It IS possible to love school. The engine buzzes as he feeds the wood through the razor edge. He beams with pride that he is using a tool that had previously been reserved for adults. He walks back to the chicken coop and hands the wood to his Grandpa. …

My Message in the Mess Of Homeschooling. — The last two-and-a-half years have been a series of trials and errors. After spending five years in a traditional school setting, we were forced to try something different. The truth was the traditional system was not working well for my son. He is extremely social but was generally bored when…

Three words changed how I view education. — I can feel my temperature rapidly rising. It does not help that we are also in the midst of a heatwave with no relief in sight and we work and school from home. I feel spent but am trying to gather my thoughts to prepare for my rebuttal. This is…

How it has transformed how I view myself as a parent. — Early in our transition from brick-and-mortar school to homeschooling my son and I were out for a walk. This was a morning ritual we established early on which allowed us the opportunity to get some fresh air while talking about the day or anything else on his mind. This particular day he had a grievance to air. He noticed…

And Let Kids Take the Lead. — I’m bored. My son knows better than to use this language in my house. The ramifications can lead to a vacuum or paintbrush in hand as he’s put to work. Most times my response is “good”. You are lucky to live a life where you have the opportunity to feel bored. Great things come from being bored —…

On our homeschooling journey. — When my son began school in the traditional brick and mortar, we had one rule — tell me the truth. “You will never get in trouble for being honest.” When I found out he was lying, the consequences were severe. I wanted him to understand that there were no little white lies. A lie was a lie. Little lies become big lies. If I received a call from the…

A lesson we are still unlearning. — Early in my school years, I figured out how to get love and attention. Good grades. One letter appeared to be the easiest path to many hearts — A. A report card with A’s left little room for discussion and reaped positive attention from parents, family, friends, and teachers. They became badges of honor on my quest for love. My sense of self-worth…

And we are still building ours. — We got this. I must have repeated this mantra a thousand times during our first few weeks of homeschooling. It turned out that my idea of homeschooling was more captivating and exciting than anything our days represented. I envisioned us working from different locations while traveling and experiencing new cultures and cuisines. Our…

Which presented its own challenges. — Once we opted out of the school schedule and created our learning plan, I breathed a sigh of relief. Working from home with my son presented its own set of challenges which sometimes resulted in voiceovers and/or surprise visits while on zoom calls. …