Today’s post is all about reflections from a homeschool graduate. I asked my friend Matisyn some questions about her homeschool years. She was homeschooled from k-12. She is 19, just graduated last year and is now pursuing her interests in photography, graphic design and social media in hopes of blending all of those into a career! She is my social media right hand gal and has been so instrumental in the launch of picketfencedesignco. So.. without further ado…

Q: What do you remember most of your homeschooling years?

I remembered having a flexible schedule. Some of the best family day memories were made because we were able to go places whenever we wanted to.  

Q: What did you like most?  What did you like least?

My favorite part about homeschooling was the amazing relationships that I built with my parents, friends, and especially my brother. I’m so grateful for the relationship that I have with him. He made the long/ stressful days still end on a good note. 

Q: What advice

would you give to a new homeschool parents? What would you say were the big rocks for your family?:

Sometimes I felt like I was missing out on activities that my friends attending. In hindsight, I realized that those events that I missed weren’t that big of a deal…I still turned out pretty normal lol        

For all the new homeschool parents out there, I’d say take the time to get to know your child’s learning style, be flexible with trying multiple curriculums, and getting creative with lessons. Don’t allow the public school’s standard to influence how fast you should be going. If it wasn’t for my mom being flexible on trying out new curriculums and getting creative with lessons, I wouldn’t have been able to grasp the information as efficiently. – For our family, the big rocks were putting God first in all that we do and serving others. 

Q: What were your biggest influences?  What shaped you during your school years?-

Growing up the ones that influenced me most were my parents, friends, and church family. 

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Thanks Matisyn! Amazing right? 19. I’m embarrassed to admit the shenanigans I was getting myself into at 19!

By schooling our kids at home, I believe it’s an opportunity to put relationships before report cards. Grades and report cards are important for sure. But we believe character and relationships are even more. We don’t expect perfection, but progress. It is hard. Nothing about it is easy. But perspective is everything. Don’t try to replicate public school at home. You do you. School with the end in mind.