San Antonio Home Educator Profile:
Mary

Want to know what real home educators look like in the San Antonio Area?  The following is a brief overview of one San Antonio homeschoolers. Her real name is not used to protect her privacy.

How long have you been homeschooling?
2

How many children do you have? 
2

Do you homeschool them all?
Yes

What are their ages?
8 and 11

Why did you decide to homeschool?
The decision to homeschool was made due to the fact that we were planning to move out of the country. We had talked to our girls about the move and how they were going to go to a Spanish speaking school. They begged not to go, at least not until they felt more comfortable with the language etc. Well, we were not sure about what to do about this. One day at church I was talking to my friend about our move and then mentioned the school situation. She said, well why don't you homeschool? I had never even thought about it.

Right away I decided to research it as much as possible, looking into all options available. I also talked to several people who had been homeschooling for years and joined a support group. That fall, our move never happened but our homeschooling did. After long hours reading and talking to homeschoolers, going to support groups, we all decided we will give this a try. We then sent our letter to their Catholic school of our intention to homeschool. We were on our way.

Did you try public/private school?
Catholic school

What has been the hardest thing about homeschooling?
The hardest thing so far about homeschooling has been having confidence in myself about making the right choices for my daughters. My husband supports homeschooling but I usually make most of the curriculum choices. Also finding a style that is ours has been quite difficult also, there are just so many choices out there!

What has been the best thing about homeschooling?
The absolute best thing about homeschooling has been the ability to be flexible. We can learn anywhere and at any time. Although we loved learning together prior to this, it now took on a whole new level; it was our choice, our time, and it did not matter where we learned, the car, the park, library, book store, etc.

What kind of curriculum do you use? 
After experimenting over these past two years, we have come to a more classical style of learning loosely based on The Well Trained Mind. We also incorporate many Charlotte Mason techniques into our learning.

How did you decide on the curriculum?
The reason for this style is I like the classical method for preparing the mind for a full liberal arts education at the college level and the Charlotte Mason approach comes in because of the short lessons and flexibility of the method. I believe these two methods are very similar and harmonious.

What do you wish you had known when you first started homeschooling?
I wish I had trusted my abilities to teach my children from the beginning. Like I said before, my husband was fully supportive and confident but I on the other hand struggled with confidence. I also felt guilty, and still do at times, that I have to work and I cannot sit down with them for all of their lessons. I come from a background, as most of us do, where the thought that being in the classroom with a whole bunch of other same-aged children is just the best way to go; it was the only way I knew.

Are you a part of a homeschool support group or coop? Has it been useful for you?
We have yet to try an official co-op group, but we have participated in many homeschool support group activities. These have been tremendously helpful to us and to me as their mother, in that I can talk about our struggles, achievements, and just overall re-enforce our reasons for homeschooling in the first place.

What would your advice be to someone considering homeschooling?
My advice to someone considering homeschooling would be to first of all talk to someone you know who has been homeschooling, if possible, talk to several different families. Also, go to the library and check out as many books about homeschooling as you can. The internet is also very useful for finding out whatever you need to know about homeschooling.

Secondly, trust yourself. You as a family know what is best for your children. It is great to seek advice and help, but when it comes down to it, trust yourself and your children to make the best choices.

Explain your family circumstances:
My husband and I both work. That in and of itself presents many obstacles. Although I work at home, my job requires a lot of attention and time, typically about six to seven hours five to six days a week.

Give a typical week of homeschooling for your family.
I usually wake up much earlier than my children, work three hours, wake them up, eat breakfast, and start our homeschooling around 9 on most days. I usually write down the schedule for the day on a wipe off board just so they can stay on track as I will be on the computer for another two to three hours. When my husband is home (he is a construction subcontractor), he supervises their work, gives math tests and tutoring, and makes sure they get outside to play.

In the evening, we usually read while sitting around the table having our last snack of the day, or we listen to a book on tape that we had brought home from the library that week. TV watching is limited to a few hours a week at most. For the most part, the girls like to play computer games, play Barbies, or go to grandma's house (which is right behind us and they have just started a garden there). We also meet with another homeschooling family at least once a week to do Latin, Greek, and Spanish study. This is something we all look forward to.

What books or resources do you recommend?
I highly recommend that everyone read The Well Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. Anyone following this method, or close to it, will have a very thorough education. I also recommend The Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola as a book to help ease your worries about your ability to teach your child successfully

Anything else you want to contribute?
I believe if a family decides to take on the awesome journey of homeschooling, they will be forever grateful that they did, I know we are.