Homeschool Your Way

Latest Episodes:

HOMESCHOOLING WHILE WORKING FULLTIME Jul 13, 2021

Show notes

Linsey Knerl is owner of Knerl Family Media, mom of six, and the author of Homeschool Hacks: How to Give Your Kid a Great Education Without Losing Your Job or Your Mind. In this episode, she talks with DeeDee and Ximena about juggling roles, managing time, and making sure your home runs smoothly.

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QUOTABLES

Linsey: "I'm less of a teacher, more of a superintendent or a manager or administrator. And if you think about how much administrators get paid in school systems and how hard those jobs are and how much goes on, it's a huge role. Is not at all shameful to be like, 'I spent my whole day administrating my child's homeschool.' Because it's a big, big job."

Linsey: "Well, I'm not a likable person when I'm doing more than one thing. I've been told that by my husband, and I've been told that by my kids. So just by virtue of not being the most horrible person in their life, I need to calm down and just do one thing at a time."
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Thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at bookshark.com.
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TIMESTAMPS
02:31 Linsey tells the story of her homeschool journey.

04:13 How being a terrible planner can make you a better homeschooler.

05:17 How Linsey runs her home with so many children with such a range of ages and needs.

08:38 Linsey sees her role more as a superintendent, manager, or administrator than a teacher.

09:41 Coping with guilt as a homeschool parent who also works.

11:03 Is doing it all even possible?

12:19 Mono-tasking instead of multitasking.

18:00 A typical day at the Knerl home.

20:07 Linsey's curriculum choices.

21:40 How to know things are going well in your homeschool.

23:28 Top hacks from Linsey's book. Why books are so essential to the homeschool.

26:53 Avoid being too formal with organization.

28:09 Get advice from a wide variety of homeschoolers so you never feel like you have to fit a certain mold that doesn't suit you.

29:26 How to handle extracurriculars.

SPECIAL SEGMENTS
01:32 Hack of the Week — Always try before you buy!
16:45 A Memorable Quote —Ray Bradbury said, "Jump and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall."

DESCHOOLING Jul 06, 2021

Show notes

Deschooling is a period of detox when you get yourself out of the public school mentality and into the homeschool way of thinking. It's also the process of rethinking what education means. Not only do children need to deschool but parents also need to make this shift. To help you move from rigid box checking and constant worrying about doing enough into a confident but relaxed perspective, guest June Doran of This Simple Balance shares her own transformation as a mom.

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QUOTABLES

June: "...deschooling means deconstructing school, really all things school. So saying, 'What does learning look like? What should it look like? What makes a good education, and who decides what that is? What's worth learning? Why are we even learning?' Really asking all of the questions that before were very easy. It was just, 'Oh, send your kids to school. They know all the answers. They have it all.' And instead taking it back into our hands and saying, 'We're going to deconstruct what is school, and we're going to rebuild from the ground up kind of our own definition of what school is and what a good education is and what learning is and what it looks like.'"

June: "So for me, the biggest risk would be my homeschool looking exactly like school and for me, the biggest thing was crushing my kids' love of learning, seeing that die in them, and then not being driven to learn the things they want to learn and not having that natural drive."

Thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at bookshark.com.
TIMESTAMPS
02:41 June tells how she came to be a homeschooler.

05:29 How a homeschool curriculum catalog moved the needle for June.

07:40 Deschooling means deconstructing all things school.

09:23 DeeDee admits that even after so many years of homeschooling, she still sometimes doesn't consider what she does with her children "real school."

10:02 June's daughter's reluctance to do worksheets moved her to rethink the nature of education.

11:18 June's parents were public school educators, so she felt it was essential to become a confident homeschooler who could answer her family's questions.

12:45 When people find out that you homeschool, their first question is typically, "Do you use a curriculum?" What are they really asking?

13:32 The risks of not deschooling.

16:09 June explains her goal for her kids to operate confidently outside a school system or a box that school puts us into.

21:41 Why you need to have hope, bravery, and faith as a homeschooling parent.

22:55 Practical ways to deschool. Start by reading the history of education. Then read unschooling books like Free to Learn by Peter Gray. Constantly ask why.

26:21 What about unschooling for high school years?

30:56 June talks about curriculum and how reading aloud is the core of her homeschool.

32:33 How long will deschooling take?

33:35 Make choices that will give you confidence as a homeschooler.

34:01 What to avoid during deschooling: don't throw out all structure. Having natural rhythms is good!

35:53 Remind yourself that your children are naturally driven to learn.

THERE ARE NO HOMESCHOOL HATS Jun 29, 2021

Show notes

Tired of swapping out hats, going from parent role to teacher role? Great news! There are no homeschool hats! You are a parent. And parents are teachers—always have been and always will be. Absorb the down-to-earth encouragement from special guest Camille Kirksey who takes a holistic approach to being both mom and teacher, simultaneously. Dissolve the barriers of roles and relax into learning alongside your children without a need to control them or always be the expert.

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Meet Camille Kirksey at her two sites: Intuitive Homeschooler and World Homeschooler's Day. Her book is Coming Home, a practical guide for preparing a mother's heart, mind and home for homeschooling.

QUOTABLES

Camille: "As a mother, I'm very fluid. I do what they need, bottom line. I don't know why that would be any different with the homeschool part of it."

Janna: "We're giving you permission to know that you're already a teacher. You're already their mom instructing them in every day situations. It is no different when you're homeschooling."

Camille: "It's cultural, it's fear, it's ego. We feel this pressure as homeschoolers. You don't want to miss something. You don't want them to have gaps."

Camille: "Homeschool will make you know yourself whether you want to or not. That's a good thing even if it's hard at the time."

TIMESTAMPS

Thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at bookshark.com.

06:16 Why Camille's starting question is "Are my heart, mind and home prepared for homeschooling?"

09:06 These questions aren't just for newbies. It's never too late to ask these questions.

10:30 They myth of controlling your kids.

12:03 The power of unlearning and deschooling.

13:15 The holistic approach of parenting as a homeschooler and the myth of homeschool hats. Being a mom is enough.

17:49 Getting outside help as a homeschooler is not bad. You do the same thing as a parent. You consult Google. You search the medicine cabinet.

18:54 The advantages of being a mom-teacher (versus a school teacher).

21:12 Using a just-in-time approach to parenting and homeschooling.

24:44 How and why our children's behaviors can trigger strong reactions in us as parents.

25:15 Letting go of the school-ish authority structures and control to let your kids lead.

30:40 How to handle the fear of not knowing everything as a homeschool teacher.

34:04 Why parents sometimes push kids beyond what is reasonable.

36:47 Letting kids see you as a fallible person.

38:16 How to handle people who are critical of your choice to homeschool. Radical advice — don't talk about it!

43:30 How going outside is often the solution.

46:20 Think of yourself as a partner with your child.

50:05 Your end goals for your kids probably won't be achieved via worksheets or textbooks but by the time you spend with them.

HOW TO SPEND YOUR SUMMER Jun 22, 2021

Show notes

It's summer! Tune in for suggestions of how to spend these precious weeks of freedom. Hosts DeeDee and Ximena suggest having a loose plan with some academic and life skills goals. You may want to go all out and do a special science or history camp or book club with your homeschool co-op this summer or have a more low-key experience at home catching up on the things you didn't have time for during the school year. Consider typing, driving, cooking, laundry, or a craft like knitting.

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QUOTABLES

DeeDee: "...let your kids be creative during the summer and explore new hobbies. And this is always important to me, but they're not going to do it if you let them be couch potatoes."

DeeDee: "Well then you can also just think, we have to work on reading, writing and arithmetic. Because the three R's, right? That's the foundation of our learning. So what books are you going to read this summer? And what... like you were saying about math facts, how are you going to keep your math facts sharp? Whether it's playing a game online on your computer or playing Yahtzee your regular rotation, or whatever it is that you think ahead so that you're prepared, you're planning to have it. And then some writing, my kids love writing books or short stories. So encouraging them to do that during the day summer."

Special thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at bookshark.com.
TIMESTAMPS
02:27 Take a long summer break or opt for year-round schooling? (Episode 8 is about year-round homeschooling.)

04:15 Ximena likes to enjoy summer break but still include some homeschool activities to keep a rhythm and avoid bad attitudes.

06:48 Learning loss can happen during the summer. Ximena tells a story about bombing an assessment in second grade due to summer brain drain!

08:15 Summer homeschooling is a perfect time to get caught up or ahead on a particular topic or dive into something very fun like knitting or cooking or photography.

11:16 About limiting screentime during the summer.

16:50 Practical tips for creating a summer schedule for your homeschool.

19:20 Get older kids to provide input to help craft the plan.

20:17 Older kids can work on typing, driving, or learning how to do laundry. Try a fun unit study.

22:58 DeeDee and Ximena talk about their summer science camp.

24:58 Their epic Washington DC summer trip and their US History Cram Camp to prepare for it!

25:57 Help your kids plan their summer activities so they actually do them!

26:49 Have a summer book club.

SPECIAL SEGMENTS
Hack of the Week
01:06 Use a boogie board tablet to make writing more fun (and to save paper).

Weekly Reflection

14:12 How fast the kids grow up. Savor each moment instead of worrying so much!

HOMESCHOOL MYTH BUSTERS Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

The worst homeschool myths make parents afraid to try homeschooling. This episode is here to put your mind at ease with a behind-the-scenes look at what homeschooling is really like. No, it's not all peaches and rainbows. But it isn't drudgery or non-stop frustration either! These six myths are legitimate fears, but don't let them keep you from homeschooling if you want to. All of these can be overcome. Tune in as your hosts Ximena and DeeDee dispel the exaggerations, stereotypes, and outright misinformation with facts and their own personal stories.
★★★ LISTENER COUPON CODE Request your coupon code to use on any purchase at bookshark.com. Special thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at bookshark.com.

QUOTABLES

Ximena: "Homeschool allows you the freedom to step off the highway of learning and take a more scenic route along the dirt road. ... You're not on this conveyor belt of education, where everybody's the same. No, no. You are taking the scenic route. You're learning the way you learn. You're homeschooling your way, guys."

Ximena: "And your kids can end up being sheltered and weird if you raise them up that way, but that can happen even if they go to regular school."

TIMESTAMPS

02:16 MYTH 1: You are a parent not a teacher, so you're not qualified to teach your children.

04:32 MYTH 2: Homeschooled children don't get as good of an education as traditionally schooled children.

05:35 MYTH 3: Homeschoolers have a hard time getting into college.

06:18 MYTH 4: Homeschoolers miss out on sports and on other important social activities like school theater or prom.

07:13 MYTH 4: Homeschooled kids are sheltered and unsocialized, and therefore weird.

08:58 MYTH 6: Homeschooling is too expensive.

17:59 MYTH 1 DEBUNKED: You've been teaching your children from day one. You already are their teacher!

20:34 MYTH 2 DEBUNKED: Homeschooled kids get to do so many more field trips and hands-on learning that you just don't get in a classroom. The curriculum and pace can be customized to the child. It's an excellent education.

23:58 MYTH 3 DEBUNKED: Colleges want the homeschooled kids because they perform so much better!

26:36 MYTH 4 DEBUNKED: Many states allow homeschooled kids to participate alongside public schoolers in different sports or extracurriculars. And homeschoolers form local groups to hold dances and other social events that schools typically provide their students.

29:50 MYTH 5 DEBUNKED: Homeschooled kids are not just social. They are social butterflies!

32:20 MYTH 6 DEBUNKED: There are ways to homeschool affordably. And homeschooling is loads cheaper than private school!
SPECIAL SEGMENTS
01:23 Hack of the Week
Do your weekly homeschool planning on Saturday (not Sunday night).

13:32 A Memorable Quote
"The most important work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own home."

WHAT YOU COULD LOSE IF YOU STOP HOMESCHOOLING Jun 08, 2021

Show notes

Homeschooling has a lot of perks. If you send your kids back to public school, you may not completely lose these perks, but they are a heck of a lot harder to achieve! Spending extra time with your children and being immersed in their day-to-day learning creates a unique dynamic that you can't easily recreate when your children are at school all day. Join Janna, DeeDee and Ximena as they explore what you might lose if you stop homeschooling.

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QUOTABLES

Ximena: "... a lot of the things that scare parents is, 'I'm not qualified, I'm failing my kids,' right? But really what we want to end with ...is that our goal is to nurture a love of learning for them, right? Because once we teach them how to love learning, they can learn anything in life. So if you keep that as your number one goal, then your kids are going to be okay.

TIMESTAMPS

04:50 If you put your kids back in school, the biggest change will immediately be the lack of flexibility.

12:19 If you stop homeschooling, you'll lose personalized learning.

15:02 You won't be able to provide your kids that soothing, comfortable safe spot for learning (your home).

21:20 Life skills are more easily taught in a homeschool environment, things like cooking, cleaning, and handicrafts.

23:38 Ximena's daughter confided in her that she's afraid she'll grow up and not know how to do things and will make mistakes in life.

24:56 As a homeschooler, you can help your child learn problem solving with day-to-day situations. In a traditional school setting, a teacher has a lesson to teach and can't always make time for detours.

27:01 Why "I don't know" is such a great sentence to use as a homeschooler.

27:08 Socialization! Contrary to myth, homeschoolers actually have more opportunity for socialization and conflict resolution than kids in school.

30:34 Living life at an unhurried pace. Homeschooling gives you the gift of more time.

31:27 Quality control over what your kids are learning, how deep to go, the pace to work at, etc.

33:45 A homeschool mindset creates more of a love of learning and a lifestyle of curiosity compared to a traditional school mindset which focuses mainly on getting things done.

35:36 When we homeschool, we get to learn alongside our kids! It's fun to finally learn the things we missed in school (or forgot). We have so much fodder for great family conversations about history, science, and so on.

38:51 Homeschooling provides a very high quality of education that a traditional classroom cannot provide.

43:02 You'll read so many books together as a family as homeschoolers.

47:21 Ximena recalls her exhausted lifestyle when her daughter went to school.

SPECIAL SEGMENTS

01:02 Hack of the Week —Frequent timed breaks

20:28 A Memorable Thought — Enjoy your kids more.

Thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at bookshark.com.

A THRIVING HOMESCHOOL VS. HOMESCHOOLING IN A PANDEMIC Jun 01, 2021

Show notes

Hosts DeeDee and Ximena want to say "well done" to all of the podcast listeners. This has not been an easy year and a half for any of us. As a listener, you care about your kids. You've tried your absolute best and you're still trying. They know you love your children and no matter how hard the school year was, you did your best! This episode is to debrief some of the tough parts of the school year and give you hope that it will get better! Homeschooling during a pandemic was hard even for seasoned homeschoolers.

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TIMESTAMPS

04:09 A lot of new homeschool families can't wait to put their kids back in school!

04:32 Zoom detention is a thing. 🙄

05:41 Contrary to myth, families who homeschooled before the pandemic didn't have an easy time with lockdowns, closures, and social distancing.

07:42 The precious gift of community as a homeschooler.

11:04 Ask yourself these questions to evaluate if homeschooling will be better for you after the pandemic. Question 1: How was my life before homeschooling? And how did homeschooling make it better? What lessons did you learn by slowing down and having your kids at home?

11:58 For the challenges you faced, were they actual homeschool problems or were they pandemic problems that you would have faced anyway?

12:27Ask"How has the pandemic impacted me emotionally and psychologically?"

14:31 Train your brain with habits that eliminate the need for willpower.

15:08 The comfort of routines and structure.

16:35 Find a community!

19:42 The pandemic taught Ximena to relax a bit more in her homeschool, to play more games and flex more.

21:31 Creating an atmosphere with candles, music, etc. Taking brain breaks with physical activity.

SPECIAL SEGMENTS

Hack of the Week — making your home the teen hangout
A Memorable Quote —"For the strength of the pack is the wolf. And the strength of the wolf is the pack" by Rudyard Kipling.

Thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at bookshark.com.

SHOULD I HOMESCHOOL AGAIN NEXT YEAR? May 25, 2021

Show notes

If you started homeschooling because of the pandemic, you have a big decision ahead: Will I homeschool again next year? And actually, nearly all homeschool families revisit this decision periodically. Our kids change; circumstances change. And it's important to be sure you're still making the right choice.

In this episode DeeDee explains why her son is going to private school and the mixed feelings she has about it. Listen in for food for thought as you make the decision for how to educate your children for the upcoming school year.

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QUOTABLES

Ximena: "... in the classroom setting, it's really survival mode. Right? How do I not get bullied? How do I not get teased? And really at home, we're teaching them true conflict resolution, true life skills, the true value of relationships."

TIMESTAMPS

02:50 DeeDee explains why she's not homeschooling her son next school year.

06:41 It can take 2-3 years of homeschooling to find your groove.

12:00 Pros and cons of homeschooling. Con #1: Homeschooling takes a lot of effort and intentionality. It's hard.

17:22 Con #2: More housework because all of you are home more often.

18:51 Con # 3: It's very time consuming. It can be hard to balance the demands of homeschooling with working.

20:11 Pro #1: Flexibility and quality time.

22:09 Pro #2: A quality education.

24:04 Pro #3: Character development and socialization.

SPECIAL SEGMENTS

01:16 Hack of the Week — use Alexa as a chore chart

10:54 Weekly Reflection —"We're so worried about leaving a better planet for our kids. How about we leave better kids for the planet?"

Thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at bookshark.com.

SUPER CHARGE YOUR HOMESCHOOL WITH CO-OPS, CHARTERS, & BOOKSHARK VIRTUAL May 18, 2021

Show notes

Learn how to leverage the power of the village through co-ops, hybrid learning, and virtual options. All of these learning avenues can extend your at-home experience and build a supportive community for you and for your children.

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TIMESTAMPS

02:35 Homeschool Co-ops

Co-ops are great for community and for electives beyond your main curriculum.

14:08 Hybrid homeschooling

Hybrid situations are great for families that want to homeschool but don't want to bear all of the responsibility alone or totally DIY. They want the co-op, but they don't want to have to put the co-op together. With a hybrid approach, you do some of your learning at home and a few days a week you meet at an in-person co-op for additional learning.

26:19 BookShark Virtual

BookShark Virtual provides accountability and recordkeeping for homeschoolers who want more support. This online interface tells the student what pages to read from the books, presents the questions, and a provides place to record their work.

SPECIAL SEGMENTS

01:00 Self-care Your Way

meal planning that includes a weekly taco night and pizza night

24:42 What We’re Reading

Dr. Ruth Beechick's book The Three R's

Thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at bookshark.com.

HOW TO MAKE SCIENCE WORK AT HOME May 11, 2021

Show notes

Shed your science insecurities and join your kids as a fellow learner! That's the main advice in this podcast hosted by Janna with special guest Amy Ratliff, curriculum designer at BookShark. Amy says that the biggest part of teaching your kids science is to engage their curiosity. Enjoy the scientific process even when things don't go exactly right.

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QUOTABLES

Amy: "There's actually a million and one variables that go into every experiment ever, and if anything is slightly off, it can throw the rest of the experiment off. So I think that's one of the reasons that doing science at home can be more difficult, is because you expect it to go well, and if anything goes slightly off, you're like, 'Why is the science not working? Why is science not perfect?' And it's because there's just a million and one variables and something's changing."

Janna: "So there's really not failure in science. And maybe that's what parents need to hear, is that when something doesn't have an expected outcome, it's not a failure. It's not that it didn't work. It's just a jumping off point to start again in a different way."

Janna: "And I think maybe I needed to hear that I have permission to mess up while doing science experiments with my children because that really is part of the process."

TIMESTAMPS

02:23 Guest Amy Ratliff, a curriculum writer at BookShark, introduces herself.

03:38 What to do when you've followed the directions to a tee, but the science experiment still failed.

06:26 Teaching children about experimentation — trial and error.

07:21 The difference between the scientific model and a scientific experiment.

11:44 Teaching science with a project-based approach.

12:45 Teaching science with unit studies.

18:59 Using living books to learn science. Some parts of science lend themselves very well to being told through a story. Amy provides the example of Mendel and his study of genetics.

23:19 Pointers for teaching science at home: 1. See what's sparking interest and capitalize on that.

24:39 2. Have perseverance, be a curious and humble learner.

25:44 Recognize that you've already taught your kids a lot of science informally simply through life and discussions!

SPECIAL SEGMENTS

01:13 Self-care Your Way

ice cream in the bathtub every Sunday night while watching a program
taking my husband grocery shopping on a Friday or Saturday afternoon, combined with lunch out and any other errands we need to do

17:53 What We’re Reading

The Great Gatsby on audiobook

Thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at bookshark.com.

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