The Journal β’ Homeschool with Confidence
Twenty-five years of homeschool co-ops, classrooms, and kitchen tables, written down one post at a time β how to choose curriculum, how to teach a story well, and how to keep going on the hard days.
Most homeschool curriculum stops at comprehension questions and calls it a literature education. I include them too β but I never stop there. Inside every Cornerstone literature packet are two very different kinds of questions. One asks what happened. The other asks what it means. Only one of them is actually a literature education.
"I just wasn't made to be a teacher." I hear it more times than I can count. But here's what 25 years of teaching has taught me: you have been teaching since the day they were born. What you may be missing isn't talent. It's patience β and patience is not a gift. It's a virtue you build.
One of the most common questions I hear from homeschool moms β especially those just starting out β is this:Β Which curriculum should I use? It seems like a simple question. It is not. Walk into any homeschool convention, scroll through...
One of the biggest fears I hear from homeschool moms β spoken quietly, sometimes barely above a whisper β is this:Β "I'm not qualified to do this." Maybe you didn't go to college. Maybe you did, but in a field that...
I love making learning fun, but I had to learn the hard way that constant entertainment isnβt the goal. Hereβs why school doesnβt always need to be a song and a dance β and how to teach your children to work hard even when itβs not exciting.
Every family is unique. Some go hard on academics, others take a more relaxed approach. Is one right and the other wrong? After 25 years of teaching, hereβs the one truth that matters more than anyoneβs opinion: you will reap tomorrow what you sow today.
Comparison happens in every homeschool circle. It can help us teach our children discernment and protect them from harm β or it can feed envy and destroy relationships. Hereβs how to tell the difference and choose wisely.
I did not start out credentialed. I started out as a mother who believed her children deserved more β and a teacher who showed up anyway, years before anyone handed me a piece of paper saying I was qualified. The degree came later. The real education happened at my own kitchen table, teaching five children who needed something that did not yet exist.
Welcome to Cornerstone Academics. Iβm Serena Augustin, a 25-year veteran teacher and homeschool mom. Here youβll find honest encouragement, practical support, and real talk for the hard days of homeschooling. You can do this. Youβre not alone.
Is my child ready for the next grade? Is this book too hard for her? Does he learn better by listening or by doing? Each assessment asks a handful of questions and gives you a plain answer you can act on the same afternoon β written from twenty-five years of teaching, not a personality quiz. Free, and nothing to sign up for. Six of them so far.
See All Assessments
Use it with your child. See samples of our stories, questions, and lesson pages.
