Not what I expected
Sometimes parents find out that we homeschool and the first thing they say is, “ugh, I could never teach my kids.” We like to remind them that they have already been homeschooling. When they look at us like we have a third eye, we say, “who taught your kids to walk, talk, and go to the bathroom?” Mike and I have been homeschooling our eight children (five girls and three boys) since our oldest was born in 2001. To be honest, that wasn’t always the plan. The summer before our oldest was old enough for kindergarten I was gearing up for the first day of school. I envisioned that I would drop my son off (maybe there would be tears) then go get coffee with my friends who had dropped their kids off, work out, do household chores, and go pick up my son at the end of the day. When Mike mentioned how great it was going to be to have our oldest in the same homeschool program where he taught, my expectations were turned on their head! Despite that awkward beginning, I can honestly say that I am so thankful for the years that I have had the joy of homeschooling my children. I’d be lying if I said it has been easy….it has not, but it has been good! We are looking forward to working with you and those in the homeschool community to encourage you and be a resource for you to be the best homeschool parent you can be.

Transitioning
Mike’s stand against mandates ended his 19 year career at a homeschool charter school. It was a K-12 program where Mike taught many enrichment classes (such as Ag Animals, Ag Plants, Welding, Computers, Google Drive, Google Slides, Team Building, Science Fair, 8th Grade Constitution, HandyMan, and Physical Education.) In the charter school, Mike met with families to encourage and support them in their homeschooling endeavours, hoping to help parents and students communicate better and enjoy their time together. Many families have difficulties transitioning from a traditional school setting to homeschooling. Mike has always enjoyed listening to parents and students share their stories and then helping them find ways to work better together. Sometimes parents and students need a place to share their stories and work out their own thoughts about a situation. Many times parents desire a community that will offer encouragement and resources to assist them and Mike provided that opportunity for them.

From Now On
Families who are just beginning to homeschool have often asked, “where do I begin?” Mike and I have received the wisdom of veteran homeschool families over the years and have been guided by them since the beginning. Being a “veteran homeschool family” ourselves, we would love to help guide families through homeschooling, show them that it can be done, and encourage them along the way. It is our hope that you will gain nuggets of wisdom from our podcast and blog. We also look forward to walking you through beginning your journey, getting through a rough patch or finding your “why” through our consulting opportunities. Please click here to see the many ways that we are here to serve you and your family.