Special Interview On Homeschooling With Lexi Henegar1. What was your favorite subject in school?
I have always loved to read and write so English and Literature were my favorite subjects in school. Math was definitely my least favorite. 2. Why was (_____) your favorite subject? My parents read books to me from a young age and that helped me discover a love for books. My parents also made sure I had plenty of books to read and time in which to read them. They encouraged my enjoyment of books all through school. In addition, my mom was a former English teacher and she helped me with all of my writing and grammar assignments. Her guided help and enthusiasm helped to make grammar and writing my favorite subject. 3. Were you homeschooled? I attended public school from Kindergarten to 2nd grade and a private school from 3rd grade to 9th grade. During middle school I often asked my parents to consider homeschooling me. I was tired of the drama surrounding middle school students and I wanted to be able to learn at my own pace and explore my outside interests. I also had some health issues that made me miss multiple days of school. I thought homeschooling would help diminish the stress of missed school days. After my 9th grade year, my parents agreed to try homeschooling. I remember my mom attending a homeschool convention and meeting with other homeschool moms to talk about how homeschooling in high school worked. We enjoyed our first homeschool year and my parents continued to homeschool me until I graduated two years later. 4. What made you decide to homeschool? I had a wonderful homeschool experience in high school so this planted the seed for me to consider homeschooling my own children. My husband was initially uncomfortable with the idea so we spent several years discussing our options and praying about our family. By the time our oldest daughter was preschool-aged we had decided to try homeschooling. Our initial reason for homeschooling was religious – we wanted our children to learn about the world from a Biblical viewpoint and we wanted to be able to share our faith with them. Now that we have been homeschooling for a few years, we would have developed a few additional reasons for our homeschool venture. We want our children to have an academically rigorous education and we feel that this is best accomplished through homeschooling our children. We also enjoy the family togetherness that we have discovered through homeschooling. Because our kids are home with us and we have a flexible schedule we are able to do more together as a family and also to spend more time with out-of-town family when they visit. 5. How long have you been homeschooling? We have been homeschooling since our oldest was born. None of our children have attended a traditional school. We started homeschooling with preschool and have continued through the elementary years. Our oldest is now completing 3rd grade so we have been “officially” home educating for 4 years. 6. Why is homeschooling important to you? Homeschooling is important to me because it provides an avenue for me to disciple my children. I am able to share my beliefs and help them explore a Biblical worldview while also being present to discuss alternative views. It is important that my children receive a rigorous and challenging education that is tailored to their specific strengths and interests. Homeschooling allows me to educate each child one-on-one and teach to his or her strengths while helping that child in the weak areas. 7. What would you say is the easiest and hardest thing about homeschooling? I find that the easiest part of homeschooling is the flexibility. I don’t have to have all the children dressed, fed, and out the door at a certain time every single day. We are able to school on our schedule. The time I get to spend reading to them is my favorite and is the easiest and most enjoyable part of our homeschool day. While I do enjoy homeschooling my children (on most days), there are many aspects of homeschooling that are challenging. It can be difficult to find a curriculum, schedule your day, and plan for the year. However, the most challenging part of homeschooling is balancing homeschool and housework while trying to keep up with other outside commitments. Finding balance as a wife, mother, homemaker, homeschooler, and friend has been difficult for me. 8. What style of homeschooling would you classify yourself as? I would describe our homeschool as very eclectic. I do not use curriculum options solely from one publisher. I like to pick and choose resources from a variety of publishers and companies. I am somewhat classical in my teaching method as I rely on the trivium stages as a guide for introducing material. History is taught in a 4-year cycle and I plan to add Latin studies to our curriculum. My kids do memory work in the younger years and will be doing more writing and discussion with me as they become older. So, while I use a variety of resources, I mostly follow a classical approach. 9. Are you the primary teacher or does your spouse help with the schooling? I am the primary teacher in our homeschool. I teach all subjects to my kids. My husband does help by reading aloud to the kids and helps with math assignments. He has also helped with science and history projects. Because he works outside the home, he is only available to help in the evenings or on the weekends. 10. Are you happy with your decision to homeschool? Even though I have difficult days, I am happy that we chose to homeschool. I enjoy being home with my children and having the ability to see them grow and learn. I find my homeschooling to be fulfilling, especially as I get to learn alongside my children. 11. What is a homeschool curriculum that you would recommend to others? There are so many wonderful curriculum options available to homeschool families. And the best curriculum is always the one that works for your family and for your children. I have found several products that work well in my homeschool. Nancy Larson Science is a wonderful hands-on science program that is very easy to use. Right Start Math teaches conceptual math with numerous manipulatives. Peace Hill Press publishes excellent history, writing, and grammar resources, especially for the elementary years. Veritas Press has excellent online history and Bible courses that are interactive and thorough. All About Reading is a systematic reading program with games, readers, and reading cards. Classical Academic Press publishes Bible, writing, Spanish, and Latin curriculum that teaches with a classical memory-based approach but is fun as well. Those are my current favorite resources that are used daily in my own homeschool. 12. Do you have any advice for parents just starting to homeschool their kids? First, pray about your decision and then write out your reasons for homeschooling. While these reasons might change, it will be helpful to have them written out for days when you are discouraged in your homeschool journey. Next, research the laws and requirements of your state as well as any state and local support groups. Then get connected with local homeschoolers, attend a convention, talk to other homeschool moms and get ideas, inspiration, and encouragement. Choose a curriculum for math and language arts and then get started, knowing that you will slowly add in other subjects over the next few weeks as you adjust to the homeschool routine. Above all, be flexible and give yourself grace as you determine what works best in your homeschool. |
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June 2015
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