This week’s interview is full of twists and turns I’m sure you will find fascinating!
Please, welcome Charis to Raising Arrows!
Feel free to leave questions and comments for her at the end of the post!
Name & Age
Charis Taylor, 39
How many years were you homeschooled?
I was homeschooled from kindergarten through 10th grade with a brief 6 months in 1st grade where I attended the new school that was begun by the church we attended. My 11th grade year I attended a Christian School. My 12th grade year I went half a day to the Christian School and half a day taking college classes
A favorite homeschooling memory.
It is hard for me to remember that far back, my “mommy brain” is going full force these days. However, I would say that what I enjoyed most about being homeschooled was getting to spend time with my siblings, and all the time I had to read. I was quite the book worm. I am the oldest of 7 and I would say that being homeschooled is the reason that we are so close to this day even though we all live far from each other. I also enjoyed being able to help my mom with all the household stuff which has prepared me for motherhood. I also loved the fact that I was able to start working at Chick-Fil-A at 14 years old.
Favorite curriculum.
When I was homeschooled there were really only 2 curriculums to choose from, Bob Jones and Abeka. My mom used both. The Abeka reading was always my favorite, In 7th grade I began using Saxon Math and despite much difficulty with Math (I will explain more later) I really enjoyed taking Trigonometry.
Worst homeschooling memory.
The year I cheated! I know, I know……who would of thought that a homeschooler would cheat! I was having trouble in Math and even though my dad tried helping me, I just couldn’t seem to wrap my head around it. We switched from Bob Jones to Saxon Math, but I had already begun to grade my own papers and it became easy to just use the teacher’s manual to write down all the answers. I did this for a whole year in Math (Pre-Algebra) and then started cheating in English as well. My mom caught me taking an English test with the Teacher’s Manual. I will never forget my deep guilt and regret as my parents talked to me that night.
Most difficult lesson/subject for you?
As already stated, Math was my struggle area. There is redemption though. After the lecture from my parents I began Algebra 1. At first my parents thought I would need to redo Pre Algebra, but something suddenly clicked in my brain and I UNDERSTOOD it! The spiral system of Saxon Math was a large factor in that. By the time I was taking Trig at the Christian School (Saxon as well), I was actually enjoying Math. My early elementary years I struggled with spelling. I still do not consider myself the best speller. Thank goodness for spell check!
What you chose to do after graduating.
Trying to figure out what I wanted to do in life was definitely something I spent a lot of time thinking about. Ultimately I wanted to be a wife and mother. I had been teaching piano lessons since I was 13 and decided that I would take some college classes to help me be a better teacher. My senior year I started taking some core classes at Missouri Southern State University. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to go ahead and go for a degree. I majored in piano performance and graduated in 4 years the spring of 2000. During that time I meet my husband. He was a Music Education Major. We were married in 1999 just before he graduated.
Why you chose to do that.
Honestly, I chose to stay in college because I really enjoyed learning more about music and I had a wonderful group of friends. Choir was the best part of college, and the brief time I was in the marching band was fun too. Choir and Marching Band was not something I was exposed to in homeschool and I loved the social dynamics of a group working together to create something beautiful. I met my husband in college and I know that God had college in my plans all along. Even though I have a somewhat useless degree, I did learn a lot about myself and my walk with the Lord was also strengthened during that time.
Will you homeschool your own children if you have any?
Our first daughter was born in 2001. At that time I said I would never homeschool my children. I did not feel qualified. I look up to my mother in awe to this day at her grace and mercy and strive to be like her, but often feel that I fail miserably. She just seemed to know exactly what to do all the time. She has since told me how wrong my perspective was, but I think I still hold her on a pedestal. I figured I would never be able to be like my mom, so I could never homeschool.
We had 2 more children, boys, in 2002 and 2004. They all were enrolled in school at kindergarten. In 2010, when my oldest was in 4th grade, the Lord began to deal with my heart. I saw how my daughter was struggling with reading but it wasn’t severe, so she kept getting passed over for extra help. My son was far ahead of his class and was bored.
I started realizing that even though we taught them about the Lord and poured into their lives, I really only had about 1 hour a day of good quality time with them. The school had them for 8 hours and then there was at least an hour of homework every day.
For about 3 months I prayed and argued with the Lord, but He kept tugging at my heart. My test was to ask my husband what he thought. Surely, I would not be on the same page and I was supposed to submit to him right? I was shocked when he looked at me and said, “I think you are right”. Ha, that was not what I was expecting. We had just had our 4th child and I told him that the only way I could do this was with his help. He agreed. After the decision was made I found out we were expecting our 5th child. I kind of laughed at God thinking I would have never decided to homeschool had I known we would be having another so soon.
Fast forward to the present. We now have 7 biological children and custody of our great niece. Every year I struggle with feeling inadequate and that I am failing my children. Every year I cry out to the Lord for strength and grace. Every year I ask Him if I should keep homeschooling. Every year His answer is “yes” and He has not failed my yet. I am also so thankful for the group of other homeschooling families that He has placed in our lives. They are a source of encouragement and advice. I also enjoy reading from other large family homeschool moms such as Amy at Raising Arrows. =) {Thanks, Charis!}
Why or why not?
I guess I answered this question in the previous question. I will add that I currently home school a 10th grader, 9th grader, 7th grader, and 1st grader. The 3 oldest do several subjects together and the 9th grader does mostly 10th grade work with his sister. This fall I will add 2 kindergarteners totaling 6 that I will be schooling. YIKES! God help me. =)
Any regrets directly related to being homeschooled?
If I had been asked this years ago, I may have been able to give you some, but looking back now, I have no regrets. Being homeschooled is part of what has shaped me into who I am today. I had solid Biblical teaching, amazing parents who believed in building character more so than academics, and I feel incredibly blessed with the life I have been given.
Anything you wish you had been taught?
Personal finances. LOL!
How did homeschooling prepare you for what you are doing now (college or work)?
The time that I had with my parents to discuss the hard topics, glean from their wisdom, and the emphasis that was put on family is something I do not think I would have received had I gone to public school. These are the roots that I have navigated back to and hope to instill in my children. Above all I want them to have a love for the Lord and a love for one another. I am naturally an “acts of service” person, but being homeschooled helped me also develop that gifting. I first learned how to serve at home and then to serve those in our church family. I often wish I had more time to serve others, but realize that in the season of life I am at, I am to serve my family. This season will change one day and I will be able to do much more. Homeschooling helped develop who I am today, and gave me the skills to manage my own family,
What is the worst misnomer about homeschoolers?
I think that many people do not believe homeschoolers are prepared for college. I took my GED and was accepted into college without any problems. I never struggled with the “system” and always felt that I had been fully prepared. I hope my kids will be able to say the same thing.
SAvannah says
Beautiful story!
Diana says
That was lovely! Thanks for sharing!
Missy says
Love this series!
Miriam says
Charis, in all the years I have known you, I don’t think that I ever knew that you cheated! You know what they say about pastor’s kids 😉 I am happy God placed you in my life eons of years ago and that God has richly blessed your obedience to Him. Love ya!
Dorothy says
Wonderful article! I too was homeschooled in the 1990s and am homeschooling my children. I love the freedom to personalize subjects and we enjoy the great outdoors year round than most families are able! Plus, no morning or evening madness. We can enjoy dinner with my husband and have wonderful family time without worrying about piles of “busy body” homework. God bless!
Jamie says
That was very helpful to read (from a mom here that constantly feels like she’s failing her kids, too!). Thank you for sharing.
-Jamie
Terri says
Thank you Amy for this wonderful series, and thank you Charis for sharing your story.
Karyn says
I love these posts. So encouraging! Thank you, Charis, for sharing your story.
Bianca Van Dyken says
Hi Amy, thanks for sharing this interview! Such a blessing to hear words from the heart.
Thankyou, Charis. It just struck me that when you speak of being able to contribute to church or community more, I have the same thoughts, but like you, right now is not the season. But you know what? We are contributing! We have many children (we have 10), and they are a blessing to the church and community as well as us, they can be helpful and involved in the life of the church. Many churches and communities have lost their vibrancy because of a lack of young people. And do you know that smile that appears when you are out with your youngest? People love babies!
Thanks for sharing. Many blessings to you!