Homeschool in the Military

Hi there, 

I’m Emily and I love being a part of the homeschool community. Maybe we need meetings? 

This is just a brief look into our lives. My husband has served in the US Government for over 20 years. Our boys are 15 and 16 years old, just 19 months apart. We have lived on 4 continents, 4 countries, and 4 states. We just started our twelfth year of homeschooling which is unbelievable to me. Homeschooling has been our one consistent thing through different climates, housing situations, people, languages, huge international moves that take months, and not having a church family or our own family anywhere near us. It has allowed us freedom to explore together as a family, taking breaks throughout the year, visiting places some only dream of.  

My husband came home from work and said, “I think we should homeschool”. And the rest is history. Kinda. 

Let me give you a little background…

My husband was in the Navy when we got married. Our first move together was to Sicily, Italy. Our boys were not school age yet while we lived there, but I met some other mamas that shared homeschooling with me. One was homeschooled herself and planned to do the same for her children. Homeschoolers are weird, for sure. But they were a kind of weird that I wanted. They were so invested in their families, they did everything together, and their kids were wonderful little people. I started pre-school at home. We learned letters and colors and numbers. They did sorting and tracing and cutting. We played with other weird kids and it felt good. 

Then we moved to Mexico. As our boys approached school age, I began talking with other parents that had their children in local (private) schools. The more I spoke to them, the more I thought we should keep them home. Horror stories of buses getting lost, major bullying (including broken arms), and teachers that favored the local kids. Note: My children are, ahem, not just a little white, they are super white. When they were little they had red hair and almost white hair. This isn’t a race thing, there are many white people in Mexico, we just stuck out more than others. This ultra-gringo look made us targets, it is a reality in Mexico, please don’t misunderstand me.

And that is when my husband brought up homeschooling. He told me to research and see what we needed to do… Good thing I already had all that bookmarked on my computer, eh? 

This was the beginning of our homeschool journey. It has not always been easy, there were many times I researched local schools. 

I will share more about our adventures in future posts. Let me know if you have questions. 

I blog (kinda): Bring Your Basket https://bringyourbasket.org/   

My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emegren/

Emily

Emily is married to a wonderful guy that supports all her shenanigans, including homeschooling. Together they have two boys that are now in high school. They have homeschooled since the beginning. Her family has traveled and lived all over the world. Homeschooling has allowed them the freedom to travel and share amazing experiences, while also keeping education and learning consistent. 

Emily grew up in Northern California, never expecting to travel the world or live outside the USA. She definitely never thought she would end up living in Wild and Wonderful West Virginia, less than a mile from the Shenandoah River. Now she is a “Mountain Mama” and loves being here. 

Recently, she completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with focus in Art and Religion. She writes sometimes at www.BringYourBasket.org where she loves to encourage others moms. Emily has never met a craft she didn’t like (back to the shenanigans) but currently is loving crochet and watercolor. 

Jesus said… “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”   Matthew 11:28-30