Character as Core Curriculum – Kathie Morrissey

Kathie Morrissey

On this episode, I talked to pioneer homeschooler Kathie Morrissey of The Character Corner. Kathie’s heart is that character be the “core curriculum.” I’ve been following her blog for a year or so and I’ve really loved learning from the wisdom she shares. Kathie is a true Titus 2 woman! One of my favorite resources of hers is the Little Lads and Ladies of Virtue curriculum, which we discuss in the show.

Kathie is wife to Alan, mother of eight children, and a homeschooling mom of 31 years. She and her husband have been married for 40 years, and their kids are grown up, with the youngest being 21. They also have 13 precious grandchildren.

Though her homeschooling days are behind her now that all eight of the kids have graduated,  She still stays busy running The Character Corner, traveling to conferences, speaking, and sharing encouragement on her blog.

Her goal in ministry is to help and encourage parents to be purposeful as they try to raise their kids to have Godly character, and a heart for God, while providing practical advice, tips, and encouragement from the things she has learned over 36 years of parenting, and 31 years of homeschooling.

When she’s not working, you may find Kathie playing the piano, reading a good book, or eating chocolate.  And twice a week, she takes care of her sweet four-year old granddaughter, Tori.

Here are some of the things Kathie and I talked about:

• Tell us more about your homeschooling journey back in the early days of the movement. How did you start? What was it like to be on the forefront?
• Many homeschoolers bring the school model home because we all tend to just do what we know. I know you put a lot of emphasis on relationships and character in homeschooling. Is there anything in particular that helped shape your perspective and educational philosophy?
• What are some of the gifts that you saw early on in your children and how were you able to tailor their education around the development of those gifts?
• You focus a lot on building strong character. As I mentioned before, we love your Little Lads and Ladies curriculum. No matter what our homeschool day looks like, this is one resource that I almost never neglect to do with my youngest who’s seven. It really just makes us more conscious throughout the day of his character and how to train him in it. Did you do this or something similar with your own children? What were some practical ways that you focused on character and what were the results?
• I also love your focus on building strong relationships because that is really the heart of any character training we do. I read a really helpful article of yours recently called “How to Really Know Your Children Well. Share with us some of those tips.
• As a “pioneer,” what do you see as one of the biggest problems in the homeschooling movement today?

You can find out more about Kathie and purchase her resources at www.TheCharacterCorner.com.