A HOMESCHOOLED HOMESCHOOLER BY ELISABETH ENSOR @LIZZYLOVESHEALTH
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR FAMILY My husband Chris and I have been happily married for 14 years. We have two sweet, adventure-loving boys - Brooks (9) and Sullivan (5) - an antisocial, attack-cat named Sophie, and two budgies named Diamond and Nicey. We live in Tulsa, and love this beautiful state and its friendly and genuine people. Much of our time is spent thinking, dreaming and planning for our next remodel - an amazing mid-century modern home that we found in its original condition it was like a beautifully preserved time capsule. One feature I m most excited about is that we will get our first official homeschool room!
WHAT WAS IT LIKE BEING HOMESCHOOLED? My mom was a true pioneer in the 1980s, as she homeschooled four girls while my dad opened up a dental practice. She knew she was called to teach us at home and took her role seriously. I loved our slow mornings and her passion for teaching. She loved history, language, geography and art. She spent summers mapping out and researching the best curriculum for each girl. Then she rested, swam with us, and had fun with us during those hot Oklahoma summers. Every morning, we had a devotional time together, and then she helped each one of us start working independently. We were always finished by lunch time and had the afternoons to play outside and be creative. I played sports for a few years, but in 8th grade I had an amazing photography class at our homeschool co-op. I fell in love with shooting, developing film, and printing in the darkroom. I started a photography business in college and have enjoying using my gifts to bless others. I always felt bad for our neighbor friends who went to school. We had three more hours of outdoor playtime than they did! I didn t realize my mom wasn t just giving us time to play outside, but letting our imaginations grow and helping us to become the confident women we are now. My mom was intentional with our time and believed play time was part of our education.
WHAT DID YOUR MOTHER INSTILL IN YOU? My mom was adamant that each girl should have a marketable skill. She saw many women without one and sometimes needed to support themselves and their children. She talked with us constantly about our interests and passions and then assigned us research projects on the requirements for that job and the salary we would make. She left no stone unturned. In high school, I wanted to be a National Geographic photographer. It combined my loves of photography and travel the perfect job!
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO HOMESCHOOL? I had the best talk with my mom when my oldest son was only two years old. Everyone kept asking me where he was going to attend school (the questions start so young). She asked me three questions: 1. What are your family goals? 2. Who do you want him to be when he grows up? 3. What kind of mornings do you want to have as a mother? I knew I wanted our family to be adventurers, world travelers, and readers and spend lots of quality time together. I wanted my son to cultivate a love of learning and reading, to be an outdoorsman, a hard worker, and a truthful, kind son. And I wanted slow mornings, big healthy breakfasts and time for Bible first-thing. I did not want to rush out the door, fight traffic and miss the best part of my kids days. After I answered these questions, I didn t just have my decision to homeschool, I also had my WHY. These answers gave me a strong foundation that still helps me on those hard days of homeschooling.
WHAT WILL YOU DO DIFFERENTLY? I have talked with my mom through the years about what she would do differently, and her two primary regrets are not keeping up with some of her personal passions, such as art and calligraphy, and not taking more time for self-care. She had four girls and put them before herself most times and didn t make enough time to exercise or get away and recharge. WHAT IS YOUR HOMESCHOOL STYLE? I have a love for literature, nature and art. I have also decided to use technology to our advantage and, after trial-and-error, have landed on an online curriculum the boys love. I thought for sure we would sit around reading poetry, drawing and dreaming big dreams, but my older son needed more structure and the ability to work independently. He is able to get his work done online, while I help little brother, and then we do read-alouds together, nature study, draw, and paint. We found a free online piano teacher, so Brooklyn does music a couple times a week, instead of driving across town to a teacher. We use the local library constantly. I love books and we request new books weekly. The boys also listen to audio books every night at bedtime, so we get those from the library as well. I always leave lots of time for creative play. The boys love LEGOs and can play for hours. We try to swim, bike, or hike as often as possible, and we are so excited for the cooler fall weather. I m a very positive person who sees my cup as half full, and each day is full of possibility. Sometimes we wake up and bring our schoolwork to the local bagel shop, or we take the boys scooters down to the neighborhood pond and work on a blanket under the shade of a tree. I love adventuring and am always up for fun.
WHAT IS YOUR DAILY HOMESCHOOL RHYTHM? I love early mornings and am at my best before lunch so we start by 8:30 AM every morning. We started using a clip board system, which helps with consistency. I made a clipboard for work they only do on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and another one for Tuesdays and Thursdays. For my younger son, it s just pictures but he can read his clipboard and choose what he does first. After lunch, we slow down the pace a bit, and I put my younger son down for a nap while my older son has quiet time in his room. I use this time to read, watch a favorite show or work-out. It helps save me during the dinner prep time, and when my husband comes home, we all feel so refreshed having a few hours to ourselves. The afternoons are usually spent outdoors swimming or playing for the boys. Since I am best in the morning, I go to bed early and wake up early. My husband asked me to wake up by 6:00 AM with him, so we could have some quality quiet time to drink our coffee together and talk through our day. It s such a special time for us that even though I could easily sleep more, I have chosen to serve him in this small request. I also want our boys to see that our marriage is important and our world doesn t revolve around them. Parents need time to reconnect, and the family is only as strong as the parents partnership. I m so grateful to have a husband that encourages me in schooling our boys, and who is appreciative of the one-on-one time they receive through homeschooling.