Unhurried Homeschooling – Durenda Wilson

For this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Durenda Wilson, author of The Unhurried Homeschooler, a mercifully short book on homeschooling, and Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart. I just love Durenda’s heart for unhurried homeschooling and her passion for helping moms learn to trust fully in the Lord with their children’s education. I know you will be blessed, too!

Durenda is a homeschooling mom of eight (born 1991-2004), five of whom have graduated. She has been married for 28 years to Darryl and they have 4 grandchildren. Durenda has written The Unhurried Homeschooler-a simple, mercifully short book on homeschooling and Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart. She is the owner/writer/host of her blog and podcast, Durenda Wilson. She is called to a ministry of encouragement and has a very special place in her heart for moms and homeschooling moms because she believes, for many reasons, that motherhood is not only a gift, but often the unseen place where God moves in very powerful ways. This is why she is convinced that Christian moms must have a working knowledge of the Word that will give them the courage to raise their children as faithful followers of Christ above all else.

Here is what I asked Durenda on the show:

• Tell us first of all how you started homeschooling and how it became unhurried homeschooling?
• In reading your site, so much of it resonated with me and I felt like I could have written it! In particular, you talk about today’s homeschooling parents as being bombarded with all this information about what is best for their children. You say: “In an effort to do what we think will ultimately benefit our children, we are, in fact, robbing them of the very thing they need to engage in higher learning and become well-adjusted adults. The results are that our kids are having to cope with the complexities of adulthood and losing their one chance to be a kid.” Explain to us more of what you mean by that.
• What has had the biggest influence in shaping your educational philosophy of unhurried homeschooling? Were there any books that had a particular impact on you?
• To remind our listeners, the definition of lifeschooling is “the individualized process of discovering your child’s God-given gifts and talents through real life experiences that happen within the context of your family’s unique situations and missions.” How does your family lifeschool? Is there a part of that definition that particularly speaks to you?
• Tell us about a typical day in your homeschool and has this changed over the years?
• What are some of the gifts that you saw early on in your children and how did you tailor their education around the development of those gifts?
• I think for many homeschoolers who have not yet seen homeschooling through to the end with any of their kids, it is very reassuring to hear veteran success stories, especially from those who have embraced unhurried homeschooling. Tell us a little bit about the children you have graduated and what they are doing now.
• You wrote a couple books, The Unhurried Homeschooler, a mercifully short book on homeschooling and Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart. I love that… “a mercifully short book…” by the way, because I think most of us homeschoolers struggle getting through an entire book! Tell us a little bit about your books and where to find them. (You may find Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart and The Unhurried Homeschooler on Amazon.)

And that’s Life as a Lifeschooler! Subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. Hope you’ll join us next time!