The Oscar winner for Best Original Song went to a guy who thanked his mother for letting him quit soccer to be in a musical. He dedicated his win to all the kids who sing in the rain and to all the moms who let them.
I’ve written before about passion and how EP frees my kids up to spend time on their passions. That’s what has been important to me, giving my kids a good foundation and then letting them build on it, their own way.
I know it’s hard to let your kids play and explore and create and have fun when you hear about how “rigorous” this and that curriculum or program is. “Rigorous” seems to be a big buzzword in homeschool circles these days. I’d rather have joy and peace than rigor in my homeschool day.
My oldest is going off to college this fall. She’s my first “proof of concept.” She has always done school the “easy” way. School before Easy Peasy was even easier for us. Easy Peasy was actually a longer, more involved school day than what we did before. My daughter is an EP kid; she was using it before anyone outside of our family knew it existed.
My kids did all the EP lessons when they were younger, but as I’ve gotten kids into high school, I’ve let them take more of a lead on their direction. I let my daughter spend as much time on her art as she liked. As she got really focused on art, I didn’t stress over her math and science that she didn’t like. We just moved along in math at her own pace. I wanted her to learn, not just get through. For two years of high school science I let her choose her subject. She did anatomy one year and spent the year drawing muscles and bones and labeling them. The next year she studied light. She researched it and wrote a big paper on it. Light was something she was focused on in her artwork that year. She likes history and English, so she wanted to continue with the regular EP courses in those subjects through high school.
So what was the outcome? She won a full scholarship to her only-choice school. She believed she knew where she should go to school; I trusted her and let her only apply there.
It can be hard when your child wants to go into the arts or some other field where you know jobs might be hard to come by. It can be tempting to worry and to want them to have all that rigorous education when they really just want to create. If your child is passionate and puts in the time and hard work, then they can get good enough to be one of those ones who get to make a living doing what they love. That Oscar winner used to be just a boy singing in the rain.
My next oldest is starting a video game design company. He’s hoping to launch the alpha version of his first big game this year, as a freshman. He got his first unsolicited job offer at thirteen. I can already see that he can be successful at his passion, what he pours his spare time into.
Is Easy Peasy the key to every child’s future? Of course not. There is a key, though. It’s called the grace of God. He gave my kids their talents and personalities that drove them to the things they love to do. He provided free art lessons for my daughter after I was fussing to Him in prayer about how I couldn’t help her move forward with her art. He inspired the Easy Peasy way of school that gave my kids a great foundation and the hours to invest in their work. He matched my daughter up with a school that not only accepts her but appreciates her.
So when I look at my eleven year old reading or making music and his younger brothers dancing and creating imaginative games, I try to relax. God’s got a plan for their future and it’s a good one.
And a note: EP has high quality courses. There are many high school courses that are based on AP courses. There are courses that use lectures and materials from universities. I’m not saying that EP lacks in “rigor.” I’m saying I’m against rigor for rigor’s sake. There was no need for my daughter to tackle an AP physics course just so I could feel I was giving her a rigorous education. I hope you can see the difference. And, of course, I’m not saying that your kids or all my kids are going to get full scholarships. I’m just saying that I can trust it’s going to all work out okay. I’m putting my faith in God, not in my curriculum, not in rigorous academic standards, not in anything else.
Here’s the article on the same theme that I wrote for the main site.
Thank you for the post.
Excellent!
I read some where about a poll of successful people, where more than 90% of them were not in the field they were originally trained for. I think finding Gods plan for our kids lives mixed with a good work ethic are the primary tools needed for success. Thank you for all you do. And encouraging those of us in the early and middle years.
I wrote a little on how homeschoolers have an advantage in finding their way at this link. https://allinonehomeschool.com/2015/02/03/is-there-joy-in-your-home/
A good work ethic is important to any kind of success. My teens work really, really hard at what they do and put in long hours, but they are willing to do that because it’s what they really want to be doing. I do trust it’s the Lord’s hand that has brought them to where they are now and which will take them to where they are headed.
Thank you..oh how I worry…stress ….instead of putting it in Gods hands
I cannot thank you enough for this post!
Thank you for this and for Easy Peasy!
Great article. I 100% agree & love using EP in the way it fits our families needs.
I’d be interested in your son’s video game. My son would love to see that! Maybe you can send out a link when he has it out there for the public 😉
Good idea. 🙂 Actually, it is a good homeschoolers’ game. It’s an exploration game set in the early 1800s. You get to explore the world and create your own map as you go. You can sail, trade, etc.
I’d love to hear more about that!!! 🙂
Thank you!
I would love to know what school your daughter applied to. Her path sounds very similar to my oldest, but we haven’t found a good fit yet. Thank you for writing this article as well! It puts my fears to rest hearing the testimony of another mother willing to put her children into God’s hands! Easy Peasy has been such a boon and blessing to our homeschool journey! With all my gratitude, Melissa
She’s going to The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. It’s in Philadelphia and is the oldest art school in the country.
Thank you! God knows what He’s doing! I’ve been battling with rather I’m doing enough!! Thank you. You will never know how much you and your work means to my family. We couldn’t do this without you. Thank you for reminding me that letting God have it will always be the right choice. I can’t say thank you enough.
He does! And thanks for the encouraging note.
Whether* I caught my mistake after I posted
Did your daughter take the ACE or SAT exam(s)? If so, what prepared her to do well enough in the areas of those exams that she did not spend as much time on or go extensively in to? Were you ever concerned about her being prepared enough to jump through the hoops set by society (e.g. colleges)? I hope that last question makes sense.
She didn’t need to for her school. She would have done well in English, but math would have been rough. She was learning as much math as she could. She works every day on it. I just made the decision years back after we were just spending so long every day just getting through the math without her really getting it and her not doing well, that it was pointless to do that. I wanted her to learn. It’s my personal decision to not teach to the test. I know some have their kids practice every day for a couple of years before they take the SAT. I just can’t bring myself to make it that important. It worked out for my daughter spectacularly well. She’ll have to take a math course at her school for her bachelor’s degree, but it’s called “quantitative thinking” and will only have other artists in her class, so they will get her brain. 🙂 I try to keep free from worrying about outside standards.
Dear Lee,
I am so grateful for you!! God has used your words to speak to me for over 4 years now. It seems like each time I have had a question – about rigorous curriculum, whether or not I am doing enough, etc. I find an answer in your words. I cannot say thank you enough for the many ways you have helped me during my homeschool journey.
May our gracious Father continue to reign in your hearts and may you experience His mercy, love and peace every day.
Your Sister because of Jesus,
Susan
Thank you for all you do and have done. I have been using EP for some years now,
The state I’m is a state where there is allot of homeschooling.
I always felt like i was jamming. So many subject on my son……17- 20 at one time, just to make sure i was teaching him what is needed for graduating, it even over whelmed me.
Is it necessary to give them those test? SAT etc…..
My son does good on his work, yet the test kind of male him freeze a bit.
I do give him my own quarter test, which come from each subject at the end of each quarter and those are saved….. But i have opted out to not having him take those big test…. Is that ok?
I’ve been teaching him for 8 years, now He is a sophomore and i want tho be sure that i am still teaching it right.
Any advice is good and helpful.
Once again, thank you for all you do.
If you don’t want him to take the SATs, you need to research options. My daughter is in college without the SATs. Some online colleges don’t require the SATs. Most colleges will require them, so you need to know what your goals are and think about how you can get there. There are alternatives, but I don’t know that you can just rule them out.
Did you limit electronics/game time? My oldest son loves to play video games but he would play all day. He wants to become a professional gamer. While I want to support him in his passion, I do wonder if allowing him to play these games inhibits him. It doesn’t allow him to become bored or be creative.
I do limit video games and tv, anything I think that can be addicting.
I am currently using time for learning, but not completely satisfied….have you compated the two and if so, can you tell me your findings. I feel like easy peasy is probably a better fit for my son.
We started with T4L, our dd (11 now), hated it. It did not suit her style of learning, or my way of teaching. We love EP, she will continue with it and our 6 year old will start this year.
Thank you. This was a short article that said so much. I’m already feeling more relaxed!
I stumbled across your article this morning while searching for answers. I have two high schoolers, a middle schooler, and a toddler. School for us has been extremely stressful lately – not joy filled like you talk about – and I am searching for a better way of doing things.
I have been stressed thinking about my high schoolers having everything they need to be able to get a diploma. I was looking at our state board of education requirements thinking, “we are so behind!” How did you deal with this with your relaxed approach? Also, every college we are looking at requires an ACT/SAT score, so I worry about her not knowing enough to even make it through one of those tests.
Also, my son, a ninth grader is really struggling in math and he hates it. But his passion is designing cars and wants to be an engineer for a car company. I keep thinking, do you know how much math an engineer major has to take?? So I can’t let him not do math. He has to have so much of it to do what he wants to do. But every day it causes so much stress!
These are the areas where I just can’t seem to find an answer.
My kids have all their courses they need for graduation. They need 3 years of science for instance. My daughter did science, but did science that interested her, not the courses that they offer in schools. Can you son study car design for school? He will come across science and math in his studies. He’ll need to use math as he works on his own designs. He can read about it (English), he could write a blog about what he’s learning and his ideas (English). He can learn the history of it…get it? Art could probably be in there too. You could also look at jobs listings together for jobs he would want, what do they require, what does he need to be qualified. If he wants to get there, then he can choose to do what’s necessary to get there.
I love this and thank you for all your hard work in creating such a wonderful program. I do become frustrated though as I read all these great stories about kids getting into the school of their choice and how homeschooled children are so equipped for this and that. I wonder what we do with the kids that don’t want to be achievers, don’t have a plan, or have a plan, but don’t want to do what is necessary to achieve that plan. That is my kid and he has been homeschooled all his life. No matter how much I preach, teach, and inform, each year is a battle. My child starts 9th grade next fall and it will be our 3rd year using EP. He says he enjoys it, which is a plus, but he still hates learning. Makes me wonder if I’m doing something wrong. I am very grateful for EP, I wish I had found it earlier than I had. I guess I’m asking for a little advice and some prayer. Thank you.
Hey Kimberly, your comment touched my heart. I imagining that to be a tough place. My oldest is 6, so I really don’t know what to suggest but I will be praying for you and your son.
Thank you Tiffany. That is very kind. I know the Lord is faithful, I just need to be patient and try to remember God has a plan and whether I feel our years have been successful or not, He has a plan and nothing can stop that. Thank you for praying.
Thank you for all the hard work you have done to put EP together. We started homeschooling in the 4th grade to give my son a break from the bullying and other distractions in public school. We were only going to try it for a year but after the first year, we fell in love with homeschool. Now he is in the ninth grade. It was not easy in the beginning. My friends and family were not all on board with it. Everyone thought I was doing him and injustice by keeping him home. I was going to turn him into a mama’s boy and an introvert. But we stood our ground and now people see how he has grown and how much more he can learn without the distractions of a classic classroom setting. He helps in the planning of his studies and if he needs more time to learn something we take it. Algebra is his struggle and at first we fought non-stop about it. I had to take some time and figure out his learning style when it came to math. He is not a book learner so between EP and Khan Academy we have figured out a way to make learning Algebra somewhat fun. We also only do math on Thursdays, no other subjects, that way he can focus all his energy on his hardest subject. You just have to find what works for your child. I think that is one of the hardest things for us is to find the right learning technique but once you do it is beautiful. I also now have two friends homeschooling their kids.God is always good and if you follow the path HE has put you on you will never get lost. Thank you for the article. It’s amazing.
Angie
Hi! I’ve been homeschooling for Jr. High, and I start High school in September, so I’m getting a head start. Thank you for making this site, it’s amazing!
Hi, thank you so much for the time and effort you’ve put into this site! We’ve been using EP for the last year and my kids love it. I was wondering what your son used to start making games? Did he start with coding? If so what program, there’s so much out there I don’t even know where to start. Thank you
He started with 3D Rad when he was maybe 10. Now he uses Unreal Engine. In between he worked with Unity and Blender. He never learned regular programming, just the programming that goes with these programs.
Thank you so much for this post! My 9th grade son performed in his first musical last year, and sang his first Italian opera piece for his spring recital. Now he’s decided he wants to be a voice professor. He is that creative kid you’re writing about. Reading your daughter’s story, and the end result of EP for her, gave me so much peace. Easy Peasy gives both of my creative children the time to explore their passions and hone their gifts. Additionally, we would not be able to homeschool at all this year without your gift of free curriculum. I hope you remember everyday how much you’ve blessed my family and many others like us!
Thank you for all the effort you put into Easy Peasy and helping others and teaching others that trusting in God is priority one.
I am very interested in hearing more about how your son’s endeavors. Like his unsolicited job? My son is very much into computers just learned about coding and scripting and makes his own games (mostly for his nephew to play) one of his games had a thousand hits.
My son is a senior this year. I’ve prayed about how much direction is necessary and how much I need to let him choose.
He has no clue what he wants to pursue for work. I think for Jack going to college for the sake of going to college is not what we should pursue. His only real interest is gaming and creating challenges for others in games he creates. I don’t see how this can lead to a job though.
I guess I’m wanting to pick your brain a bit in this area. Any suggestions as to how I can help him.
He is tenderhearted (we don’t allow any violent or worldly immoral video games). Jack loves going live and helping the younger players overcome hardships. I hear him coaching and challenging the kids. I hope he can find some type of paying job in this area.
He got his job offers just from having his stuff online, first from tutorials he put up on Youtube, and then in putting up things for sale online in marketplaces, and more recently, a portfolio. He has turned down the full-time job offers, but takes some short-term contracts for income and also is working on building up his own business. He sells his models and tools online through a marketplace. You’ll see the same games on many sites, even sites like we use on EP like Cool Math, showing that they are buying these games, not making them. There is a lot of demand for content out there. There are marketplaces for games, for code for games. My son sets his alarm for 6. He is very diligent and works hard. He’s been taking college courses for a few years, building his credits little by little. He has a full year complete, just by taking courses one or two at a time. He’s 19.