Image Credit: Maddalena Ienco, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A mum of nine and grandmother of five, Rebecca Loretz has been homeschooling her youngest three children since November 2021. Originally, she didn’t plan to homeschool. Upon moving from Auckland to North Canterbury, she encountered a large community of Catholic homeschoolers. Lockdown and the vaccine mandates “pushed me into thinking, ‘I really want better for my children.’” She thought homeschooling “could be a lot of fun” and would allow her to “cater the education to my individual child.”
Before having children, Rebecca was a primary school teacher. She compares homeschooling to the classroom; “while there are a lot more on-hand resources within the school, there’s not as much individual time.” When homeschooling, “you’ve got a real interest and a real emotional connection with this child – this child is your child, you want your child to succeed – and while I wanted all of my children in the classroom to succeed, the lack of time meant that it wasn’t always possible.” There are now many resources for homeschooling. Rebecca has used Twinkl, The Good and the Beautiful, and Homeschool Connections. She says “the biggest resource is your community,” and communities can be very helpful in finding online resources
On the all-too-famous topic of socialization, and balancing social life with schoolwork, Rebecca said “I recognized that my children were not going to miss out socially.” Sometimes there will be times when you have more “outside-the-classroom education” or more time sitting down doing schoolwork.
Rebecca said, “I see the religious formation and education of my children as the number one thing.” The Loretz family are close to the Beatitudes community, which helps to develop the children’s Faith through Mass most days, regular morning prayer, adoration, and vespers. They also participate in Little Flowers group and Lectio Divina, and sing in the choir.
After prayers, the first thing in the school day is piano practise. With multiple pianos at their house, as well as a clarinet and lots of singing, the Loretz family are “surrounded by music.” Rebecca notes that homeschooling isn’t limited to school hours – Tecorians, the public speaking group they are involved in, is in the evening, and “I do see that as part of the kids’ education”
Another educational aspect of the Loretze’s life is their lifestyle block, which gives them “a lot of opportunity for fixing thing, for looking after animals…our recent endeavour has been milking the cow.” Rebecca speaks about “the joy in being able to plant something and then eat it – or plant something, see it grow, and then go, ‘I hate that. I don’t like eating beetroot, but I’m glad you like it mum. I’ve grown it for you.’” They enjoy living close to the beach, with many lovely walks nearby.
Her advice to every homeschooling mum is “your community is important,” and “keep going, even when it gets a little bit hard.” She emphasizes the importance of enjoying it, mentioning that, “you won’t keep doing it if you don’t enjoy it. The kids have to enjoy what they’re doing too.”