The Power of Homeschool Parents, Interview with Anita Gibson

The Homeschool Highschool Podcast

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: The Power of Homeschool Parents, Interview with Anita Gibson.

The Power of Homeschool Parents, Interview with Anita Gibson

Vicki is joined this week by one of our favorite friends, Anita Gibson. Anita is the author of Star Finder, face behind the encouraging Facebook group Simply Homeschool. She is now an advisor for Homeschool Legal Defense Association.

Anita’s got a lot going on these days. Her youngest just got married and she is busy in the new year as a homeschool advisor. Anita is so busy but she believes that when “you’re called to something, it doesn’t feel heavy.” Being able experience people being helped and blessed is a powerful reward. That’s what Titus 2 women like Anita are doing in this phase of life.

Speaking of being powerful, Anita and Vicki wanted to talk today about the ways homeschooling parents can find their personal power and their resource power!

Anita Gibson. Photo used with permission.

Anita wants homeschooling parents to know, that if God has called them to homeschool, He has plans to give them the strength and wisdom to homeschool. Homeschooling can be so intimidating when we start out. As Anita says, “Sometimes you just have to do it scared!”

Here are Anita’s tips for finding your power as a homeschool parent:

Anita has some words of wisdom for us.

Find a place and time to reflect and rest

This may sound impossible, but even homeschooling parents who are ALWAYS with their kids can find a one or two minutes per day to close the door (even the bathroom door), maybe lock it, and reflect on what God has given you and He is walking right there with you.

Remember when God, back in the burning bush, called Moses to serve Him, Moses’ first thoughts were: I can’t do this! But God gave him strength, wisdom, and people to help.

God actually is here to give you resources, inner strength and wisdom to homeschool!

Increase your knowledge about homeschooling

• No matter where we are in the process, there is always something new to learn about homeschooling (well, isn’t this ALL of life? ALWAYS learning?)
• If you are a newbie homeschooler:
  • What are your state laws?
  • Who can you connect with? (Look for kindred spirits. You don’t need to join every group, look for groups and people that feel comfortable to you.
  • Learn from folks in these groups how to do it. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
• What are the available support systems, digitally (like Anita’s Facebook group and 7Sisters Facebook group)?
• Find podcasts (like some of our favorite Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network podcasts about homeschooling high school). Check out these:
  • Homeschooling with Technology
  • Homeschool Sanity
  • Homeschool CPA
  • Life Skills 101

Minimize the rest of your life

There are probably some things you will need to set aside for this phase of life. This is because even homeschool moms need to be able to focus on homeschool…and a little margin.

• Planning
• Quality time for presence with your homeschoolers
  • Setting aside phones, work and laundry to be totally focused on your homeschooler so that you know well their:
• Personalities
• Strengths
• Struggles
• Interests
• (If you haven’t checked out Anita’s book StarFinder, do)
• Your kids don’t need 24 hours focused attention, but you need enough time to know them.

Concentrate on relationship during the homeschool high school years

As our friend, Melanie Wilson, says: Relationship before rules. Your relationship with your teens is what will be most enduring. Concentrate on making it a good relationship.

Get organized

If you don’t feel organized, you will feel out of control and chaotic. You don’t need to be an organization expert, just enough organization to keep your peace (and your teens’ peace).

• Do your planning (check out 7Sisters Authoritative Guide to Planning Homeschool High School)
• Create syllabi for your homeschool high schoolers’ courses
• Agree on schedules that work for your teens (get their buy in)
  • Check out this post for some resources on time management
• Agree on environment
  • Do you need to have a “do school in your clothes, not pjs” system
  • Do you need to have a space to homeschool
• Do you need a chore chart?
  • Anita has found a study that teens’ brains works more slowly in a cluttered environment because it is spending some time processing all the stuff as they try to focus on their studies.

Life is so much better when there is the right about of structure for your homeschool!

Grow in your faith in God

Anita found the most help in finding her power as a homeschooling mom as she did Bible studies that helped her understand God and herself.

Deepening your relationship with God and yourself helps homeschooling parents:

• Confront and heal their fears
• Confront and heal their tempers
• Create a loving, healthy and calm environment for family and learning

The more you and your teens are in the presence of God, the more we become like Him.

Join Vicki and Anita for a powerful discussion on the power of homeschool parents (and find Anita at AnitaGibson.com), and check out our other interviews with Anita: Getting to Know and Understand Your Teens and Helping Teens Believe in Themselves.

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The Power of Homeschool Parents, Interview with Anita Gibson

The post The Power of Homeschool Parents, Interview with Anita Gibson appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.