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Taira has been an Optimist for over 8 years. When she’s not at the noon class working out with her family, you’ll find her with her family. She talks with us about her upbringing in Oregon, going to the Air Force Academy, and homeschooling her four boys. You can listen to the full episode using the links above or read the show notes below.
CrossFit Family
Taira Dinsmore, known as “TD” at the gym, has been CrossFitting with Coach Mike and Coach Anjo for 8 years. Her husband, Shawn, was the first in his family to join the gym and over time the whole family joined in! Now you’ll find Taira, Shawn, their eldest son Daniel, and Shawn’s sister Megan all workout together at the noon class. Fast forward a few hours later and you will find the three younger Dinsmore boys working out at the CrossFit Teens class.
“My goal of putting them in CrossFit Teens is to get fit and to learn proper form. I want them to grow up and when they’re adults go workout at a gym and know how to lift.” -Taira aka “TD”
In almost everything they do, Taira’s instilling values that are important to their family. She doesn’t want her kids to go through workouts fast just to be the first one done, but to become strong and learn proper technique. As one of her kids fondly calls them “minivan lectures,” Taira talks to her boys about proper form in CrossFit, not to do drugs, and a myriad of other topics in the span of their car rides.
Homeschooling 4 boys
Early on in Taira and Shawn’s marriage, they knew they wanted to homeschool their children. While in North Carolina, they found a church community that showed them a different way of raising children than the way they were brought up. Many of the families in the church community were large and their children were homeschooled. What struck Taira as very special was the strong relationships between siblings.
So when Taira had her first two sons, she immediately began the homeschooling process. ‘In my mind I was already homeschooling my sons teaching them their A, B, Cs.” She went to the library to find out all she could about different teaching styles, and curriculum options. What’s unique about homeschooling her four boys is that she can find ways to tailor curriculum to each child.
Taira’s advice for parents interested in homeschooling
- Consistency is more important than curriculum. For example, teaching a child to read is the one of the most important things you do. So the curriculum is not as crucial as the constant act of practicing reading everyday.
- Find a community of people who are already homeschooling. They can tell you what’s worked for them and what hasn’t worked.
- There is never the “perfect” curriculum. Find what works for you and you control your curriculum, your curriculum doesn’t control you.
More From the Episode with Taira
Taira gives the scoop on her competitive family- whether they are playing board games or Among Us and sharing the next big frontier for her boys- college! You can tune into the episode using the links above. Don’t forget to leave us a five star rating and a written review!