Homeschool Mom Spotlight #2

Meet Jennifer Glasgow

Photo by Stephanie Harvey on Unsplash

We’re starting something new here at Patterns for Life: every month we will be highlighting an individual homeschool mom through a written interview in order to encourage and inspire our readers. We know it can be helpful to meet — whether virtually or in real life — other mothers who are in the trenches with us here and now, and can relate to our daily struggles and joys.

We are very pleased to introduce Jennifer Glasgow, homeschooling mom of 7. We hope you enjoy getting to know her a bit!

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1. Tell us about yourself and your family.

Hi there!  I'm Jennifer Glasgow from central Arkansas and my husband Clay and I will have been married 22 years this December.  We have 7 kiddos, ages 16, 14, 13, 11, 9, 6, and 4!  That's 3 girls and 4 boys. Clay and I grew up Baptist preacher's kids, and converted to Orthodoxy around 13 years ago.  

2. How long have you been homeschooling and what motivated you to start in the first place?

 I grew up homeschooled through the 3rd grade and always knew I wanted to homeschool my kids, at least in the early years.  I have a memory of reading a sweet storybook on the couch for school and I absolutely loved it.  To this day I have no recollection of Clay and I discussing homeschooling or even me staying at home with the kids during our dating and early years of marriage, but thanks be to God we were on the same page, and here we are, still homeschooling!  If one counts kindergarten, I guess I've been homeschooling 12 years.  This year I have 2 high schoolers, a middle schooler, 3 elementary aged, and our 4 year old who is along for the ride.  

3. Describe a typical homeschool day in your home.

My high-schoolers get up early and do math and sometimes take a walk or a bike ride to start the day, while I have coffee on the couch.  Then we have breakfast and a morning time where we read from the Bible and then each day has a different reading for the whole family.  This year we are reading Path to Confession, Plutarch, Life of a Spider, and George MacDonald's fairytales.  Next it's independent work for the big 5 while I do phonics, math, and other lessons with my 6 year old.  Up next is a reading with my middles and check-ins on their independent work.  Most of us are finished before lunch, except the high-schoolers and I try to have check-ins with them, but it doesn't always happen!

4. What is your favorite part of homeschooling?

I love the beautiful books we read together and the discussions that often follow! 

5. Does homeschooling affect the way you parent? If so, how?

I am very grateful to have learned about Charlotte Mason and her philosophy fairly early on in our homeschooling.  Her tenets of Atmosphere, Discipline, and Life have really flowed into our every day.  Our home, school, and parish life all flow together beautifully.  Atmosphere, Discipline, and Life definitely play into my parenting.  Obviously I am very flawed, sin often, and am in need of repentance, but it's that very repentance that helps set the Atmosphere.  

6. What is your least favorite part of homeschooling?

Not enough energy to do all the things (here's looking at you, Latin!).  I really do love homeschooling, but there are times when it's either crazy busy with homeschool plus life, and other times when it can be lonely.  I think it's less of a homeschooling issue, and more of the current culture where our community is spread out and not easy to interact with on a daily basis.  

7. What have you found to be the most humbling aspect of parenting/homeschooling?

Not being able to fix everything.  Whether it's a health issue, a math issue, or a loneliness issue, I want to solve it all for my kids but often I just can't.  I do what I know to do, take a step forward when I can, and learn to rely on others for help along the way.  

8. Looking back to the beginning of your homeschool journey, what are some things you wish you had known? What would you tell your younger self as she was just starting out?

Those years of having young children (lots of them!) and just beginning homeschool are both exciting and taxing.  We get so excited to begin, but then sleepless nights, nursing babies, and doing all the cooking/housecleaning starts to take its toll.  I wish I could have told myself "Slow down and enjoy these little years — go to the park, read books on the couch, and set aside a tiny amount of time for phonics and math."  The habit of following a simple school schedule, no matter how short, adds up over time.  I've now had kids who learned to read at 6, 9, and 10 (and 10 again!), so I definitely don't rush reading or math, we just aim to be consistent with short lessons.  It really does add up over time.  

9. How does your faith affect your homeschooling?

I strive for our faith to be the center of our homeschooling.  But I stumble a lot.  One week I pray every morning, the next I choose coffee first and fail to pray.  As a favorite blogger Mystie Winkler says, then we "Repent, Rejoice, Repeat!" 

10. What are some of your favorite homeschool resources?

I have always referenced Ambleside Online to view the wonderful books and schedules they have curated.  Simply Charlotte Mason podcast and A Delectable Education podcast helped me as I was getting started in understanding the Charlotte Mason philosophy and practice.  Currently, I love Afterthoughtsblog.net to think about philosophy of education. 

11. What do you consider to be the most rewarding aspect of homeschooling?

The most rewarding thing is seeing my kids learn and grow according to their unique personalities.  Homeschooling has given us the time to be bored, to try things out, to experience nature, to read amazing books, and to learn to live with each other!

12. Anything else you'd like to add?

I'm far from perfect — and some days go well while others don't. But I'm grateful for this gift of time homeschooling has given our family to share life together.

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Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing with us about your homeschooling life!