San Antonio Home Educator Profile:
Sheila

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?
Since the beginning.  My oldest is 10 years old now and have been homeschooling since he was preschool, but officially for 5 years.

How many children do you have? 
Five Children  

Do you homeschool them all?
Homeschool the 3 oldest so far. The others are too young

What are their ages?
10 yrs, 8 yrs, 5 yrs, 3 yrs, and 15 months

Why did you decide to homeschool?
We like the flexibility it gives us -- to visit family that lives far away and to do other things.  Gives us more flexibility with the weekday -- not tied to the school day or school calendar

Did you try public/private school?
My children have never been in school.  But I did used to teach math in the public high school system

What has been the hardest thing about homeschooling?
Time management.

What has been the best thing about homeschooling?
Tailoring my children's education to their needs.  Seeing how much they learn.

What kind of curriculum do you use? 
I do not use a set curriculum but I do loosely follow the classical approach spelled out in The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and her mother

What do you wish you had known when you first started homeschooling?
It's not about comparing your kids' progress and where they are academically to other homeschoolers or to the public school kids.  You have to look at the progress they are making.  This isn't about making a child prodigy who will finish college by the time he's 14.  It's about making good citizens who are educated and can form an opinion and articulate it.  Relax!

Are you a part of a homeschool support group or coop? Has it been useful for you?
No co-op or homeschool group.  Some other homeschooling moms and I get together for Mom's night Out -- that's a real must!  

What would your advice be to someone considering homeschooling?
Try it.  Take it day-by-day.  If it doesn't work out you can always put them back in school.  There will be ups and downs.

What has been your experience in preparing/sending a homeschooler to college?
None                                                                                              

Explain your family circumstances:
We are a 2-parent family with five children.  My husband is in the USAF. We have been homeschooling the oldest since the  beginning.  I am a former high school math teacher with a BA in mathematics and a Master's of Teaching degrees and a concentration in Physics.  My husband has a Rhetoric and Communication Studies BA and MA.  He works in Public Affairs for the Air Force.  He has experience teaching  Public Speaking and Argumentation & Debate at the College level.  So hopefully our strengths will complement each other -- my technical knowledge with his knowledge of the liberal arts ... philosophy, religion, history, and  communication.

Give a typical week of homeschooling for your family.

Chaos!

What books or resources do you recommend?
The Well-Trained Mind

Anything else you want to contribute?
Don't be afraid to make homeschooling your own.  Don't feel you have to follow anyone person's curricula to the letter.  Mix it up.  Do what works with your child.