A Letter From a Veteran Homeschool Mom to the Newbies

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

A Letter from a Veteran Christian Homeschool Mom to the Newbie Homeschool MomIn honor of the 500th Episode of the Vintage Homeschool Moms show, and the 10th Birthday Celebration of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network, I thought it would be fun to write a letter from one Christian homeschooling mom who has been in the homeschooling world long enough she’s helping homeschool her grandchildren, to a brand new Christian homeschooling mom. I’ve hyperlinked words and phrases to guide you through her work. 

With all the years of dedication Felice Gerwitz has given to the world of homeschooling, through her writing, books and publishing, and podcasting, this is also a compilation of her wisdom. 

Thank you, Felice, for following God’s calling to start the Network. 

Okay, play along? 

— Gina


Dear New Homeschool Mom,

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you and your family as you embark on your homeschooling journey. It brings me great joy to welcome you to the wonderful world of Christian homeschooling. I’ve walked this path for several years, and I want to offer you some guidance and encouragement from a Christian perspective as you begin this incredible adventure.

Homeschooling is not just about academics; it’s an opportunity to cultivate a Christ-centered education, nurturing not only the minds but also the hearts of our children.

Here are some Christian insights from a veteran homeschool mom  and tips to help you along the way:

1. Prayer and Devotion: Begin your homeschool days with prayer and devotional time. Invite God’s presence into your home and your educational journey. Seek His guidance and wisdom, for He is the ultimate teacher.

2. Bible-Centered Learning: Integrate the Word of God into your curriculum. Study the Bible together, memorize scripture, and explore Christian values in your subjects. Let your child see how faith is interwoven with knowledge.

3. Character Building: Use homeschooling as an opportunity to instill Christian values and character traits in your child. Teach them about love, kindness, forgiveness, and the importance of serving others.

4. Nature and Creation: Encourage an appreciation for God’s creation. Take your lessons outdoors to explore the beauty and wonder of the natural world, reminding your child of the Creator’s hand in all of it.

5. Christian Resources: Utilize Christian curriculum, books, and educational resources. Many Christian publishers offer materials that align with your faith and values.

6. Service and Outreach: Engage in community service and outreach activities with your child. Show them the importance of living out their faith by helping those in need.

7. Church and Fellowship: Active participation in your church and Christian fellowship groups can provide spiritual support and opportunities for your child to develop relationships with peers who share their faith.

8. Teachable Moments: Recognize that life itself is a classroom. Use everyday experiences as teachable moments to impart spiritual truths and life skills.

9. Encourage Questions: Encourage your child to ask questions about their faith and engage in open, honest discussions about Christianity. This will help them build a strong foundation.

10. Trust in God’s Plan: Homeschooling may have its challenges, but always remember that God has a unique plan for each child. Trust in His guidance and lean on Him during difficult times.

11. Fellowship with Other Christian Homeschool Families: Connect with other Christian homeschool families. This can provide support, encouragement, and shared faith-based resources.

You are not alone in this journey; the Lord is your ever-present companion.

As you strive to provide your child with a Christ-centered education, know that you are planting seeds of faith that will grow and bear fruit over the years.

If you ever need someone to pray with, seek advice, or simply share the joys and challenges of homeschooling from a Christian perspective, please don’t hesitate to reach out. As a Vintage Homeschool Mom (veteran) Christian homeschool mom, I’m here to support you in your walk of faith and education.

May your homeschooling journey be filled with blessings, grace, and an ever-deepening relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In Christian love,

Felice Gerwitz


Resources from Felice at Media Angels

 

Homeschool Secret Weapon

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Homeschool Secret Weapon | The homeschool secret weapon is not the perfect curriculum, perfectly run home, or peaceful household. | #homeschoolpodcast #podcast #secrethomeschoolweapon #helpfformoms #momstips #insiderhomeschooltips #homeschoolersHomeschool Secret Weapon ~ Episode 491

The homeschool secret weapon is not the perfect curriculum, perfectly run home, or peaceful household. While all of those things are great, the true secret lies in the little-known information, and once you get it right, the rest falls into place. Join veteran homeschooling mom Felice Gerwitz as she shares her homeschool experience with you.

Visit the updated MediaAngels.com website for classes, books, and planners to help you on your homeschool journey.

If you missed my last podcast, Homeschooling Secrets, check it out here.

So…it’s time to dig deep, and I need your full attention. Sure, homeschool moms are great multi-taskers. You may be driving, folding clothes, or perhaps even painting a wall with your kids. (I’ve received emails telling me the favorite activities of my listeners.) But, seriously, I need your attention today because the information I am sharing with you will take some convincing.

It is not that my information is incorrect or that it is flawed in some way; the issue at hand is that humility may get in the way.

I’m not trying to be vague if you have listened to any of my past 490 podcasts a ridiculous number, I know, and I’m still at it; I normally get right to the point.

The Real Secret Weapon

The truth is the secret weapon is you, mom, or dad. Not to put pressure on you more than you possibly put on yourself, but the simple fact is you are it! You are the head of your home, classroom, discipline, and organization in your family, the head honcho, or whatever title you give yourself. Who gives the final word on what happens in your child’s education? You. In regard to your child’s physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being in the palm of your hand. Literally.

How did I come to this conclusion? Carefully. Over the years, I placed blame on various sources, entities, and even my own shoulders for what I considered academic or character struggles my children went through in their life. The curriculum was easy – if my child didn’t “get” Algebra using one book, no worries – we purchased another. Character struggles were the result of a young age (they are too young to get it), too little knowledge (we haven’t covered that yet) or lack of information (we are working on that). But at some point, I had to stop and say, “I can’t blame their teacher because I am their teacher.”

Instead of that statement being a burden, I embraced it. I realized that I could not address the issue without acknowledging my shortcomings. If my child was misbehaving, I had many options, but I had to do something to correct that behavior, or I’d see it again and again. I’d turn into the nagging, repeating parent.

Word on the Street

At every convention I attended, I found the next best thing. Yet, upon implementation, I found that this next-best thing was not what I was looking for, whether it was a book, workbook, video, game, or even a book on scheduling and organization. I discovered that I needed to be “all in” in order to embrace what we were learning and be there to support my child in the process. As homeschoolers, we tend to want to set it and forget it. Give your child a book and walk away and then become frustrated when they walk away from the table and never come back, lose their book, or fail to complete an assignment. This all happened in the course of my 32 years of homeschooling.

My discovery came from many discussions with my husband, homeschool friends, and children. First, my husband shared information he learned from listening to a homeschooled dad of a large family, a Catholic Psychologist he listened to on the radio. He loved this man and his advice, especially to dads.  His advice was that moms hold so much power in their hands. They can determine if the child receives privileges. It is up to them. That is not novel advice, but in the context of homeschooling it becomes powerful. We are with our children 24/7, and our children know what buttons to push; they know when we are tired, or they conquer and divide, tell mom or dad that the other parent gave permission when this isn’t true. Or, they blur the lines of exactly what it means when you ask, “Did you complete your assignment?”

Homeschool Secret Weapons Tool Box:

Having the tools to get the results you need is in your tool chest of homeschool secret weapons. And what are these?

  1. You have the power of yes or no.
  2. You can remove distractions.
  3. You can set boundaries.
  4. You can decide if a child forgoes a snack or a treat.
  5. You can give permission or take it away.

My daughter brought home some friends when she attended a local university. One girl went on and on about how she was now an adult. I asked what age constituted adulthood and, secondly, when she turned said age. She answered eighteen and that her birthday had been a few months prior. So, I concluded you had been an adult for three months? She saw where I was going with it, and my daughter just laughed and rolled her eyes. This friend then proceeded to tell me that she and my daughter had had quite a few conversations, and she considered my interest in her life excessive. (She wasn’t quite blatant, but I knew what she meant.)

I explained, “Well, this household is not a republic or a democracy. It is a monarchy, and I am the Queen.” My daughter had a smile on her face, thankfully because she had heard it before, but this girl was appalled. So I went on to explain further.

You Are The Queen

Being the head of your household and reigning as Queen means caring for those in your charge (your spouse, your children), laying down your life for your kingdom (your family), and providing the best within your means. A responsibility, yes, but a privilege as well. It is a weighty responsibility; we need to refill our tanks occasionally. (I have an upcoming podcast on the topic). Being the Queen is also a thankless job. We do it because we are born into this and thrive if it is done well.

The homeschool secret weapon is our attitude and our outlook on our homeschool journey. It is placing things in perspective and not stressing the small stuff (guilty of both). Honestly, I had to pull away from the homeschool community at large for a time. I had to pull back and reexamine my focus on my spouse and children and regroup. I founded this Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Community out of a need to celebrate what was good in homeschooling with people I knew (the majority of the people on this network are those I know personally or have met in real life). You can trust these podcasters as having your best interest in giving homeschool advice.

Next Step

Friends, you are the homeschool secret weapon, and the question is, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to realize the power you have and use it wisely? I pray that this information has been helpful and you can use it to benefit your children and your family life. We undervalue our service to our family, or at best; we are too humble to appreciate it — that is why I asked for your full attention at the beginning of this podcast. I know your hearts are good, and you want what is best for your children, and when there are frustrations or difficulties, it is easy to blame others or even your children for their lack of cooperation. Knowing we have the tools at our disposal is a good start.

 

 

Changes to Your Homeschool to Make Now

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Homeschool Changes You Should Make Now: podcast

If your homeschool needs to change, chances are good that these three changes will make a huge difference. The good news is they lighten your load; they don’t add to it.

Want to read this article as a blog post? READ HERE or SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNES or ON STITCHER

Links

Homeschool Sanity on Facebook

Help Your Kids Increase Handwriting Speed

How to Plan Your Homeschool Year

Online Grammar Websites

Free Grammar Games

Podcast on Reluctant Homeschoolers with Rebecca Spooner

Grammar Galaxy: The Homeschool Sanity Show

I created Grammar Galaxy to make language arts fast, easy, and fun. I had to share what mom Elizabeth recently told me. She mentioned that their schooling had been a little off schedule because of a move. She wrote, “We got back on track yesterday and started Mission 8. Let me tell you, it’s been fun, but my son lost his mind on this lesson! I have NEVER seen him laugh so hard during any lesson, for any subject since we started homeschooling. When the queen told Ellen, “I hate you” with tears in her eyes, he fell off his chair. He actually begged me to read the story to him again! I laughed equally hard at your instructions to try mixing up synonyms and antonyms at dinner (But [to] let your parents know what you are doing). Our 5 year old was so offended when he told me dinner was just terrible! You really did it. You truly made grammar fun. I didn’t think it was possible but you obviously deserve some kind of medal! THANK YOU!”

Have a happy homeschool week!

What change will you make first? Let’s chat about it on Facebook.

How to Gain a Fresh Perspective on Your Homeschooling

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

how to get a fresh perspective on your homeschool The Homeschool Sanity Show podcast

Thank you for your patience as The Homeschool Sanity Show and I were on vacation. The great thing about my time off is I gained much needed perspective. In this episode, I share how you can gain a fresh perspective on your homeschool too.

LISTEN ON ITUNES

Teaching Tip of the Week

RochelleBarlow.com

Organized Homeschool Challenge of the Week

This week’s challenge is The School Space Challenge.

Links

a hands-free homeschool mom podcast episode

Grammar Galaxy

episode on Grammar Galaxy

Two Awesome Hours

HomeschoolScopes.tv

The Purposeful Housewife.com

Thank you for taking the time to listen to this podcast. I would love to hear from you, either in an iTunes review or send me an email at psychowith6 at gmail.com.

Have a happy homeschool week!

Why You May Not Need to Do More

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Why You Don't Necessarily Need to Do More: The Homeschool Sanity Show podcast
Are you a homeschool mom stressed and struggling because you think you have to do more?  I hope to put your mind at ease today.

So You’re Not Wonder Woman

Teaching Tip of the Week

AllinOneHomeschool.com

The Organized Homeschool Challenge of the Week

The Christmas Shopping Challenge

Links

Why I’m No Homeschool Superstar

Periscope Viewer’s Tips

@JaneGirl  manyhandsmom.wordpress.com

@LL_AtHeart

@Ohimesama09

@zombiefiedmombrains

@LaraMarriott LaraMarriott.com

This Week’s Action Steps

Pray about why you feel the need to do more. Talk to a veteran homeschool mom whose homeschooling and lifestyle you admire and ask her what she thinks of your plan. If she suggests you do less, give it a try and see how you and your children respond. If you’re happy with the changes, let me know! I’d love to hear about it at psychowith6 @ gmail.com.

Next Week

I’ll interview my oldest son about homeschooling, public school, and college. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes so you don’t miss it.

Homeschool Haters: How to Handle Them

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

How to Handle Homeschool Haters The Homeschool Sanity Show Podcast

When I asked my Facebook page fans if they received flack when they started homeschooling, I was surprised by the response. Join the conversation at Homeschool Sanity on Facebook.

Teaching Tip of the Week

Your Morning Basket by Pam Barnhill
Your Morning Basket

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Organized Homeschool Challenge of the Week

The Organized Kitchen Challenge. The link includes the Menu printable you can use to create your own snack shack.

Links

HSLDA

How to Deal With the Social Worker at Your Door

Naysayers & Negative Nellies

Periscope Viewers

@Krystineg

Jess @jess42508 of The Dailys with Jess

@Janamomof3

Brandy @ourthriftyhome of Our ThriftyHome

Action Steps

  1. See haters as future advocates
  2. Know why you’re homeschooling
  3. Protect yourself

Next Week

How to Be a Hands-Free Homeschooler

You Don’t Have to Homeschool ALL of Your Children

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Legalism is not required to homeschool. You can homeschool All Some or One of your Children.jpg

Homeschool

YES, You can Homeschool all of your children, some of your children, or one of your children. Seek God’s will for your family, your children and their education. If He directs your path to homeschool all, some, one or none of your children, that is the path you should take.

Join me and Kerry Beck from How To Homeschool My Child as we discuss this very topic and how God directed her to homeschool two of her children and send another to school for high school. She is seeing the fruit of following the Lord’s direction for school and missions trips.

Yes, as always, I got a little off topic, but let the Lord run the show as Kerry and I discussed not only homeschool but how she and her family have gone on mission trips for many years.

You can find Kerry on her website, YouTubeFacebook, Twitter, G+ and Pinterest.