With pandemic concerns and the education of our children weighing heavily on parents, we reached out for help and encouragement concerning schooling kids at home and received some helpful hints about home education from an expert.
Jade Bressler took some time out of her busy but blessed life to shed light on some basic questions on how to teach your children at home. She is a homeschooling mother of four lovely children. She has been educating at home for 11 years.
This is part 1 of a 2 part series.
Q: Who can homeschool?
A: I believe that any mom or dad can homeschool!
God gifted us with the children in our home and when He calls someone to homeschool He will equip us with what we need. It can be intimidating to think of, especially if you have older kids. Most people think that phonics is easy compared to chemistry, but I have struggled with both. I have learned I don’t have to be a master in anything I teach my kids, I just have to be willing to learn alongside them.
There is great power in good questions and plenty of ways to research our answers … together! There is also a world of resources available, anything from community groups, instructional DVDs, comprehensive teacher manuals, and websites. I had the same thoughts you might be having “Well, that sounds good for you, but I could never do that?”
I was right, I can’t — but God can do anything.
Q: What about socialization?
A: This is probably the most common question or judgment I have gotten through the years about homeschooling. In my experience, my kids have excelled in socialization. My definition may not be being able to get along great with 15 other kids their own age, but they do very well at interacting with younger and older people.
In our lives, we need to be able to relate and converse with whoever God places in our path. The variety of people our homeschooled kids interact with gives them the opportunity to learn those social skills. They often are asked to help with younger kids and then given times to visit with older people.
We also have church groups, sports activities, and homeschool communities where the kids get plenty of time with peers their own age. I think homeschooling makes for well rounded social kids.
If you have further questions, Jade is open to answering them. Her phone number is 573-996-6619.
