We have had several twists and turns in the educational journey with my six boys, ages 17 down to three! I taught first-grade before my children were born, then stayed home and traditionally homeschooled the first four boys when we lived in the midwest. When we moved here to California three years ago, four of my sons attended brick-and-mortar school for two years. My middle-school sons were the first to attend Compass Charter Schools (CCS), and by the next year, all of my older five sons were enrolled and having a great experience.
I initially chose CCS because the enrollment team connected me with one of the middle school teachers, Mrs.Tatum, and her excitement about the school was evident, even over the phone. She let me log in to a sample lesson so that I could get a sense of the format of a live lesson, and I was impressed by her passion for her students and the subjects she taught. In our experience, the staff at CCS has been the reason we recommend this particular program to other parents looking to teach from home. We are continually amazed at the personal relationship that we have been able to build with the teachers and other support staff, and I feel particularly supported as a learning coach.
My boys are all very unique in their educational strengths and weaknesses. Some are more independent in their studies than others. Some struggle more than others academically, but they all have a strong interest in art, music, and technology. CCS allows them time to pursue the activities they love. Over the past couple of months, they have helped me greatly with the music at our church and learned about live-streaming as they became the unofficial audio-visual team.
We have a unique situation, in that we attend a private learning center during the week with other learning coaches and at home scholars. I love that I get to be fully hands-on with their education, but we all enjoy the benefits of social interaction, bonus experiences, and help from other adults. Compass has allowed us to enjoy the best of both worlds as we appreciate our flexible schedule, but have the support of a strong curriculum and caring teachers.
My advice to parents new to teaching from home is to be patient with themselves and their children as they get organized. Daily goals have been very helpful for my children, and I have found that I need to lead by example and keep track of my daily goals as well. Don’t feel pressured to be on the same track or timeline as someone else; each child’s learning style and speed are so vastly different, even within the same family!
Thank you so much to Kara and the Pingel family for sharing your story. We look forward to seeing your wonderful young men continue to pursue their goals and passions. To learn more about Compass Charter Schools or enroll with us, please visit our enrollment page.