Classical Conversations with Liz

Hi, my name is Liz Lepley. My husband is Aaron and we have been married for almost 12 years. We have five children. Lucy, 10, Galen, 8, Jesse, 6, Millie, 4, and August, 1.

We started homeschooling five years ago with the Sonlight Curriculum. We loved Sonlight but have now transitioned to Classical Conversations (CC.)

How we decided to homeschool:

We wanted to protect our kids. Fear led us to it- which is probably not the best way to start something. I looked at our then five year old little girl and just couldn’t imagine her on a bus to a school I know nothing about. We also saw family friends on their homeschool journey and admired how their children behaved and loved to learn. We trust the Lord to guide us through our homeschooling journey.

Video Interview: Classical Conversations With Liz

Does the idea of homeschooling appeal to you, but you are afraid to step out and try it? Then you need to listen to this conversation with Liz! She tells her own story of jumping into homeschooling in spite of her fears. Liz shares how she has overcome the challenge of feeling overwhelmed and how her family has found a good fit in Classical Conversations.

Encourage other families:

I don’t think I said this on the interview but, you won’t mess up your kids. I was so scared to homeschool because I felt under qualified to be teaching my children. It turn out that I am learning along side them and I’m fully qualified to teach them.
Take days off. Don’t totally stick to your schedule. I am a rule follower and this is hard for me. If we are having a rough day and we need a break, we take one. We can make up that time another day. And that’s okay.
Have a support system. These can take a while to develop. Pray for the Lord to bring people into your life to support you.
Don’t be too hard on yourself.
Simplicity- work with what you have. We live in a very small house that we love and use our dining room table for almost everything homeschooling. It gets messy and that’s okay. Memories are being made. We use the couch and we do school outside.
Don’t give up

My biggest challenge:

Feeling overwhelmed! Realizing that we can take it year by year, semester by semester is so helpful!

Resources:

Each other! We all want to help! Ask a fellow mom or dad questions for tips! If I don’t know the answer, I can direct you to someone who does.
Askpauline.com– this website was and is so helpful when you are first starting out! Answers so many questions for rules to follow in PA.
Sonlight book list.
CC offers books to read to go along with what the kids are learning.
Pinterest- book suggestions by age.

1 Thessalonians 5:11- “encourage one another and build each other up…”

Have questions for Liz? You can contact her at elizabeth.lepley@me.com. Remember, though, moms are busy! Response time may be delayed, but she will try to reply as soon as she can!