Reclaiming Our Children's Education

The Lord put it on my heart back in 2016 to be a resource to students and families who are considering homeschooling for their children's education. I re-read my first post (simply titled "Welcome") when I created this blog and as I read the three points listed in that post, it really struck me how the call I felt back then is exactly the same I still feel today. I was surprised that this is still my focus and my passion even after so much time as passed.

So I thought I'd start by first posting those three points again and then will give a bit of clarification on a couple points. I think it helps to know where my heart lies before I start sharing information and ideas about homeschooling.

Here are the points from that original blog post:

• Help guide and educate families on the wealth of educational opportunities (other than public school*) that are out there, specifically in the Dallas / Fort Worth area.
  
  
• To share what I've learned over the years from being in both public school and now having been a home educator for 4+ years (updated: now that's 9+ years!).
  
  
• Share my story with as many families as I can. I tolerated and even worked in a broken system for years in hopes of change. I finally came to the realization that the system will not change but families can**. 

*It may sound like I'm omitting public school as an option for parents and families and that's not my intent here. Let me clarify. Public school is an option for families but many families already have a knowledge of their local public schools and the educational and extracurricular opportunities they offer. So, my time and focus is spent on those educational opportunities you may not know about - those like co-ops, university model schools, Thomas Jefferson Education, classical education, support groups, field trip groups, homeschool classes, traveling homeschool groups, and so much more!

**Families can change. By this I mean that families can change their ideas of what education is and what education is supposed to look like. When I taught in public school, education looked like desks in rows (kids trying to sit still and listen), kids reading textbooks and working on either worksheets or workbooks, walking in lines to and from other classes, classes grouped by age categories and, me, as their teacher trying to impart some knowledge from my mind (based on the curriculum guides) to the students. This type of educational model is not effective and it does not foster a love of learning. That's where the freedom and benefits of homeschooling come in! But it starts with a change in the family's definition of education and realizing up front that education at home will not look anything like that in a traditional school setting (and that's a great thing!).

There are a few foundational ideas that we, as parents and families, would do well to claim and believe once again. (This is the start of the change in our thinking that I mentioned earlier.)

1. You have choices in your child's education.
   If what you try one year doesn't work, try something else. Do not feel obligated to stick with a system just because that's what you're used to or what you feel you're supposed to do. Change it up! You have a choice.
   
   
2. As the parent, you are your child's first and most important teacher.
   No one can take the place of being your child's advocate in their education no matter what educational environment you choose to put your child in (public school, charter school, private school, etc.). Parents MUST be involved and any school that is not supportive of parents and 100% transparent with them is not a school you want to be involved in. I was sharing this idea with a friend and they said, "If I was going to have to be THAT involved, I'd just homeschool my children." She made my point for me. We need to have this mindset that we HAVE TO be involved and be in constant communication with the school.
   
   Personally, I was that parent. I was very involved when my kids were in public school and, unfortunately, for us it wasn't enough. (Read our story here.)
   
   
3. Homeschooling is not about you having to impart some knowledge from your brain to your child's brain. Homeschooling is about learning TOGETHER. When I don't have the answers, we look it up together. We learn together. I didn't know how to teach calculus but guess what? I can either learn it with my daughter, find a tutor or enroll her in a homeschool class. Together we find the resources so we can learn how to learn. I don't have to have all the knowledge in the world. I just have to be willing to find it with and for my child.
   
   
4. You are not alone on this journey.
   Don't try to do it all by yourself. That's a sure-fire way to burn yourself out and guarantee you'll throw in the towel on homeschooling. Life is not meant to be lived in isolation and neither is homeschooling. We need a group willing to go through it with us. That's why co-ops, play groups, homeschool groups and clubs are so important. 
   
   
5. Re-imagine what education can look like.
   Don't set up your living room with desks in rows and workbooks on the shelf. Homeschooling allows for much more freedom, creativity and uniqueness than that. It's a hard mold to break, I know. I'm a product of public school and I taught in public school for 6 years and it took me years of homeschooling to break out of this mindset. Education, to me, now looks like: field trips to the nature center, doing nature drawings, staying up late to look at the stars through a telescope in the night sky, going to an event to see an eclipse (I did this with my kids), reading books out loud as a family, writing pen pal letters to far-away friends, listening to books on audio, discussing great books, putting on plays, playing music and so much more!

Now on to the resources and educational options! That's why you've read down this far in this post, isn't it? I've created a Database of Resources page and if you'd like, you can jump in and take a look at all the different options out there (the different options I've compiled at least). **Please note: all resources are Christ centered and most are in the Fort Worth or surrounding areas unless otherwise noted.

However, it might be best to take a short inventory of your families' wants and needs that will help whittle down the options. Start by asking yourself the following questions:

• Does my schedule allow for the kids to be home a couple days during the week? If I'm not available, is there a friend, family member, or grandparent who can help out a couple days during the week? If so, the options below might be a good fit for you.
  
  
• University model school: In this model, students attend class two or three days a week (depending on the program) and then they do the work at home on the other days. Your in charge of helping them with their work at home. Examples: Christian Life Prepatory School, Legacy Christian Academy, The Oaks Tutorials, Coram Deo Academy (Collin County, Dallas, Flower Mound) and Pinnacle Christian School, Mosaic Academ, Matthew Road Academy, and an online university model option - Christian Cottage Prep. For high school, Worldview Studies is an excellent program that meets once a week.
  
  
• Co-ops: Co-ops generally meet once-a-week and each participating parent usually teaches a class (class topics and ages vary). Examples: WACHE (Westside Area Christian Home Educators), LIFT Schoolhouse, Arlington Liber Academy, Gracewood Academy, Northpoint Christian Academy
  
  
• Another option is Classical Conversations. This option has a reasonable tuition cost and they are more structured than most co-ops. They offer a full pre-set curriculum that parents follow and most CC communities meet once-a-week. The student follows their guide at home and it spells out the work they need to complete each day. They pay their class instructors / mentors. The CC model is very clear that parents are their child's first and most important teacher. Many parents sign up to teach the classes to help offset the tuition cost. They give you all the curriculum, training and guidance.
  
  
• Do I need at least a 4 days-a-week schooling option? Is there a friend, family member or grandparent that I can ask to help out one day a week? If so, these options may work for you:
• Cooper Christian Academy is in Crowley and they meet Monday through Thursday. Cost is very reasonable.
• Pinnacle Christian Academy
• Legacy Christian Academy of Granbury (they offer up to 4 days a week; Tuesday through Friday)
  
  
• Do I simply want to outsource a few classes or enrich my homeschooling with extracurricular activities? These options may be just the fit! These options can very easily become 2 to 4 days a week worth of schooling, too!
  
  
• Center for Home Education: In addition to offering classes for PreK - high school, they also support for homeschooling parents and have an onsite cafe / bookstore.
• Travis Academy of Fine Arts and Science Etc. - both offer a wide variety of classes.

Please reach out to me if you need help, suggestions or just want guidance in this search. I want to be a resource to you and your family!

I hope you can hear my heart for your family and children! Each child is so unique and their education should be as well. We personally found out that a one-size-fits-all idea of school did not work for us and it's because of what we went through and learned that I want to share, encourage, support and resource families who are just venturing out and dipping their toes into this amazing adventure of home educating!

Here's to reclaiming our children's education!