It’s Friday Feature time!!! Many of my readers have either just started homeschooling or are still thinking about it. With that in mind I decided to start a weekly feature interviewing new and veteran moms, asking them to share with us how they started homeschooling, their struggles and their joys. I love hearing how other moms do it all and how they started homeschooling. Everyone’s journey is so different!

Meet Mary

Tell us about yourself.

I am a former teacher, turned homeschool mom. In my pre-homeschool days I taught 5th grade and then middle school math. I loved the classroom and I still miss it at times. But I had always wanted to stay home with my kids, so I made the transition to “at-home mom” after just under 5 years in the public schools.

My current “classroom” has four “students”. My daughters are in 7th grade and 5th grades. My sons are in 3rd and 1st grades.

As for me, I am a Maryland girl who relocated to North Carolina about 2 years ago. I love it. I had no idea that I was so much of a southern girl.

I enjoy reading, blogging, running, and talking. Thankfully, I do find time for all four things, though not everyday.

Did you always know you wanted to homeschool?

Quite the contrary. In fact, in high school, I thought the idea of homeschooling was crazy. I mean, who would do that to their kid? HA!

Then, while in college, a close friend of mine shared that she was homeschooled for K-3rd and the idea of homeschooling for those years was appealing to me. She painted a picture of learning chores, being together, playing outside and having seat work completed by noon. I loved the image and I kept it in the back of my mind.

Once I had my first baby, and the school discussions began, we considered the idea of homeschooling the early years. At the same time, MD public schools decided to make kindergarten a full day experience. It was that public school decision that really pushed me into homeschooling. I did not like the idea of my 5 year old being in school all day, so we decided to go for it.

How did you start homeschooling?

I began researching, reading and talking to people. The first idea I encountered that appealed to me was Classical Education and I joined Classical Conversations that first year. While our experience was delightful, I began to read more and found that the theories and ideas of Charlotte Mason were more of a fit for our family and we left CC the next year.

Our first year was a ton of fun. I kept it light and enjoyable. One thing we did, and still do, is READ. A LOT.

What is your favorite thing about homeschooling?

Freedom. I love setting our own routine and schedule. At this point I couldn’t imagine having a school dictate so much of our lives. But that time may come, and if it does, we’ll adjust. For now, I LOVE the freedom that comes with homeschooling!

As a teacher, are there subjects you struggle teaching?

Ironically, I was a math teacher, but I struggle with teaching math at times. I get worried about leaving the traditional book methods and have to work to think outside the box in this area, but I am learning.

I used to struggle with teaching writing. It seemed so foreign to me, but I feel more confident these days! It is a growth process.

And while there aren’t other subjects that I “struggle” with, there are definitely some that I don’t enjoy as much…like civics and government.

How do you overcome that?

First, I educate myself on the topic and methods to teach it by talking to people, finding Facebook groups, and researching. I love to read, so reading about different methods and curriculums is fun for me.

Second, I have taken advantage of online and locally hosted classes. It is helpful at times to allow someone else teach my child the topic.

Finally, we have joined forces with other moms and rotated the kids through “classes” in our own homes. Thankfully, I have a friend who loves politics and government so she was happy to teach a class on those topics while I taught poetry!

What advice would you give to someone interested in or just starting homeschooling?

Find a homeschool mom and pick their brain. Ask questions about how they do things and what has worked. Get names of curriculums and research them. The more people you can ask, the better. It’s great to get lots of ideas because every homeschool family is going to find different things that work.

Note of caution: try to find folks who share information without making you feel like their way is the RIGHT way – there is no one “right” way, so keep that in mind!

And join a group. It might not be the right fit for your family in the end, but having a group is necessary for support! (You can even find great online support groups)

Can you give us an example of how you encourage your children’s curiosity?

I think by spreading a “feast of ideas” in front of our children, we can engage and encourage their curiosities. You never know what might hit them. We spend time with nature, art, Shakespeare, quality literature and movies in addition to our other subjects. Obviously, we don’t do these every day or even every week, but we try to incorporate time in each element during our year.

We also try to leave our house and have lots of educational and life experiences in the world around us. This includes museums, festivals, and traveling. Opening up the world to them in any way that we can is another way to develop and encourage their curiosity.

Finally, I chase my own curiosities! My children watch and listen as I share my discoveries. Sometimes I bring them along, but I have also learned that it is OK to follow my own interests without needing them to be part of it. I can attend a science or art class without them and then they see my excitement!

How can readers connect with you?

You can find me online at NotBefore7 in most social media and gmail. My blog is www.notbefore7.com and there is a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/notbefore7. You can contact me on either of these pages or directly at notbefore7@gmail.com I love to talk homeschool and am happy to answer any questions.

A few months ago, I began to frequently periscope and can be found there @notbefore7. There is a katch.me page for @notbefore7 at katch.me/notbefore7 where my past scopes can be found. Periscope is a great way to get a look at the various methods of homeschooling and some fantastic ideas to try!

Would you like to share your advice with us? Contact me at raisingdavinci@gmail.com