What a year! The growth in home education is phenomenal. In Manitoba our homeschool numbers have nearly tripled over the past 2 years. This is great, with many more families now experiencing the wonderful benefits of home education.
Unfortunately, the other reality is that restrictions make it difficult for families to enjoy the full benefits of homeschooling which is sad and painful. Many families started to home educate for pandemic reasons but are continuing for other deeper reasons after seeing the impact of home education in their family. The journey is not an easy one, with a lot of hard work and household changes, that can be frustrating and taxing.
We want to encourage you to not give up, to remind you that it is worth it. Home education works and works well. Don’t give up!
To help you we are organizing a free online homeschool workshop that features our 2022 MACHS conference speakers, Dr. Roger & Jan Smith and Zan and Joe Tyler, and a homeschool parent panel to answer your questions.
(Free Online) Wednesday, February 16th from 8pm to 10pm
Dr. Roger and Jan Smith hail from Louisiana where he is a medical doctor and Jan manages their horse farm and businesses. All four of their adult children were homeschooled until the college years, and home education has been an exciting journey for them where they became experts in home and family management, leadership, and community service. They continue to serve in their church as mentors and teachers, as well as serving on the board of their state homeschool organization and the board of the National Alliance of Christian Home Education Leaders. Dr. Smith has a weekly video blog on parenting (@Parenting Matters Now).
For the past 35 years, Zan Tyler and her husband, Joe, have been actively involved in the American homeschool movement teaching and mentoring others. At their speaking engagements, they take their audiences beyond the demands of everyday life to embrace a wondrous, life-giving vision of family life. Audiences agree, “Zan and Joe are inspiring, engaging, funny, full of enthusiasm, encouraging, real, relatable, passionate, uplifting, empowering–authentic!”
Zan says that “My story is about the greatness and faithfulness of the Lord – and how He uses ordinary people to accomplish His extraordinary plans.” Zan’s homeschool journey began in 1984 when homeschooling was illegal. The State Superintendent of Education threatened Zan with jail for not sending her children to the local public school. For the next eight years, she and other homeschool families battled for homeschool freedom and the establishment of landmark homeschool legislation in South Carolina. Zan also works with BJU Press advancing homeschooling and encouraging families.