I am excited to bring a new series to the Joy in the Ordinary community.  Each week I will highlight a different African-American home educating mother.  It is my hope that this series will offer encouragement to all moms who home school, and offer support to new African-American moms who have decided to take on the role as the primary educator for their children.  As I shared in the 20 Blogs by African American Home School Moms post,  I often scoured the web searching for moms of color who were on this path only to become disappointed that these sites were far and few between. 

To kick off the series, our first highlight will come from yours truly, Latonya of Joy in the Ordinary.

Q & A with a Home School Mom:  Latonya M.

Latonya is the creator of Joy in the Ordinary where she writes often about home education, curriculum, and encouragement.  She designs faith-inspired jewelry for her shop, Alexandria's Authentically Made Jewelry.  She currently home schools her two daughters.

How long have you home educated?

We have been official home school educators for 6 years.

How did your family decide to become a homeschooling family?

We decided to home school after I taught summer school in our local school district.  I left that experience feeling as if I could give the girls more than the school system could.  I shared these thoughts with my husband, and he supported my decision. 

What is your favorite part about home schooling? What helps you to keep going?

My absolute favorite part of home schooling is spending time with my daughters.  I appreciate the freedom we have to build and nurture our relationships without time restraints.  Of course, we spend a lot of time together and this can be hard for an introvert so I have to be intentional about getting quiet time without them in my presence.  Each day I take time alone on the porch or go for a short walks throughout the day to help refill. 

What are your struggles with being a home schooling parent?

The introvert thing shows up a lot.  I can become overwhelmed with too much socializing so I have to be protective of my time and energies.  Although we go with the flow often, I have to be a bit more planned when it comes to outings with large groups of people.  If I give too much time to others, it shows up in our home school because I tend to disengage.

Latonya's words of encouragement to you:

Homeschooling isn't an easy feat, but it is well worth it.  Don't take yourself to seriously meaning give yourself space for mistakes.  Give your kids space for mistakes.  Remember that you don't have to teach them everything.  None of us leave childhood knowing every single detail about every single subject so don't be unrealistic and overburden yourself.  Have fun, learn together, laugh often, and enjoy going through life with your children.