Home School
One of the first major decisions that Will and Karen faced when it came to raising their family was education.
Pela helping Isaiah with his daily Bible reading
But there was actually not much to decide about. Between the things being taught in public schools, and the potential for something bad waiting to happen (whether physical harm or negative influence), Will was determined to do anything he had to in order to teach his children at home.
And that is exactly what he did. He made sure that we received a good quality education, but also left room for our respective personalities and talents to emerge and blossom.
As the five oldest girls got older, they took over the homeschooling for the younger ones. But even the younger ones helped those younger than them. Kath handled a lot of the schooling for the "middle" kids and later on, Johannah became the main teacher for the three youngest boys.
And that is exactly what he did. He made sure that we received a good quality education, but also left room for our respective personalities and talents to emerge and blossom.
As the five oldest girls got older, they took over the homeschooling for the younger ones. But even the younger ones helped those younger than them. Kath handled a lot of the schooling for the "middle" kids and later on, Johannah became the main teacher for the three youngest boys.
Pela, copying her daily verse
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Focus on the Bible One of the things that Dad instilled in his children was the importance of spending time in the Bible. It was one of the mainstays in the homeschool curriculum that we used.
Every morning was started out by reading a chapter or two, and copying a verse chosen by the teacher. Even on the non-school days, Bible reading was still a requirement that needed to be done in the morning before playtime. Click here for more information on some of the books and other homeschooling curriculum we used throughout the years. |
Hosannah concentrating on what she wants to write
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Yes, I Can! Contrary to popular opinion, homeschooling your children does not mean that they will end up "socially stunted" or have difficulty dealing with "real-life" situations - not by any means! Take this homeschooled family for example... At one time, we ran more than three family businesses, managed several websites (all designed entirely by our family), and published our own monthly publication! We also have lots of artistic, crafting, and designing talent in our family.
In our family, "I don't know how" was not an excuse that was tolerated. Rather, we learned to embrace challenging situations with, "Well, I've never done that before, but there's no reason I can't try!" And, boy, did we have fun! Lots of fun! |
Isaiah working on his lessons
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