People often ask how I am able to continue my kids’ education uninterrupted while also traveling internationally.
One word – homeschool. Should that be two words? Maybe.
Yes – you can do it.
One of the greatest things to come out of the past few years is the normalization of educating kids outside of mainstream schools. Resources are better than ever before and one in particular has been tremendously successful for my family.
We use BJU Press materials – and my favorite feature – the Homeschool Hub. Although the hub is set up to accommodate the BJU curriculum specifically, one of my favorite features is the ability to track courses from other sources as well. This online software is truly a game changer in terms of record-keeping and organized delivery of each lesson.
All I have to do is select the appropriate grade level for each child, and BJU recommends the courses – but also allows me to customize a couple of the grade levels and electives (for example, advanced reading, or remedial math).
They have an option to get DVDs or to use the Homeschool Hub for video lessons – since we travel a lot I have not done the DVDs because that’s just too much to keep up with. I think it would be wonderful to be able to download the videos on the hub – but since hotspots are ubiquitous in lots of places these days, it’s not a deal-breaker.
After I select the course(s) – BJU sends me:
- Textbooks
- Testing materials
- Printed handouts that accompany each course
When I log into the Homeschool Hub, each course has automated lesson plans available per student and tools I can use to tweak the scheduling to suit our family specifically.
Each student gets their own dashboard with clear instructions on each lesson and assignment – and all of the records are maintained by the software, which makes compliance a breeze.
I feel so fortunate to have learned about this program – as an entrepreneur and solo parent it is the only way I can imagine being able to homeschool.
Does this sound like an ad? I guess it kind of is – but I’m not getting paid for it – I just really like the programs and want to encourage more parents that if homeschooling is what they want to do, it is more attainable than even a few short years ago.
Since leaving the USA I have heard about lots of other programs that also have online portals – but I don’t have personal experience with any of those, so I’m not really in a place to recommend them.