Homeschool Friday has returned with a twist for this month of July. You may or may not remember, that every Friday this month, I’m “interviewing” a different homeschooling mom. I was reaching for diversity, and didn’t have to look very far because I’ve yet to meet 2 homeschooling families who are the same. I think it’s safe to say that many of us share some core values, but for the most part, our lives: school, kids, activities, all run very differently.
To kick off the “Homeschool Portrait” every Friday this month, I thought we’d start with one of Knut’s relatives, and one that I’ve met the most times on the 4th of July at the big family party. So it just seem appropriate that she gets the time slot closest to the 4th. She does not live near me, but I really wish she did. They live way down in Florida and we get the pleasure of seeing her (and her family) when they come up here on vacation to visit her folks.
Like all families, Karin’s has their own groove, their own style, and their own education philosophy. I hope this will be a fun peek into how their school runs. I’m sure she’d like to clarify that they don’t homeschool at Disney World every day, but she has used some of the amazing countries of the world exhibits at Epcot for some field trips.
Tell us about your family. How many kids do you have and what are their ages?
There are five in our happy household. My husband, Jason, and I have three children. Kira is 8 and in 2nd grade. Siri is 6 and in Kindergarten. Jase is 4 and in preschool.
Are all of your children home educated?
As a parent, it is always our job to educate our children whether or not they are in a formal classroom with another teacher part of the time, so the answer should always be yes! However, I understand what you are asking. The answer for this year is no and for next year is yes. Let me explain: Florida has a free “Voluntary Pre Kindergarten” (VPK) program that’s paid for by the state. Since we have a wonderful, private, Christian, church-based VPK program just down the street, we have allowed each of our children to participate in the program three mornings a week during their preschool year. Then, they come home and Mom gets to be their teacher!
Do you or your husband work? What work are you into?
My husband works at Walt Disney World. That’s where we met and fell in love 13 years ago now. Yes, we are a Disney family in a BIG way and enjoy all of Jason’s perks and benefits throughout the year. In fact, we are such Disney fans that our friends in our homeschool support group call our home Dewey World! One great thing about homeschooling is the flexibility. In January, Jason switched from the New Business Development Team to the Disney Cruise Line Team. We were blessed to enjoy a complimentary 4 day cruise on the brand new Disney Dream ship. We didn’t have to worry about pulling our kids out of school or making up homework. We truly enjoy the ability to travel, entertain, and seize various opportunities whenever we need to. And since so many of our friends and family from up north enjoy coming down to nicer weather in the winter, we take a bit more time off in January, February, and March and then do more school in the summer when it’s too hot to do much of anything except swim down here.
How much education do you have? If you went to college, what did you major in?
I graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota – Class of 1997. I got a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Communications with an emphasis in Advertising and minors in both Psychology and Child & Family Studies.
What curriculum and/or homeschool philosophy do you follow?
We have a little bit of a mixture of things we use. Our main core curriculum is Abeka which is more of a traditional school philosophy. Yet, we are also part of a Classical Conversations program which is based on the Classical method and we LOVE it! On Friday mornings, my children attend a three hour class with 7 or 8 other homeschool children their age. Their class leader is called a tutor since their main teacher is a parent (usually mother). I tutor the 4th/5th grade class and enjoy it SO much! I am so excited and passionate about our CC experience and have watched both our kids and other kids thrive from this amazing program. In addition to learning information in 7 subjects (history, science, geography, math, timeline, Latin, and English Grammar), each week the class also has a fine arts segment (in drawing, music and learning to play the tin whistle, famous artists and art, & famous composers and the orchestra), a science experiment, and each child works on their public speaking skills and does a short 2-3 minute presentation each week! It’s quite an amazing program and it never ceases to amaze me how much the kids learn in such a short period of time. (The CC year is only 24 weeks long.) I could go on and on about CC, so if you want to know more, you’ll have to contact me or take a look at their website: www.classicalconversations.com or check out this phenomenal description written on a blog by a very smart CC Mama: http://halfahundredacrewood.blogspot.com/p/classical-conversations.html. I also have to throw in that I am a history buff and supplement their at-home school with Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer. I’m a huge fan of her books as well as the audio recordings by the absolutely phenomenal Jim Weiss. (more about him later)
I know it’s a loaded question, so answer as briefly or detailed as you like. Why did you decide to homeschool?
I know it’s a loaded question, so answer as briefly or detailed as you like. Why did you decide to homeschool?
You are right. That is a loaded question. Of course, there are many answers – all of which are true. I think the decision to homeschool is usually multi-faceted. But, if you want the true core of the answer, it’s because God told my husband. Yes, you read right. Most moms I know have to talk their husbands into the idea of homeschooling. For us, it was the other way around. On our 9th anniversary, my husband took me out to a nice, fancy dinner and told me that during his prayer and devotional time, he really felt like the Lord was telling us to homeschool. To say I was shocked and scared was a bit of an understatement, but I couldn’t contest that the homeschoolers we knew seemed to have a special something in their spirit and character. We wanted that for our kids. About 6 months later, after the Lord continued working on my heart, we began our journey. After that, the Lord just kept opening up the doors for us and leading us in a very specific direction which has been a huge blessing for our family.
What does a typical school day look like in your home?
Well, this year looks completely different from last year because I now have two students instead of one. Next year will probably look completely different than this year because I’ll have three students instead of two. J So, I’ll just concentrate on the “right now” and tell you about this year. We start the morning at 7 am which is when everyone usually wakes up. By 8:00 we are fed, dressed, and if I’m super lucky, the dog is fed and kids have made their beds. From 8:00 to 8:30 is bible time with all the children. Now, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays we take Jase to preschool at 9 am. After we get home, the girls and I start right in on our core Abeka work. With half an hour out for lunch and some piano practice time thrown in too, we’re usually done by 1:45 and pick up Jase at 2 pm. After that, we have what I call “rest and reading time.” Each of the kids has to spend at least an hour in their room either resting or reading. Jase usually takes a nap, the girls read. Unfortunately, I see naptime coming to and end very soon. BOO HOO! This is usually the time I can take a bit of a rest or read or do some bible study…it’s my time. At about 3:30, we practice our Classical Conversations memory work and by 4:00 pm, we are done. Mondays we have a PE class at a local park with our homeschool group and Friday mornings we have Classical Conversations, so those days operate a bit differently. Of course, the best laid plans…well, you know the old saying. About half of the days, my wonderfully planned days end up getting altered. Go back and read my thoughts on the benefits of flexibility.
What do you find to be the hardest part about home educating?
Honestly, for me, it’s wanting to teach so much, do so much, and experience so much that I can’t fit it all in! There’s so much I want them to learn, so many books to read, so many stories to listen to, so many experiments to do, so many field trip opportunities, so many places to go, so many people to see, so many classes they could take, and so many activities we could participate in! There just isn’t time to fit it all in! Sometimes I have to remind myself to BREATHE and relax. They are only 4, 6, and 8. There is still time and many more years of learning ahead of us. I just get so excited and enthusiastic about what we are doing that I forget to slow down and pace myself. Overwhelming myself and / or them won’t help.
What do you, personally, do for fun? Do you have any guilty pleasures?
What do you, personally, do for fun? Do you have any guilty pleasures?
Oh yes. First of all, I’m an avid reader. I HAVE to have reading time built in to my day or I go a bit crazy. My eldest daughter has inherited my reading obsession and watching it is a bit disconcerting. I mean – who in the world would take a book away from a child because they are reading too much?!?!! Yes, I’ve had to and then realized – Whoa – she’s just like me! Scary. Second, I’m a big-time scrapbooker. I finally had to succumb and become a Creative Memories Consultant just because I needed the discount for myself! I don’t do “parties”, but prefer to help friends and acquaintances through the “if you want to know I’m here for you” approach. I love to help people get started preserving their special family memories through both traditional and digital scrapbooking. I think digital scrapbooking is like the 9th wonder of the world! (behind the 7 traditional ones, and the 8th which is compound interest – yes, I’m a big Dave Ramsey fan too.) Of course, as I’ve already said, our whole family are BIG Disney fans and we enjoy a lot of time at the parks.
What are some of your favorite resources? (e.g. websites, stores, books, programs)
1. Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer
2. Any of Jim Weiss’s amazing audio recordings (www.greathallcommunications.com)
3. Everything you need to know about (Science, History, Geography, English, etc.) Homework
4. And I’m a book fanatic. I have lists and lists of book series I love as well as a Listmania list of good Christian children’s books that I highly recommend.
5. Classical Conversations materials – the Foundations Guide, the timeline flashcards, the
memory work and resource CD’s, and the weekly information flashcards.
Any advice for those just starting out homeschooling?
1. 1. Pray. Pray very specifically that God will direct your teaching and your curriculum choice. There is SO much out there and it can be totally overwhelming.
2. 2. Talk to other homeschooling parents – and I mean both of them, not just the mom. Homeschooling is a family affair. Invite a homeschooling family over for dinner. Have both husbands and wives engaged in the conversation.
3. 3. Value your husband’s input. My husband is the rock of our schooling endeavors even though I do the day to day core classwork with the kids.
4. 4. Also, check out local homeschool groups, co-ops, and support networks. Having that kind of encouragement has been completely vital to our schooling.
5. 5. Give yourself grace. Homeschooling doesn’t happen magically and you will have bumps, bruises, and bad days. We all do. Cut yourself some slack and enjoy your children. They are only young once and as my husband often reminds me, “These are the good ‘ol days!”
Karin Dewey says
July 1, 2011 at 1:03 pmGretchen, I am so honored. Thank you for asking me to participate. Can’t wait to see you when we come up this summer! 🙂
Between You and Me says
July 1, 2011 at 2:55 pmWhat a wonderful interview with an amazing lady! I am honored to know Karin because we live in Orlando and are part of Classical Conversations with her family.
I can say that Karin is an inspiration to me and she is a joy to be around!