All Posts

This post is meant to give you a glimpse into who I am — how I live, how I parent, and how I teach — so you can decide whether my approach feels like a good fit for your family. First and foremost, I am a Jesus-follower. Imperfect. Loved. Forgiven. My husband, Stan, and I have four children, and our greatest calling is raising them to know and love Christ. Stan and I are wonderfully different. I’m the creative — I crave diversity, flexibility, and choice. He’s the steady one

Choosing Homeschool Curriculum (that you won't regret buying!) Have you ever excitedly purchased new homeschool curriculum only to find yourself trying to re-sell it at a significant loss a few weeks later? Or maybe you find yourself wanting to try something new every few months because what you have just doesn’t quite work as well as you’d envisioned. Maybe you dread having to make a curriculum selection due to the cost and unknowns of how effective it will actually be fo

Homeschooling a Visual Learner Visual learners are those that learn by seeing. Charts, diagrams, and graphs are especially helpful to visual learners. They may also enjoy learning through videos or lectures that utilize visual aids. Using colorful highlighters to mark up text or creating mind maps may help them learn better. Your child might be a visual learner if s/he: is artistic and likes colorful imagery; Spends time really looking at pictures, whether in books or on w

How to Know Your Child’s Learning Style Knowing your child’s learning style can help you teach them more effectively. It can also help you choose an instructional model or curriculum that will best help him or her learn. This Homeschool Learning Style Quick Guide will help you understand the different learning styles and how to know which one(s) best describe your child. Choosing Homeschool Curriculum Specific to Your Child's Learning Style Do you have a better idea of you

Plan for Homeschool Success with our Free Printable Christian Planner For some of us, homeschool planning is the fun part. For others of us, not so much. But, no matter how we feel about it, homeschool planning is important! As they say, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." We moms keep a lot of plates spinning at one time. There are so many things to keep in mind, and it seems like there are so many balls we could drop. That's where these free Christian homeschool plan

The Best Homeschool Days Start the Night Before Sometimes I’m totally on my mom-game, and I wake up an hour or two before the kids. I enjoy my coffee and quiet time then have plenty of time to write down the day’s homeschool assignments. I feel prepared and refreshed for when the kids wake. These days trick me into thinking that every day will be like this. Every day is not like this . Sometimes someone wakes waaaay earlier than usual and my “alone time” becomes “toget

And all that is left is highest praises. So sing hallelujah to the Rock of Ages. I woke more times than I can count last night with those words swirling through my head. Literally every time I awoke, my mind was clinging to those words. I am in a battle. And here I am, needing Jesus to come through in a mighty way. I need him to make a way where there is no way. And, oh, how he is! After months of anticipation, the hour is almost here. For months, my Lord has brought

Math Facts + a Deck of Cards = Fun Math Games! We homeschool parents are always looking for some fun ways to mix things up and help make those math facts stick. In fact, we often spend a small fortune each year buying new curriculum or the hot new math game we think will benefit our kids. And if you’re anything like me, they end up collecting dust on your shelves. What’s a mom to do? We need fun activities for the kids that help them learn without breaking the bank. Even

How Your Apple Devices Can Make Your Homeschooling More Effective If you're slightly addicted to Apple devices like I am, you likely have everything you need already to get rid of the bulky whiteboard and move to digital homeschool instruction. We’re still new-ish on our homeschool journey at halfway through our second year. In another life, I was a middle and upper elementary school teacher so direct instruction (aka “teaching”!) is not new to me. But I knew it needed to l

Parenting with Purpose Parenting can feel like a rush from one activity to the next. Sure, we have conversations with our kids and try to guide them in a desired direction, but sometimes it feels like we’re just surviving it, doesn’t it? Parenting should be about more than just surviving. Have you ever met someone truly exceptional? Such people are few and far between, and if you meet one, it sticks with you. I had the privilege a few years ago to meet a family that ha

It’s anybody’s guess whether or not my ice maker is going to make ice. The anticipation builds every time I place my glass under the dispenser. Will it work as intended today? You see, I loooove ice. A glass full of ice with soda is a highlight of my day (yes, I know, gross). And my ice maker sometimes obliges, but other times it just grinds and grinds and nothing comes out. Opening the freezer door reveals a completely empty ice compartment. For some reason, it isn’t

Your ministry is the person in front of you. That was written on a little chalkboard stand on my desk for a year, and now it sits on my kitchen table as a reminder. I’m not sure where I first heard that phrase, nor can I find to whom it should be attributed. It is a powerful statement and reminder, though. Maybe you’re like me. I’m a task person. I see what needs to be done, and I do it. The goal is always right there in sight if I just work hard enough; and I push,

Biblical Leadership Example from Nehemiah As we think of Christian school leadership, let’s turn our minds to Nehemiah. He’s likely a familiar biblical leader, known for his work to restore the wall around Jerusalem after it had been destroyed and its people exiled. A city’s walls were a sign of its strength and security, so their destruction revealed the mighty loss the Jewish people had taken. Further, it left them vulnerable to future attack. Upon hearing of the wall’s

I’ve seen a lot of posts lately on social media discussing classroom libraries and how to manage them so that you don’t lose a ton of books every year. Wow, did that resonate with me! Classroom libraries are a huge part of my philosophy of teaching literacy , and when I was in the classroom, I had hundreds of books on my shelves. Each year, I tried a new system of managing those books. And each year I lost a lot of books. You name it, I probably tried it. I added pockets

Through Christian Education- at School or at Home- We Can Help Our Students Grow Deep Roots of Faith Colossians 2:5-7 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Is this pas

What administrator isn’t looking for a tool that can make life easier? While large districts have ways to automate a lot of things, administrators of small schools typically have to do those things manually or not at all. It can be really tough to push towards the excellence we desire with finite capabilities and time limits, not to mention tight budgets! That’s where the Google Suite comes in. If you’re not using it, you should seriously consider it! Google Classroom o

How the Stories of Daniel and Esther Can Influence Christian Education To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. Daniel 1:17a The inspiring stories of Daniel and Esther are familiar to most Christians, but I’m hoping you’ll revisit them with me in a new way to see how they might influence our thinking as Christian educators. First, let’s look at their similarities. Although these two lived roughly 130 years a

Using Biblical Integration in the Academic Subjects to Point Kids to Christ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ- to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11 Philippians 1:9-11 are verses that I used to pray over our academic program and students as an administrator. They speak directly to my heart for Christ

Remote Learning can Help Christian Schools Reach More Families COVID-19 has brought about new teaching and learning opportunities for Christian school educators through distance learning, whether or not we were ready or wanting it! As school leaders, I’m sure you’ve been able to identify teachers who have thrived in this new learning environment. You may also have heard from families who are enjoying having their kids home so much that they desire to homeschool next year.

Strengths of the Reading and Writing Workshop My very favorite way to teach reading and writing in grades K-8 is using a workshop approach. Seriously, it makes my heart happy, and I count it as a major blessing in my life that the first school that employed me used it and sent me to countless trainings on it. Imagine with me, a room full of students stretched out on comfortable furniture or the floor with pillows, reading their hearts out. You may hear the occasional gasp