My thanks to Kim, who sat with me over a coffee and discussed her life: raising and teaching her children.
Q: What is it that you do?
A: I am a writer, and I homeschool my three children.
Q: How long have you done this?
A: For about ten years now.
Q: What kind of schooling did you have to do to get into this career?
A: Well, I have a business degree, but you don’t need a particular degree to homeschool. You just need dedication, the desire to learn alongside your child(ren), and patience. You need a lot of patience.
Q: What can you tell me about the “culture” of homeschooling? Are there any personality or family types you think tend to be drawn to it?
A: Oh, boy. The culture of homeschooling…there’s this whole divide between homeschoolers and “normal” families. People think homeschoolers are weird, crazy, extremists, and isolated. We’re anything but – well, some of us are weird and crazy, but not in a bad way. Homeschooling families tend to hang out with other homeschooling families, and we join homeschooling groups so our kids can do social outings, field trips, and other school-type functions.
Q: Do you think there is a discrepancy between what you know now, and what you thought homeschooling was before you actually started to homeschool?
A: Totally. I used to think that it would be much harder than it actually is. I got myself all worked up about it right when my oldest was starting kindergarten, and it turned out to be much more laid back than I anticipated. And now I’m teaching my third, so we’ve been through it all twice already. I still hate teaching math.
Q: What would you tell someone who was considering homeschooling?
A: I would tell that person to relax and follow his or her heart. A parent knows what’s best for his or her children.
Thanks again to Kim!