Q & A with Homeschool Mom | Meet Denedriane
Many of us are on the road to homeschooling to the end of our children's academic career. We know homeschooling has its ups and downs. We know that we might not get it all right every single year let alone every single day. Homeschooling isn't a journey that we should travel on alone. Hearing the stories of veteran homeschool moms often help me to remain encouraged on my path as a home educating mother. I am thankful that Denedriane is sharing some words of wisdom with us today. Denedriane a veteran homeschool mom who has home educated her three children.
Meet Homeschool Mom, Denedriane
Tell us a little bit about your homeschool. How long have you homeschooled? What does your homeschool environment look like?
I started homeschooling in the fall of 2001, with our first child, our son. When the girls came along, I just added them to the roster :) Our son graduated our homeschool academy in 2014, having received his education at home K-12. Our middle daughter was homeschooled until 9th grade, giving her a great foundation for her public high school experience. She graduated May 2016. We have one left at home now, a high school senior. Now that she is in her high school years, our environment is very laid back and flexible. Since it is just her and I for school, we travel a lot more together to add experiences to book knowledge.
How did your family decide to become a homeschooling family?
I like to call myself the accidental/on purpose homeschooler. I wasn't looking for homeschooling in the late nineties, I barely knew what it was. My mother in law in another city suggested we try it, and now here we are, almost 16 years and 2 graduates later!
What is your favorite part about home schooling? What helps you to keep going?
I always love to see when my kiddos "get it", their lightbulb moments. I also have enjoyed the flexibility and unorthodox opportunities that we get to partake of. The big picture, the endgame, keeps me moving forward. I love that my kids have a confidence in who they are; it hasn't been undermined by the meanness other kids who don't yet know who they are themselves :)
Denedriane Dean from RefreshingTalk.com
What are your struggles with being a home schooling parent?
The seeming isolation at times can be hard. In addition, I have battled with wondering if I have equipped my children enough for them to navigate their own lives beyond homeschool.
Share a few words of encouragement with other moms who home school. What is your tip for keeping atmosphere joyous in your home? *
Remember: you facilitate your child's learning, you are not the ONLY way that they will learn and get it. Do your best, but everything doesn't rise and fall on your efforts. You can trust God to fill in the gaps and spaces :)
I love Denedriane's reminder that we are not our children's only path to learning. Since I have taken the approach that I don't have to teach them everything, my daughters and I have come to tremendously enjoy homeschooling because there isn't pressure for them to do all the things before their 18th birthdays.
Denedriane Dean is an experienced lifestyle blogger of 6+ years and avid online influencer. She enjoys sharing product reviews, fitness revelations, her Disney travels, and solid words of encouragement with her readers. When she isn’t engaging folks online, you can most likely find her watching Marvel action movies with her husband Art of 22 years, and their 3 teenagers. Or you may catch her reading a book about space and physics :) You can visit her at www.RefreshingTalk.com and on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HappytoBeDee