Several years ago, I wrote a few articles for Heart of the Matter Online, and I just decided to post them here so I don't lose them. :)

Once a Homeschool Kid, Now a Homeschool Mom

By Elizabeth K. Tsukayama

I have been asked many times to compare what it was like being a homeschool student to what it is like now being a homeschool mother – what I do the same, what I do differently, and how my experiences as a child have helped me now that I am homeschooling my own children.
When I first sat down to write about it, the first thought I had looking back to my years as a homeschool child, was of all the wonderful memories I have of our times together as a family.

My parents began to homeschool me when I was beginning 3rd grade, back in the 80′s, along with my next oldest brother who was in 8th grade. We had so much fun that year! Probably my fondest memory is of our read-aloud times on the couch. Each day after lunch, we would all sit on the couch together and my mother would read to us. We read a lot of missionary biographies, Walk Across America, Christy, and many others. As long ago as that was, I still remember vividly many of the books we read together. We also would read my brother’s 8th grade Abeka literature book together, and they are really fabulous, even for a 3rd grader to listen to!
The following year we moved to another state, and my oldest brother joined our homeschool, as a junior in high school. That next year was probably one of the major highlights of my homeschool experience. We did a year-long unit study on the countries and cultures of the world. We tried to get together with people we had made acquaintance with from other countries in some cases, and in other cases we wrote to missionaries in other countries, who all kindly responded to our questions. Some of them even sent us items from the country, like postcards or currency! We tried to learn some words and phrases in each language, a bit about the geography and the culture, how to cook some ethnic food, the currency, etc.
It was so much fun! I remember tracing country maps out of the encyclopedia and drawing replicas of the country’s flag. At the end of the year we had the ultimate culmination of this study: we hosted “International Night” at our house! We invited everyone we knew from another country, including China, Japan, Mexico and maybe others, as well as a few other homeschool families. We decorated our house with items from many countries, displayed the projects we had worked on throughout the year, and ate many different kinds of ethnic foods. We even dressed in ethnic garb!
It seems to me looking back that most of the “highlights” that I remember most vividly were the “extra” things we did. Besides the “textbook academics” that were required of me, homeschooling gave me the opportunity along the way to pursue other interests that I likely would not have had time for had I been in school all day. Many of these “extra-curricular” studies, such as starting a business of breeding and selling tropical fish at 10 years old, beginning to study Japanese when I was 11 years old, many of our read-alouds and even this international unit study I described turned out to be preparation for life, as I would later live in Japan and be involved in missions.

Another thing that greatly enhanced our journey was being a part of a homeschool support group. We often enjoyed activities together with other homeschoolers, and those are also fond memories. For example, every Thanksgiving we would meet at the forest preserve and each family would bring a Ziploc baggie of meat and vegetables to add to a big pot of stew, which we would cook in the pavilion in a big iron kettle over an open fire, and enjoy old-fashioned fellowship together. As a high schooler, I was able to participate each Friday in co-op classes with our support group, such as government, world views, and leadership classes, which included public speaking and debates – something that is sometimes difficult to accomplish as a homeschooler, especially since I was the only one left at home by then! Our teacher (a homeschool mom with much experience in politics) was fabulous, and the classes were always a highlight of each week. Now I know a lot of “lone ranger homeschoolers”, and I am sure they can have a wonderful experience too, but if there is a Christian support group in your area, I would encourage you to join.
However, as much fun as these studies and events were, I think that the main thing that made my homeschool experience such a positive one was my mother’s good attitude and my relationship with her. She kept things upbeat and was usually cheerful, and we always had such a good time together! That time together is so precious. Just think of all the wonderful memories with her I would have missed out on if I had spent most of my growing-up years in school!
Now, is there anything I would do differently with my children as I homeschool them?
Well, back in the 80′s, there were not a lot of curriculum choices for homeschoolers, as opposed to today when there are SO many that it is completely overwhelming!! Anyway, we used mostly Rod and Staff in the early grades, and then switched to mainly Abeka for the higher grades. I am a “textbook” kind of person, so I did well with that and always enjoyed school, so that was not a problem. However, I think I might have retained more if the studies were more “integrated”, or enhanced. Notice how much I remembered from our countries unit study? THAT was great! However, we did all that ON TOP OF our usual textbook requirements!
Take history, for example. I liked our history textbook and always found it interesting, but since our approach was “read it, answer the questions (orally), and put it away”, I don’t know how much I actually retained! Something simple like a history timeline adds a lot to the study of history, I’m convinced, as well as adding historical novels to your studies, or an occasional hands-on project, especially in the younger grades. Projects don’t have to be daily or complicated to add a lot to your studies.

Another area I feel somewhat deficient in is science, and I think that is also a textbook problem. I actually really liked the textbook we had, with full color pictures, etc., but we did not supplement it with any experiments or anything hands-on, so I don’t think I really was committing anything to long-term memory, or really even getting a full grasp on the concept. I think most science textbooks take a “mile-wide, inch-deep” approach to most subjects, which doesn’t make it overly interesting for the students. I prefer to take three months to really explore a topic, including personal observation, recording data in a notebook, taking pictures, making sketches, adding in “living” books – to the point of not even always needing a textbook at all, for the younger grades. Studying this way, at 3-4 topics per year, a student will still study all areas of science at least twice during his school years, but the difference is that he will likely retain most of what he has studied! If you would rather not put your own science studies together in this manner, Apologia is another great option. Their books explore ONE science topic per year, so you get to really learn it! The writing style is far more interesting than most science textbooks, the pictures are great, and the projects are not too complicated.
However, I will not keep rambling on about each school subject, because I truly don’t believe that academics are the main issue for homeschoolers to consider. Much more importantly, I believe that my parents did a wonderful job of using the resources they had to equip us with a godly foundation for life. Scripture reading and memory was a vital aspect of our homeschool, and they led us by example as we walked through life together.
We spent time together and made the most of the opportunities that life afforded us to learn, study and grow. This combination of equipping for life with a godly foundation, and building of strong family relationships is so far superior to any academic style or textbook choice, and I will be forever grateful to my parents for practicing this discipleship-style home education. I truly believe that is where our focus should be – off academics and onto discipleship, character-shaping, training in godliness and building strong relationships.
That, above all, is what I hope to emulate as I walk this journey with my own children.