As a former public school teacher, I can tell you that any child I encountered who was home schooled, he or she was years ahead of any of my students. I can also share that I left the profession because of the lack of discipline of students and the fear that many teachers experience, both career-wise and personal safety issues. I strongly recommend home schooling for any parent who are able and willing to take the responsibility and time to educate his or her kids. You will see the difference in your child's progress. Blessings to all parents who choose this path. You will be so glad you did.
I know a lady in which her son got accepted to university at 16years of age, homeschooled. I just can't help but think that if somwthing goes wrong with my kids (can't find a job, can't get accepted to a college) it will be my fault...I still have two years to think about it so I am just gonna keep researching
Homeschooling is most definitely a change in lifestyle. I think it can be the biggest struggle for many moms. You really have to set aside what the rest of the world is doing and tend to your family; we have to be in the world, but not of the world. This is a big challenge in today's culture, but the reward is great.
Homeschooling was the greatest blessing of my life! And I became a single mom, not by choice, and thought I wouldn’t be able to continue. But God made a way! My children are in college now. 🙌🙌🙌
We planned to homeschool for a decade before we had our first baby girl. We intentionally postponed having children until we could get to a point where I could be a stay at home mom. We are now starting our tenth year of homeschooling with five little girls from first grade through seventh grade. I can tailor their curriculum to each child focusing on their strengths and supporting their weaknesses. We have all types of learners. There is no better teacher for your children than yourself.
Oh my Lisa, what a blessing to listen to this podcast! This is my second year homeschooling and at times I don’t feel like I have it all together, hearing the first 15 mins or so has been so motivating. It really is rewarding to see how our family’s relationship has flourished. Thanks for podcast, will continue to listen. Totally agree with homeschooling as a lifestyle, we never stop teaching and learning ❤️
Been homeschooling for 24yrs with 13 yrs more to go! I was homeschooled on the mission field, with limited resources(no libraries!)and I survived! Now we have such great resources, opportunities, libraries, church libraries, etc.its almost overwhelming just deciding on curriculum! God is always good. His grace is sufficient for each day!😁♥️
I work in education as a SPED para. I can assure you that homeschool is BEST. It is not for everyone nor do I believe every child benefits from homeschooling vs public school. Every child’s needs are unique. For many single parent households it’s not an option. I’m a single parent and am actively trying to find a way to homeschool my child while keeping my job. Working with children with special needs brings me so much joy. Working with kids who stab principals and other children with no consequences is the tough part of my job. Watching the system fail our children repeatedly becomes exhausting. Dealing with parents who refuse to hold their children accountable is also exhausting! If you can homeschool.. homeschool! Trust me!!
Oh my goodness you’re so right about the siblings bond that develops while learning together. I’m seeing that with my daughters, they help and encourage each other so much. Now I wish my sisters and I were homeschooled when we were young, I missed out on their friendship as a child but now we talk every day. Never thought about how the traditional school system kept us apart from each other. Glad to create a new experience for my kids, thank you for teaching us what you’ve both learned
It’s an assignment when it’s not driven by the innate curiosities of the children. Homeschooling allows families the freedom to follow the interests of each individual. Dr. Montessori would love to hear this conversation. She’d be proud.
We have 2 children: 9th and 6th grade. Our oldest girl is homeschooled since 3rd grade and would never have it any other way. Our son has gone back and forth. He has spent some years in school and 3 at home. Now he is “trying” middle school 😂😂 as he puts it. We “supplement” at home, and his heart craves large platforms. I often struggle with wanting him home and balancing that with his clear need to “influence” and “experience”. I can’t possibly express it all here, but what makes me comfortable with our choices is that our kids are good people ❤ They have the qualities we value as a family and as Catholics. They are good and interesting humans. I trust everything else will work out. Thank you for these wonderful discussions! God bless both your families. Homeschool is a lifestyle, and one that prepares you to thrive anywhere. That is invaluable. Thank you 😊 God bless! ❤🙏🏻
Most homeschooler parents do a really good job, very small group say they homeschool theit children, but they really don't. A homeschooler taking the SAT for college, got the highest score ever.
Homeschooling is a challenge because its important to learn which style fits your own personality, for myself, went to the library and studied online about everything on the subject of homeschooling. Worksheets are available that provide a system that mirrors what they do in traditional schooling. As an educator, loved adventure and creative ideas, each day was dedicated to learning a new fact. So included things like asking why does the ocean have sand? Or the anniversary for the Hubble telescope? Once learning your own style this promotes how teaching will be conducted at home. Over a decade ago, when my daughters' were (twins) 12 years, 13, they were frustrated and unmotivated to learn. During that time was able to be away from work, so took the summer to dedicate to homeschooling. By the end of the summer they loved learning again and got motivated to ask questions and digest knowledge. Wish I could have done it more time, but having that period to focus on their needs was meaningful and helped to reimage their entire learning experience.
I went to a one room school, kindergarden through eight grade, with one teacher teaching 50 to 60 kids. This school is still in extistance as 2024, not as many kids attending as the rural population has aged.
I am listening to your podcasts via a friend who has been such an encouragement to me during this first year of homeschooling. My question, do you ever encounter someone who had a child at a late stage in life, then started homeschooling that child at the 5th grade? This is new to me, and I appreciate your podcast and the wonderful people you interview. This specific podcast is extremely relevant to me and my husband and child.
This was so encouraging. Thank you! My husband and I had our first son March of last year, and have been seriously considering homeschooling. Trying to learn as much as we can before that time comes. I'm an RN and have felt unqualified to teach him, but this is giving me more confidence. Thank you for this podcast Lisa!
This is my 7th year homeschooling. I still feel like im figuring it out! I think because each child is different and so it's like each year is like starting again. I guess that helps keep it interesting :)
Gosh I struggle just to get the main subjects done...let alone let them be creative in something. Wish you'd talk more about limiting technology. My kids are bored and we don't live on a farm. They play for a bit then they beg for tablets or tv. This just discouraged me more. I'm failing really.
I’m so sorry Kirsten! Please don’t feel like you’re failing! We stick to mainly math and reading, and my daughter sits around doing seemingly nothing for a couple hours a day too! I have tried giving her more chores if she says she’s bored, so now she doesn’t say she’s bored, but she literally sits and stares at me or stares out the window while I cook and clean. One thing that has helped a bit is involving her in more things I’m doing. So now after “learning time” she knows she is going to do chore time with Mommy. I give her a bag of trash to take out together. She unloads the silverware while I unload the rest. Then for the dirty dishes, she loads the silverware while I load the rest. Etc. After chore time I usually take her to a park or pool. Thankfully she occupies herself well there! One other thing I sometimes do at home is play read-alouds of books for her on RU-vid. But it is definitely a challenge to keep some kids occupied during all the hours it takes for us to do our regular mom duties! I feel your pain!
I would love to homeschool my kids, but I have 5 kids who are both very social, and are all neurodivergent. They each need something different and it’s just….a lot. Currently homeschooling my 7th grader due to anxiety and bullying he was experiencing
Any recommendations for a non Christian homeschool blogger? I really appreciate all the advice from all the homeschooling/homesteading families but everyone is christian, we are pagans and would like to know if there are any bloggers that are. When I search for them I get "witchy" things and weird people. I want pagan not wiccan, no witches
I enjoy listening to your podcast and respect so much of what you do, but when you said that you didn't envision your children going beyond a particular vision you have for them, academically or intellectually, that saddened me. I am a public school teacher and feel that my students are stellar. I believe they can do anything--and maybe that is a positive that public education offers. We are able to step back and look at your children through fresh eyes. We are able to open their eyes to professions and worlds beyond what they already know. My own kids are grown and I am able to see how a grouchy teacher here, or a strict teacher there really lays the foundation for what life in the big world is really like. It is not curated, insular bubble. As my mother would say--it takes many types of people to make a world, including the world that you are creating, which has many pluses. I can see that. But there are lots of advantages to meeting and learning with all kinds of people, and really getting to know them. That's how students build trust. Your kids can do anything--I am sure of that.
I haven't finished listening to this podcast yet, so I didn't hear that comment. I just wanted to say that we homeschool. We've graduated 3 and have one more to go. I feel that there is great potential in what our children can do, what they can accomplish. Maybe they will or maybe they won't have a big important job or career or such, but who they become as a person, their values, their work ethics, those things are important too. I have found that you give your children the basic tools of learning and they have what they need to learn whatever they want. But it doesn't happen overnight. And I didn't see that when they were young. I was very stressed with their schooling thinking that we weren't doing it good enough. Stressed that I couldn't give them what some public schools had to offer in terms of construction classes, mechanics, etc., until a public schooled Niece shared with us that yes, while those things are nice and attractive, it isn't worth putting our kids through the system. She wishes she'd been homeschooled. I need not have feared. My graduated children are doing great. And no, I don't have any who have big initials after their name 😉. I hear good reports. Our children interact well with others, in our own circle but also out and about in the neighborhood, in town, with doctors, on the job, with children, with older adults. Each one has their 'specialty' area of what age they interact with the best, and personalities enter in as well, but they all do well with socializing. They are polite and mannerly. I attended public school as well as a private school and I feel that I lack very much in interacting with other people. Our children are just beginning this thing of adulting and still finding their way of what they want to do, their calling you could say, but they are learning and doing their best for where they are at in this moment. There's been some people in the workplace who are hard to be around but that is also teaching them and molding who they are, helping them to learn how to get along with all kinds of people.
I had that same tingling feeling when she said that. I think homeschooling is great for many but it’s very hard to not limit your kids dreams academically beyond what you know. Just because both parents are creative doesn’t mean one kid could not have become an engineer if they were exposed more. It works both ways, kids of academic parents should be exposed creatively as well and not be “disappointed” if their kid doesn’t do something more academic.
