The NCHE Leadership Series part 4
As the face of home education has grown in the last 35 years, the ways we reach homeschooling families have also grown and changed. NCHE media includes:
- everything that you see on our website,
- NCHE webinars,
- updates when you follow us on social media,
- information we send in the NCHE weekly email, and
- everything you see when you open an issue of GREENHOUSE magazine.
GREENHOUSE is our thrice-annual, printed magazine. It is mailed to everyone who is an NCHE member at the time each issue goes to press. We have a significant presence on social media through Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and (most notably) Facebook. Our online support groups are also one of the most important ways that we serve you!
Through NCHE marketing, we supply flyers, tri-fold brochures, and other print media at regional events across our state. Media, marketing, and development frequently work hand-in-hand to bring our community exclusive NCHE resources that encourage families in North Carolina that they can homeschool with confidence and joy.
Briggs Greenwood and her husband, Kevin live in Durham. They have homeschooled for the last nineteen years and have graduated three of their four sons. She has served NCHE in several volunteer roles from conference volunteer coordinator to regional liaison. She is currently the marketing director and loves finding new and better ways to serve our members. Her family loves to travel and explore new places. Fun Fact: Her favorite guilty pleasure is a cup of hot tea and a classic British Murder mystery.
Diane Helfrich Diane Helfrich is a fourteen-year veteran homeschooler who now serves as the Development Director for NCHE. She was the rising professional who was never going to have kids—then found herself a homeschool mom! She is married to newly-retired David. Their son, Ian, is working on a PhD in economics at Georgia Tech, and their daughter, Anna, is a case manager for trafficked and abused children in Yakima, Washington. An interesting fact about Diane is that she spent three weeks hot air ballooning over the Valley of the King’s in Egypt and had her first landing as a balloon pilot in Luxembourg.
Are you a new NCHE member? We’d love to meet you! Introduce yourself in the comment section below, or email us at nche@nche.com. Thinking of becoming a member? Start here.
The NCHE Leadership Series part 3
There are twelve voting officers on the NCHE board. Our board members are volunteers, and each member is elected annually. Non-voting members of our board include advisors elected by the board and the spouses of the elected officers.
Our board loves to meet with one another and hang out. When we meet in person, we often bring snacks, play games, and learn more about the happenings in different regions across our state. As our meetings have been restricted to conference calls in the past few months, we have still enjoyed laughter and camaraderie! We hope that the confidence and joy that we have in community with one another is something that we can share with our members as we connect with you online and in-person. In this installment in our series, we will meet three additional NCHE board members.
Amanda Wares is married to Michael and has 4 children. This is their 15th year homeschooling and her 10th year on the NCHE board, where she currently serves as homeschool helps director. In addition to her roles as wife and stay-at-home mom/teacher, Amanda also serves on the board of her local homeschool group and teaches sign language at a co-op. In all her spare time, she loves to read, plan field trips and encourage new homeschoolers! Fun Fact: Amanda organizes our Summit Conference for educating children with special needs and learning differences.
Jessica Frierson is a North Carolina native who lives in Conover with her husband, Ernie, and their children. She has homeschooled their ten children since 2000 with four graduates to date. She currently serves as the secretary at NCHE and has previously served as the Region 2 liaison. Jessica enjoys writing about homeschool life and speaking to homeschool groups, including the annual Thrive! conference. Fun fact: Jessica is a homeschool graduate!
Kathy Iandoli serves as the community relations director at North Carolinians for Home education.
IT Director The IT board position at North Carolinians for Home Education is currently vacant. If you have been an NCHE member for at least one year and you are interested in learning more about the IT director’s responsibilities, please email Kathy Iandoli at community@nche.com.
Are you a new NCHE member? We’d love to meet you! Introduce yourself in the comment section below, or email us at nche@nche.com. Thinking of becoming a member? Start here.
The NCHE Leadership Series part 2
In 1984, North Carolinians for Home Education was organized by homeschool parents to support and encourage home educators and to protect the right to freely home educate in North Carolina. Our name was selected so as to include all who are for home education, not just those who are currently homeschooling.
From the beginning, joining NCHE has been a way that someone shows support for homeschooling in NC and the ministry of NCHE. Our mission is to help parents homeschool with confidence and joy! We do this by working to:
- Protect the rights of North Carolina citizens to homeschool,
- Equip families with the information and encouragement they need,
- Connect families with other homeschooling families and groups across the state.
When you become an NCHE member, you support our work and mission. Most of the work at NCHE is accomplished by volunteers, including our volunteer board. In this second installment in our series, we will meet four additional NCHE board members.
Barry Bickley is a homeschooling Dad of more than 25 years with four graduated children. He uses his professional background serving NCHE as our treasurer and overseeing the budget and financial planning processes. Barry is a consultant specializing in helping organizations achieve greater value from, and make better decisions based on, their data, allowing people and organizations to achieve higher levels of personal and corporate productivity. He has extensive experience in developing internal audit programs as well as proactively planning for and responding to external reviews. Fun Fact: Barry was involved in his company winning both the National and NC state versions of the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award.
Evelyn Bickley graduated all four of her children from their homeschool. All four are now “adulting.” Evelyn continues involvement in the homeschooling world by serving on our board as the activities director. She also administers end-of-year tests for families, leads a homeschool Gavel Club, and supports many NCHE members via online homeschool support groups. As activities director, she is responsible for things such as statewide field trips, the NCHE Athletic Commission, and the NCHE scholarship program. Fun Fact: In her free time, Evelyn and her husband enjoy travelling— especially to places of natural beauty or historical interest (and taste-testing ice cream from soft serve stands!)
Mike Marshall Mike & Ronda Marshall are the homeschooling parents of 6, and they live in Asheville. Mike serves as an NCHE board advisor. He has served on the board at NCHE since 2003. and he has also previously served as president of NCHE and as a regional director. Over the past few years, Mike & Ronda have had the privilege of speaking at various support groups and state conferences where they loved having the opportunity to encourage fellow families in this wonderful, yet sometimes challenging homeschooling journey. Fun Fact: He also currently serves on the board with NCHE Athletic Commission.
Ronda Marshall Ronda and her husband, Mike, are in their 26th year of homeschooling, have graduated 5 children, and currently have one at home. Ronda serves as an advisor on our board. She and Mike have established homeschool support groups, email groups, co-ops, enrichment classes and conferences in their area. Ronda is the director of Biltmore Church Homeschool Ministry that serves over 200 families in western NC. Fun Fact: This past year, Mike and Ronda were blessed to welcome their first two grandchildren!
Are you a new NCHE member? We’d love to meet you! Introduce yourself in the comment section below, or email us at nche@nche.com. Thinking of becoming a member? Start here.
The NCHE Leadership Series part 1
Whether it’s in person or online, it’s always fun when North Carolinians for Home Education board members and leaders have an opportunity to get together! We love serving you, and we enjoy one another’s company. Although we serve in different roles at NCHE and in different geographic regions across the Old North state, our experiences are consistently relatable.
We divide North Carolina’s 100 counties into nine regions, and each region has a regional liaison. Our volunteer board meets four times each year to hear from our regional liaisons about what is going on in their area, to plan events and activities, to discuss what is happening in education on state and national levels, to pray for you, and to grow in our mission to help families homeschool with confidence and joy. In the first blog post in this series, we’ll get to know four of our leaders.
Matthew McDill and his wife, Dana, live in Clemmons, NC with six of their nine children. Matthew has been in pastoral ministry for over twenty-five years and is now the executive director for North Carolinians for Home Education. He earned his M.Div. and Ph.D. at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and authored the book Loving God: A Practical Handbook for Discipleship. Matthew loves to teach from God’s Word, especially on topics related to family relationships, discipleship, parenting, and home education. Fun fact: Matthew loves to play basketball!
Dana McDill enjoys homeschooling and loves encouraging other mothers on their homeschooling journeys because homeschool is not for the faint of heart. She and Matthew have graduated 3 of their children, and they are still homeschooling their 6 youngest children. Dana is real about the joys and challenges of homeschooling. She is a beloved speaker at the NCHE Mom’s Retreat and our annual Thrive! Conference. She has a BS in math education. Fun Fact: Matthew and Dana’s first date was on her birthday.
Spencer Mason and his wife, Debbie, homeschooled their four children starting in 1981. Spencer has served on the NCHE board for thirty-two years—serving in several different positions, including twice as president. He now serves as law and policy director. With his help, NCHE maintains a respected voice on both sides of the aisle in the legislature. In addition to his board position, he is now serving as the NCHE executive office manager. Fun Fact: Spencer is a great story-teller.
Debbie Mason has been an NCHE board member since 1988. She homeschooled her four children, and directed a large homeschool support group for over 22 years. Now her five grandchildren are homeschooled! She is the NCHE events director and has coordinated the NCHE conference speakers/workshops since 1990. She was the editor of the GREENHOUSE from 1995-2015. Debbie has a BS in secondary education, mathematics and a MEd in counseling. Fun Fact: Debbie is also the unofficial NCHE historian.
Are you a new NCHE member? We’d love to meet you! Introduce yourself in the comment section below, or email us at nche@nche.com. Thinking of becoming a member? Start here.
Tips for Teaching Math
I sat down with Steve Demme, creator of Math-U-See, this week for an interview. I asked him to share with us some tips for teaching math.
Some of the most important points that he shares in this short clip are:
- Math is sequential, so it is important to find out where your children are and start there. You can find out where they are by using placement tests or just working with your students.
- Don’t be discouraged if they don’t know what you think they should. Help them establish the missing parts before moving forward.
- Don’t be discouraged if they do not have the same understanding as other children their age. It is OK for older children to review and strengthen more basic math when they need to.
- Allow your students to move at their own pace. Again, do not allow the performance of other children to rush or hinder the pace that your children can learn. Homeschooling gives you the freedom to do this. Enjoy it!
You can watch the full interview and get YOUR questions answered in our upcoming webinar with Steve Demme on September 1. Sign up to join for FREE!
All about Morning Baskets
By guest contributor Amy Sloan
Morning baskets are one way that homeschool parents, especially parents with multiple children, keep materials organized and in one place. It is an effective way for each member of your homeschool to begin the school day on the same page. In this webisode from her podcast, Amy Sloan interviews Pam Barnhill to discuss:
- who invented morning baskets,
- why morning baskets [still] work,
- how to craft the perfect morning basket for your family
- common misconceptions about morning time, and
- why teaching children who are different from you is an advantage!
Amy Sloan and her husband, John, are second-generation homeschoolers by grace alone to 5 children ages 5 to 15. Their educational philosophy is one of humility and doxology, and follows a restfully classical approach. Amy loves coffee, and starts getting nervous if the stack of to-be-read library books beside her bed is less than 2 feet tall. Get her started on Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Homer, or Hamilton the Musical and it might be hard to get her to stop. Mostly, though, she gets really excited about the Gospel. Amy writes at HumilityandDoxology.com and you can find her podcast, Homeschool Conversations with Humility and Doxology, in your favorite podcast app.
Pam Barnhill is the author of Better Together and Plan Your Year. She hosts the popular Your Morning Basket podcast, writes at PamBarnhill.com, and is one of the co-hosts for the Scholé Sisters podcast. You can find her speaking at homeschool conferences around the country when she’s not home in the Deep South with her husband and three kids.
What do you usually include in your morning basket? Share with us in the comment section below.
What Is the Ultimate Goal of Education and Parenting?
What we are aiming for as parents has a major impact on how we relate to and raise our children every day. Have you discovered the ultimate goal of education and parenting from God’s point of view? It is easy for us to get distracted by all sorts of other goals and motives that will not produce the outcome we are really looking for.
Here is a clip from a presentation I gave to the Forsyth Home Educators about How to Help Your Children Become Self-Motivated. In it I identify God’s ultimate goal for parenting and how to sort out competing motives and agendas.
– Matthew McDill
The Daily Grind
By Guest Contributor Whitney Cranford Crowell
My mom’s friend Jane is the kind of person who calls it like she sees it. Years ago, after a harrowing day
of wrangling her three small children, she eyed my mother with a frazzled look. “The problem with
parenting,” she sighed, “is that it’s so… daily.”
Jane, as usual, was right.
Parenthood, with all its joys, can seem like a never-ending uphill climb. Sometimes you can’t tell if you’ll
ever reach the summit, and worse, some days you can’t even know for sure that you’re making forward
progress. Will my baby ever sleep through the night? Will he ever learn to tie his shoes? Is she going to
be a moody mess for the rest of her life?
Add homeschooling to the mix, and the stakes are even higher. Now not only are you solely responsible
for turning a small human into a functioning adult, you are solely responsible for turning him into an
educated, functioning adult! (Cue scary horror movie music.) And yet, any experienced parent will also tell you that the interminable parenting pathway does, in fact, lead somewhere. Babies eventually sleep through the night, preschoolers learn to tie their shoes, and moody preteen girls grow into delightful young women. All seemingly without Mom or Dad having done anything specific.
But they did do something, didn’t they? They were there, consistently, constantly, meeting each
insignificant need as it arose, making small tweaks as needed, and trusting that each small act would
eventually add up to a sum greater than its parts. Every day, they put one foot in front of the other,
making the best decisions they could with the information at hand.
The same is true in homeschooling. While it’s easy to get bogged down in curriculum, co-ops, and the
fear of screwing up, successful homeschooling really comes down to one thing: constancy. The secret to
home education is to educate consistently. Choose a method or a program that appeals to you, and do it
every day. One subject, then the next, then the next. If something isn’t working, tweak it, then do the
new thing every day. Put one foot in front of the other and make the best decisions you can with the
information in front of you.
So don’t be afraid. You can be there for your child, day in and day out, meeting each small need as it
arises, adjusting on the fly. You’ve already been doing it since the day she was born.
Whitney Cranford Crowell knew she’d reached peak homeschooling when she bought a custom 9-foot by
6-foot bookcase with matching ladder and still didn’t have room for all the books. She lives in her
childhood home outside High Point, NC with her husband of 20 years, their 15-year-old daughter, and
their nine-year-old son.
Has your family begun homeschooling this year? How do you plan to manage the daily grind? We’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.
The Homeschool Marathon
It has been thrilling for our board to help families who will be homeschooling for the first time this year. And through offering things like diplomas and college scholarships, this year it has also been our privilege to help many families finish their homeschool journeys. But for thousands of families in NC who are somewhere between, the upcoming school year brings no freshness of a new beginning, and the end is still nowhere in sight. Here are three great reasons why I know that you can continue homeschooling with confidence and joy… even if you aren’t really feeling it right now.
Fuel Up & Stay Hydrated The homeschool journey is like running a marathon. If there is anything to know about running, it’s that what you eat and drink leading up to the race, throughout the race, and recovering afterward are pivotal to your success. So in your great homeschool marathon, what are you consuming for homeschool these days? Who are your running buddies? If you surround yourself with naysayers and defeatists, you will be malnourished. You will feel run-down or ill-prepared. But If you surround yourself with encouragers of home education, you are more likely to run steadily. You may need to turn off social media, or you may need to tune-in to an online support group. Either way, find your homeschool fuel—whether it’s reading homeschool magazines, watching a homeschool webinar, or listening to previous Thrive! Conference workshops, don’t let yourself get depleted. Membership and community are more important than ever.
Slow and Steady Another way that homeschool is like running a marathon is that you have to be realistic about pacing yourself. You have to run your race– not someone else’s. You cannot run every mile at the same rate, and you cannot flow through every year of homeschool with the same energy as your first year. You are entering this homeschool year from a different place than ever before. Maybe you’re disappointed about homeschooling your middle schooler because you just drove your oldest child to college, yet he didn’t even get to have a high school graduation ceremony last spring. That stinks! Maybe you’re at a loss for how to schedule your day because all of the libraries and extra-curricular activities are still closed. Don’t give up now! Finish your race. Remember the goal when you started. Keep your eye on the prize. One slow mile will not keep you from finishing your race, but quitting will.
The Big Picture When you are running a marathon, one of the greatest pieces of advice is to sign up for your second marathon before you run your first marathon. Why? Because after you finish your first marathon, there is a temptation to succumb to the exhaustion and think of the marathon as a single milestone in your life instead of a lifestyle. The same can be applied to home education. Right now, everything in the world is awry. Many of us are exhausted, but don’t throw in the towel. Sign up for another year of homeschool. Stick to your training. You are a teacher! You may be drained from current events, but you are still passionate about learning. You inspire people. Now lean into your muscle memory, and finish your race. Get the prize! You can do this!
How are you preparing for the 2020-2021 homeschool year? Are you doing the same things as before or trying something completely new? Tell us in the comment section below.
Help Your Children Develop Their Life Goals
When I was in the 4th grade in public school, my teacher gave me and my class a picture of a football and goal posts. I was to color it and write on the football “goals for my life.” My mom had the foresight to save this assignment for me and attach my fourth grade picture. What is so amazing is that I have indeed spent my whole life seeking to achieve these goals! Here is what I wrote [without corrections]:
Goals for My Life:
- teach as much people about God.
- learn as much as I can about talking in front of other people.
- Rais a good family.
- trie to learn as much scripture as I can.
Those who know me can testify that these goals have been the driving factors of my life.*
My point here is not to tell you about my goals, but to inspire you to help your children develop a sense of their own life goals. As you can see, starting this process early on can bear good fruit. Kathy Koch of Celebrate Kids (one of our 2018 Thrive! Homeschool Conference speakers) suggests that the best way for parents to understand their children and help them grow is by LISTENING to them. She is always encouraging parents to “listen longer.” A great way to listen is by asking questions. Here are some questions that Kathy suggests that I think will help your children discover what they were made for:
1. What problems do you want to solve?
2. What people groups do you want to serve?
3. What breaks your heart?
4. What gives you joy?
Set some time aside this week to have a conversation like this with your children. Or have them write their thoughts and then have a discussion about their answers. What a privilege we have to guide our children toward God’s purpose for their lives based on how he has uniquely created and gifted them!
Matthew McDill
NCHE Executive Director
_______________
* I love teaching; I earned a B.S. in communication and an M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. in biblical studies with a focus on preaching; I am working hard to raise a “good” family; and I have developed a scripture memory system that I use every day.
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