Lessons From Our Homeschool Journey:: When Doubt Calls

Each Thursday I’ll be sharing a post from the archives—words written in earlier seasons of my homeschooling journey that still hold meaning and encouragement for today.

I spent 15 years home educating my daughters at a time when home education in the UK was very much the road less travelled. Instead of following the traditional British route for high school qualifications, we felt led to pursue the American SAT pathway. To say I often questioned myself and felt out of my depth is an understatement. Yet we held fast to our conviction that continuing with a Charlotte Mason education through the high school years was right for our daughters and best suited to their learning styles. 

In God’s kindness, that decision was rewarded—both girls went on to be accepted into British universities. As I look back, I see how those years were filled with both joy and challenge, and how the lessons we learned remain just as relevant today. This post, originally written some years ago, is one I believe still speaks into the heart of the homeschooling journey, so I’m delighted to share it again from the archives.

From the Archives...

Choosing to homeschool our children has truly been one of the best decisions of our lives. The memories and experiences we’ve gathered are treasures we will carry forever. I feel deeply blessed that I still have two years left of shared learning with my youngest. Our homeschooling journey isn’t over yet, and I intend to savour every single moment that remains.

But today, I want to talk about something that can quietly steal our joy along the way: the “voices” that come at us from every side. Some mean well, trying to encourage us, yet they leave us feeling judged or inadequate. Others are far less external—they are the whispers of our own fears and insecurities, growing louder until they become a flood of doubt that threatens to paralyse us.

These are my own reflections on those two types of voices. Perhaps they’ll resonate with you—or perhaps not. Either way, I share them in the hope of encouragement.

The Voices That Mean Well

Who are the voices in your life? For me, they’ve often come from the blogs I’ve read, the online groups I’ve joined, the books or podcasts I’ve followed, or even from fellow Christians we love and respect.

When you see another homeschool mum’s beautiful blog, complete with perfect photos and inspiring projects, it’s easy to compare and feel “less than.” Or when a popular podcast suggests a particular method, you start to wonder if that must be the only “right” way because of their large following.

Sometimes, it’s even the subtle pressure from within our Christian communities—well-meaning comments that leave us feeling that if we allow our children to read certain stories or watch certain programmes, we’re somehow falling short of God’s will.

The danger is this: if we give those voices too much weight, they drown out the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit, the only voice we should ultimately be following.

The Voice of Fear and Doubt

Then there’s the inner voice—the one fuelled by our fears and uncertainties. I’ve wrestled with this deeply, especially when I’ve found myself without a community of like-minded homeschooling mums.

More than a decade ago, God called us to homeschool. He placed on our hearts the desire to raise our children to know Him and live for Him. By His grace, that has been our guiding light. Yet even with that assurance, the world’s expectations can press heavily. We wonder: What if my child’s path looks different? What if it doesn’t align with what is considered “normal”?

Community makes all the difference. When we walk with others who share the same vision, we can pray together, encourage one another, share ideas, and remind each other of God’s faithfulness. Without that, it’s far easier to slip into fear-driven decisions.

Here’s a real example. A while back, I found myself in knots because my daughter would finish her A-Levels at 19 instead of 18. For reasons I can’t quite explain, this consumed me. I stressed about university applications, worried about being “behind,” and allowed fear to overshadow peace.

Then God graciously intervened through a simple conversation. I was speaking with a fellow homeschooling mum—someone who had already graduated two children and was calmly guiding her son through his A-Levels, also to finish at 19. She answered my questions with wisdom and reminded me that this was not unusual. More importantly, she reminded me that God’s plan for each child is unique.

I left that conversation both refreshed and repentant. I realised I had been listening more to fear than to God. And I was reminded how vital it is to stay connected with others walking the same road.

Since then, I’ve made a conscious effort to build that fellowship again. A few local homeschooling mums and I now meet monthly, simply to encourage one another. It has been life-giving.

Guarding Our Hearts

Fear and doubt creep in quietly, but they take root quickly. Guard against them by surrounding yourself with voices that strengthen rather than weaken your trust in God’s calling. Stay connected with people who point you back to Him, and keep His gentle voice louder than all the rest.

Wishing you God’s richest blessings today. 

Homeschooling Help & Encouragement

 Hello my lovely friends, I hope that your year is off to a GREAT start! 

I wanted to pop in and have a little chat about homeschooling. As you know we have completed our homeschool journey. Both our daughters are now studying at university after having graduated from our homeschool. One took the American SAT route and the other a slightly different route, gaining university entrance through an art and design course she did at college. Both girls are happy and doing well in their respective courses.

But I digress...you see just before Christmas I had the privilege of being able to come alongside another homeschooling mum who is trying to navigate her way through the high school years of homeschooling. What a blessing! My heart was just so happy to be able to share with her our journey and how to progress along a path that is different from the traditional English way of gaining entry to UK universities. 

In sharing with her I was reminded of the beautiful journey that our Lord led us on. Of the privilege, I had to raise and educate our daughters in a way that was God-led and as a result to see Him open doors for our daughters in the most amazing way. I will always have a heart for homeschooling and honestly, I wish that I could have had many many more years of homeschooling. I should have had lots more children 😄. Being a wife, mother and home educator has been and is the most blessed calling I have had.

I realized in speaking to her that although our own journey has concluded there are others who are following and need guidance, help, and encouragement. So you will still see posts of that nature here on Under An English Sky. I hope that now that we have successfully completed the journey that my insight and experience will prove to be of some use to those that follow. If there is anything, in particular, you would like to know then please do leave questions in the comments and I will work on posts addressing those things.

The other thing I wanted to talk about is the heart behind this blog because for the longest time I have felt very much 'at sea' with some of the huge life events that we have lived through. Nothing awful but things like house moves, the girls graduating, you know...seasonal shifts. They are not comfortable and for a long time, I have not felt at peace. For all that 2020 brought, one thing it did bring was the space I needed to reconnect, to ponder, and get comfortable with this seasonal shift.

My outlook on life is returning to the pre-seasonal shift as I am learning to accept the changes and growing comfortable with them. So back to the heart behind this blog...it is very much a heart for the Lord Jesus and for my role as a Christian, a wife, a mother, and a homemaker. I write about ordinary moments and of things that warm my heart and home and will continue to do so.

If you read this this months newsletter you will have noticed that 'Hope' is a bit of a theme for me going into this new year. And hope is something that encourages us and gives us something to look forward to.

"For I know the plans I have for you", delcares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11

Isn't that such a wonderful thought? That our Lord has plans for each one of us that will give us hope and a future no matter which life season we are in. 

Well my lovely friends, that's about it for today. See you back here very soon!

Exam Tips for Taking the American SAT in the UK

Exam season is over for the year which is just as well, for nerves are stretched knowing that so much rides on doing well in these final exams. For our family, June saw the end of our homeschooling journey. We have taken the American SAT route with our youngest daughter and at the beginning of June was the last opportunity to sit the SAT Subject exams in the UK for the 2018/2019 academic year.

It seems strange that after 13 years of homeschooling, the end has finally come. It's been bittersweet from my point of view as I have loved this season of life but my daughter is more than ready to move onto the next life adventure and I am excited to see her fly.

If you are considering taking the American SAT route in your homeschool rather than the traditional British A-Levels, you may want to get a basic idea on what this is all about. For an overview, you can read my post, "The American SAT:: An Alternative to A-Levels for British Home Educators". As I mentioned in this post, the SAT and the SAT Subject exams are all multiple-choice with an essay option. Don't be fooled into thinking that it's a doddle because of that, take a few practice tests yourself to see what I mean.

With this being a bit of a different system, I thought I would share a few things we have learned along the way to make preparing for, booking and the actual exam day a little easier to navigate.

Booking the SAT Test

In order to book the test, your student will need to register a CollegeBoard account, which is free. It is on this site that you can register for your SAT exams; find an exam centre; see all the test dates available for the academic year and it is where your test results will be returned to you. You cannot register for the exams without a College Board account.

You will want to have a good look at what exam centres closest to you are open for each SAT date. My daughter took the SAT in December, March and May. We had an exam centre in Shrewsbury that hosted the exam in December and May but not the March sitting. For that, we found an exam centre in Manchester.

Practical Tip: At the beginning of the academic year, I recorded all the available SAT test dates; their deadline registration dates and the exam centre location in my homeschool planner so I had all that information available at a glance.

The Week Before the Exam

Your student has been diligently studying for their exam using Kahn Academy's free practice tests and Varsity Tutor's free SAT Subject tests. They have done everything they can to prepare now it's over to you. There are a few things you will want to make sure you have a handle on before exam day arrives.

• Print off your student's admission ticket if you have not done so already. They will not be allowed to write the exam without this.
• Make sure that your student has an acceptable ID such as a passport.
• Hop onto google maps and plug-in directions from your home to the exam centre. Make a note of how long the trip is (adding a little extra for delays, we had to wait for a herd of cows to cross the road from one field to another on one trip) and what time you will need to set the alarm for on test day.
• Check College Board for any exam centre closings, this is really important as it is quite conceivable that your test centre could be closed for whatever reason. By checking College Board for closures you will ensure that you have the revised test centre address and contact details.

Exam Day

You will almost certainly be up bright and early. Getting a teenager up at 04h30 or 05h00 in the morning is a big ask so try to make it as pleasant as possible by marking it a bit of road-trip adventure. I got up a little earlier than the rest of the family, switched on my favourite praise and worship music and prepared some bacon and cheese butties. Who can resist waking to the smell brewing coffee of frying bacon in the pan? It's sure to get your day off to a good start.

Enjoy your drive! Your exam centre will more than likely be a little drive away so be excited about seeing a new part of the countryside you have not yet seen. Enjoy watching the sun gently light up the land, revealing our beautiful landscape bathed in that special early morning light.

We have wonderful memories of exam day travels and I feel blessed to have had those times with my teen, for all too soon she will be off to university and those times will become less frequent, so treasure getting up early and beetling across the countryside.

Post Exam

Your student will get their exam results in 2 weeks...2 weeks! I think that is fabulous! No waiting all summer to find out if you have attained the grades you need. When you get your results you can download the report from your College Board account, save to your computer and then email them through to the admissions team at your son/daughters university. As simple as that.

We chose to write the SAT 3 times, 1st time to gauge where our daughter was at and what areas needed work. The 2nd and 3rd were all about improving her score, which she did with each sitting. We sent only the highest score to the university.

I hope that you have found this post helpful. If you have any questions please do leave a comment. If you are a British home educator please do join the HE Success without UK Exams facebook page. There are quite a few of us who have successfully. It's a wonderful source of support, knowledge and experience of others who have travelled this path.

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The American SAT :: An Alternative to A-Levels For British Home Educators

Did you know that there is an alternative to A-Levels for British home educators?

What if I were to tell you that you don't have to ditch how you learn, your educational philosophies or your favourite resources. What if I told you that you could continue to keep God at the centre of your home education and that you can ditch GCSE's and A-Levels, would it interest you?

If I then told you that you could do all this and your children could still get into British Universities would think me crazy? Well, I'm here to tell you that all this is possible with the American SAT. How do I know? I know because we have done it and we are not the first. You can read our story here. There are a growing number of British families who have taken this route with their children having gained university entrance.

A Basic Understanding of the American Education System

It is helpful to understand the difference between the two education systems. While British secondary instruction focuses on GCSE's and A-levels, each of which is examined separately, the American systems only real standardised tests are the SAT and ACT and are taken at a national level. That means that you do not write exams at 16 years old, rather you continue in your chosen courses of study and in the winter of 11th grade the General SAT exam (for the 1st time) which tests on the cumulative skills gained over high school. The SAT standardized test is meant to show colleges and universities how prepared the student is by measuring key skills like reading comprehension, mathematical ability and clarity of expression. By sitting the exam at the end of your 11th grade year it gives you a good benchmark of what needs to be done for your test in 12 Grade.

Tell Me About the American SAT Test

The SAT is administered by the College Board and is a 4-hour long multiple-choice test. The test is taken on a Saturday morning and tests in three core competencies namely critical Reading, Math and writing with an option essay component.

What are the SAT Subject Tests?

These are college (university) admission exams on specific subjects such as U.S History, Science, Maths and more. These are the only American national tests that the student can choose to showcase their strengths and interests. Often British universities will want a combination of the General SAT as well as a specified number of SAT Subjects if there is not a high school diploma available or if the course the student is applying for is particularly academic. Each SAT Subject exam is 1 hour long and is multiple choice.

SAT Pro's

• They are much cheaper than GCSE's or A-levels. The cost of the SAT General Reasoning test is roughly $80 and for each SAT Subject test around $22
• You can take the SAT exam as many times as you want. Only the most recent 6 scores are kept on your College Board account and you can choose which score to send to your university
• You don't have to worry about exam technique as you would with GCSE's or A-Levels. All the tests are multiple-choice. Note: this is not the easy option as you will spend about the same amount of time on your chosen courses throughout high school as you would on your GCSE and A-Level courses.
• There's no waiting all summer for your results! You can expect to have your SAT score back in 2 weeks and for your SAT Subjects 4 to 6 weeks.
• It's one test, on a Saturday. No drawn-out testing period of weeks on end that puts immense pressure and stress on students.
• There are numerous test dates throughout the year so there will always be a date that is convenient for you.

SAT Con's

• You may have to travel a little distance to your nearest exam centre.
• You could have a different exam centre for SAT Subject tests than for your SAT test. Not all test centres offer sittings for every single test date.

How Do You Prepare For the SAT?

We have used Khan Academy to prepare for the SAT exam and APPracticeExams.com for the AP exams. You can purchase revision books off Amazon if you wish.

So, Are You Keen To Find Out More?

This is the first in a continuing series of posts on taking the SAT in the UK. I will be looking at related topics such as setting out your 4-year high school plan, transcripts, how to calculate your students GPA, how to record credits, dealing with the universities admission teams, curriculum, college preparedness and much more. If you have any questions please do leave them in the comments and I will try to answer them in a Q & A post or they will be answered in a future post.

Please do consider subscribing to my blog if you are wanting to find out more about the American SAT for British home educators.

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A Walk Through The Ultimate Homeschool Planner

Hello again my lovelies! This week we started back at our lessons so I thought that I would take you on a photo-tour of the planners we are using this year.

I started our homeschooling years (The first five or six in fact) by making my own planner. I really enjoyed doing this because I was able to customise it to suit my needs completely. I love that I can be as creative as I want to be with these.

Then one year I tried 'The Well Planned Day'. I loved it. I loved the additional bits that helped me keep tabs on other areas of my life. I loved the articles peppered throughout. Very nice! I used this for three years. This year that's just finished I actually cut my Well Planned Day off the spiral and put it in a binder, adding other sections to it, again, customising it to suit my needs. However, there were three things that put me off buying it again. 1) There were a few wrong dates printed in the 2016/17 planner. I was disappointed at the lack of attention to detail. 2) They cut back on the report cards that they used to always have although I do believe they may have rectified that for this next year after all the complaints they received. And 3) I just don't need the place for as many students as they allow, I only have 1 student now so it was time to change.

After deliberating over various planners and of the pros and cons of once again making my own, I decided on Debra Bell's Ultimate Homeschool Planner. I also bought the Ultimate Planner for Teens so that my daughter and I can sync our weeks. 

After receiving my planner, perusing it at leisure and setting it up I have to say...I LOVE it! I think that this is the planner I will use to see out our homeschooling days (2 years) unless I am tempted by something else for our final year. Let me show you what it is that I love about it.

The cover is a sturdy plastic which I love because it means it is protected from spills and very durable. Both the front and back covers have a pocket to catch those stray papers.

The next four pages are calendars from 2015 to 2023, this is because this is a perpetual undated planner. These pages made of much sturdier (light cardstock) that the rest of the page which a good quality paper weight kind of quality.

The planner does not come with tabs and I have to say that I do love tabs so I have added them to pages that I want quick access to. Year @ a Glance, Goals and then the monthly overview pages which are all at the front of the planner before the planning pages.

After the calendar pages, we have the user guide (pages 6-17). I really appreciate these pages because there are some really helpful tips on how to use this planner to its max plus some great tips for the planning process. I'm a planner and there are tips in here that I have totally taken on board. 

After the user's guide, we have a one-year planning grid...

This is where I have marked off the holidays for the next year as well as any important days (liturgical and seasonal) that I wish to keep.

Turning the page we have the Student Goal Setter, enough space for 6 children. 

You can set Character and academic Goals here. Turning the page we have the pre-planning pages which consist of a Family Priorities page and Resource list pages enough for 6 children.

I've used one resource list to list our resources naturally but then I've used the other lists (because I'm not homeschooling 6 children) to plan out our Nature, Artist and Composer study plans for the year.

Next, comes 12 double-page monthly calendar pages.

As you can see you will need to write the month, dates and year in yourself - not a big deal for me. There's space at the bottom for you to make notes, for September I've written a seasonal quote for September taken from Chambers Book o Days which I use in my seasonal planning.

There's also a sidebar on the page for additional notes, I'm using mine to jot down ideas for field trips or activities relating to any significant events relative to that month, for example, we live just outside Plymouth which is where the Mayflower set sail from so I'm planning on taking DD to the Mayflower museum on the date it left England nearly 400 years ago. These monthly pages are the ones I have added tabs onto.

After the monthly planner pages, we have the weekly planner pages. I keep my place using a very cute and seasonally relevant paper clip that my daughter makes. This month it is a pumpkin, next month it might be a pinecone or an acorn.

Each week begins with a two-page spread that you use in your 30-minute weekly planning session to map out your bible plan, Battle Plan, Prayers and Hospitality/Outreach goals. There is a quote/prayer/inspirational quote to ponder on on this page, a new one each week. On the opposite page, there is space to record any memorable moments, achievements and evidences of grace in your children's lives.

Next, comes the actual nitty-gritty planning pages which form the bulk of the planner, the Weekly Planner. There are 6 boxes across by 6 down. Nothing has been filled in so you can really structure this in a way that suits you best. I have the subjects we are studying across the top and the days of the week down the side. There is enough space in the 'days' boxes for me to record any appointments or observances that I want to remember for that day.

I am currently using the bottom block as a notes column to note the aim I have for each week's subject. For instance, under the 'Bible' column I have written that "I want us to grow in wisdom, knowledge and character. To put God and His Word first each day".

On the right-hand side of this double-page weekly spread, you have a sidebar with space to note down 'Notes', 'Supplies' and 'Appointments'. I might use a sticker to change the appointments heading to 'Meals' perhaps.

After the Weekly Planner pages, we have double spread each for Records/Grades...

Reading lists...

Field Trips/Outside Activities...

After that, there is a 'Checklist for Raising an Independent Learner which was interesting to read, an article on how to motivate the reluctant learner and a very page on Learning Styles and Thinking skills which my daughter found interesting to go through and identify with.

After that, there is a 'High School Planning Guide' which is useful if you are at the beginning of your high school years and want to map out a rough plan from 8th through to 12th grade. This isn't really applicable to us living in the UK as our educational system is totally different.

Finally... there are a few pages for Year-End review notes. I've used these to note down nature notes - by that, I mean noting down where I see things blooming/growing etc that I will want to use when we do our nature study work. So when we look at the Horse Chestnut tree in September I know where we can go and see it as I don't have a Horse Chestnut tree in my immediate neighbourhood. I've also noted down useful websites etc for various studies that I don't want to forget.

So there we have it, a walk through of my homeschool planner for this year. Please do note that this is definitely a Christian themed planner with a Godly focus and scripture throughout, so if you are looking for a more secular planner this one might not be your cup-of-tea.

That's it for this post, wishing you all a wonderful day...