Homeschooling can feel like a lonely road—one where you carry the full weight of your child’s education on your shoulders. Without a strong homeschool community, the challenges—constant battles over assignments, self-doubt, exhaustion—can pile up, making you wonder, Am I really cut out for this? You’re not alone in that struggle.
Tamara Sommerville, a fellow homeschool mom, knows exactly how you feel. She nearly walked away from homeschooling, convinced she had failed. But at her breaking point, she found something that changed everything: the strength of community.
In this heartfelt story from our 2025 catalog, Tamara shares her journey from isolation to support, from overwhelm to encouragement. If you’ve ever felt like giving up, let her experience remind you—you were never meant to do this alone.
Trying Everything… and Failing
I was on the brink of quitting homeschooling my son. Standing in the Board of Education’s registration line, I pondered over the last decade. Our constant arguments over his assignments had worn me down. Was homeschooling supposed to be this hard?
I was about to learn a better way forward. But in that moment, I was discouraged. Various strategies, like altering wake-up times or giving him independence, had failed to yield positive results. Our relationship suffered, prompting me to consider enrolling him in a traditional school.
In defeat, I gathered the necessary documents and asked him to get ready. Surprisingly, he complied without resistance. We drove in silence. After we arrived, I stood in line, tears of failure welling up. Finally, it was my turn. With a whisper, I expressed my intention to register my son for school. The clerk kindly informed me that registration was completely online. I realized I had made this whole trip for nothing. Feeling humiliated, I returned to the car and cried, experiencing one of the lowest points in my parenting journey.
Finding Strength in My Homeschool Community
Not long after, I returned to our local CC community and shared my moment of weakness and doubt. I transparently let the pieces of my “all-figuredout” veteran homeschool mom fall away. I asked for support and received it from my community.
The other moms had compassion. “What are your husband’s thoughts?” one mom questioned.
THOSE CONVERSATIONS THAT DAY WERE MY LIGHTBULB MOMENT.
I became aware that I had taken every aspect of homeschooling upon myself. When I remembered my team, his father, his karate sensei, his violin instructor, his pastor, our CC Director and fellow parents, his sister, his aunts, uncles, and grandparents, I remembered I wasn’t in this alone. I could call in the reinforcements because I belong to a community.
I rediscovered my support system, and we pressed on. My husband began taking our son to seminar and sitting with him to do his work. Our CC homeschool community supported my husband. My son didn’t supernaturally change, but I did. God used Judges 13:8 to lead me to teach my children at home when we first began homeschooling. “Teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.” The Lord was indeed teaching me.
BEING A PART OF THE LOCAL CC COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO MAKE GOD KNOWN TO ME AND MY FAMILY.
Homeschooling with Confidence
I know Jesus as my Savior and now see those characteristics reflected in the accountability of other CC parents as they remind me that He is my provider, teacher, and helper. I didn’t quit homeschooling. Instead, I was and am strengthened and supported by God and the community He placed around me.
Homeschooling was never supposed to be as hard as I made it. And it never will be again.
Want to get closer to a supportive community? Check out these encouraging resources:
- Find a local CC community near you
- 111 Activities to Connect Outside Community
- The Power of Community
- We Believe So We Build Community
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