One of those important socialization phenomena that I missed until high school was a game they called Quarters. No, not the drinking game. Students at my school played the version that drew blood.

I was reminded of this less-than-sanitary pastime while hunting for a pair of socks this morning. After digging around in the hamper, I sat down on the bed.

'What?' My knuckles had started to bleed. The realization slowly hit me: In my repeated dives into the depths of the plastic clothes bin, I had scraped my knuckles raw. Serves me right for not helping fold the laundry...

Raw Knuckles

[NB: The above photo would have been more impressive if I hadn't washed my hands earlier. But unlike my fellow classmates of years gone by, I do practice certain levels of caution with biohazardous materials.]

Don't get me wrong: I really enjoyed my few years of public school. But not because of the socialization I had missed while homeschooled. If anything, I was secure enough in myself to avoid much of the madness around me.

That's not to say I was much more mature than my friends. I don't think I was. But I was confident in who I was and what I did. Perhaps overly so. But in environments where drawing blood is the social norm, my years at home prepared me to stand apart. The peer pressure of socialization phased me not at all.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

The engine grinds and sputters. The windows are laced with tendrils of hoar frost. Outside the predawn has yet to penetrate the cold blanket of clouds.

"Come on," I mutter. My breath is ghostly in the half-light.

I turn the key again.

The engine begrudgingly turns over and painfully putters to a purr. The display on my dash slowly appears.

-4^°

Yikes. It's cold this morning. Silently quipping about global warming, I back out of the drive and onto the slippery street. I'm heading to Sonlight. It's time to get to work.

It's Tuesday.

***

It's Thursday now, but it was hard to get going Tuesday morning. It was cold. I felt a little groggy. There was a ton to do. Oh, and other things were rough.

Life is great today. But there are days and times when getting started feels like too much hassle. And it doesn't have to be due to cold weather or spats at home. Perhaps you're feeling tied down by your routine; my wife was Sunday night. Perhaps you've run into a financial situation that took the proverbial wind out of your sails; you know, things like the plumbing backing up. Yeah. Been there, done that. Perhaps you're an "old pro" but, for whatever reason, just feel like tossing in the towel today.

These are the times when having another person to lean on, glean from and pray with can be so helpful!

Don't forget that Sonlight has many opportunities and places for you to find people to talk, cry and pray with. Visit the Sonlight Forums for everything from a good laugh to get you started to deep soul searching that spurs you on. Swing by Sonlight's Facebook page to swap stories and share your experience. Contact us if we can be of any help.

And if you're struggling to get started with Sonlight, be sure to chat with a Sonlight Advisor. They'll be able to help you choose the right homeschool program for you. They can also offer insights into the program you are currently using.

Don't let something needlessly stall you. I know it can be hard, but with encouragement and a little help, even frozen engines get going. And you can too!

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

Imagine a world where school is the only place to learn. You can't learn in your home. You gain no new skills, applicable knowledge or information at work. Church is a place for "fellowship" but teaching is nonexistent. You only learn in school.

Want to be able to do something more? Take a class. You have no other option. Even the internet is devoid of helpful suggestions or personal insights.

School: The only form of education.

Sounds like a great dystopian premise to me.

Thankfully, that is not reality. In the years since we left school we have learned a great deal. Our abilities have developed. Our knowledge base has increased. Our interests have been able to flourish. We may have taken a class here and there. But our learning has occurred elsewhere, for the most part. We have learned at home, at work, at church, with friends and even those who aren't so friendly.

Much of what we learn and use is outside of the classroom.

Film school was that way. The main point was not gleaning knowledge from my professor's presentations. Rather, we learned by doing. We made movies and learned along the way. Our professor's were the slave drivers and mentors. They taught us things, for sure, but most of what we learned was well beyond the classroom.

School is at its best when it is the catalyst for our learning.

That is why homeschooling is such a fantastic option. Home education teaches us how to learn. Learning becomes a natural part of our daily lives. And in so doing we ensure that we never fall into the trap of thinking that "school" is the only place to learn.

It's not.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

Interested in learning more about home education options? Check out Sonlight Curriculum.

I spent most of today in my socks. This reminded me of my homeschool days. You don't have to wear shoes if you're doing work in the living room.

But I wasn't in my living room. I was here at Sonlight.

The weather has turned cold and snowy. My normal shoes get unpleasantly wet. So I wore my "work boots" to work today. But I didn't keep them on. It's rather uncomfortable to wear such heavy-duty footwear while editing video in a cubicle.

My Work Boots

Hence, my socks.

As I pulled on my boots I was struck by the power of having the right tools at the right time. My normal shoes are horribly ineffective in winter weather. I could certainly use a plastic bag around my foot as a cheap alternative to waterproof boots. It would do the trick. But my boots have made my life better.

I went for my lunch-time walk and my feet didn't freeze. My footing was sure. My life was easier. And I felt super cool.

Sonlight's Core programs are like my boots. You can absolutely homeschool without them. You don't need Sonlight to package everything together for you. You don't need guaranteed materials. There are other options out there; like a plastic bag in a shoe.

Sonlight offers you tools. Each Core offers a warmth of certainty if you're feeling overwhelmed. It provides a clear and solid path to walk down. A Core can make your life easier. And with all the incredible literature, every Core is super cool.

If the season of your educational needs has changed, remember that you can try--risk free--your pair of "Sonlight boots" for half a school year before deciding if they really are everything you wanted and more...

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father