Uncover the Hidden Benefits of Consistency in Homeschooling

In this episode, we’re discussing a topic many homeschoolers ask about: “Can I succeed at homeschooling?” Joining me is Damore Jensen, a homeschooling mom of three. She shares her transformative experience with our Homeschool Consistency Boot Camp, which reopens this month.

Together, we unpack the importance of consistency, addressing misconceptions and highlighting its pivotal role, even above curriculum or method choices. This episode is a must-listen if you’ve ever doubted your homeschool journey or craved more stability and consistency. 

Resources:

• Homeschool Consistency Bootcamp
• Join the free online community here! 

Consistency in your Homeschool Key Takeaways

• It’s possible to feel secure and effective in your homeschooling journey.
• The right curriculum is great, but staying consistent in your approach is even more crucial.
• Damore Jensen, a graduate of the Homeschool Consistency Boot Camp, shows that with the right guidance and persistence, homeschooling can be transformed.
• Utilizing resources, like the Homeschool Consistency Boot Camp, can provide much-needed structure and support.
• It’s natural to feel like you’re on a homeschooling rollercoaster. However, with the right tools and mindset, you can find stability.
• Connect with others on the same journey to share experiences, advice, and encouragement.

Listen to the Podcast:

Transcript for the Benefits of Consistency in Your Homeschool

Pam Barnhill [00:00:04]:

It’s a question I get asked a lot, and it is, how can I be sure that I will be success with this homeschooling thing? Well, believe it or not, I actually have an answer for you, and that is what today’s podcast is all about. Hi, everyone. My name is Pam Barnhill, and I have helped thousands of homeschoolers create doable systems, feet burnout, and bring more joy to their homeschool day. Welcome to episode 78 of the Ten Minutes to a Better Home School podcast. Well, today’s podcast episode is with a very special guest. And Damore has been in our community for a number of years now, and she’s gonna be coming on and talking with us about consistency and what taking part in our homeschool consistency boot camp has done for her homeschool. So let me just roll right into the commercial portion of our show. We are opening the Homeschool Consistency Bootcamp this month, and you will be able to get in and do the boot camp with us during the month of October. So the doors are gonna open on this one on September 19th, and they’ll they will be open until 27th. So you’re gonna want to come and check this out and get inside. Now what we’re going to be doing in this boot camp is 2 things. First of all, we’re gonna be working on making the mindset shifts that you need to make in to be more consistent. And secondly, we’re gonna be giving the tools you need to help you actually do that. Consistent see in your home school is the best thing that you can do. It is more important than the curriculum you choose and more important than the method that you choose to homeschool And it’s also one of the things that doesn’t get talked about a lot. I think there is a lot of shame wrapped up in the fact that sometimes we struggle with consistency. I know there was when I struggled with consistency in homeschooling, and I knew that I needed to be able to solve that problem. And the tool that I teach you in the boot camp are the same tools that I used to get really, really consistent with my kid’s education. Of course, I think you’re really going to enjoy the support accountability and all of the information that we provide there. So come and check that out at pambardhill.com slash consistency and get the support you need. And now on with the interview. Hey there, everyone. I am joined today by Damore Jensen who has been a long time member of our community and one of our mentors for our homeschool consistency boot camp. But before she was a mentor, she was a student. Damore, welcome to the podcast.

Watch on YouTube:

Damore Jensen [00:02:50]:

Thanks so much for having me, Pam. This is a lot of fun.

Pam Barnhill [00:02:53]:

It is a lot of fun. Okay. So tell me a little bit about your homeschool? Like, how many kids are you homeschooling? Where are you at that kind of stuff?

Damore Jensen [00:03:01]:

Sure. My husband, Sean, and I have 3 kids. Malachi is 17 and a senior. Declan is 15 and a sophomore, and Bernadette is 12 and is in 7th grade. We’ve been homeschooling the whole way through, and we live in Rochester, New York. And, you know, we’ve we’ve homeschooled in lots of different ways using lots of different methods, but I think the consistency boot camp and the things that I learned there were really, the thing that kind of carried us through and the through line through all of it.

Pam Barnhill [00:03:31]:

Okay. Well, let’s dive right into that. Can you describe your homeschool a little bit before you did the the consistency boot camp? Kind of what drew you to it?

Damore Jensen [00:03:41]:

Sure. I started out homeschooling with a lot of influences from the Waldorf, method. So the concept of rhythm was really important to me, and it was one that I definitely brought into my homeschool days. And so we had this sense of rhythm and we had this sense of, kind of blocking things out, but I also what I was lacking was a sense of community around the importance and value of consistency, and so when I saw that you were offering a homeschool consistency boot camp. I just really was interested and intrigued so that I could become more convicted in using consistency and the value of consistency in my home school.

Pam Barnhill [00:04:28]:

I love that. I love that. So really what you were hoping to get out of it was this sense of community with other people who were kind of all trying to do the same thing. Exactly. Oh, love it. Okay. Did you start off with our very first consistency boot camp, or did you come along like, on the second one because the first and the second one were really different. Do you remember?

Damore Jensen [00:04:52]:

I think it was the second one that I joined.

Pam Barnhill [00:04:55]:

Okay. Love it. Love it. Alright. So how did your homeschool change after you became a participant in the boot camp?

Damore Jensen [00:05:04]:

I think for me, the biggest change was in my own personal vocation as a homeschooling parent. Being able to see through the homeschool consistency boot camp that my role as a home schooling parent was a worthy vocation, and this kind of changed my own mindset to how I approached our days and also seeing consistency as sort of the form in which I could obtain some freedom within it. So being able to then really make those days when we could deviate from our consistent rhythm and schedule those it made it more powerful that we were being so consistent, if that makes any sense. So I think that was the biggest switch for me was being able to see because we were being consistent that I could take days off, that I could have more fun and more joy in my homeschool that I could relax a bit and lean more into being a homeschool parent and really fulfilling that location.

Pam Barnhill [00:06:10]:

You know, it’s so funny that you should mention that because what I gained from consistency was very similar in that when I wanted to take a day off when I chose to take a day off, then I could do it without guilt. I could do it without feeling bad. I could do it and just really really enjoy the day off in what I was doing because I knew I was so consistent at all the other times.

Damore Jensen [00:06:37]:

Right. You could feel comfortable that things were getting done and you could have fun with it at the same time. I think that’s a misconception about consistency. Or about having a more structured homeschool is that, you know, you’re sitting down in your your task master all day every day. And I think the consistency boot camp really crystallizes that that’s not really the purpose of being consistent, and it’s not going to be the result of being consistent. That there’s a lot of fun and joy, and you can relax a bit more than you might otherwise.

Pam Barnhill [00:07:10]:

Yeah. Yeah. I love that so much. And, you know, Dawn Garrett has talked time and time again about the fact that her favorite module in the consistency boot camp is the one about homeschooling being your job. And it sounds like that might be similar for you as well.

Damore Jensen [00:07:27]:

Yes. For sure.

Pam Barnhill [00:07:28]:

Yeah. Okay. So what about your kids? How did they respond to the changes that you experienced through the consistency boot camp?

Damore Jensen [00:07:39]:

You know, I think in the very beginning it just was something that we had to establish as something that we did and I feel that it was easy enough to scaffold. We didn’t go from 0 to 100, right? We started being consistent with let’s say morning time every morning and then built from there. And in doing that, it just became part of our family culture. To to do school, to be consistent with it. And so it wasn’t something jarring for them. And then I and and as I said before, when you are consistent, then you can have a better sense of, is today a day we just need to take a day off? Because legit we need it. And and then you can do that. So I feel like it was just it made it so much more seamless when there was just this expectation that we would do school. I think it also helped that I thought a lot, and this is part of the course as well. I thought a lot about what our values were, and why we were homeschooling in the first place, and so the consistency that I created wasn’t someone else consistency. I wasn’t making sure we were doing the things that were on other people’s checklists and that were other people’s values they were ours, so they really were consistent with our own family culture. And so that made it all a little bit more seamless as well.

Pam Barnhill [00:09:05]:

I love it. I love it. And, yeah, that’s one of the great things about the boot camp is when you go into it, we ask you to do a couple things in the beginning. First of all, is thinking about your why for homeschooling because that’s what’s gonna get you through the hard days. Right? So critical. Yeah.

Damore Jensen [00:09:20]:

And then — It’s often skipped.

Pam Barnhill [00:09:22]:

It’s not

Damore Jensen [00:09:22]:

like a skipped step, you know, that that thinking about your why. I think people jump to what what is required for a 3rd grader, and they go and they look up all the checklist. You know?

Pam Barnhill [00:09:33]:

Yeah. Yeah. And they don’t actually think about why it’s important to them to be homeschooling in the first thing in the first place. And it it really is truly the thing that’s going to pull you through on those days where you just don’t wanna, you know. Yep. And then secondly, We ask you to determine, like, what your what your consistency is. Like, we ask you to choose what that looks like for you. So when you come into the boot camp, we don’t say you have to do it Pam’s way. You know, you get to pick for yourself because if you don’t own that goal, then it it’s not going to serve you.

Damore Jensen [00:10:12]:

Exactly. And when you said that just don’t want them, we all have those days when we just don’t want them. I think that’s where community was really important for me because there’s an accountability piece to the homeschool consistency boot camp. So the days that I don’t wanna, I can get the support that I need or just seeing that other people have days like that too. Is helpful and then seeing how people, you know, get over that, and and have a great day anyway. Or maybe just a a minimum viable day, but, but, they keep going and and leaning into those values and the flexibility of homeschooling while maintaining consistency at the same time.

Pam Barnhill [00:10:49]:

Yeah. I love it. Okay. So you mentioned minimum viable day. We do actually give you tools throughout the boot camp. That’s one of the things about it. So there is the accountability, but we are also there is the support, but we’re also giving you tools that you can use very specific tools that are gonna help make this a little bit easier. So were there any, specific tools or ideas that really helped you as you went through the boot camp? Outside of the accountability.

Damore Jensen [00:11:16]:

Yeah. I do think the concept of the minimum viable day for those days when you’re calendar maybe has gotten a little bit out of control unexpectedly, or when you have days where just for mental health reasons, you may have to, you know, take a step back. Having a plan in place, for those times because they will happen was really critical to decreasing decision teak or just letting you, you know, just throw in the towel and decide you weren’t gonna do anything at all. I also loved the idea of don’t miss 2 or don’t miss more than 2?

Pam Barnhill [00:11:48]:

Yeah. Never miss twice.

Damore Jensen [00:11:50]:

Never miss twice. Exactly. And I think that that’s so critical because you can easily just have those those days where you feel lethargic and down and dull and uninspired, and they can just keep rolling into day after day. And, you know, having this idea already at the outset of minimum viable days and never missed twice, those things really helped with that time when you’re you might otherwise just throw up your hands.

Pam Barnhill [00:12:17]:

Yeah. Yeah.

Damore Jensen [00:12:18]:

And it also helps your kids to be really invested. So that they have an understanding of what you’re doing each day and an expectation, but also just have that structure so they can feel comfortable and they don’t feel like, oh, what’s gonna happen today. You know, there’s there’s a security in consistency and a little bit of structure. And and I think that helps everybody’s attitudes.

Pam Barnhill [00:12:40]:

Yeah. I think so too because, you know, I’m finding now as I have teenage boys, really, that trust is a huge thing that is being built with the consistency. Me showing up when I say I’m gonna show up, it’s not just throwing in one more load of laundry or you know, pushing something off because they have stuff that they need and want to do in the evenings. And so they want to be done with school. And if I don’t show up and and get us started on time, then, you know, and now we’re getting to the point where they get up and get started before, you know, which is like, I never would have expected. But they do. And and I have the feeling some of that comes from our consistency through the years because they can trust that I’m gonna show up when I said I was going to to start morning time so they know they can get there an hour earlier and get a few things done first and, what their day is gonna look like they trust in what their day is gonna look like.

Damore Jensen [00:13:33]:

Yes. I noticed that too. It also is good for me. I always strive to be really present with my kids. And — Yes. And this has really helped that, goal as well. You know, I don’t wanna feel distracted. I don’t wanna feel pulled in a million directions. So really having these tools that the boot camp, offered and and talks about really helped me just be present during our time together so that I can really enjoy it, which I really appreciate now that I have a senior in high school.

Pam Barnhill [00:14:06]:

And they’re and they’re, like, getting away from us. Yes. I — Yeah. 100%. So, Damore, if somebody’s on the fence about the boot camp, if they’re like, well, I’ve had some struggles in my school, but I’m just not sure if this is going to help me. What would you tell them?

Damore Jensen [00:14:21]:

I would tell them that everything in the boot camp is doable and actionable and has such support and positive energy around all of it. There’s no shaming about anything. There’s no although it’s called a boot camp, I never felt like anyone was, you know, being too assertative about anything. But it gives you so much confidence to know yourself and know your homeschool and do what’s on your heart for your kids.

Pam Barnhill [00:14:57]:

I love it. I love it so much. Well, thanks for coming on and sharing your experience with us today.

Damore Jensen [00:15:02]:

Thanks for having me.

Pam Barnhill [00:15:07]:

And there you have it. Now, if you would like links to any of the resources that Damore and I chatted about today and a link to the Homeschool Consistency Bootcamp so you can come and check that out before doors close. You can find those on the show notes for this episode of the podcast. That’s at pambarnhill.com/tmbh78. Thanks so much for joining us. We’ll be back again in a couple of weeks with a fun episode with some questions from our community that we’re gonna answer for you. I think you’ll like this little hodgepodge of homeschooling topics. Until then, keep on homeschooling.

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