About
Mission Statement:
Our homeschool mission is to nurture a life long love of learning through interest-led studies, educational opportunities in the world, developing healthy minds, bodies, and spirits, and growing meaningful connections.
Our homeschool mission is to nurture a life long love of learning through interest-led studies, educational opportunities in the world, developing healthy minds, bodies, and spirits, and growing meaningful connections.
______
We do not want to clone ourselves in our children. We want them to discover their own interests, dreams, goals, and paths. We want them to see with new eyes and unlearn so many bias-driven histories. We want them to have open minds and open hearts. To be strong, compassionate, purpose-driven. This is a quickly changing world. They must have the knowledge and skills to maneuver the known, and the imagination to forge the unknown.
For information regarding the curriculum, programs, apps, etc. we use, please see the resources page.
2023-2024
As we approach our 8th year of home schooling, we begin a whole new chapter. 3 of our 4 home schooled children have graduated. Our youngest, who was a pre-schooler when we began is now entering 8th grade. It is the first time he will be navigating this journey without a sibling. There are pros and cons. No more fighting over computer use 😂 But also no one to engage and debate with during studies. It will have it's challenges. But we have revamped all of our efforts to focus on his interests and style of learning. His curiosity about traditional school has always been on his radar. Though he insists he wishes to continue home schooling, I am going into this 2023-2024 season with the mindset that I am preparing him to enter tradition school if he chooses to next year. That means we are leaving our "unschooling" approach behind and focusing on more structured lessons. I have always loved young Logan LaPlante's label of "hack school". We will keep things loose and student led. It has never been our intention to "school at home". It was always our goal to incorporate all the best of education and experience to infuse a life long love of learning in each of our children.
Since we no longer have any elementary aged students, our focus is on high school and high school prep.
Since we no longer have any elementary aged students, our focus is on high school and high school prep.
Once Upon a Time...
We were Hallowed Hill Homeschool. The name was an extension of our family business at the time. Our curriculum could have been described as faith based in those early years. We have evolved to be decidedly secular in the focus of our educational endeavors. 
Those were sweet, magical years. Our oldest home schooler was in 8th grade, along with a 6th grader, a 3rd grader and two pre-schoolers (one being our granddaughter). Ahhh... the joys and simplicities of early childhood. They loved to learn. Every day was filled with awe and wonder. A walk around the block was like a National Geographic documentary. We sang, made art, star gazed, visited farms, invented recipes, and spent our summers outside from sunrise until way past sunset. We spent endless hours dreaming, snuggling, reading, role playing, performing, learning naturally, and embracing every good thing home schooling had to offer. Our flexible schedule meant more time as a family, and more time to explore the things each of us was interested in. The hustle and bustle of life, and the anxieties of traditional school melted away into a wonderful ebb and flow of imagination and inspiration.
But children grow. And life gets complicated sometimes. Hardships happen. Unwanted changes happen. Illness happens. Death happens. Healing happens. But things are never the same. And then good things happen again! Exciting things! Life gets great. And then.... pandemics happen. Quarantines happen. I was never so happy in my life that we home school, or that we have a big family. While others were struggling with schooling from home and isolation, our children were rolling along just fine. As always, their class was small, but there were still three of them, and the fourth was an amazing teacher for them.
But.... coming out of the pandemic a lot had changed for everyone. One of our children graduated during quarantines. One had graduated previously. And the youngest two were left navigating unusual circumstances as we continued on our journey. The older of the two was very focused on her growing career, teaching martial arts. She spent more time at the studio, visiting schools, attending staff meetings, and continuing her own intensive training. This made "home school time" a minimal priority. I say "home school" time, because all those hours away from home were still what home school is all about to me. She was completely invested in a career she loves. She has wanted to be an instructor since she was 7 years old. And I felt confident that everything she was learning would benefit her in every essential way regardless of any future career changes she may choose. It's not all about martial arts. But you can read more about that on the Mastery page.
But children grow. And life gets complicated sometimes. Hardships happen. Unwanted changes happen. Illness happens. Death happens. Healing happens. But things are never the same. And then good things happen again! Exciting things! Life gets great. And then.... pandemics happen. Quarantines happen. I was never so happy in my life that we home school, or that we have a big family. While others were struggling with schooling from home and isolation, our children were rolling along just fine. As always, their class was small, but there were still three of them, and the fourth was an amazing teacher for them.
But.... coming out of the pandemic a lot had changed for everyone. One of our children graduated during quarantines. One had graduated previously. And the youngest two were left navigating unusual circumstances as we continued on our journey. The older of the two was very focused on her growing career, teaching martial arts. She spent more time at the studio, visiting schools, attending staff meetings, and continuing her own intensive training. This made "home school time" a minimal priority. I say "home school" time, because all those hours away from home were still what home school is all about to me. She was completely invested in a career she loves. She has wanted to be an instructor since she was 7 years old. And I felt confident that everything she was learning would benefit her in every essential way regardless of any future career changes she may choose. It's not all about martial arts. But you can read more about that on the Mastery page.
So... here we are. They're all growing up. And we're evolving to meet the needs along the way. We've made some mistakes. We've learned from them. And we're excited to forge forward!