Tell us a little bit about your family dynamics:
We are shakers and movers. Both parents work full time and have unpredictable schedules, so the kids have learned to be flexible and portable! Sometimes we school at non-traditional hours or in the car. Sometimes the kids come to work with us for their own outside-the-house learning and development. Sometimes we travel and school in a different city, state, or country. But we are almost always on the go and life never feels dull.
How long did you homeschool?
This is our 11th year of homeschooling.
What was one of the main reasons you chose to homeschool?
I (Jocelyn) like to joke that the Lord knew he had to ease me into the idea of homeschooling slowly. Even though I was homeschooled back in the 90s, and I wasn’t opposed to the idea with my own kids, it wasn’t my Plan A. However, my oldest was cognitively advanced with a birthday that missed the cutoff (for starting traditional brick-and-mortar school kindergarten) by one month. I was a bit resistant to committing to homeschooling without feeling like I had truly given the other options fair consideration, so during our first year, I didn’t even say we were homeschooling. I said, “We’re doing some educational activities at home.” My homeschooling friends saw what we were doing and laughed among themselves. “Jocelyn is totally homeschooling him. She just doesn’t know it yet. Let’s not tell her! She’ll figure it out eventually.” By the end of that first year, God made it abundantly clear that homeschooling was the right choice for our family. Of all the reasons that we continue to homeschool, I would say freedom is highest on the list. We love the freedom to choose what we will study, what our schedule will be, and what methods we will use to reinforce what we have learned along the way.
In what activities did your family participate?
Because we, the parents, are professional musicians and music professors, we have encouraged our kids to appreciate the benefits of understanding and communicating music, so they both take piano lessons. We are all very involved in our church, in both learning and serving roles. Lincoln and Mom take wheel throwing pottery lessons weekly. We take family walks daily. We love opening our home as a ministry to our college students, hosting events that range from fancy tea parties to building blanket forts and decorating cookies.
What were your most helpful resources?
Other homeschoolers! Whether it’s homeschool social media pages, homeschool resource stores, conventions, or other places homeschoolers gather, we love to collect information from the homeschool hive mind and weigh all our options before coming to a solution or decision together. To our homeschooling friends who have stuck with us through the years? THANK YOU.
What educational philosophy/curriculum did you follow?
We are extremely eclectic. Children learn best when they are taught to love the learning process. This means we involve the kids in the decision process, particularly in choosing curriculum. Our working-parent schedules dictate that we use curriculum that provides lecture materials and grading for some subjects. Our traditional school months tend to be a little more structured because this helps us move forward in the midst of the chaos, but we take breaks when we need them and we school year-round. We also LOVE following an unschooling approach during summer months, winter breaks, and other academic recesses at the university. We travel and take an experiential, hands-on approach whenever we can.
What was one of the highlights for you in homeschooling your children?
Two of the biggest highlights are watching the very different ways that they learn and seeing the ways they mature and learn how to handle difficult situations. Homeschoolers are not immune to social bruises from friends. However, when those hurts happen, knowing that their parents are the first to comfort and impart wisdom, and knowing that we can direct them to other healthy sources for similar nurturing assistance, has an impact that we are blessed to observe as they grow.
What was your favorite field trip(s)?
Do we have to pick a favorite? Okay. Iceland! But Mom and Dad travel a lot for work so we have visited more science centers and historical sites than we can count!
What was one of the funniest things to happen during a homeschool day?
The kids truly say things every day that make us laugh. They keep us on our toes during the day and on our knees every evening. It’s difficult to choose one funny story among the many! But once, during a trip to the Carolinas, we visited the Biltmore mansion for a field trip. The weather was hot and Mom was in her element, but the kids were young and not amused. The next morning, our youngest (who was 8) snuggled up to mom, laid his head on mom’s chest, and whispered in her ear, “Mommy…. I have to tell you something… but I’m afraid it will hurt your feelings… I didn’t like going to the mansion yesterday… You’re a really good mom… it’s just sometimes… you make… bad decisions.”
What did you find to be a challenge in homeschooling? Any tips in dealing with that challenge?
Our employment puts us in a difficult social situation sometimes. Most of the homeschooling families we meet have at least one parent who stays home. Most of our working friends do not homeschool their kids. So we are “out of the loop”, wherever we go. If you fit into one of these categories? Please reach out to your homeschooling working parent friends! We are friendly and we need your fellowship! But to anyone in our specific situation, I would say don’t be afraid to ask for help. Our culture says that being strong and independent is the pinnacle of human success. But there is nothing weak about admitting that you need other people on your team.
What advice would you give to someone who has just begun homeschooling?
Three words: DO WHAT WORKS. Along this journey you will encounter so many “right” ways to homeschool your children, but that does not guarantee it will work for your kids, your schedule, your family, your strengths, or your needs. Do what works. Admittedly, this can involve trial and error. Sometimes we hit it out of the park the first time we try something new. Sometimes we “fail” five or six things before we finally find the right fit. Don’t be afraid to chuck something that you’ve tried and everyone (including the parents) hated. Above all, remember your core identity. Ephesians 2:10 says that you are God’s masterpiece, created anew in Christ Jesus for good works that He planned for you long ago. On the rough days, remind yourself that you are God’s masterpiece. He loves you and He created you for this. You can do it.
