Homeschool Moms in the Wild: Justine Garcia

Write a short introduction about yourself:

"Hey there, my name is Justine. My family and I recently moved to Georgia from Florida where my husband and I spent most of our lives. We are so excited to be somewhere new with many more places to explore. We love mini road trips and hiking. I homeschool my only child who is a very social butterfly unlike myself but she makes me be more outgoing."

When did you begin homeschooling?

"I formally started right after my daughter turned four but I feel like I've been 'homeschooling' from the very beginning. Toddlers are very eager to learn."

How did you begin homeschooling?

"I worked at a daycare that my daughter attended for a few months. Loved the job but did not like the environment for my own kid. So we left there and randomly came across a public school teacher running her own VPK co op and I thought oh this is perfect. Two days a week she can socialize and learn in a fun, mom free environment. I didn't know at the time if I would fully commit to homeschooling but we stayed with the teacher through Kindergarten. By that time I had learned everything I could about homeschooling, joined all the Facebook groups and decided to fully commit."

What type of homeschooler are you? .

"I honestly don't know about that one. I'd say I just wing it and hope for the best. I'm learning every step of the way and I like hearing about different methods."

What is your favorite thing about homeschooling?

"Not having to wake up at the crack of dawn! Having the freedom and flexibility to do whatever we want. All the opportunities we have to do really fun activities. But my favorite thing is all the time that we get to spend together."

What are/were your homeschool wins?

"When she finally grasps a concept that was giving her so much trouble. Seeing her go from struggling every time and getting frustrated to it just clicking and coming easy to her."

What would you do differently?

"I'm still very new to homeschooling since my daughter is still very young but I would love to have more patience. I think that is the most difficult part. I also wish I was able to come up with a schedule or a plan to follow. I think that would really take off a lot of the pressure."

Who inspires you to continue homeschooling?

"The voice in the back of mind telling me that I have to keep doing this just to prove to myself that I can. Also to show all the people that have tried to talk me out of it that I can do it and my child can thrive. I also think the LOL homeschool group has inspired me alot. I love seeing how the older kids in our group are so kind and sweet. Many are talented and driven and I think they are all turning out to be pretty cool and I can see my little one turning out like them."

Interview by Shelby Gwinn