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The Sociable Homeschooler — Kids & Family
The Sociable Homeschooler

Have you ever wondered how people just like you manage to homeschool their children and apparently love every moment of it? Are you ready to give up the formative years of your children’s lives to a stranger? Do you think homeschoolers are weird? Does the word, homeschool, bring to mind Birkenstocks, jumpers, and hairy legs? Honestly half my family fit the hairy leg stereotype…so who cares? I’m here to help you let go of any pre-conceived notions you may have about home educators. Forget all the excuses ever made under the sun for not homeschooling and listen to my show which is a generous mix of my life as the oxymoron, Sociable Homeschooler, international guests from all walks of life and light hearted views and comments about education and basements. I will also bend your ear with excerpts from my soon to be published book, also entitled, The Sociable Homeschooler, which chronicles many good causes for why my blue eyed cowboy and I chose to go off the deep end hand in hand with God and have everyone talking about us behind our backs and in the end winning them over. Come and be won over on Toginet Radio Live on Fridays, if only to get a weekly taste of Britain.

Latest Episodes:

World School: Eli Gerzon Oct 21, 2011

Show notes

Eli Gerzon returns as my guest this week having been one of the first visitors to my show back in 2010. He is a self motivated young man who left school at fifteen when he discovered an alternative way to educate himself. He is in good company with Richard Branson, Michael Dell and the late Steve Jobs all of whom left school or college to pursue their own dreams. He took courses in anthropology and linguistics from Harvard before allowing his love for travel to blossom into his own business called World School Travel Tours. He takes homeschooling teenagers on journeys to Europe and Japan where they can learn so much more without having to crack a text book. We are going to talk about the safety of the soul, the meaning of education and how we can achieve it outside the institution. So tune in and be treated to an hour of philosophical thinking, this Friday with Eli Gerzon.

The Mama Bus: Jennifer Miller Oct 14, 2011

Show notes

Are you on the Mama Bus? Do you want to be? Are you giving your children an uncommon childhood? Do you know what a third culture child is? Are you part of the Edventure Project? If any of your answers to these questions are, “you what?” then you’ll want to hear the conversation with my guest this week where I will be dipping my toes into the Atlantic and waggling my fingers in the Pacific with Jennifer Miller, bus driver extraordinaire. Jennifer is passing on her legacy of an uncommon childhood to her four children and everyone else in the world eager to jump on her Mamabus. Jennifer and her husband, have spent the last four years in uninterrupted travel choosing to invest most of their time and money in memories that keep, instead of cars, clothes, knick knacks and noisy toys that rust or gather dust. Jennifer and her lifestyle will razzle and dazzle you and you’ll want to join her adventure, I promise! She and a bus load of eleven children, ranging in age from 2-15 are on the road as we speak homeschooling their way across America without television, video games, internet or fast food! Come and catch them while you can, this Friday, bring your tea and a home made goody and let’s travel.

Reconciling God with Science: Shannah Godfrey Oct 07, 2011

Show notes

I am delighted to welcome Shannah Godfrey back to my show this week. The last time we spoke we heard what she had to say about reading, articulation, and teaching myths before we quickly ran out of time. Today we are going to be talking about good parenting practices, mistakes we make when teaching reading, self esteem and whether it is reasonable to expect your child to have left home by the time he or she turns thirty. Shannah was a gifted child herself and she will tell us why she could wait to go to college. She is a strong advocate for direct instruction but does not believe in pushing a child until he or she is ready. Join me and this fascinating educator, who invented the Godfrey Method, a phonics reading programme that has proven children don’t have to be rocket scientists in order to master reading. We will talk about her life and how she succeeds in a man’s world and homeschools her 14 children! You may need something stronger than tea to get you through this, add a biscuit or two and breathe deeply before tuning in this Friday.

School is Where the Home Is: Anita Mellott Sep 30, 2011

Show notes

My guest this week is the author of a new book, School is Where the Home Is: 180 Devotions for Parents. Her collection of anecdotal devotionals offers practical helps and biblical truths for fellow home schooling parents. Anita Mellott was born in India and grew up devouring books and mangoes. Prior to moving to the United States, she headed the Department of Journalism at Mt. Carmel College, Bangalore, India. For thirteen years, she worked as a writer/editor with Habitat for Humanity International. Anita is currently in her eighth year as a home educator and has first-hand experience with the ups and downs, the joys and challenges of the homeschooling life. Join us this Friday for a sampling of Anita’s unique brand of encouragement and spiritual enrichment

The Ultimate Author: Debra Bell Sep 23, 2011

Show notes

Debra Bell used to be a public school teacher until she discovered John Holt! She went on to homechool her four children for eighteen years and they all grew up, went to college and got jobs! This week she is taking time out from her busy schedule to join me and talk about teen homeschoolers and the digital age. Debra speaks at the Apologia Live Retreats where she encourages homeschooling Mums. Since retiring from teaching at home she has been working towards her PhD in educational psychology. She is the author of those ultimate books, The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling, The Ultimate Guide to Homechooling Teens and most recently, The Ultimate Planning System from Apologia. She is involved in her local homeschool community and loves to share her expertise at conferences and seminars. Come and bask in Debra’s warmth and candor as she chats to me this Friday about college at home, equivalency tests and distance learning.

If Not College, Then What?: Mike Donnelly Sep 09, 2011

Show notes

This week I am extending a warm welcome back to a regular guest on my show, Mike Donnelly, from the Home School Legal Defense Association, where he serves as staff attorney and director of International relations. Mike and his hard working colleagues at HSLDA defend both the American and International right to choose how to educate our children. Mike and his wife home school their seven children and he is a frequent speaker and writer on many home school related topics some of which he has shared with us over the years on my show. Today we are going to talk about apprenticeships and vocational paths our homeschoolers may choose to follow instead of college, and tied into that we will discuss the military as a career option. Bring your favourite cuppa this Friday and listen in as Mike encourages us, as always, to be the parents God created us to be and the steps we can take to ensure the blessings and freedoms we have to homeschool now are secured for posterity.

Web Mama: Tina Smith Sep 02, 2011

Show notes

This week my guest is a multi-tasking, ideas Mum who lets her creative juices flow and overflow onto her children and other people’s children through her work with various local non profits as well as her websites. Tina Smith lives in Fresno, California, where she is president of The Learning Village Homeschool Resource Centre and a board member of the Discovery Centre, where she spent many years happily working before becoming a Mum. She is the creator of Mommy Chats a live chat room site for moms to connect with moms and she maintains Central Valley’s best online parenting resource, Fresnofamily.com. Amazingly she is also the author of a book, “How to Create a High Quality ‘Mommy and Me’ Program,” based on the work she did out of her home for several years when her children were really young. You’d better have your coffee with you when you join us this Friday, Tina is a whirlwind of a woman so hold on tight!

Around the World in Easy Ways: Lisa Shusterman Aug 26, 2011

Show notes

I am going to be talking with world traveler, Lisa Shusterman, this week as she returns to the airwaves to continue a conversation we started at the beginning of July. This time we will talk about how after her return she found she had a different perspective on life. She will tell us how she packed for a year when most of us struggle with taking too much for a week. Lisa homeschooled her twin girls while on this adventure and with the help of her husband, achieved something that changed all of their lives forever. Join us this Friday to learn how she and her family handled being home again after a non traditional year on the road. Bring a cup of tea and put your life on hold for an hour with Lisa and me.

Reel Live Homeschoolers: Ian McNeny & Shelby Cook Aug 19, 2011

Show notes

My guests this week are Ian McNeny and Shelby Cook, lifelong friends, creative minds and both products of homeschooling throughout most of their lives. They are going to talk to us about life as homeschoolers, the opportunities they were able to take advantage of because they weren’t chained to a school desk and the flexibility it afforded them once they were released from the basement. They both describe themselves as “all round creative guy[s]…” and they are. One pursuing film and post production work, the other a singer/songwriter with a talent for graphic design, they have both soldiered ahead in their respective fields and are well on the way to be successful in the industries their talents lend themselves to. They have also made several films including a Jedi Dispute Series in which they taught themselves the fine art of roto-scoping over 200,000 lightsaber effects, a James Bond film called Queen of the Canal, filmed on location in both America and England, and many film shorts that have been posted on YouTube. Growing up they met and spent countless hours volunteering and performing for a combined 40+ plays and musicals with the local theatres. One of them is my son, and the other has been around longer than Ian had been alive prior to meeting. Don’t miss this opportunity to listen to the accounts of two reel live homeschoolers’ full and never boring life, this Friday. Plenty of laughs over a cup of tea!

Graduated? Now What?: Gretchen Roe Aug 12, 2011

Show notes

Gretchen Roe, community liaison for Calvert School is returning as my guest this week. We are going to be talking about her ability to balance the roles of wife, mother and teacher while still having a career. For example, in addition to talking at numerous conferences this summer about the popular topic of Homeschooling versus School at Home, Gretchen has been up to her eyes in preparations for her eldest son’s wedding! You will discover how she makes her life work and be encouraged that not every moment is a Kodak moment! Gretchen’s advice about which direction to take once school is out will help you to steer your charges along a Godly path and discover ways to use their gifts and talents wisely. You won’t want to miss this amazing woman who is the mother of six children ranging in age from 5 to early 20’s. Come and have a cup of tea with us, and a slice of refrigerator chocolate cake, this Friday and listen in to our little natter about preparing for the future.

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