I used to teach both in public school and online (7-12 grade Language Arts).  Now I homeschool.   I started in 2010 and fell in love with it. 

Since I often have people asking me questions about what I do and how I do it, I created this site to answer that question and share resources.  I've started listing what I've done for every grade, from PreK to Grade 5.  I'm working on grades 6-11 now when I have a few moments :).

You're welcome to use whatever resources you find here.  Please note that the "Chat Class" pages are for specific lessons I teach in person and don't hold very well on their own. 

Start Here:  How/What/Why I Homeschool

Hi!  I've had lots of people ask me for resources over the years, so I'm working on grade level resource pages with links and supports.  It's a big decision to homeschool, but we have loved it in our family.  This collection of information is simply how school at home has looked for us. For every parent, and even every child, there is a different way to homeschool. 

What is Homeschool?  Homeschool is simply this:  learning at home.  We do this naturally with our kids when they are little as they learn to speak and function.  It's really just an extension of mindful learning experiences when they are young.  As they grow it becomes a rich way to challenge and engage our children to become their best selves and grow their unique talents. 

Why do I Homeschool?  It started as a way to challenge my oldest child who needed more than public school was able to give him.  I was at home with the two little ones, and I decided to give it a try.  (Side note:  I don't wish to criticize our local schools or teachers in any way--they are not able to have a 1-1 teacher/student ratio and are constrained by a system that has some flaws as it increasingly forces teaching to the test and trying to meet the specific needs of too many kids at one time.)  My husband was skeptical at first, but now teaches a class every year.  People warned us about socialization issues, and people still judge us to this day.  Regardless, we stick with it because it is flexible and because our children thrive. They love it.  And most days I love it. :)

Socialization?  This is the main reason people say not to homeschool and its main criticism.  I boldly say it is a non-issue and a fear tactic.  There are weird kids who homeschool and there are weird kids in public school and weird people all over the planet.  If you're worried you will raise a pack of social misfits, don't live in a bubble.  Through the years my kids have played all kinds of community sports, from t-ball to basketball.  In our area they can participate in sports at the high school level too.  They also participate in Scouts, church, community theater, volunteer work, etc.  We were very active in a homeschool group when they were younger which was a lot of playgroups at the park and some field trips.  After they were older, we have had the benefit of homeschool group classes once a week.  Overall, I do notice that homeschool kids relate very well with adults.  I definitely don't consider that a problem. 

Not Enough Patience?  Almost no one has enough patience with his or her own children.  My mom still harps on me for this flaw.  Don't let this be your excuse.  Pray for it; work at it.  I find that as long as I make school the priority and don't over schedule too many other things, the days go really well.

What to do First?  When I made the decision to start homeschooling in 2011, I had a 7, 5, and 3 year old.  I talked to other homeschooling parents, took a couple online quizzes, and read many books.  There are SO MANY resources online now.  It's a whole different world than it was even 10 years ago.  You can find info., lessons, and ideas all over the place.

What is My Style?  Definitely Mixed!  I use elements of many styles. I have a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Science in English Education.  I was a high school teacher for several years and in the classroom and online, so I bring all these things to my teaching.  As a trained teacher, homeschooling came pretty naturally to me, and I knew my style without much deliberation.  By no means do you have to have a teaching background to homeschool; you just have to be an involved, caring parent. 

My styles:
  • Unschooling--based on the interests of the child.  If they like dinosaurs, do a dinosaur unit and give them lots of things to challenge them and let them explore and self-guide as much as they can.  Keep it unstructured.  I do this as part of their studies every year and call it "exploration".  Just have them come to you to approve their project ideas.  When they were little we did more together when they had common interests; in high school think of it as independent study.
  • Unit Studies--use a theme and incorporate writing, math, spelling, art, etc. into that learning.  I did this a lot when they were in elementary school.  I find it easy to incorporate art, writing, reading, and technology into themes, but not so much math or spelling.  Those I liked as independent traditional subjects.  We would just take something like Ancient Egypt and do writing, reading, art, and sometimes science.
  • Charlotte Mason--I have one child that absolutely loves this style of homeschool.  It's very nature oriented and focuses on living books, art, music, dictation, journaling, etc.  
  • Family style learning for history and science
  • Traditional classical education.  It's hard for me to get away from this.  I like Math as Math and Spelling as Spelling.  I love literature with classic novels, plays, poems, etc. 
  • I don't like to put the kids on a lot of online classes and have never put them on full time online school. 
  • I love developing my own curriculum, especially in writing and literature  (But that is my trained subject area, so it's easy for me.)
  • Also, sometimes I would start something that worked with child #1 and/or child #2 but I would realize that child #3 did not learn that way.  Don't be afraid to mix it up.  ALL moms I have talked to switch math curriculum every year or two.

Where do I get Curriculum?  There are all-in-one sites if you have the financial resources, and there are tons and tons of ideas out there if you like to create your own classes.  I'm an "in-between".  I use some pre-made coursework, and I create some.  It depends on the subject.  I always always buy Math.  I can do math when reminded (Algebra is definitely much easier now that it was for me in High School) but I can't teach it from nowhere.  I'll include the curriculum I used for each year in the resources. I do buy a lot of books online--wherever I can find what I want the cheapest (often Amazon now). 

Each state has its own homeschool laws.  You will have to find out what your state requires.  Some require testing.  Some require registration.  I live in New Mexico which has limited requirements which is one reason I love living here. 
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