Homeschooling: A Good Choice for Your Family?

By Emily Ekegren

Like most families in the Foreign Service, we have lived around the globe over many years. My husband, Jason, and I have lived outside of the U.S. for nearly all of our 11-year marriage. The year we married, while Jason was in the Navy, we moved first to Italy, and then to Mexico. We then made the transition to the Foreign Service and headed to Kazakhstan. We’re currently finishing our tour in Brazil.

We are a very close family. Our boys – Nikolas, our 4th grader, and Joshua, our 5th grader – are happy kids who love to hang out with their friends. Nikolas is a Dr. Who fan (maybe because his favorite subject is science!), and he likes working out with his dad. Joshua enjoys video games, Legos, and watching YouTube. He also likes science, but math is another top favorite. As a family, we love watching movies and exploring in our RV.

When our boys were ready to start school, we were worried about how to best educate them with our transient lifestyle. Our number one priority was to give them consistency and continuity in their schooling, regardless of where we were living. Consistency and continuity would be impossible if they were changing schools every time we relocated. For that and many other reasons, Jason and I decided the best option for our family was to homeschool.

We wanted to do it right, so we researched extensively before Joshua started Kindergarten. My husband wanted to make sure we kept good academic records. I wanted the flexibility to choose education resources that met our needs. Plus, I needed help with accountability. Homeschooling was new to me, and I wanted to stay on track to provide Joshua and Nikolas with a solid education.

We explored many options. But the ideal choice came when we learned about an accredited K-12 distance learning school called Brightways Global Academy that provides homeschool support. We partnered with Brightways Global more than six years ago and have never looked back.

We were assigned Terri as our Certified Teacher, who has been with us every step of the way. Terri helped me choose curriculum resources that fit my boys’ individual learning styles and abilities. Terri helps keep me accountable, reminding and helping me to complete individual learning plans, progress reports, and testing. She emails me and encourages me, but doesn’t micro-manage. Her guidance, support, and advice have been invaluable.

Brightways Global’s online student management system fulfills my family’s goal of good recordkeeping, and it’s easy to use. Their system helps me record and track my boys’ courses, progress, grades, and more. In addition to Terri, the office staff is very responsive and makes my job easier by helping with tuition reimbursement and other administrative tasks.

Homeschooling is the hardest job I’ve ever had. It’s also the most rewarding. It has been the best thing for our family. For other families considering homeschooling, my advice is to find a partner like Brightways Global Academy. Knowing that you don’t have to do it alone will build your confidence and give you peace of mind that your kids are receiving the best education possible.

What’s next for us? We are looking forward to our upcoming tour in the Washington, DC area. Terri is helping us through the transition, so we won’t skip a beat in the boys’ education. We are considering dual enrollment for the boys during high school, and glad to know that Brightways will guide and support us through the process.

Ensuring Homeschool Success for More than a Decade

By Terri Beede, Principal and Lead Teacher

Education is my passion. I taught students of all grade levels for more than eight years in public schools in Northeast Montana. From pre-school to high school, I love helping kids of all ability levels reach their potential.

In 2005, I learned about a private distance-learning school that served the educational needs of students being taught at home. Reasons for home-schooling vary, but all of the the school’s enrolled families needed teachers willing to work with them to support the individual needs of each student. 

Formerly known as WorldWide IDEA Private Academy, the school’s new name is Brightways Global Academy. I left public education to join the Global Academy as a Certified Support Teacher, and have never looked back! This non-profit, accredited K-12 Academy has been a perfect match for me and my career. 
 
I love that my job is always interesting and fulfilling...
 
As a Certified Support Teacher, I form true partnerships with families around the globe to help them provide the best possible education for their children. Just a few examples of how my colleagues and I stay busy include:

• Developing an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) with a parent for her special needs elementary son who is being homeschooled due to health and behavioral issues.

• Helping a group of at-risk high school students looking for options to avoid dropping out.

• Researching and talking through the options of online AP courses for several advanced high school students from a military family stationed in South Korea.

• Collaborating with a DoDEA (Department of Defense Education Activity) school for a student who is dually enrolled, half-time in the Academy and half-time at the local school.

• Working with a student who is training in Georgia for the Olympics to ensure he graduates in a timely manner even though his days are extremely divided between practice and travel.

• Planning with and supporting an Air Force family who wants a consistent, stable educational environment (without interruption) for their four children as they routinely move to different locations.

• Coordinating with a New Jersey mother, who recently relocated to Saudi Arabia, to arrange standardized testing for her elementary-aged son and middle school daughter.

• Helping find curriculum materials and delivery methods for a first grade girl living with her government service-employed parents in war-torn Ukraine so that she can download and work through her coursework on her tablet because they are commonly offline and sometimes have to quickly move to a safer location.

Every situation is unique, and I love how the Academy’s flexibility supports each family’s individual needs!

Flexibility and support like no other.

Homeschooling can be daunting for parents. With the Global Academy, each family has true flexibility to choose curriculum resources that best meets their child’s needs, select educational materials that match their student’s learning style, and use methods and strategies that suit their teaching style. The Academy supports, guides and validates the parent’s teaching with certified teachers (like me!), and by providing learning objectives, testing, documentation, and accredited transcripts and diplomas.
 
The parents are ultimately their children’s primary teacher, and I help to:

• Guide parents in choosing an appropriate standards-based curriculum

• Oversee development of the child’s Individual Learning Plan (ILP)

• Answer academic and teaching questions

• Suggest educational materials and online resources

• Maintain the student’s records, which includes documenting the hours spent on studies

• Coordinate standardized testing and assessments

• Review progress reports

• Develop plans meeting graduation requirements and post-graduation goals

• Support the parents and students in a variety of other ways needed to ensure success

The Academy’s success stories are countless. 

Consider Joshua, who graduated from the Academy while his family was stationed in Japan. He fell in love with the Japanese language and culture and is currently studying Linguistics at Ball State University. 

Or Corey, a computer whiz, who benefited from the Academy’s flexibility so he could focus his studies on computer applications and animation, enabling him to advance faster than most students in college. Upon graduating from our Academy, Corey was college-ready and seamlessly transitioned into ITT Tech.  

Christian graduated from the Academy a month earlier than planned and was accepted to Taylor University in Indiana, receiving a scholarship because of his stellar GPA and ACT scores. The personal discipline and study skills he developed through the Academy made the transition to college a breeze.

I couldn’t be more proud of these and all our other Academy graduates!

For any family considering homeschooling their children – regardless of grade or ability levels – I would highly recommend the Brightways Global Academy. The Academy’s staff, my fellow teachers, and I will be with you every step of the way to provide outstanding guidance and support to meet your family’s educational needs.

For more information about Brightways Global Academy, visit our website. 

Terri completed her undergraduate degree with a double major in Elementary and Special Education, emphasizing in Supportive Employment from Montana State University-Billings.  While living in Glasgow, Montana, teaching a range of 3rd Grade and PreK-12 Special Ed, she earned her Master’s Degree in Elementary Level Leadership from the University of Montana.