October 14, 2026 – How Online Learning Helps our Students

Mercy Every Minute

Deborah Wuehler, TOS Senior Editor

Filling the Gaps

When I don’t know how to teach a subject that I want my child to learn, or a subject they would like to learn but is foreign to me, I look for online help! From math to foreign language, and from art to science . . . there are plentiful options that we have used in our homeschooling over these thirty years.

As the director of your child’s learning journey, you don’t have to do all the teaching. But you are still in charge of managing what they are taught. That is the beauty and blessing of home education. For the teacher, there are also those homeschoolers out there who are one step ahead of you, and you can gain insight from them online. 

Here at The Homeschool Minute, we have spent over twenty years coming to your email weekly with help in the areas of educational resources, ideas, and encouragement. We are your online support system! More online support is in all of the back issues of our magazine at www.TOSMagazine.com, or download the free app at www.TOSApps.com. You need as much help and encouragement as your children do, and this is a great place to find that. If you need curriculum help, or need to fill a gap, SchoolhouseTeachers.com was created for just that purpose.

You can do this. God gifted you with these children, and He will equip you. The liar will tell you that you are a failure. You are not a failure–that would mean it was all about you. However, you have a Faithful God writing your story. He will complete the work He begins, in both you and your children. 

“My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my life . . .” Psalm 73:26

~Deborah

P.S. Check out ClassicalQuest.com’s online learning platform covering an abundance of subject areas. Your student goes on a quest as he encounters practice games and learning facts in these classical subjects, all from a Biblical worldview. I met this company at our local homeschool convention this summer and thought their product was amazing. See their ad below.

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Heidi Mosher

How Online Learning Helps the Whole Family

Raise your hand if you could use a few more hours in your week! Maybe you’ve daydreamed of more time or an extra set of helping hands in order to keep up with the goal of providing a rich and sweet homeschool education. 

In our homeschool, I really wanted to teach everything, but I truly was relieved to utilize outside resources for subjects that I didn’t have a passion for (like upper-level science). I also used co-ops and trusted online platforms for courses that I either didn’t have knowledge in or the time to learn on my own (like the foreign languages my kids picked). Online learning options provided me with a little extra time each week which ultimately served the whole family. 

The kids gained, too, of course, in areas like accountability, scheduling, autonomy, and access to interesting courses we didn’t have textbooks or resources available for (like architecture).

When beginning a new class or program online, I learned to initially invest a few unrushed hours next to a child in order to learn the system together and even to introduce the importance of password keeping. Checking in regularly to oversee progress throughout the semester or year was important too. 

If you’re run ragged from trying to cover it all, consider online learning as a set of helping hands. You might even find enough time to take an online course yourself!

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About the author

Heidi Mosher is a writer and editor, honored to contribute to The Homeschool Minute, as it was a lifeline of her early homeschooling years. She is thankful to be the mother of four: three recent homeschool graduates and one in high school.

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Todd Wilson

Does Online Learning Really Help Our Students?

Hey Mom,

Now, I’m not sure online learning helps our students more than offline learning. You can learn just as much offline as you can online. So if you’re an offliner . . . stick to your guns in confidence that your children are learning plenty and getting a great education.

But, I will say there are some benefits online learning offers that offline learning doesn’t.

—There’s more than just reading. There are video and audio resources, personalized instruction, AI-answered questions, and just about anything you can ask for.

—It can be cheap . . . and even free.

—It takes the burden off Moms. You don’t have to be an expert at everything, because the internet is an expert on everything.

But, here are some drawbacks of “on-lining”:

—It cannot be completely trusted. If you are not vigilant, it will lead your child somewhere you don’t want them to go.

—It is a time waster and will suck the real life right out of your home if you don’t put limits on it. The lesson can easily lead to “other screen time.”

So, Mom, I recommend online resources and possibilities, but beware. The internet is out to get your child.

Be real,

Todd

P.S. Feel like the Techno-Beast has invaded your home already? Check out our easy read, Taming the Techno-Beast.

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About the author

Todd Wilson is a dad, granddad, writer, conference speaker, and former pastor. A favorite speaker at homeschool conventions, retreats, and churches, he is the founder of Familyman Ministries and the Smiling Homeschooler, and hosts two podcasts: The Familyman Show and The Smiling Homeschooler. Todd, and his wife, Debbie, homeschool two of their eight children (six have graduated, with four married) in northern Indiana.

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Author Cheri Blomquist introduces the world-famous Trapp Family Singers to a new generation.
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Hey, Mama!

Gena Suarez, Publisher of TOS

Let Them Press Replay

Hey, Mama,

The replay button doesn’t sigh.

It doesn’t say, “We just covered this.” It simply lets your child hear the explanation again.

Some days, that is a gift to both of you.

Online learning can give a child room to pause, listen again, and work at a manageable pace. A science animation can show what a textbook describes. A teacher’s explanation can offer a fresh way to understand fractions.

It can also help you teach a subject you’re still learning yourself. You can pull up a chair and learn together.

Mama, choosing help is part of teaching wisely.

Stay involved. Preview the material. Ask your child to show you what he learned. Then put it to work away from the screen. Build the model or try the problem on paper.

You’re still there to notice the puzzled look, celebrate the breakthrough, and point your child toward the Lord.

“The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge” (Proverbs 18:15, KJV).

Pick one subject that could use a fresh approach. Browse the course samples at SchoolhouseTeachers.com and explore an option together.

His hand is on your head, Mama. Always.

– gena

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Online learning can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Perhaps your students use the SchoolhouseTeachers.com website to read and complete their course work. Maybe they use the WorldBook membership that is included with your SchoolhouseTeachers.com membership to research and learn about different subject areas. Maybe they receive immediate feedback through our interactive courses (iST). Students gain independence, time management skills, and technology literacy through online learning, and many find it more engaging! If you haven’t tried our interactive courses yet, get started today at interactive.SchoolhouseTeachers.com.