I think it’s a good idea to start with our definition of homeschooling. By the way, the word our refers to my husband Brian and I together. If I use the word my when talking about our homeschool, you can assume I’m including him because, like parenting, homeschooling was team effort.
Back to the definition. Homeschooling is not school-at-home. It is a home-based education in which all members of the family are engaged in learning. For example, in order to provide for our family, and keep his job, my husband was required to attend regular trainings and study new materials. He learned to teach and lead our children in their interests like animal care, camping, and hunting. By reading and observation, I learned about child development and advanced homemaking skills like grinding wheat to bake fresh homemade bread. With a friend’s coaching and practice, I learned how to preserve fruits and vegetables by canning them. I learned all I could about how to homeschool through various sources: books, magazines, support groups, conferences, and friends. In addition to their academics, our children learned the value of learning. The atmosphere of learning was evident in our home as soon as visitors walked in the front door. Home education became our lifestyle.
I leave you with a photo of a tree that is currently blooming in the Southwest desert. It is called a Palo Verde, which means green stick in Spanish, referring to the color of its branches. Its lemon yellow flowers bring a brightness to the desert we have not seen in some months.