I've been thinking a lot lately about what makes certain lessons stick with our children while others seem to slide right off. Why do some subjects come alive in our homeschool while others feel like we're just trudging through?
The answer, I've realized after a decade of homeschooling, isn't always about the curriculum we choose or even the child's natural interests…
Often, it comes down to something much simpler: our own passion and investment in what we're teaching.
Now, before you feel the pressure to be enthusiastic about every single subject (because let's be real, not all of us wake up excited about teaching long division), hear me out.
Not everything you teach needs to be your personal passion.
But how much you're invested and interested in each lesson really does matter to you and your child for several important reasons…
The Ripple Effect of Your Enthusiasm:
The more passionate and invested you are, the more they will be too.
This first point came to me as I taught in our homeschool community in Idaho. I’d have 20+ children in the room (or outside) while we nature journaled or learned about wilderness survival skills, logic and even geography.
When I lit up about a topic, my students leaned in too.
Our children have incredible discernment. They can tell when you're going through the motions versus when you genuinely care about what you're teaching. Your excitement becomes their excitement. When you’re passionately talking about the artists you're studying or get animated discussing different times in history and how they connect to their story today, they notice.
You're more likely to stay accountable
Let's be honest: when the week gets busy, it's the subjects we care least about that get pushed aside. For us, that’s Latin (or any foreign language for that matter), and music.
But when you're invested in what you're teaching (whatever subject area that might be), you protect that time and make it a priority. You don't let it slide when things get hectic because you actually want to teach it. That accountability to ourselves translates into consistency for our children.
More opportunity to dive deeper
When you're passionate about a subject, you naturally invest more time in preparation. You find the best living books, the most engaging activities, and you're more likely to notice connections to other subjects or current events. You don't just teach the lesson, you enrich it, expand it, and make it come alive.
Even if you’re the only one getting super excited, I promise, down the road, your children will remember bits and pieces of YOUR excitement in teaching certain lessons. In fact, my kids still tell me how excited I was going through American history and our Burgess Birds guides…
You model lifelong learning
When your children see you passionate about learning alongside them, you're demonstrating that education doesn't end (ever)! You're showing them what it looks like to remain curious and engaged throughout life. In my opinion, this might be one of the most valuable lessons we’ll ever teach them.
Your passion translates to better retention
Students remember lessons taught with enthusiasm far more than those delivered with indifference.
The emotional connection you bring creates stronger memory anchors for your children. Years from now, they'll remember not just the facts but the feeling of learning them with you.
Remember that saying? "People will forget what you said, but they'll never forget how you made them feel."
You're less likely to skip or rush through lessons
We've all been there. Friday afternoon, the week has been long, and we're tempted to just mark something off the list without really doing it justice.
But when you're invested in what you're teaching, you don't want to rush through it. You want to savor it, discuss it, and make sure your children really experience it.
A Matter of Calling and Conviction
Here's what I think is at the heart of it all:
You're fulfilling your calling through your identity in Christ with integrity.
Charlotte Mason laid out a rich feast for our children, and teaching with passion is how we honor that vision. It's not just about checking boxes; it's about genuinely believing these subjects matter and are worthy of our time and attention. When we homeschool out of calling and conviction—and we do, don't we?—we owe it to our children to follow through with the tools God gives us.
We’re not perfect homeschool. We never claim to be. But we definitely can pass on some passionate, exciting ideas onto our children.
This is a form of active obedience on our part as we take homeschooling our children seriously.
We're not just educating young minds; we're feeding souls for eternity.
We're stewarding the precious gift of time with our children and the privilege of shaping their worldview.
This is exactly why I created Simple Studies back in 2019.
I kept seeing these beautiful, rich subjects like nature study, geography, picture study, composer study, poetry, hymn study, folk songs, and fairy tales, get pushed aside when life got busy.
These weren't "extra" subjects to me. They were ESSENTIAL parts of the feast Charlotte Mason described, the very things that make education come alive and nourish the soul and help form our children’s character for LIFE.
But I also understood why they are sometimes left behind. Time is precious (and short). Planning can feel overwhelming (like we’re not living up to the plans we lay out before us). It often easier to focus on math and reading and let everything else slide.
I created Simple Studies because I am passionate about teaching these topics that often get left behind but should be the crux of our homeschool and can often help invest in our children to be set apart in the world.
These subjects aren't optional luxuries. They're vital parts of a complete education that feeds the whole person.
When we teach through passion, we're saying to our children:
This matters.
You matter.
This education we're giving you is a gift worth giving with our whole hearts.
And that, dear mama, makes all the difference.
Ready to bring more passion into your homeschool with subjects that truly matter? Check out Simple Studies and discover how easy it can be to include things like nature study, history, geography, fairy tales and more—even in your busiest seasons. Because these subjects deserve more than our leftovers; they deserve our passion and our children deserve more than just math and reading lessons.
