The Homeschool How To

Latest Episodes:

#179: You DON'T Need to Have It All Figured Out to Homeschool | Chad Hufford Jul 18, 2026

Show notes

What if the biggest thing standing between you and homeschooling isn't your ability...it's your belief that you have to get everything right?

In this episode of The Homeschool How To Podcast, Cheryl sits down with Chad Hufford, homeschool graduate, father of six, biochemist, financial advisor, and speaker, to talk about what homeschooling looked like in the 1980s versus today—and why parents don't need to have all the answers before they begin.

Chad shares how his mom openly admitted she was figuring homeschooling out as she went, yet still raised children who became independent thinkers, lifelong learners, and successful adults. Together, Cheryl and Chad discuss why intentional parenting matters more than perfect curriculum, how homeschooling teaches children to think instead of memorize, and why comparing your family to others is one of the fastest ways to lose confidence.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why you don't have to be a certified teacher to homeschool.
How to stop comparing your homeschool to everyone else's.
The difference between teaching children what to think and how to learn.
Why letting your child explore their interests builds confidence and independence.
How homeschool communities, co-ops, tutors, and hybrid learning can support your family.
The mindset shift that helps parents stop fearing they're "failing" their kids.

Whether you're thinking about homeschooling, brand new to homeschooling, or years into your journey, this conversation is packed with encouragement and practical wisdom that will leave you feeling far more confident about the path you're on.

Ready to homeschool but wondering where to start?

📘 Grab my book, So You Wanna Homeschool? Everything You Need to Know Before You Start

🎓 Need a step-by-step plan? Check out Cheryl's mini-course, How to Work and Homeschool

📚 Still wondering, "What do I actually teach?" My guide walks you through exactly what homeschool families focus on by age and subject.

If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who's considering homeschooling.

Connect with Chad, Financial Planner and SmartVestor Pro:

chad@veritasalaska.com

veritasalaska.com

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#178: A Mother’s Wake-Up Call About Bullying And SEL Jul 11, 2026

Show notes

When Ali Johnson’s teenage daughter started saying she didn’t want to go to school, Ali initially thought she was dealing with normal middle school conflict.

Then everything changed.

After a serious accusation from two students, the school required Ali’s daughter to undergo an outside evaluation before returning to class. Even after she was cleared to return, administrators continued pushing the family toward additional outside services and requested permission to communicate directly with those providers.

Meanwhile, the bullying that started the entire situation continued.

In this episode of The Homeschool How To Podcast, Ali shares the story of the incident that ultimately led her family to leave traditional school and begin homeschooling.

We talk about bullying in schools, school mental health policies, social emotional learning (SEL), parental rights, private Christian schools, teen social media, deschooling, homeschooling teenagers, and what parents may not realize their children are experiencing at school.

Ali also shares what happened when she finally asked her daughter one life-changing question:

“What if you never had to go back to school?”

Two years later, Ali describes her daughter as a completely different person.

“It’s like she lives in color now.”

If your child is struggling with bullying, dreading school, or simply doesn’t seem like themselves anymore—or if you’ve ever wondered whether homeschooling could be an option for your family—this is a conversation you’ll want to hear.

Connect with Ali:

YT: @HoosierAli

IG: @HoosierAli

Resources from Cheryl: 🎓

New to homeschooling? Grab the free 30-Day Quick Start Guide

📚 Knowing exactly what to teach is the hard part, so I broke it down for you in plain English! Grab this today — What Do I Actually Teach?

💻 Want to Homeschool but still have to work? Check out my course on how to do just that: How to Work and Homeschool course

Support the show

Instagram: TheHomeschoolHowToPodcast
Facebook: The Homeschool How To Podcast

#177: The Truth About Leaving a Successful Career to Homeschool Jul 05, 2026

Show notes

What happens when you've built everything you thought you wanted... and realize it's no longer the life you want?

In this episode, I sit down with Ceci Washington, entrepreneur, business mentor, and homeschooling mom, to talk about the decision to walk away from a thriving business, leave behind financial security, and choose a completely different path for her family.

We discuss the fears that stop parents from homeschooling, why so many families feel pulled toward a different way of raising their children, the grief that can come with leaving your old life behind, and why grief doesn't always mean you've made the wrong decision.

We also talk about socialization, technology, homeschooling regulations, balancing work and family, and what it really looks like to build a life around your children instead of fitting them into your schedule.

If you've ever wondered whether homeschooling could work for your family—or whether it's possible to redesign your life around what matters most—this conversation is for you.

Cheryl on Ceci's podcast- YouTube

Radically Real Podcast

www.instagram.com/itsceciwashington

www.instagram.com/getradicallyreal

https://stan.store/CecileJWash

Resources from Cheryl: 🎓

New to homeschooling? Grab the free 30-Day Quick Start Guide

📚 Knowing exactly what to teach is the hard part, so I broke it down for you in plain English! Grab this today — What Do I Actually Teach?

💻 Want to Homeschool but still have to work? Check out my course on how to do just that: How to Work and Homeschool course

Support the show

Instagram: TheHomeschoolHowToPodcast
Facebook: The Homeschool How To Podcast

#176: What If Your "Imperfect" Homeschool Is Actually Enough? | Jennifer Pepito Jun 27, 2026

Show notes

Are you constantly wondering...

"Am I doing enough?"

It's one of the biggest fears homeschool parents carry—and after nearly 30 years homeschooling seven children, Jennifer Pepito has a very different perspective.

In this episode, Jennifer shares why perfect homeschool days aren't the goal, why family connection matters more than checking every academic box, and how her oldest daughter—despite what she describes as an "imperfect" homeschool experience—graduated summa cum laude, earned her law degree, and was preparing to take the bar exam.

We also discuss:

• Why many children don't need to read on the same timeline
• How read-alouds, audiobooks, and rich conversations build lifelong learners
• The surprising connection between movement, outdoor play, and learning
• Homeschooling multiple children with family-style learning
• Homeschooling a child with special needs
• Why trying to recreate public school at home often creates unnecessary pressure
• How to build a homeschool filled with curiosity, connection, and joy instead of comparison

If you've ever worried that your homeschool doesn't look "good enough," this conversation might completely change the way you think about learning.

Connect with Jennifer:
Amazon LINK to book

Website: thepeacefulpress.com

Instagram: @jenniferpepito

Facebook: @thepeacefulpress

Pinterest: @thepeacefulpress

Podcast: @restorationhome

Resources from Cheryl: 🎓

New to homeschooling? Grab the free 30-Day Quick Start Guide

📚 Knowing exactly what to teach is the hard part, so I broke it down for you in plain English! Grab this today — What Do I Actually Teach?

💻 Want to Homeschool but still have to work? Check out my course on how to do just that: How to Work and Homeschool course

Support the show

Instagram: TheHomeschoolHowToPodcast
Facebook: The Homeschool How To Podcast

#175: Former Teachers Reveal: Your Kid Only Gets 7 Minutes of 1-on-1 Time in School Jun 20, 2026

Show notes

Two former public school teachers — and twin sisters — pull back the curtain on what really happens in a classroom of 25+ kids, including the one statistic that will change how you think about homeschooling forever. Kathy and Melissa share why they left teaching to homeschool their own children, why neither of them ever finished a curriculum in 30 years in the classroom, and how they turned the science of reading into a play-based system any parent can teach — no degree required. We cover special needs reading struggles, when to pull kids out (and when to put them back in), navigating SEL and gender ideology creeping into public schools, and how much one-on-one time actually moves the needle for your child's confidence and learning. Plus: practical tips for making phonics drills fun instead of painful. If you're second-guessing whether you're "enough" to homeschool your kids, this conversation will put that fear to rest.

Find Kathy & Melissa:

www.littleshoesacademy.com

Our facebook group is https://www.facebook.com/groups/685911939807596

Our instagram is https://www.instagram.com/littleshoesacademy/

Resources from Cheryl: 🎓

New to homeschooling? Grab the free 30-Day Quick Start Guide

📚 Knowing exactly what to teach is the hard part, so I broke it down for you in plain English! Grab this today — What Do I Actually Teach?

💻 Want to Homeschool but still have to work? Check out my course on how to do just that: How to Work and Homeschool course

Support the show

Instagram: TheHomeschoolHowToPodcast
Facebook: The Homeschool How To Podcast

#174: The World Schooling Dad Who Says American Education Is Getting It Wrong Jun 13, 2026

Show notes

Rapkat was born in northwest China, fled to Malaysia at five, landed in Brooklyn, bounced through public, private, and charter school, married at seventeen, attended a coding bootcamp, got a remote software engineering job — and has been homeschooling and world schooling his five kids across Europe and Asia ever since.

In this episode we talk about why he thinks getting straight A's is actually not a good sign, what "learning to learn" means and why it matters more than any subject, how he intentionally teaches his kids to let go of possessions every time they move, and why he believes seventy percent of your kid's school day is completely invisible to you as a parent.

We also get into AI, the real cost of using it, and what he says most people get completely wrong about it.

If you've ever wondered what education looks like when you strip away every assumption — this one will stay with you.

Resources from Cheryl: 🎓

New to homeschooling? Grab the free 30-Day Quick Start Guide

📚 Knowing exactly what to teach is the hard part, so I broke it down for you in plain English! Grab this today — What Do I Actually Teach? ($17)

💻 Want to Homeschool but still have to work? Check out my course on how to do just that: How to Work and Homeschool course

Support the show

Instagram: TheHomeschoolHowToPodcast
Facebook: The Homeschool How To Podcast

#173: When the Right School Didn't Exist, They Built It. Here's How. Jun 06, 2026

Show notes

What happens when two parents with a 70-acre property, a wedding venue, and a 2% chance of having children decide the local school system just isn't good enough for their girls? They build something better from scratch.

In this episode, Cheryl sits down with Sarah and Greg Holland of Jericho Valley Co-op in Berkshire County, Massachusetts — a homeschool support organization they built on their own property, with a licensed teacher who walked away from 25 years in the public school system because she believed in what they were building.

Sarah and Greg share how they went from never considering homeschooling to launching a thriving co-op that doubled enrollment in less than a year and now has a waitlist. They talk about hiring a teacher, navigating the legal landscape of running a homeschool co-op, mixed-age learning, getting kids outside every day, and why they believe every community has the resources to do something similar if they just look around.

If you've ever thought about starting something like this in your own community — or you're just looking for proof that there's a better way — this episode is for you.

Topics covered:

Why two self-described "school lovers" chose to leave the system behind
How they built a co-op using their existing property and business
Finding and hiring a teacher who left a 25-year public school career
Mixed-age classrooms and individualized learning plans
Navigating homeschool co-op laws in Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York
How running a business from home changes what your kids learn
Why their shy, isolated daughters transformed after just one year
How to start your own co-op even without a big property or budget

Resources mentioned:

Jericho Valley Co-op website: jerichovalley.org
Jericho Valley Co-op Instagram: @jericho.valley

Get Your Tickets: FARM FOOD FREEDOM Event: https://maxkane.com/events

Resources from Cheryl: 🎓

New to homeschooling? Grab the free 30-Day Quick Start Guide

📚 Knowing exactly what to teach is the hard part, so I broke it down for you in plain English! Grab this today — What Do I Actually Teach? ($17)

💻 Want to Homeschool but still have to work? Check out my course on how to do just that: How to Work and Homeschool course

Support the show

Instagram: TheHomeschoolHowToPodcast
Facebook: The Homeschool How To Podcast

#172: They Didn't Want Smart Kids — The Truth About How Public School Was Designed | Nicki Truesdell May 30, 2026

Show notes

What if the problems in public school weren't accidents? What if low literacy rates, changing math standards, social emotional learning, and ideological curriculum were all part of a plan that started over a hundred years ago?

This week Cheryl sits down with Nicki Truesdell — a second generation homeschooler who has been in the homeschool world since 1983 and has been homeschooling her own five kids since the year 2000. Nicki is the author of Anyone Can Homeschool and Home Sweet Homeschool, and runs Knowledge Keeper's Bookstore where she reprints rare out-of-print American history books to get the real story back into people's hands.

In this episode they break down three books every parent needs to read:

The Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto
Crimes of the Educators by Alex Newman and Sam Blumenfeld
The Marxification of Education by James Lindsay

You'll learn how the American education system was deliberately redesigned in the early 1900s by the Rockefellers, Carnegie, and the Education Trust to produce workers instead of thinkers — and how that agenda is still playing out in classrooms today through critical pedagogy, SEL, Common Core, and lowered test standards.

Nicki also shares how she homeschooled as a single mom, why she believes homeschooling is the capitalist form of education, and how homeschool parents are learning the real version of American history right alongside their kids.

If you've ever wondered whether pulling your kids out of school was the right call — this episode will remove any doubt.

Connect with Nicki -- ⁠

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nickitruesdell1

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nicki-truesdell-podcast/id1798330030

Homeschool 101⁠ https://nickitruesdell.com/homeschool-101/ ⁠

Homeschool Consultations⁠ https://nickitruesdell.com/homeschool-consulting/ ⁠

Get her books:

⁠Anyone Can Homeschool⁠ on Amazon, Kindle, and Audible! https://amzn.to/4fnSWs8

Home Sweet Homeschool on Amazon and Kindle https://amzn.to/4qY4zMb

Knowledge Keepers Bookstore: https://knowledgekeepersbookstore.com/

FARM FOOD FREEDOM Event: https://maxkane.com/events

Resources from Cheryl: 🎓

New to homeschooling? Grab the free 30-Day Quick Start Guide

📚 Knowing exactly what to teach is the hard part, so I broke it down for you in plain English! Grab this today — What Do I Actually Teach? ($17)

💻 Want to Homeschool but still have to work? Check out my course on how to do just that: How to Work and Homeschool course

Support the show

Instagram: TheHomeschoolHowToPodcast
Facebook: The Homeschool How To Podcast

#171: Homeschool Mom of 5 Gets Real About the Chaos — Multiple Ages, One Income, and Starting a Business May 23, 2026

Show notes

What does it actually look like to homeschool five kids across wildly different ages — while running a business, managing a rambunctious toddler, and doing it all on one income?
This week I'm joined by Amanda, a homeschool mom of five from St. Augustine, Florida. Amanda started homeschooling when her family left Germany in 2020 — one week before the world shut down. What felt like a leap of faith turned out to be the best thing she ever did.
We talk about:
→ Why Amanda and her husband felt called to homeschool even before COVID
→ What it's really like managing school with multiple ages under one roof (spoiler: it's not always pretty)
→ How Florida's PEP Scholarship is a total game-changer for families homeschooling on one income
→ The year-round model that actually relieved her stress
→ How she built Giplings — her small business inspired entirely by her homeschool journey
→ The car conversations, the lizard hunts, and the little moments that are the real education
Whether you're just starting out or years in, Amanda's honesty about the chaos — and why she wouldn't trade it — will leave you feeling seen.
Find Amanda + Giplings:

Website: https://giplings.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giplings/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/giplings

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@giplings

Wholesale: giplings.faire.com

Resources from Cheryl: 🎓

New to homeschooling? Grab the free 30-Day Quick Start Guide

📚 Figure out exactly what to teach and how — What Do I Actually Teach? ($17)

💻 Homeschooling AND working? Check out the How to Work and Homeschool course

Support the show

Instagram: TheHomeschoolHowToPodcast
Facebook: The Homeschool How To Podcast

#170: They Shut Down Her Classroom Because Kids Were Getting Too Much Help May 16, 2026

Show notes

Elyse Scheeler spent years inside the public school system as a speech language pathologist. She had a classroom full of kids making real, measurable progress. The district shut it down — not because anything was wrong, but because her program made their compliance numbers look bad.
That's when she knew she had to leave.
In this episode Elyse pulls back the curtain on what school staff see every single day but aren't allowed to say out loud. She couldn't tell parents what she suspected. She couldn't refer kids to outside specialists. The system had a rule for that too.
We also get into the airway health connection to ADHD and behavior that nobody in a school can mention, how COVID masking quietly set back an entire generation of language development, and how Elyse now helps families with kids who have additional needs homeschool successfully — without doing it alone.
In this episode:
— Why your child's school limits services even when kids need more
— The data vs. children problem hiding inside every IEP meeting
— Airway health, sleep, and the hidden root causes of ADHD and behavior issues
— How COVID masking impacted language development
— Using AI to build a custom curriculum for any learning style
— How to homeschool a child with additional needs
Links:
→ Free 30-Day Homeschool Quick Start Guide

→ What Do I Actually Teach? ($17): thehomeschoolhowto.com/what-do-i-actually-teach

CONNECT WITH ELYSE

🌐 Website: speakinglife.co

🎙️ Podcast: Speaking Life Into Motherhood

📱 Instagram: @Speaking_life_into_motherhood

👥 Group Coaching Program: speakinglife.co/homeschoolplan

👉 Wisconsin Homeschool Expo: speakinglife.co/homeschool

📧 Email: hello@speakinglife.co

🎁 Free Resource: speakinglife.co/advocacy

Support the show

Instagram: TheHomeschoolHowToPodcast
Facebook: The Homeschool How To Podcast