling when my boys were ages 6 and 4 and my four year-old started reading proficiently with his Kindergarten brother and was an advanced student overall. So, I basically taught them together all those years. It was so much fun!

Tara: I think it is really important to ask the children’s opinions. Find out what they want to learn about, get suggestions for field trips, and let them have a say in the read-alouds. I like to check-in with my kids and see what they are enjoying about our homeschool or if there is anything that needs to be changed.

When mom’s ideas do not go according to plan, mom just needs to accept that as part of life. Our plans never go perfectly as moms, and it is the same for homeschool. You need to learn to go with the flow, adapt, and adjust when needed. And know when it is time to close the plan book and go outside for some sunshine and fresh air.

Jessica: Even though I was homeschooled, I walked into homeschooling with all these fantastic ideas and it was a hard lesson when some of those ideas did not work well for my children. It was actually challenging for me to accept that I needed to adjust my expectations. So, my advice to a beginning homeschooler is to form the plan, but keep it simple and grow with your child(ren) to find the best way that homeschooling works for them and you.

Brooke: I think if a parent is willing to dedicate their time and energy to homeschool their children, then they are demonstrating their commitment to their child’s education. For me, I read books on various learning styles to help accommodate how my son’s learned best. Working so closely together, you also get the privilege to observe and learn your children’s strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and successes! By learning your child(ren) in this way, you will naturally gear things toward their interests and strengths. It really is a beautiful thing!

And, answering that second part of the question, well, you keep trying to find out what works for your child. Oftentimes you have to be willing to be flexible when educating your children. Keep trying because each day is a new day! With homeschooling you have the flexibility to change what isn’t working rather quickly and move on to something else that hopefully does. I know I started out with a popular phonics book everyone was raving about and my son HATED it! So, I shelved it, looked for something new in the meantime, and after a month or so, we picked up a new phonics program and it worked perfectly, both of my boys learned to read at the kitchen table!

Questions from Tara:

Jessica - I would love to know how you manage so many children while homeschooling.

I spoke to this a little above as well, but to further my point - focusing on the priorities of the day and working on a schedule that is not strict, but allows for interruptions. I remind the children that homeschooling is our way of life and we focus on a rhythm that moves us forward through our day together. The days can be very challenging and we definitely have our homeschool highs and lows, but I remind myself to be flexible and adapt our routine through the changing seasons of life. Also community and support are vital.

Brooke - I would love to know the best way to foster relationships with your children so that when they are grown up, they want to spend time with us!

Well, I think it starts when they are little actually. Lighting up when they enter a room, listening to them and their hearts, respecting their ideas, getting down on their eye level, being honest and supporting them, attending their events, being the parent and willing to be unpopular at times in tough love situations, having an open mind and trusting them as they grow up. Being available, day or night and overnight, being only a text or phone call away, having expectations for them and sharing those dreams with them, praying for them and letting them know you are praying for them, including them in plans and offering free babysitting for your grandchildren! ;)

Questions from Jessica:

Tara, what have you found you have learned the most by homeschooling your children, especially since you were against it in the beginning?

I learned that homeschooling is absolutely nothing like I perceived it to be. I had it all wrong. I believed all the stereotypes and all the myths. Through homeschooling my children I have realized that the world is our classroom and learning can truly happen anywhere. I learned that homeschooling is the most freeing thing I have ever done as a parent. Having the privilege of letting my children play far more often than just a 30-minute recess is such a gift. It isn’t weird at all – it is AWESOME. Children truly get to learn at their own pace, dive into the topics that interest them, and learn many life skills along the way. Additionally, the sibling bonds are so beautiful to witness. I guess I am kind of ranting – but overall, I learned that homeschooling is an amazing way of life, one that I am blessed to be able to take part in, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Brooke, did you find that it was an easy transition from homeschool to a private Christian school for your boys? Did you feel they were well prepared?

I did Jessica, I always tried to be mindful of a “scope and sequence” should the day come, either by choice or by force, and so I knew they were on track, if not more advanced than their school aged peers for their grade levels! They were very well prepared and made the transition seamlessly. I was so proud of them and how well they assimilated into high school and earned good grades, made quality friendships and were respected by their teachers and coaches. My youngest son was even Valedictorian! (cue more mama tears!)

Questions from Brooke:

My question for you, Jessica, would be how do you stay motivated throughout the year and through the years with homeschooling?

Jessica: The school year starts so fresh, doesn’t it? Then as those schoolbooks start to be worn and the challenges creep in along with all the overarching life occurrences, it does take a form of endurance. Yet, it is about focusing on the end goal of how this is how I want my children to be educated. One difficult day does not scrap the entire homeschool dream, it is a little bump in the road. There are so many benefits of homeschooling and focusing on the blessings it has brought my family including optimized family time, freedom and flexibility, keeps us moving forward throughout the school year and year to year.

I also have learned to take a true summer break. I need the break just as much as my kids. I need time where I am just the mom, not also a schoolteacher. This helps us all take a deep breath and reset each school year.

Another key to motivation is having community. This is the real in person community where on rough days, I call a friend and have the kids play while us moms have a cup of coffee and encourage conversation.

Lastly and ultimately, prayer. I pray on the hard days, I pray on the easy days, and I always give gratitude to God that I have these children to educate.

Tara, I’d ask you to share with our readers some of the biggest advantages you see over homeschooling after being a classroom teacher.

Oh, let me count the ways it is an advantage to homeschool!! The number one advantage is the amount of time homeschoolers get to spend with their families. My parents both had to work, and my mom always wished she could have stayed home with us so that is the first one. My mother-in-law calls it “The Gift of Time.”

Moreover, we can move as fast or as slow as we want. My children all have their daddy’s engineer brain, so they fly through math and are able to move on after mastering a skill. I truly think they would be bored out of their minds if they were doing math at the local elementary school. Also, if there is a topic we are enjoying, we can spend more time on it and not be forced to move on to the next unit just because the state assessment is coming.

In addition to that, I love how we can do school for 2-3 hours and then have the rest of the day to pursue passions, play imaginatively, do chores, and spend time as a family. As a former public-school teacher, I know there is a lot of fluff time and there is no reason they need to be there for 7 hours a day. The behavioral disruptions from other students also prohibit the students from getting the best education they can. Even though toddlers and babies can be distracting, it is a different kind of distraction. :)

Thank you for being here with us today, we hope you have felt encouraged and inspired by what we shared.

The homeschooling journey is one filled with so much joy, but it is not without its challenges! The best way to overcome those difficulties is to be in touch with real homeschool parents. Even if the homeschool approach, method or curriculum may be different, the common need that we all share is support and encouragement. We hope this post has brought beneficial insight for your own unique homeschool lifestyle.

Please share this post with a fellow homeschool friend or even one who is considering homeschooling.

Thank you to all who submitted questions!

Lastly, subscribe to Tara, Jessica & Brooke for even more fantastic, encouraging and supporting homeschool content:

https://substack.com/@theponderingscottie

https://substack.com/@gratefullywildhome

https://substack.com/@homesweethomeschool

Share

Leave a comment