Homeschool – Page 2 – Schoolhouse Rocked

February 17, 2018June 24, 2018

What I Wish I Knew Early in Our Homeschool Journey

We didn’t purposely seek out homeschooling for our children. I was a teacher who left the classroom to become a trainer to other teachers throughout the Southeast. My husband was an administrator in public schools.

When we had our first son we put him in the local school, despite a calling I felt toward homeschooling. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t motivated for selfish reasons. After moving my son and putting him and my younger son in a Christian school, I still felt the call toward homeschooling.

That is when I was convinced this was what we were supposed to do. Thus, our homeschooling journey began.

Now that we have graduated both our boys and they are now in college and doing extremely well. This is what I wish I knew early in our homeschool journey, that I know now…

… that there is no “behind”, just a different timeline or sequence for personal best.

… that there is no “right” way or curriculum. What works best for the children and their parents is the “right” way.

…. that I didn’t need to stress about “covering certain things and not missing anything” during the elementary years. The elementary years introduce concepts and skills that will be repeated throughout middle and high school. Enjoying the exploration of “enjoying learning” is important during these years without stress.

… that some of the most important lessons learned were unplanned and unexpected and came through living life.

… that our family life, homeschooling lifestyle, and our Christian faith merged into one, and became indistinguishable.

… that homeschooling for us was best when it did not resemble “school at home”.

… that it would be so fascinating and exciting to give my children the freedom to explore their personal interests and talents, especially during the middle and high school years. And then see them take flight and accomplish things I could never have imagined or knew existed.

… that colleges would seek out and want to recruit homeschoolers because of their skill sets and diverse experiences because of homeschooling.

… that my children would grow so firmly into their Christian faith because of the integration of our family life and homeschooling lifestyle with our faith.

… that my son would tell me he wants to homeschool his own children when he’s married.

… And that I can now look back at those times I went on my knees during our homeschooling years, and I can see and feel God’s providence and grace in our lives, and feel so grateful for our homeschooling journey together.

Are you currently homeschooling? What did you wish you knew earlier in your homeschool journey?

Written by Katie Glennon of Katie’s Homeschool Cottage.

February 15, 2018March 29, 2018

Marketing Vs. Advertising – How Do They Differ, or Do They?

If you own a small business, one of the most important responsibilities you have is generating business. In an effort to do just that, you need to promote your product or service.

There are a variety of ways to promote a business. Some methods are more creative than others. Most can be categorized under two main headings: marketing and advertising. We’ve all heard those terms thousands of times, but do we really know what they mean? Are they the same or different? Does it really matter? Do they both produce the same results? Can we expect a return on investment from both?

Let’s take a quick pop-quiz… look at the items below and determine if they are marketing or advertising:

Billboard along the interstate
Facebook page, Twitter & Instagram posts
Bi-monthly ad in a local newspaper
Promoted Facebook posts
Digital banners on various websites

What do you think…are these examples of marketing or advertising? Well, before we get to the answer, let’s define what marketing and advertising are so we know for sure.

Marketing is the action of finding your target buyer and giving them the experience of your product or service.

How about advertising? What is advertising really? Advertising is exposing your brand. It’s really that simple.

So, now that we have defined the two, let’s take another look at the pop-quiz above. Do all these items allow the target buyer to experience the product or service? No, they do not. Therefore, all the items listed above are examples of advertising. They all expose the brand through different avenues but none of them actually allow a potential customer to experience the product or service directly.

Here are a few examples of ways a current and/or potential customer can experience your product or service:

A tire company hosts a driving event where dealers drive on the tires and compare them to competitive brands.
A drink brand offers free samples to shoppers in the grocery store.
A plumber hosts a demonstration at a home show where he shows attendees how to repair a small pipe leak. Attendees are challenged to try it themselves.
A local dentist speaks at a Rotary meeting where he explains the latest technology in teeth cleaning.

All of these examples offer customers a chance to experience a product or get to know the personality of the person offering a service. There is much more interaction with these examples than there are with the advertising examples. Remember, marketing is about the experience. Marketing also provides an opportunity to measure your return on investment more accurately than most advertising. It’s a challenge to determine how many sales are directly connected to a billboard along the interstate. However, you can measure how many drinks you sold at the store during the time you shared the free samples.

The reality is, anyone who has a business should spend 50% of their time and effort related to marketing. The administration, product development, invoicing, staff training, sales, etc. should not equal more than 50% of your time and energy so you can spend the additional 50% on marketing.

One last thing to think about when it comes to advertising. Times have changed in a very dramatic way as it relates to the effectiveness of advertising. Take the DVR for instance. Besides recording your favorite shows or games, what do we all love about the DVR? We can skip the commercials!

Are you familiar with Pandora music service? How do they make money? Your first assumption is probably advertising. That is only partially correct. Their main revenue is generated by memberships that allow the listener access to ad-free music.

We now live in a time where the public is willing to spend their hard-earned money to avoid your advertising. On many occasions, ads make us mad. Think about your initial reaction to online pop-up ads. Do you actually click on them and say, “Oh, that’s awesome! Even though you just completely interrupted me and invaded my space, I’ll buy your product now.” No, most of us get upset and now have a negative opinion of that company. Something to think about…

So, back to the original question in the headline. I hope you now have a clearer understanding of what marketing and advertising is and how they do indeed differ from each other.

Written by John B. Robinson with Purple Monkey Garage… Fixing Businesses and Repairing Lives.

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Photos by James Sutton and Kate Trysh on Unsplash.com

February 2, 2018June 24, 2018

Homeschool Isn’t Something You Do

Homeschooling isn't something you do, it is a lifestyle. It is so much more than just learning.

In the wide world of homeschool articles, books, blogs, and videos you will see so many wonderful bits of information on how to do XYZ. Of course, no two are ever the same.

There are planners, methods, curriculum, and mission statements. Everything points to things you can do, checkboxes you can mark, and the goal is “productivity”. Though the result is often just more comparison.

But homeschooling isn’t a to-do list. It isn’t books, or Latin, or co-ops. It isn’t poetry tea time or map tracing.

While these things are good, full of beauty and truth, they aren’t the core of homeschool.

Homeschooling is an opportunity. A chance to make connections in your relationships with your children, to truly disciple them in the day to day living and teach them in the way they should go.

Homeschooling is a process of sanctification. A way for the Holy Spirit to speak to you through the things you say, think, and pray for your own children. The day to day teaching, correcting, and sharing of education with your children requires you to take time to be still, to quiet your heart and trust so that you can call upon the Lord’s strength to get through the hard moments with grace.

Homeschool is the creation of a family culture. Through your choice of materials, you line the hallways and bookshelves of your home creating an atmosphere of learning while these same items subtly share your ideals, priorities, and dreams with your children and all who enter your home. Your schedules and rituals set the tempo for your family, you have control over how rushed or calm the days are.

Homeschool is a choice to prioritize the creation of home as a safe place full of ideas, deepconversations, shared meals, and time together. There is grace, gratitude, and a deep appreciation for the small moments, small accomplishments, and daily victories that happens so much more freely in a home where being present together is a choice that has been made.

There is a sweetness and delight found in homeschooling, even through the hard seasons, that the time we are given with our children is short and that through choosing to homeschool we are making the most of those precious years.

Homeschooling is celebrating Ebenezer moments and teaching our children that hard times bring forth fruit.

Homeschool is not something you do, but rather a way of living that builds up your children, that strengthens your faith, and that lays a foundation of solid family culture for future generations.

In the process, you get to checkmark that your kids get a wonderful individualized education. That’s why homeschooling is awesome.

Written by Lara Molettiere with Everyday Graces . . .Cultivating Learning, Love & Life