Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Can a mother with several young children find the time to homeschool? Mike Farris, homeschooling father of 10 and Chairman and General Counsel of Home School Legal Defense Association, offers encouragement to mothers with large families, today on Home School Heartbeat.

Michael Farris:
My wife, Vickie, has proven that it's possible to homeschool a very large family. Let me share what she has learned from experience.

First, moms should remember that children in grades 1 through 3 need only about an hour or two a day of formal academic instruction. There is an enormous amount of wasted time in the classroom setting. Public school visiting teachers who tutor children with long-term illnesses have found that they can greatly reduce the number of school hours and more than adequately keep pace with the progress being made in the classroom.

If you have children who are 10 or older, they can help you clear some time for academic instruction. Vickie and I have our older-but-still-at-home children take a one-half-hour turn each day to supervise the preschoolers while Vickie is teaching in an adjoining room.

Finally, I would say let housework take a backseat during school hours. Kids should still keep their own rooms, books, and toys cleaned up throughout the day, but Mom's labor should be kept to a minimum. When Dad gets home, housework can become a whole family activity with Dad, not Mom, taking command of the kids.

Homeschooling with a large family is not easy. With 10 children and 15 years of homeschooling experience, I can testify that Vickie has found the way to do it and maintain her sanity. You can do it, too.

I'm Michael Farris.