San Antonio Home Educator Profile:
Kristin

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 1984.

How many children do you have? 
Three children. 

Do you homeschool them all?
Always homeschooled. 

What are their ages?
Oldest 2 are in college now.  One still at home is 15.

Why did you decide to homeschool?
Met friends that introduced the idea.  I had taught in the school system where my children would go and didn’t feel that it was the right place for them.

Did you try public/private school?
Although I taught (at one time) in both private and public schools, my children haven’t (until college) attended school.

What has been the hardest thing about homeschooling?
For me, the changing of my habits to focus more on my children than on myself.

What has been the best thing about homeschooling?
I love how close our family is.  My 22 and 18 year old daughters are good friends to my 15 yr old son.

Do you use a set curriculum?
Yes.

What kind of curriculum do you use? 
I have used a variety of curriculum from the “boxed” complete Abeka to Weaver unit study to put it together my self to Sonlight.

How did you decide on the curriculum?
Curriculum decisions were based on the needs of the children.

What do you wish you had known when you first started homeschooling?
That I didn’t have to do it “just like school”.  I really wish I had known more about the unschooling philosophy. 

Are you a part of a homeschool support group or coop? Has it been useful for you?
I am a member of a support group that has a small co-op. The support has been very useful.

What would your advice be to someone considering homeschooling?
Find the right curriculum for your child’s learning style.  Don’t be rigid.  Learning happens in lots of ways and at lots of different times.

What has been your experience in preparing/sending a homeschooler to college?
Well, we just plugged away.  One daughter’s senior year was the year that we moved, so that was hard.  The thing that their college was most interested in was a transcript that looked like a traditional transcript.       

Explain your family circumstances:
We are a two parent family.  My husband just finished his BA a year or so ago.  I have a BA and a teaching certificate.  Currently, I am home full-time, or at least as full-time as you can be running kids to lessons, etc. 

Give a typical week of homeschooling for your family.
Not sure we ever have a typical week.  Tuesday and Thursday we go to fencing.  Wednesday is piano.  Every other Thursday is Movie Making Club.  Wednesday night is youth group.  Fridays for 9 weeks in the spring and fall is co-op.  The rest of the time, we are home.  My son works pretty independently.

What books or resources do you recommend?
The internet is full of great information.  I like the books about the Charlotte Mason way of education. 

Anything else you want to contribute?
Try to find a group, or at least one or two others, that you feel comfortable with.  For me, the support helped me to keep going.