Featured Homeschooler: Carol Topp

Posted by Nikowa Lee | 0 comments

Please welcome this week’s Featured Homeschooler: Carol from HomeschoolCPA

You’ve been homeschooling for 12 years; that’s a feat in itself! What have you learned in your experience that you wish you would have known from the start?

Don’t buy things because they are sale and think, “I’ll use it someday.” I bought two years of a curriculum because it was on sale and my daughter hated in within the first 3 weeks. I also figured out why it was on sale—no one wanted it! I tried to resell it for two years with no success! Ugh!

Your child can do more than you think. Set the bar high and be proud of them when they achieve high standards. My daughter is in a high school homeschool program where the tutor had the students write 30 essays in one semester (some were only one page essays). As a mother, I would have lightened the load, thinking “Oh, the poor thing. Thirty essays is too much work.” But my daughter rose to the challenge and is a better writer for it.

How do you manage homeschooling and being a work-at-home mom?

In the early years when my daughters were elementary age, I “schooled” in the morning and assigned homework for the afternoon when I worked from my home office. I limited work to a few hours a day. I have a separate office and I don’t answer the phone when we are focused on doing schoolwork. Now my daughters are in high school and are independent learners, so I spend more time grading work and picking out math problems than actively teaching. I increased my working hours as they got older and more independent. I have also made more use of homeschool co-ops and tutors as they entered high school.

Working from home allows me to be available when then they have a problem or question. My work as an accountant to individuals (www.CarolToppCPA.com) and to nonprofits (www.HomeschoolCPA.com) can be done easily from home. Except for tax season, I don’t have very tight deadlines. Accounting is a very flexible career that works well with homeschooling.

In your article: Pursuing Their Dreams, you talk about the 4-Step Career Exploration Process. How has this helped you in your own homeschool journey?

I started a new career as an accountant at the age of 38, so I teach career exploration from my own experience. I encourage my daughters and my students in my homeschool co-op that learning never ends. They may study a particular subject while at college, but may not stay in that career for life. Homeschooling shows students that learning is not confined to a building or a particular time of life.

As a CPA who’s passionate about Biblical Finances, what are some of your best tips for controlling your finances in this troubled economy?

Tell your money where to go, instead of wondering where it went! As Dave Ramsey preaches, put your budget “on paper, on purpose, before the month begins!”

I also encourage automatic savings so that savings come off the top, not after everything else. This works for giving as well. If we save or give from our excess, we will never save or give a dime because there isn’t usually any money leftover. American’s are good at spending all we make. We can even spend more than we make by using credit cards and that can get us into serious trouble.

Cut your spending (cell phones and cable TV are my two favorite suggestions) and build an emergency fund of at least $1,000. Avoid turning to credit cards for unexpected expenses; instead use your emergency fund.

Save up for expenses like vacations and furniture instead of using a credit card. Get the power of compound interest working for you in a savings account and not working against you on a credit card. Teach your children the discipline of delayed gratification by being a role model.

What are the biggest mistakes that you feel people make regarding their finances?

Living beyond their means and usually spending too much on their house and cars. All housing expenses (mortgage, utilities, property tax, insurance and repairs) should not exceed approximately 35% of after tax take home pay. Most people listen to the mortgage broker who tells them that they can afford a more expensive house, but never consider all the other expenses such as utilities and taxes. Being overextended on housing has been a huge factor in our current economic crisis.

Also, I think that couples do not work together on the family finances enough. I meet a lot of homeschool moms that don’t know enough about their family finances because they let their husbands manage the money. Marriage is teamwork and it’s fine to let one person do the paperwork and bookkeeping, but we as wives have a responsibility to be good stewards too. Stewardship involves setting a budget that the couple both agree on and discussing financial goals together. It also involves understanding your tax situation and your investments. Most wives will outlive their husbands and need to be financially literate now and in the future.

You have a new book out, tell us a little about it.

I wrote Homeschool Co-ops: How to Start Them, Run Them and Not Burn Out to share what I have learned about operating a successful homeschool co-op. I combined my accounting skills, nonprofit knowledge and experience on my own homeschool co-op board to help homeschool leaders. The book has has advice on :

* Pros and cons of starting a homeschool co-op.
* Types of co-ops
* Having a focus and a mission
* Gathering interest
* Getting help
* Setting policies
* Managing the money
* Dealing with volunteers
* Handling conflict
* Avoiding burnout

Anyone currently leading a homeschool group will learn something by reading my book. I’ve had leaders with more than 10 years of experience in leading a homeschool co-op read my book and tell me that they learned something new. Obviously anyone wanting to start a homeschool co-op now has a much-needed source of advice and wisdom. And every active person in a co-op whether a volunteer teacher or leader will benefit from reading the book, especially the chapters on leadership and conflict. You can see the table of contents and read a sample chapter at www.HomeschoolCo-ops.com. Homeschool Co-ops is available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and other on-line booksellers.

You seem to be a very busy woman! What do you do to make time for yourself?

I have a To Do list! It’s color coded to remind my of what’s urgent and what’s a longer term goal or project. I also keep a large calendar in my kitchen, again color coded by person, so I know who is going where. I also plan menus three months in advance and write them on the calendar. These strategies help me stay organized. Staying organized helps me stay in control and not burn out.

I’ve also learned to say no. I know that I cannot do too much, or I won’t be successful at anything. I focus my attention on a few projects at a time. I recently told my church that I could not serve on a committee because I had made other plans for 2009 (a book called Micro Business for Teenagers). I also pray over every endeavor and discuss it with my husband. Sometimes I get very positive confirmation and sometimes I shelve an idea. Maybe the timing is not right, or it is meant for someone else to do.

Interview by:

Nikowa is a 2nd year homeschooling mom to two boys. (Ages 9 and 5) With her “learning never ends” philosophy, they have an eclectic year-round approach to learning. When she’s not teaching, she enjoys photography, organizing, cooking, reading, and knitting. She is a #1 LOST fan and watches UGA football too! (Go Dawgs!) You can visit Nikowa at Knowledge House Academy.