Inspiring Interview With A Homeschooling Former Teacher

You guys! I’m so excited to share today’s post, Inspiring Interview With A Homeschooling Former Teacher! Awhile back I posted 14 Inspiring Instagram Homeschool Mom’s to Follow and the post has been a MAJOR hit, so when I saw this homeschooling mama rocking on Instagram I knew I needed to share her account with you because I know you’ll love following this account as much as I do! Friends, this IG homeschooling mama is on fire, trust me, you’re going to want to follow her and you may even want to turn on notifications so you don’t miss one of her posts!

Slingin_Mama

Slingin_Mama found me on Instagram back in January 2020, shortly after starting her account and we hit it off right away. It’s been fun to watch her because in only a half a year she impressively sailed past 2K followers and for very good reason. Not only is her imagery inspiring and beautiful, but her content is brilliant and helpful.

Homeschooling mom of 4 boys, Slingin_Mama, holds a degree in Education ( B.Ed. ) and a degree in Nutritional Science (B.A.Sc.) and she freely shares her knowledge and wisdom on her IG feed.

I love her creative and kinesthetic activity idea’s, as well as her reminders of how powerful and important nutrition is when it comes to children’s developing brains.

Here are a few samples from her feed! As you can see she has a gift when it comes to finding and creatively using objects from nature to teach with, and for turning things like abstract math into hand’s on (kinesthetic) activities to effectively drive lessons home. Seriously parents out there, you could get lost in this beautiful and inspiring feed!

Inspiring Interview With A Homeschooling Former Teacher

You guys, check it out! Slingin_Mama kindly agreed to an interview with me!

Q. Singing A New Song; Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! Can you tell us how many years you worked on the school board, and why as a teacher you chose to homeschool?

A. Slingin_Mama; I worked as a classroom teacher for about 10 years. Working in the system solidified for me that I would be homeschooling my own children. First off, I practice attachment parenting and I would have been very frustrated to leave my own children to take care of other people’s children.

Secondly, what I saw happening in the school system strongly convinced me that I certainly wanted to homeschool my own children. I remember two boys gently roughhousing with each other at recess in an obviously friendly way and a principal approaching them and telling them not to touch each other. And I immediately thought “ rough housing in boys increases their problem solving skills amongst many other benefits.” And I remember the very powerful feeling that I cannot put my children in this environment 5 days and week, year after year. No way!

Q. Singing A New Song; I’ve been hearing a lot of teachers voice that the public school system needs changes but that they don’t feel their expertise weighs heavily enough when regulations are being made regarding children’s educational needs. What are your thoughts on this?

A. Slingin_Mama; The modern public education system is still reflective of its origins in the industrial revolution, when its purpose was to churn out factory workers who would be “ punctual, docile and sober.” This has not changed and even though many have worked towards reform the problem arises with the fact that the whole concept of having a building called “ school “, where same aged children gather in a room together all day under fluorescent lights, is just against our biology.

So even when we try to make changes, for example as we did by introducing Play Based Curriculum for Kindergarten, it still does not work because the concept of “school “ goes against what a child innately needs. As John Holt says,

 It’s not that I feel that school is a good idea gone wrong, but a wrong idea from the word go. It’s a nutty notion that we can have a place where nothing but learning happens, cut off from the rest of life.

John Holt

Q. Singing A New Song; Currently we are experiencing the COVID pandemic and schools are in such limbo and confusion; once the dust settles, and in your professional opinion, what are some education related changes you hope families are able to take away from everything that has happened?

A. Slingin_Mama; With the Covid situation, parents are seeing first hand the serious limitation of coerced learning. The frustration they have encountered trying to  “teach” their children is one that us classroom teachers struggle with everyday. The main issue is that the curriculum does not pertain to the child’s life and therefore the child is not interested.

The question classroom teachers are always asking themselves is, “ how can I engage this child so they learn what the curriculum wants them to learn.” But the “ secret “ is that a child retains information that is relevant to their life here and now. The school system is a place cut off from real life and the child’s unique passions.

So right now many parents are thinking, “ there is no way I can homeschool!”. But it is only because they have tried to replicate the school system pedagogy in their home. And it doesn’t work because it doesn’t fundamentally work and it doesn’t work within the school system either.
Again, John Holt said it best with this quote;

What is most important and valuable about the home as a base for children’s growth into the world is not that it is a better school than the schools, but that it isn’t a school at all.

John Holt

Q. Singing A New Song; Do you have any special message you would like to convey to parents considering homeschooling right now? 

A. Slingin_Mama; These three facts may help people make a decision about homeschooling 

1. IQ is mostly genetic. No amount of education has ever been found to increase a persons intelligence or change their unique type of intelligence. A child is born either liking reading or being good at math, knowing how to draw, verbal ability etc. Think about yourself. How much of your elementary and high school academics did you use in life? Most people will say very little besides basic reading and math skills. This should take the pressure off of parents in terms of academics.
2. The most powerful predictor of future joy and success is your experiences from birth to 7 years old. Proper attachment to one caregiver will result in a resilient child who has the confidence to pursue their own unique, God given passions and abilities.
3. Never in human history have children been socialized in a room with children of all the same age and one adult. We have always lived in tribes. 

I highly encourage all parents read Hold Onto Your Kids by Gabor Mate and The Call of the The Wild and Free: Reclaiming Wonder in Your Child’s Education by Ainsley Arment.

Another fantastic book that shaped my parenting and homeschooling journey is the book The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff. It is journal of a woman who lives with a Venezuelan tribe for two years and documented how their parenting practices (which follows our biological evolutionary needs) made them the happiest people she has ever encountered. A must read for any new parent!

Last but certainly not least, ask God. He will guide you.

Q. Singing A New Song; Last question. Can you share what you love most about being a homeschool mom?

A. Slingin_Mama; Some things I love about being a homeschool mom? The quote below really sums it up!
”Homeschooling is an act of liberation and an act of passion. It is an occasion to walk away from institutional images of life and to embrace a vision that is filled with personal meaning and unmistakable truths for our families. The quality of awareness that comes from the heart is more dependable… Homeschooling… is about helping make it possible for children to reach maturity with healthy, curious, fully conscious minds.” ― Earl Gary Stevens

1. I am in control of what is being taught to my children, what children they are spending time with, what doctrine they are being fed.
2. Being with my children! Hanging out with them all day and enjoying each other!
3. Not lining up for places on weekends. Going to museums, science centres, skiing, shopping during in the middle of a weekday.
4. Watching my children live real life, interact with adults at the grocery store and restaurant and babies at the park and letting them sleep in when they need to.
5. Not having their minds dictated by the ringing of a bell and dictating a schedule that works for us.

Find Slingin_Mama on Instagram HERE

If you enjoyed Inspiring Interview With A Homeschooling Former Teacher be sure to check out my other HOMESCHOOL RELATED POSTS HERE and don’t forget to check out 14 Inspiring Instagram Homeschool Mom’s to Follow.