Kris Cordell

My husband and I homeschooled our four children from 1992 through 2014. It was a journey to be sure, and I would not trade it for anything. I will be eternally grateful for the quality time we had together as a family all those years. We have forgotten many of the challenges and tough times (they were real), and we choose to remember the “fun” and the “funny” . . . there was plenty of both.

I chose to “stick to the basics” when it came to choosing instructional materials and methods. I chose to give my children a solid foundation in reading, writing, and arithmetic, and I allowed them to work independently, while I made sure they made necessary progress. We studied some subjects, such as history, art, music, and bible, together, and we made sure to include quality “play-time” in our daily routine. I recognize the beauty of variety, and this applies to the homeschool community as well. There is not one best way to homeschool . . . I believe.

While I was not an “unschooler”, I did not utilize packaged curriculum plans. I had an eclectic style of homeschooling, and I believed in the “less is more” concept. I certainly enjoyed tailoring my children’s assignments and extra curricular activities to their personal abilities and interests. My four children have the following careers: “Senior Project Coordinator of Employer Engagement” with the junior college system in California; wife, mother, successful entrepreneur; professional baseball player (including MLB); and singer/songwriter (including professionally produced originals). Clearly, even with such varied careers, our homeschool journey prepared our children for success and independence in their unique giftings and callings. They have varying higher education degrees from AA to MBA, and they have all been “launched” from home for several years now.

Even as my youngest child graduated high school, I chose to continue pouring into the homeschool community because I believe in the importance of parent-led education, and I enjoy blessing homeschool families. I look forward to meeting many new homeschool families during convention season 2023.