Our homeschool journey began 15 years ago. We decided to do some preschool work with our oldest son, who was five at the time. The summer before his preschool year, our second son was almost two years old, and I was also pregnant with our third child, who was scheduled to be born in October. I decided that since the preschool video course was so short, and I was going to have my hands full, it would be best to do the video course. That would provide consistency during that busy stage in our family's life.

Fifteen years later, we're still utilizing BJU Press Homeschool video courses, and here's why:

1. Our family has always been involved in full-time ministry. This has meant a lot of activity and energy is spent on people/events outside of our home. Utilizing the video courses has allowed consistency and progress when an unexpected phone call or knock on the door occurs. School can continue with minimal interruption.
2. Since the birth of our third child, I have had to have surgery, multiple health complications, and now live with an autoimmune disease. The bottom line, if it hadn't been for the video course option, we would have been unable to homeschool. During the good periods, I can do some parent-led teaching, which I love, but if I have a flair or get sick and cannot teach for several weeks, schooling can continue without a hitch. I can take the necessary time to rest and heal without the guilt of shortchanging my boys' education.
3. My boys love their video course teachers! While we do some parent-led (sometimes a lesson, sometimes a chapter, sometimes a complete subject), my boys tell me that when their video course teachers have to explain the concept again, they are just as patient the third and fourth time as they were the first - unlike their mother. And it's true! I remember teaching an early math lesson on the concept of addition. In the course of the lesson, I used the terminology "add," "addition," "all together," and "total," and my son looked at me, totally confused. The video course teachers have done this a long time and know how to present the material in a way that doesn't confuse my boys and helps them grasp it more quickly.
4. Their video courses have enriched my boys' education. When you homeschool multiple children, there is only so much time and energy that you have to prepare, pull materials, and execute your lessons. With the video courses, that's already done for me - clips of historical events, fun skits about grammar rules, excerpts of speeches and plays, and watching concepts illustrated and reinforced. They have been exposed to so much more than what I could have pulled together for them. This makes their learning much more robust and gives them a broader scope for interest and future learning.
5. As a homeschool mom, it's important to me that the materials that I use are customizable and supportive of my teaching goals. The video courses do not replace me at all - I still have complete control over our educational endeavors, and the video courses and teachers are very supportive of that. As we teach our children how to love God and others, I so appreciate having a "second voice" speaking into my children's lives, reinforcing what we're trying to accomplish in our home. After a particularly challenging period with one of our children who was struggling with prompt obedience, on a video one day, Mrs. Walker talked briefly to the students in her lesson about the importance of prompt obedience. My son paused his video, turned to me, and said, "Have you been talking to Mrs. Walker?" What a blessing to have teachers dedicated to reinforcing Biblical principles we're committed to teaching in our home.

The video courses have been an incredible blessing on our homeschool journey and have done what I could have never done alone. I'm grateful for those who use their talents and gifts to enrich and be a blessing in God's kingdom.