Goodness Unveiled

A day in the life of an 8-, 11-, 14-, and 17-year-old with a 19-year-old in college:

We started homeschooling when my oldest was going into 4^th grade. Before my mother passed away when I was 7 years old, my siblings and I were homeschooled. I remember going to small gatherings of other homeschoolers in the late 80s. From those early memories, I knew I always wanted to teach my children at home as well. When our oldest was beginning standardized testing in the charter school he was attending and our second was in kindergarten, my husband and I decided it was time to bring them home. We had just had our fourth child and I had gained enough confidence through research that I could educate my own children. My desire for homeschooling was that they “learn to love learning”. I knew if that was accomplished, they would always be excited about learning. My heart’s desire was to teach them that every subject and every part of life revolves around Christ. We are active in the homeschooling community, and I serve as the President of PCHEA (Panhandle Christian Home Educators Association), which is a local homeschool organization that serves the Texas Panhandle.

Our morning starts slow. I typically get woken up around 7:30 with my husband bringing me a cup of coffee and setting it on my bedside table. I get ready for the day and check some work emails. I typically don’t do my Bible study and quiet time until evening, so I get the kids up and around after I get ready.

Our oldest son is almost 20, works full-time at a credit union, and is out of the house before any of us. He graduated from homeschool in May of 2022, less than 6 weeks after being declared cancer-free from a rare brain cancer called Pineal Germinoma. He was severely burned over both legs and his left arm the summer before his Junior year and spent his Senior Year undergoing brain surgery and fighting brain cancer. He is now doing amazing and studying Biblical Studies at Liberty University through their online program, with intent to transfer to seminary in the future to become a pastor.

My husband works in ministry at our church and is also in Seminary working towards his Master’s Degree in Theological Studies. He usually leaves the house shortly before 9:00. Being a homeschooling family where I am also self-employed, morning routines are relaxed. I don’t like having to be anywhere before 9:00 and the kids are unlikely to be out of pajamas before then. The kids get some breakfast, and then two of them get on their computers to start working, while the other two tend to be a bit slower getting into the homeschool room.

9:00 am: We are working through a devotional called “The Names of God” by Ann Spangler. We have loved learning the different names of God and what they mean. The youngest likes to draw the Hebrew letters in her notebook while I read the devotional and write the names of God on the white board. We discuss how these ancient names in the Old Testament can be used in our worship and view of God in our own lives now. We have seen how His character never changes from the ancient days to now. 

9:30: After our morning devotional, the younger ones start their curriculum. We are fairly eclectic and I have usually chosen what works best for each kid, but our core curriculum has always gone back to Monarch by Alpha Omega Publishing. Our oldest son was severely burned in 2020, and then diagnosed with brain cancer in 2021. During his medical treatments, I was able to work with them from a hotel, hospital room, or chemo room while they were on their own computers at home. Our youngest son is dyslexic, and he moves quicker and more confidently when the program reads his lessons to him. The younger three do their Bible, Science, and History mostly without my help. I sit between two of the kids at our homeschool room table, which used to be my father-in-law’s desk at the church he pastored and founded. He passed away in 2016 and I like the daily reminder of the ministry done at that desk, while we now use it for ministering to our family through education at home. After they finish some core curriculum, they will work on cursive writing, typing, or art.

11:00: Before lunch, we try to get started on math in which they all use different curriculums: MasterBooks, A Beka, and Math-U-See have typically been our favorites. Because they dislike math the most, we try to start the lesson, and finish practice problems after lunch. The break seems to help them, especially if the weather is nice and they can take some time outside getting their wiggles out. Oftentimes, we break up the math on who needs my help the most, some in the morning and some later in the afternoon.

1:00: After lunch, we finish up math and start our reading. Reading lessons vary with each kid, and the dyslexic one is the one who gets most of my attention during this part of the day. We use All About Reading and All About Spelling and work on those together. After our work together, he gets onto his computer for a typing lesson and Maloney Method for extra practice. After his intensive reading lessons, he then wanders off into his room or the living room for quiet reading. Once he is settled, I make sure the younger ones are doing well with their comprehension in what they are reading.

The 17-year-old is a Junior now and goes through his school day at his own pace. He is usually the last to enter the homeschool room. He is working on Chemistry, History and Language through MasterBooks or working on a research paper. He is doing math through Math-U-See and also learning Latin. He loves doing his Bible Study through various sermons and lessons in RightNow Media. He is reading a book on different religions throughout the world. While he is mostly on his own, we do his math together. He works a part-time job, goes to a local co-op where he is learning guitar and photography, and he is active in our homeschool organization’s Student Council. He will be taking dual credit classes through Liberty University in the fall.

Usually by 2:00, we are completely finished with the day and the kids either go outside, do some chores, or we start moving into various activities. Ballet and dance take up three days a week for our girls, and the boys will go to work or their activities by that time. If I am not shuttling kids to and from their activities or doing household chores, I work on my own work as a Realtor, my studies to finish out my Bachelor’s degree in Religion/Christian Counseling, or I work on our homeschool organization. There is rarely a time we don’t have something important to accomplish or serve others, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!  

*Our Day in the Life featured in the Practical Homeschooling Magazine Issue #158 in May 2024.

Condensed and Edited by Mary Pride, Editor of Practical Homeschooling Magazine.

Practical Homeschooling – Your homeschool information source

About Practical Homeschooling Magazine: Thank you for making us the #1 homeschool magazine on Facebook – and the fastest-growing homeschool page! If you like how we answer your questions here, imagine how helpful our innovative suggestions and articles will be for the questions you don’t even know you have yet! Practical Homeschooling magazine is published 4 times a year: February, May, August, & November.

Affiliate of All About Learning Press