Homeschool Advice from Lisa, The Survival Mom

I’ve homeschooled my kids since they were in kindergarten, but in some ways, I was possibly the least likely homeschooler ever. I started my career as a public school teacher right out of college and taught 4th, 7th, and 8th grades over a period of 9 years. Following that, I became a teacher trainer in one of the largest school districts in the Phoenix area. Part of my job was to teach teachers instructional and classroom management skills, teach “model” lessons for other teachers and administrators to observe, and visit classrooms to give feedback to the teachers themselves.

One might have expected these experiences to have solidified my mindset as a pro-public school employee, but the opposite happened. As an older mom, I couldn’t fathom sending my precious children away every morning and missing out on the golden moments of their childhood. I wanted to spend the best hours of the day with them, not the remnants at day’s end. I also knew I could do just as good a job as any public school teacher, despite never having taught a grade lower than 4th.

I was pretty cocky starting out. I mean, who could blame me? I had started a Master’s Degree program in Administration and had held that high profile job as a teacher trainer. I knew it all, or so I thought!

Homeschooling is my passion, and I believe it would be a very rare family or child who wouldn’t benefit from being pulled out of the crowded, impersonal public school and taught at home.

In this list of articles and videos, you can read more about our homeschool adventures, misadventures, and some homeschooling advice.