This mom has been homeschooling for 5 years!
I always love sitting down with other parents to discuss how they homeschool. When I met Tracy Briscoe I was so excited to hear that she is a homeschooling mom!
She has a fun beautiful family who has a lot going on. Let’s take a look at what the Briscoe household looks like as a homeschooling family.
Does your husband help with homeschool and what do your family and friends think?
Yes, my husband helps with homeschool. Most friends think we are crazy. Some of supportive.
I have gotten the same reaction. Most of us were raised in traditional schools either public or private. School was a set it and forget it part of the day. Choose a good school district, move there and load the kids on a bus. I’m glad to see that some parents realize that traditional school might not be best option for their children.
What curriculum do you use?
I use teach your child to read in 100 lessons and The Good and Beautiful curriculum for everything else. We also teach on being anti-racist with a variety of books, and shows.
The Briscoe household is not only Christian but they actually have a church that they started in 2019! What a fantastic way to have your career with purpose while homeschooling.
Tracy is very mindful that she is raising multiracial children. It’s so important to lead with love and to educate children on racism. I wanted to ask Tracy about her day to day with the children.
What does your schedule look like during the week?
Typically we go to the YMCA from 9-11 so I can get work done and the kids play, then at 11 I pick them up from childcare, we have a snack and we all spread out in the lobby to do school.
This is why I love to share homeschooling stories. You don’t have to homeschool for 8 hours! You don’t even have to start at 8am in the morning. Homeschool is about what works for your family. Tracy and her husband still find time to put into their fitness and enjoy each others’ company. Homeschool does not have to be drudgery!
We are very lucky to live in a state that makes homeschooling easy. There is little oversight for homeschoolers in North Carolina. Sometimes that can work against you because there is a trial and error phase where you figure things out on your own. No matter how much you plan or what your background is there is a learning curve. I asked Tracy about what she wishes she had known.
What do you wish you knew before starting to homeschool?
It was trial and error to find the schedule and curriculum to use. I wish I had known what would work best for us but it had to be trial and error. We tried other programs before we found what we liked.
When you have been homeschooling for 5 years there are lessons that you have learned through the process. I asked Tracy about her “Why”.
I have to constantly remind myself of our “why” for homeschool and also the benefits of homeschool that you get, that you would not get if you were sending your kids away to school.
-Tracy briscoe
What are 3 lessons that you think all parents worldwide should teach their children?
Manners/Respect, Responsibility/Chores, Loving others.
Tracy Briscoe is a Christian homeschooling mom of 4 living in North Carolina. You can follow her on social media to follow her adventures.
Tiffany says
Thanks for sharing your story Tracy and thanks for bringing this family to us Tara. I really enjoyed reading about their homeschool structure. Homeschooling was something that I always wanted to do and the 2020 pandemic just gave me a huge nudge.