Michelle Moody | Episode 018

In this powerful episode, Michelle Moody and I discuss transformational ideas for energizing your homeschool by focusing on your child’s interests, providing a STEM or science education for your kids even if you don’t love science, and homeschooling a child with learning differences. Michelle also shares from her experience as a working homeschool mom and discusses the importance of community. Regardless of where you are in your homeschool journey, you will be encouraged by this conversation.

Michelle Moody is a veteran homeschool mom, owner of thehomeschoolscientist.com, and co-owner of hiphomeschoolmoms.com, weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com, and onlypassionatecuriosity.com. Michelle left a 15-year IT and biotech career to homeschool and spent 22 years guiding her children through a science-focused homeschool education. Once she finished homeschooling, Michelle embarked on a very unexpected journey. Two days after her youngest started college, Michelle left to spend an extended time teaching at a village school in Bangladesh. Then, she retired from her marketing job for a homeschool publisher to travel with her husband and his job. She always thought she’d move out of the homeschool world. However, God had many different plans. After looking back over their homeschooling years (reflecting on what went well and what didn’t!), Michelle wanted to encourage parents to make the most of the precious homeschooling years by helping their children pursue their interests and talents. Watching her children grow from a Lego® robot builder to a mechanical engineer and a rescuer of toads and crickets to a biologist has been an exciting and rewarding journey. There were many hours in the car driving to robotics meetings and many phone calls to arrange field trips with wildlife professionals. Still, every interest-led opportunity helped shape the life’s work her children now love. So, Michelle now shares ideas and encouragement on her websites and in her regular science column for Homeschooling Today Magazine.

• One of the greatest perks of homeschooling is that we can focus on our children’s interests.. When we do that, 75-80% of boredom with education just goes away. 
• Michelle: I was boring my son to tears. I was frustrated. He was frustrated. I asked my son, “What is the one thing you really want to do this year?” He said he wanted to build a robot. That was the pivotal moment in our homeschool. It made me realize I was focusing on what I thought school should be, but I needed to pay attention to my son, what he was interested in, and how he learned. That revolutionized our homeschool.
• Even if you grew up thinking you can’t do science or you’re not good at math, you can help your children get exposed to STEM education. Let your kids explore! You don’t have to be a scientist or mathematician to encourage your children and help them be comfortable with science or to follow their passions.
• Michelle asked her daughter with dyscalculia, “What advice would you give a student in high school or middle school who has dyscalculia and wants to go on to college?” Her response, “Just be open to get the help that you need. Yes, you can go on to college. It’s going to take some accommodations. You’re going to have to really learn how you learn. But you can do it.” Colleges have accommodations and there are a lot of resources available at the college level to students who learn differently. 

At BJU Press Homeschool, we’re committed to providing children an education from a biblical worldview that is academically sound and challenges them to advance, think critically, and live like Christ. This type of education is not often possible in public schools because of the number of children taught in a classroom, a difference in worldview, and peer and societal pressure to conform. Homeschooling allows parents to instruct and disciple their children without daily fighting messages from an opposing worldview taught in the classroom. And with tuition costs and fees for private schooling or tutoring, homeschooling may be the only option for parents who are concerned for their children’s physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
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