BJU Press Blog

distance learning

Our Distance Learning Teachers Have Quite the Character

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There wouldn’t be Distance Learning daily video lessons without our teachers. They’re the ones who generate the excitement, script the lessons, and bravely face the camera on recording days. How would you like to do all that? I didn’t think so—me either.

Sometimes because of all the seriousness of recording lessons, you only get to experience one side of these teachers’ multi-faceted personalities. So without further ado, let’s view a “different” side of three of our Distance Learning teachers.

Miss Jessica Ingersoll

As an elementary Distance Learning teacher, Miss Ingersoll enjoys many things, and near the top of the list is being your child’s teacher. Watch “Meet Our New Teacher” for some fun facts about Miss Ingersoll. See what similarities your child can relate to. You can view a sample daily video lesson for her courses at the links below.

Mr. Bill Harmon

As a secondary Distance Learning teacher, Mr. Harmon tackles the subjects your child (and you) might find difficult. His unique approach creates memories your family will never forget. Watch “Experiencing Chemistry with Dry Ice” for a sample of how he conducts scientific experiments on camera. And yes, in case you’re wondering, he’s this crazy off camera too! Take a look for yourself by viewing a sample daily video lesson for each of his courses at the links below.

Mrs. Debbie Overly & Distance Learning Families

Elementary Distance Learning teacher Mrs. Overly shares a funny anecdote about an early filming experience in “Homeschool Families Share About Distance Learning,” an interview style video from a homeschool convention. You’ll also hear from other homeschool parents and students about their experience with Distance Learning video lessons. Mrs. Overly is well known and loved by her students. She includes many demonstrations and hands-on activities in her daily video lessons to help your child learn. View a sample daily video lesson from each of her courses at the links below.

Your family has the opportunity to meet several different Distance Learning teachers and attend their workshop sessions at homeschool conventions this year. Follow our BJU Press Homeschool Facebook page for announcements about where the teachers will be.

How to Homeschool with an Infant Without Losing Your Mind

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baby girl with blue eyes

When my husband and I started homeschooling our oldest daughter last fall, we knew it was not going to be easy. I wondered if we were crazy—here I was, mother of three children under the age of seven trying to educate my oldest daughter, keep my five-year-old and toddler out of too much trouble, keep my house reasonably clean, and make sure my family had clean clothes to wear and food to eat. And to top it all off, I was pregnant with our fourth child and struggling with morning sickness for a good part of the day.

I was more than a little worried that our household would fall completely apart once the new baby came. And I wasn’t sure how or if we would get any homeschooling done. I pictured our family going into survival mode—and never coming out. Maybe some of you can relate.

But we did survive. Our fourth daughter arrived in the middle of December, and the transition was remarkably smooth. We did (and still do) have some rough days. But I learned some things along the way that I wanted to share. I hope these tips will be a blessing to you if you are facing a similar situation.

Planning Ahead Helps

Thankfully, I had many months to figure out how our family was going to make the transition. Since our little blessing was due in the middle of the homeschool year, we chose to start early (the first week of August) so that we would have ample time to take off if we needed to. Even though we haven’t had to take off nearly as many days as I thought we might, I’m really glad that we prepared for the possibility.

I also tried to minimize our commitments for the spring. We’re doing the basic subjects plus a weekly piano lesson—and no more. The lack of clutter on my calendar keeps the stress from creeping in.

I also took the time to plan out a basic daily schedule. Our schedule is not as tight or rigid as it used to be; I’ve learned that a little flexibility helps me not get overly stressed. Instead, we follow a flexible schedule and divide up our time into chunks. (Read more about this scheduling method from Kim at Not Consumed.)

Other People Can Help

Following the birth of my daughter, I had a lot of extra help. The fact that my daughter was born around the holidays meant that my husband had some time off. My parents and my in-laws also came to visit. They helped clean and cook and babysit. We chose to take advantage of the extra help and kept on homeschooling through those early transition days.

Distance Learning Can Help

Distance Learning is a big reason why homeschooling has gone so smoothly for us this year. My second grader watches Distance Learning daily video lessons for three subjects: science, English, and Bible. Because she can do these subjects almost completely independently, homeschooling doesn’t have to stop while I’m nursing the baby, fixing the toddler a snack, or starting a load of laundry. (You can learn more about BJU Press Distance Learning here.)

Homeschooling with small children and an infant is challenging. But it is doable and very rewarding. If this is what the Lord has called you to, He will enable you by showering you with wisdom, strength, and grace to meet the daily challenges you face.  And remember that you’re not alone! If you’re in need of a big dose of encouragement, check out some of my other posts.

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Mrs. Walker’s Secrets to Unforgettable Teaching

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Phony and fake or true and genuine—kids can spot it a mile away. That’s why Mrs. Walker puts more than the usual preparation into her Distance Learning video lessons. She knows that most elementary-aged students don’t watch her math, reading, heritage studies, and English video lessons because they just love those subjects. There has to be something more to motivate them to learn. Here are three ways she does that in her teaching.

The “Hook”

Now this idea might sound scary if you know the story of Peter Pan, but with Mrs. Walker you have nothing to fear. Her “hook” is used to help your child make a connection. As she prepares lessons for a subject, Mrs. Walker asks herself, “What can my student relate to?” Teaching the lesson this way means that sometimes Mrs. Walker seems to go off topic, but she’s really using her hook to help your child build a bridge of understanding. She provides encouragement along the way, pausing to speak directly to your child so that he can think independently and draw connections.

Dinner Nugget

No, Mrs. Walker isn’t talking about something to eat even though she would probably love to have an excuse to make chicken nuggets on camera. What Mrs. Walker means is a nugget of information your child might share at the family meal. She does this by including in her lessons personal stories, such as the time she went skydiving (yes, really!) and various interesting facts as in this Math 2 video lesson, which introduces the baobab tree. You won’t have long to wait before your child says, “Guess what Mrs. Walker told me today!”

End on a Giggle

Learning is a great big challenge for your child at times, especially when he is just beginning to learn to read. But Mrs. Walker wants to teach him that learning is also fun. She tries to end almost every lesson on a positive note—most often with an amusing comment or story that causes a giggle to escape from your child’s mouth. (Just watch him and see!) It’s Mrs. Walker’s goal to use humor as a way to encourage your child to keep coming back to learn more.

By the time your child completes a Distance Learning course with Mrs. Walker, he’ll consider her more than just a teacher. She’ll be a true friend.

See Mrs. Walker in action with Reading 3—a favorite course for her Distance Learning students!

We Have a YouTube Channel!

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This week BJU Press launched a YouTube Channel! We’ll be sharing an inside look at how we prepare our materials, how we film Distance Learning lessons, and more just for friends like you.

In fact, why don’t I let this video explain what we’re up to?

Each Distance Learning sample video presents one full-length lesson from every course we offer. We thought showing an entire lesson would allow you to get a better look at the teaching style, lesson length, and additional elements that we incorporate into our courses to make learning fun.

Check out our BJU Press Homeschool YouTube Channel, or better yet, subscribe using your Gmail™ account so that you don’t miss any updates.

How One Homeschool Mom Managed Her Roles

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WP-tablet-for-DL-12-2015Do you feel overwhelmed with the myriad of things that you have to do? That feeling comes over all of us now and then; but if you’re a busy homeschool parent, you’re probably more familiar with it than most.

Eujeana, a homeschool mom who shared her story on the Hip Homeschool Moms blog, explains how overwhelmed she felt and how a complete homeschool curriculum helped her educate her four kids effectively. She describes the sheer quantity of work that she faced.

There are about eight subjects in the elementary grades, so that was thirty-two subjects I was supposed to teach each day! Really? No way could I do that successfully and still have dinner on the table and other household management tasks accomplished. Using a complete curriculum with a distance learning program not only helped me to teach the subjects my children needed, but it also allowed me to give my children a rigorous education and still give them time to be children!

In her search for a solution, Eujeana discovered the concept of a complete homeschooling currirculum, specifically our BJU Press Distance Learning. With this program, she found that she could get involved with her kids’ education while also enjoying some flexibility. Lesson plans were already taken care of, so Eujeana could clean the house, create her shopping list, cook her family’s meals, and do all the other things a mom has to accomplish each day.

Homeschool moms like you have multiple full-time jobs. You wear the hats of mother, wife, household manager, and teacher for multiple grades. If you’re feeling too busy and overwhelmed, it’s possible to find relief through a comprehensive homeschool curriculum that does some of the paperwork, planning, and instruction for you. Look for a program that doesn’t take over your homeschool, but supports you with lesson plans, activity ideas, suggestions, and video lessons. Check out Eujeana’s full article, “Traditional, Boxed, Complete Homeschooling Curriculum and How It Worked for Us!”