Melinda Borda is married and the mother of a baby girl whom she plans to homeschool. For now, she is a part-time student herself and tutors students in composition and English from her home. Melinda blogs with her twin sister at www.wholesomewomanhood.com to encourage women in biblical womanhood.
I’ve given a basic introduction, but I’m sure I’ve left some things out. Tell us a little bit more about you and your family.
My husband is employed by Union Pacific; he currently works as a supervisor for track maintenance.
Many readers may not know how tutoring from home works. Could you describe your job to us?
This year I am tutoring my students online. It’s a small group of students (four in total). We “meet” once a week via Skype. They submit their homework via email or through an online grading website. I am available to them at any time during the week via email. This year I am tutoring high school students in composition, preparing them for the rigors of college writing.
What degree are you currently pursuing?
I am working on my master’s degree in Christian apologetics from Columbia Evangelical Seminary. This is a distance learning program so I am free to complete the entire degree while living at home and taking care of my home and family.
While I know you have plenty of time to think about it, what are your early plans for homeschooling your daughter?
When Renae gets to be kindergarten, I am planning to take a relaxed approach to homeschooling. I am hoping to cultivate a love of reading in our daughter. (I already read to her!) In addition, her early days of “school” will most likely be spent following mommy and daddy around, learning with hands-on activities. At some point, I am planning to introduce some workbooks, perhaps to help with numbers, letters, colors, etc.
What would you tell a mom that was interested in starting her own blog or business?
Realize that it will most likely be a struggle in the early days. It’s not easy developing a blog with good content; in fact, it can be a challenge. But it’s worth it. The self-discipline of writing and learning will benefit you regardless of how many others read it.
You have probably heard the “how do you do it all?” question more times than you can count. While we all realize that no one mom can “do it all” nor always perform perfectly, what are some things that help you juggle your responsibilities?
Learn to prioritize! Right now, I am in a season where I’ve had to realize that taking care of my family and our home are my top priorities. Also, grading my students’ homework and preparing for our Skype chat each week is a top priority. Other tasks, like my own school, must be fit in when I have time.
I have learned though that I make time for what is important to me. There are days when I’m tired or discouraged and the last thing I want to do after a long day is sit down to study. But finishing this degree is a goal I have set for myself so I choose to make time for it.
What do you struggle with most as a mom, teacher and business owner?
I struggle with prioritizing. I mentioned that is how I manage my life, but I still struggle with how to prioritize a great deal. The fact is that I don’t feel productive if I don’t get housework done plus schoolwork plus blogging and the list goes on. Yet, I have to realize that I cannot complete all of those things every day. I am learning to relax and to take each day in stride, grateful for what I do get accomplished.