Meet the Team: Tracy
Meet Tracy Million Simmons, one of our new bloggers. She's a mother of three teenagers, a farmer's market manager and a writer. You can view her author page at TracyMillionSimmons.com and read her blog at Living and Learning in Oz. She's answered a few questions so that you can get to know her better.
Me in 100(ish) words: I tried to leave Kansas in my 20’s, but was drawn back by the wide open sky and the assured change of season (sometimes we get multiple seasons in a single day!) I’m a reader, a writer, a people watcher, a long-walks taker, a “fresh and local” foodie and manager of the local farmers market. I used to spend a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up. Finally, I have come up with the answer: Always growing! Whether sharpening my skills at word craft or strategizing a better method of keeping my husband’s law office accounts in order, my gig as a homeschool mother has taught me that who I am is a journey, rather than a destination.
How I started homeschooling: The hubby talked me into a homeschooling trial when Munchkin #1 was still… well, munchkin-sized. I tackled the experiment with gusto, and when I looked up she was 18 and on her way out the door for her first day of school… at college. My second and third munchkins (now 16 and 13) have remained unschooled, to this point, as well.
My homeschool style: It’s a family affair, a continual collaborative adventure. At various times in our journey, I have referred to our family’s method of education as child-led, project or passion based, unschooling, homeschooling, and just plain living life.
Favorite readaloud: We simply like reading together. Great books, read together at the kitchen table have been the one constant in our homeschool journey from the beginning. From The Paper Bag Princess (Robert Munsch) to the On the Shoulders of Giants series, from Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling) to The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (William Kamkwamba), we have joyfully read ourselves hoarse many times over the years.
Favorite driving music: I tend to listen to an eclectic mix of 60s-70s-80s-90s pop and classic rock hits with selections from the MP3 players of my kids mixed in. The only music I tend to actively avoid is contemporary country music, though occasionally you’ll find me humming along with a twang, as well.
Things I like: Chocolate, sunsets, storms, books, kittens, the smell of lavender, homegrown tomatoes…
Guilty pleasure: Life is too short to bother with guilt; if it gives you pleasure, embrace it.
What I love about home/school/life magazine: I love the glimpses into the lives of others who are joyfully raising children. I enjoy articles that make me think about my own processes and connections with other homeschoolers that make my world feel a little bit bigger.
TRACY MILLION SIMMONS s somehow never got around to sending her children to school. She now lives and learns with three unschooled teens, two dogs, a cat and her dear hubby in the middle of Kansas where she holds a part-time job as a farmers’ market manager and pursues her lifelong dream of publishing fiction for fun and profit. You can view Tracy’s author page at www.TracyMillionSimmons.com and she occasionally writes more about unschooling at her blogger site, Living and Learning in Oz.