🔦 Community Spotlight

1. This post talks about the struggles she faced while homeschooling — from feeling unprepared and worrying about socialization to being seen only as a teacher instead of a mother. (link)

2. A look back at the early years of homeschooling when one half-day each week was spent out of the house and the rest learning together at home. While outside classes can be tempting, she believes true homeschooling happens at home. (link)

3. She speaks about her concern over Texas schools introducing Christian faith-based lessons. As a homeschooler, she prefers keeping religion separate from the classroom and teaching her own family values. (link)

4. Discover how homeschooling multiple ages can work without separate curricula. With five kids, family learning has simplified and enriched their experience from high school to elementary. (link)

🛠️ Tools & Resources

Arts Empowering Life:
An innovative platform that presents the FREE In-person & Livestreamed Arts & Entertainment Lecture series for all ages.
Type: Online/Skype - Ages: All Ages - Info: Secular - Cost: Free

Freedom Project
It is a fully accredited online school for students from kindergarten to high school. It offers a curriculum rooted in Judeo-Christian values and follows the Classical education model, independent of state or Common Core standards.
Type: Online School – Ages: All Ages – Info: Faith Based – Cost: Paid ($550/class)

Abeka History
A Christian (Protestant) homeschool history curriculum with a patriotic perspective for grades 1–8. Uses textbooks for both students and teachers.
Type: Books – Ages: All Ages – Info: Faith-based – Cost: Paid (from $20)

Shiller Math Kit
A comprehensive Montessori-based curriculum with diagnostic tests, parent guides, lesson books, answer guides, and math songs CD. Includes lifetime downloads of consumables.
Type: Games – Ages: All Ages – Info: Secular – Cost: Paid ($275–$400)

Discovery Education
An on-demand platform with educational videos, clips, quizzes, and lesson planning tools, organized by grade level and topic for easy access.
Type: Videos – Ages: Grades 1–8 – Info: Secular – Cost: Free

Why Your Child Learns Best When They Feel Seen

The other day I came across a quote from C.S. Lewis that stopped me in my tracks:

As homeschooling parents, we carry a thousand to-dos in our minds—lesson plans, grocery lists, deadlines, activities, maybe even side jobs. It’s easy to believe that the important work is what gets checked off.

But what if the most important thing isn’t how much we cover, but how much our children feel our presence?

The question every parent quietly asks

If you’ve ever sat down to teach and your child wasn’t paying attention, you’ve probably thought to yourself, “Maybe I’m not explaining it right. Maybe I chose the wrong curriculum. Maybe we’re falling behind.”

This is one of the biggest struggles I hear from parents.

That constant whisper of self-doubt.

But here’s the truth we forget in those anxious moments: children learn best when they feel safe, seen, and loved.

Not when we push harder.
Not when we pile on more worksheets.
Not when we enforce a rigid schedule.

Presence, not pressure, is the foundation for real learning.

Why Presence Matters More Than Perfection

Science backs this up. Psychologist Lev Vygotsky emphasized that children learn best through social interaction and supportive guidance, not through pressure or isolation.

A connected, present adult is what allows them to stretch beyond their current abilities.

Modern neuroscience says the same.

Dr. Daniel Siegel, co-author of The Whole-Brain Child, explains that when children feel emotionally safe and connected, their brains literally shift into a more open and receptive state.

That’s when curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving thrive.

Stress does the opposite.

It activates the brain’s fight-or-flight response, which shuts down learning pathways.

Think about your own life.

Have you ever tried to read, study, or solve a problem when you were stressed or anxious?

It’s nearly impossible.

Children are no different.

And this is where homeschooling becomes powerful.

Unlike in a classroom of 30 kids, we have the freedom to pause, to listen, to adapt, and to simply be present.

The Legacy We’re Building

Parents often measure homeschooling success by questions like:

Did we finish the math curriculum?
Are we on grade level?
Will my child test well compared to others?

But here’s a humbling reminder. Your child won’t remember every chapter you covered or every assignment you completed.

What they will remember is how it felt to learn with you.

Did they feel safe to ask questions without being rushed?
Did they feel heard when they shared an idea?
Did they feel celebrated for trying, even if they got it wrong?

The real legacy isn’t academic checklists.

It’s raising a child who feels safe, seen, and loved—and who carries that confidence into the world.

5 Ways to Bring Presence Into Your Homeschool

Presence doesn’t mean sitting beside your child every second. It means showing up with attention and connection in small, intentional ways. Here are five practices you can try:

1. Follow their spark.
When your child asks, “Why is the sky blue?” pause your plan and explore it together. These moments fuel genuine curiosity far more than any worksheet.

2. Listen more than you correct.
When your child explains their thinking—even if it’s wrong—let them finish. Children process learning by talking, and being heard builds confidence.

3. Keep lessons short and focused.
Research shows young children focus best in bursts of 15 to 25 minutes. A short, fully present session is far more effective than a long, distracted one.

4. Turn life into learning.
Cooking dinner? Talk about fractions and measurements. Running errands? Count coins or read signs. Learning doesn’t only happen at the table. It happens everywhere.

5. Celebrate effort, not just outcomes.
When we praise only correct answers, kids play it safe. But when we celebrate effort and persistence, they learn resilience and grow braver.

A Personal Reflection

I recently asked a group of homeschooling parents what they remembered most from their own childhood education.

Almost none of them mentioned the actual subjects.

Instead, they remembered moments of connection.

A parent reading aloud. A teacher who believed in them. A time they were allowed to explore something they loved.

That’s presence.

And that’s the gift we can give our children every day in our homeschool.

At the end of our lives, it won’t matter how many assignments we checked off or how advanced our curriculum looked on paper.

What will matter is whether our children grew up knowing they were loved, safe, and seen. That they had the freedom to learn in their own rhythm because we chose presence over pressure.

So tomorrow, as you sit down to “do school,” pause for a moment. Take a breath.

Look into your child’s eyes. Listen. Laugh. Lean into presence.

Because that’s where the real learning lives.

✨ PS: I’d love to hear from you—what’s one small way you plan to be more present in your homeschool this week?

Hit reply and share.