Home schooling Education: Karin Roberson Cummins

Karin Roberson Cummins of Jackson, MS graduated from Clinton High School, Mississippi College with a Bachelors in Art degree, and Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY with a M.A. in World Mission and Evangelism. Karin’s husband, Will, is a Jackson mail carrier and former history teacher, and Karin is a stay-at-home mom and former preschool teacher. They have two sons, Sam, a fifth grader, and Ben, a third grader, and this is their third year of homeschooling. “Even though it can be challenging, it’s been a good experience to date. We have plenty of time together as a family (too much sometimes, according to the boys) and the ability to travel when we like without having to worry about missing school. Because schoolwork doesn’t take as long at home compared to public school, we spend a lot of time reading, playing games, and being outside. Doing school at home is noisy and messy, and sometimes it’s hard to measure the progress, but we love it (most of the time),” says Karin.

“I always wanted to homeschool my kids, but when they reached school

By Dr. Brenda Wilder

age, I didn’t have the confidence to begin. We enrolled them at a local preschool and kindergarten. A couple of years went by, and life became too busy. With all the homework and extracurricular activities, we felt like we had no time together as a family. Then I became friends with a mom who was homeschooling her daughters. Her friendship and encouragement gave me the courage I needed to start.”

“The first year of homeschool was rough, and we spent a lot of time that year figuring out what didn’t work for us. Homeschooling was nothing like I imagined it would be, and almost none of my extensive preparation fit our family at all. I had to let it go, and we spent several months de-schooling to figure out who we were as a family when we weren’t just jumping through all of the hoops placed in front of us. I had to stop trying to control things and start nurturing the education that was already happening all on its own (I’m still working on this part). The biggest challenge for me, though, is remembering that I don’t have to do it all on my own, and we don’t have to do everything all the time, especially in this strange and difficult season of life in the time of a pandemic.” Karin explains her teaching philosophy. “I believe curiosity is one of the best teachers. While I feel it is important to give the boys some structured work daily, I think their greatest learning takes place when the assignments I give them are finished and they have abundant free time to pursue their own interests. Their curiosity leads them into deep learning about the things they love, and the pursuit teaches them important life skills like self-discipline, time management, problem-solving, and resilience.”

Some community activities in which Karin’s sons are involved include piano lessons, baseball with North Jackson Youth Baseball, The Friday Program, and a chess class at The Village. Sam and Ben frequently participate in area chess tournaments. They are active members of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church and love living in the Fondren community, sharing life with friends and neighbors.

Karin shared some favorite scriptures. “I have read and heard some of the Old Testament stories so many times that they feel like a part of me. I could read 1 Corinthians 13, the whole book of Romans, and the Beatitudes every single day, but I think Psalms 1 may be my favorite. I want to be that tree, planted by streams of

water, yielding its fruit in season.”