Karen Loutzenhizer, a homeschool mom from Utah, was kind enough to join me earlier to share some of her experiences. Here is the rest of our conversation. Karen, what are some of your other philosophies in regards to education?
I really believe that we underestimate kids. Instead of just focusing on the pet topics so commonly taught to children, I attempt to open up all kinds of topics and present them in a kid-friendly, understandable format to my kids (all age 9 and under). We study chemistry and the periodic table, the Hittite people, and Monet–not just recycling and ancient Egypt (although we cover those topics too!).
I understand that you have a website where you share your ideas with others?
So many people constantly asked for my homeschooling advice and unit study ideas that my sister (homeschool mom to 6 boys) and I launched a website. The site, Layers of Learning,provides unit study lesson plans, help, and encouragement for homeschoolers and teachers alike. We’ve gotten such a great response that we are now in the process of creating a resource and idea book for homeschoolers based on the unit studies we do with our kiddos.
You sound really dedicated and organized, but not every homeschool family has this kind of dedication, and I know that I frequently struggle with motivation issues, either drumming up energy for myself, or encouraging my children to get excited about the process. What advice do you have for families in this boat?
My best advice for homeschoolers who are struggling to get it together is to let “homeschool mom” be your job. I often have friends or neighbors who ask me to babysit for them during the day, invite me to go out to lunch, or want to chat on the phone. My answer to these requests is no. If I were a working mom, they wouldn’t expect this, and I consider myself a working mom. I am a teacher. My kids are my number one priority and a telephone call will never take precedence over them. I have given myself permission to say no to extra things so I can say yes to the most important things in my life—the little people who count on me and call me Mommy. When you don’t feel stretched and tugged a million ways, that’s when the joy can be there.
So for you, it comes down to priorities, and thinning out your life to the most important things. That’s great advice for anyone, whether they homeschool or not, but I think it’s definitely a key to a successful homeschool.
Thank you so much for sharing your time with us, Karen, and best of luck in all you do!
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