A Few Thoughts after 12 Years of Homeschooling.

Homeschooling thoughts this year...(I usually do one homeschool post per year.  Here it is. 🙂 )
–also a note on ads in the PS at the bottom….

Recently someone asked me how long I’ve been homeschooling, and I calculated that this is my 12th year.  Wow!  That makes me feel tired crazy (so many things, but mostly) grateful.  In case you don’t know my story, I’ll begin by saying that I never dreamt of being a homeschool mom — even up to the year that we started.  I don’t think homeschooling is for everyone, but  once we started — and then survived the ups and downs of the first year or two — I knew that I would probably never go back.  Homeschooling has been a great fit for us.  It has truly shaped my kids and us as a family.  I love it.  (Even if sometimes I hate it. 🙂 )

Since 12 years is a really long time, I thought this might be a good time to gather some of the things that stand out to me most from our homeschooling journey and put them in a list for anyone who might be interested…(no hard feelings if you’re not. 🙂 )  I tried so hard to keep it short, but I failed. You are welcome to hop around to topics that interest you.  

1) Homeschooling is a ton of work.  But not the kind of work most people imagine. 
(Contrary to what a lot of people have assumed…) 
–I have not had to learn how to teach World History, Calculus, Microbiology, and every other subject in school.  (Thank God!)  But I have had to find ways for my kids to learn these things.
–I haven’t had to prepare my kids for the SAT or ACT tests, but I have worked hard to raise kids who are motivated and self-directed enough to do all of that on their own.  (more on that below)
–I do not personally create high school transcripts or an official diploma.  But I do keep records of all my boys do, grade their work, and turn everything in to a local organization (CEI ) which is certified to create transcripts and guide us in our homeschool journey.
(Side note:  Plenty of homeschool families do create their own transcripts, I’m just happy to not have to!) 

And though I teach quite a bit in the early years, by Junior High I refer to my role as more of a “facilitator” than a teacher.  

On a good day, I love our homeschooling flow — when there is a quiet and work-focused vibe in the house and a ton of learning going on.  On a good day…we play peaceful background music and I might even have bread in the oven or hot cider on the stove.  On a good day…I see my crew of boys hard at work in the comfort of our home, and my heart is so full.  

Of course there are other days...the ones where we have a million interruptions, (especially when the surf is good!) no one seems to be getting anything done, and I’m certain someone slipped caffeine in my 8-year old’s cheerios.  
I’d say a typical day is somewhere in-between those two, and I’d also say that no two days are alike.  (If there is anything consistent about our homeschool days, it is inconsistency.)  

And it’s an extra good day ^^ when my husband is around to help! 🙂 

2) My schedule is not my own.  But it’s absolutely worth it. 

There is no denying that when you’re homeschooling kids, it is hard to get housework or chores done.  I’ve had to remind myself that this is a full-time job, and most moms who work full-time have to juggle household tasks before or after work hours (and recruit some help from the family, Ahem.)  Of course there are benefits to being home — I can take time to quickly fold a load of laundry or respond to some emails while kids are working, but there is no doubt that my home is not in nearly the order it would be if my kids were in a traditional school every day.  I have closets that make me cringe and I think the last photo album I completed was for the year 2010.  (this seriously bugs me!)  Empty-nest homeschool moms have kindly reminded me:  “You’ll have lots of time to put photo albums together later.”  (Also, does anyone actually make photo albums anymore?)  

Yet, for all of the albums that never get done, I have a heart full of memories of time with my boys…reading together in the early years, laughing together during their breaks..listening to them share what they’re learning, or talking about topics that naturally come up throughout the day.  I cherish all of these times. 

Side note on when I do my “work”  in case someone is wondering:  My “work” of writing blogs and a book and all that goes with that (which is a LOT) usually happens in the early morning or late night hours, when my husband is off work and covers me, or during the afternoons when guys go surfing.  Occasionally I also hire a teenage-homeschool girl to spend a few hours working with Levi while I escape to a coffee shop (or Turtle Bay lobby’s coffee lounge ;)) to speed-write! Basically, I have no idea how I do what I do and I might be a little crazy.  But I will say that at this point, homeschooling IS genuinely how I still spend most of my days.  

3) Finding the right curriculum can be incredibly overwhelming.  But it doesn’t have to be.  

When I first started homeschooling I had no idea how to choose a curriculum.  I turned to a few friends who had gone before me, and I found a book which helped guide me to what would be the best fit for our family’s needs (find a link to the book at the bottom of this post) After a few years dabbling in a variety of curriculums, I decided that I really needed to narrow things down to simplify our days (and keep my sanity.)  Even though streamlining in this way may mean I am not catering perfectly to each of my kids’ learning styles, I chose a couple curriculums that were user friendly and strong academically.  And I’ve stuck with them ever since.  

Curriculums I’ve used/am using:  I started off with a big mix of curriculums — from Sonlight (literature-based and really good, and I still use their book list for my boys reading books!) to Math-U-See (great for hands-on-learners),  Timberdoodle (a package of a variety of curriculums), Monarch (by Alpha Omega) and more…I loved something about every one of them!  Once I decided to streamline, I settled on two MAIN curriculums:

ABEKA ACADEMY —  videos + seat work/quizes and tests (which I grade) for most subjects — Bible, Language arts, history, health, etc. and…
DIVE for all math and science (for us beginning in middle school though some classes are available for younger.)
I have also used IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing) at some point for all of the boys. 

Curriculum FOMO:  Every few years it seems like a lot of moms I know are trying some new curriculum and I’m tempted to jump on board. I’m sure they’re all good, but I have forced myself to stay with what I know works for my boys while trying not to get distracted by FOMO.  I think the consistency and simplicity has been good for all of us.  

4) Extra curricular stuff can also be overwhelming.  Or a super fun add-on. 

Even with a full homeschool schedule there is plenty of time for extra curricular activities.  I suggest not stressing about it (especially in the early years) and letting it happen as natural as possible.  I’m a big believer in music lessons and sports in the early years as well as lots of time for imaginative play, art, and fresh air whenever possible!   In their high school years, all of my boys have turned their personal interests into school credit:  From photography/videography, to music or ministry leadership.  My older boys have been blessed with great internships with local businesses doing hands-on work or research.  It’s super fun to discover ways to turn a personal interest into a transcript building experience. 

Josiah ^^ earning photography credit by helping his mom take food photos for the blog! 🙂 

Recently Jonah joined a local speech and debate club which is part of the  NCFCA organization.   He loved it from day one,  and it has turned into a truly valuable part of his homeschool experience!  As I write, he is in Spokane, Wa. at a debate tournament and having an amazing experience.  (I am overwhelmed with God’s goodness in providing us with amazing opportunities every single year, even though we live out in the country on a little island.  Truly, God knows our needs and He answers prayers!)

5) Preparing for college is a big deal.  But it doesn’t have to freak you out.  I always hoped my boys would go to college, but I didn’t want it to be my whole focus.  Fortunately, our fairly simple curriculum seems to be doing the job to prepare our boys for college.  Josiah had a fairly low-stress experience applying and getting into college.  Josiah says he feels that his homeschool classes have prepared him really well for his college classes.  He specifically has said that his DIVE classes prepared him incredibly well for college math and science classes.  (yay!) 

On Standardized tests:  Most of us don’t love Standardized tests, but at this point, they are necessary to get into college, so we have to deal with them.  The good news is, so far my boys have scored well in standardized tests without spending money on courses or tutors. They studied, a lot, using free online tutorials via College Board and the Kahn academy, etc.  I really believe that if a kid is motivated to test well, he/she will find the ability to get serious about studying.  Sometimes you will need to help kids understand the importance of the tests, but I’m convinced that paying a bunch of money for courses or tutors will not motivate them if they are not already motivated.  {This is all IF your kids want to go to college. College, of course, is not for everyone and there are many other valid paths to a successful future. Though I think studying for, and taking the tests can’t hurt anyone, and you never know if they’ll change their mind later! Basically, it’s a lot easier to study for an SAT at 18 than 28! 🙂 }

6) Education is important.  But character is even more important.  I am thankful that so far, homeschooling seems to be giving my boys a decent education. However, by far the biggest reward we’ve experienced is the character I see in my boys, their tight relationship with each other, and the connection my husband and I have maintained with them.   We have freedom to plan our own schedules.  We can wake them at the crack of dawn to start school (or let’s be honest — surf)  or let them sleep til 9 if we think they really need it.  (and what teenager couldn’t use a little more sleep?)  We can cram two days of school into one day, or stop everything to watch live coverage of a political debate or discuss something really important.  We’ve avoided a lot of peer issues by being able to use our school days to focus on learning, and choose wisely who our boys spend time with outside of school.  The boys are around to see my husband and I handle day – to – day issues, and have learned to interact with people of all ages because of the natural way our lives flow.  

My boys (and friends) ^^ helping Grandpa build our front deck last week. 🙂

7) Learning from other homeschool families can be super helpful.  But too many voices can be…too much.   I love to connect with other homeschool parents and always feel encouraged when we share our stories.  Whether you join a coop and do some classes together, or just meet up to talk school occasionally, the support and understanding of others can be invaluable.  There are also a lot of websites and blogs to glean wisdom about homeschooling from.  However, over time I have limited how much time I spend doing this.  It can get really overwhelming!  One site I have stuck with is Jamie Martin’s Simple Homeschool blog and newsletter. Though our homeschool styles are not the same, I am always encouraged by her perspective and especially love her weekend links posts.  (She also does a fun series every winter where a variety of moms share “a day in the life” of their homeschool family and that is super interesting!) 

I could talk all day, but hoping something in here was interesting or helpful. 🙂 

Two books I recommend: 

102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum:  This can just help you discover what is available and what might be the best fit for your family.

“I Could Never Do That!” and Other Homeschooling Obstacles You Need to Get Over:  This book is something I would actually recommend to anyone interested in homeschooling or just getting started. (and everyone else, but especially newer homeschool families.)  Some of the points the author makes in the first couple chapters are incredibly important to consider before you dive in to homeschooling.  

Thank you so much for following along here and I’d love to hear from you in comments!  Got questions about homeschooling?  Let me or other homeschoolers in this community help you out!  Want to share some highlights from your homeschool experience?  Please do!  And I always appreciate you sharing my posts with your friends.  🙂 

PS:  2 Things — 
1)  On ads:  If the ads in this post seem a bit…intrusive or annoying, please bear with me.  I just started working with a new ad company and I am still working out the layout and content.  If you ever see an ad for anything inappropriate, would you do me a favor and let me know?  I’m working hard to get everything in order! 🙂  

2)  I am an Amazon affiliate so if you click through my links and order a book I will benefit.  However, I am not an affiliate for any homeschool curriculums links.  All opinions in this (and every!) post are sincerely my own! 🙂  XO