A homeschooling mum says trolls criticise her unique curriculum but she knows she’s doing what’s right by her child.
Hannah Terlizzi, 30, lives on a homestead with husband Nick, 31, her 87-year-old grandmother, Shirley, and her three-year-old daughter, Vienna.
The pair educate Vienna in their own way, teaching her key life skills including chores, homesteading and cooking, and Hannah openly shares the family’s adventures with her 6,000 Instagram followers.
READ MORE: ‘My husband is 24 years older – when we first met, I saw him as a father figure’
But despite the family’s positive outlook on their unique education method, Hannah says she sometimes gets backlash online.
“I homeschool my daughter and I don’t really care to associate with people who would look down on it,” the mum, from Massachusetts in the US, told What’s The Jam.
“They can have their opinions, but I know what’s best for my daughter.“
Hannah says she focuses on a variety of different skills to keep Vienna well-rounded.
She explained: “This year we’re focusing more on reading, motor skills, and learning life skills through play and real life experience, such as homesteading chores and working in the kitchen.
“I can devote one hundred percent of my attention to her learning and unique learning style and needs.
“Plus we can have real life experience every single day.
“Unfortunately I don’t feel like public schools are safe in the US either so this is another big reason.”
The mum-of-one previously hit headlines after revealing that she felt like the American food system was failing her, and in turn started to save money by preserving food.
Now she’s shared that she thinks people are sharing an incorrect view of the schooling system online.
She said: “There’s a common misconception that being homeschooled will make the kid ‘weird’ or unsociable.
“But this myth has actually been debunked.
“Homeschooled kids end up having better social skills, especially with adults or others older than them.”
Hannah says she even has extra time to involve Vienna in extra-curricular activities to supplement her learning.
The mum explained: “She’s currently in our homeschool co-op group that I run here, gymnastics, ballet and soccer.
“So she socialises plenty with other children.
“A typical day looks like breakfast and getting ready, doing homestead chores together, starting things around the house like laundry and dishes, then heading to the homeschool room around 9am.
“We’ll start our day with some prayer, the calendar, our morning menu, our lesson of the day, crafts or activities, and then have a snack.”
