Show Notes

Welcome back to The State of Education, presented by One-Room Education.  This is a very special 3 episode series for me as I had the chance to sit down and interview one of my heroes, my mom, Debbi.

Join me today as we conclude our conversation with Debbi about what it was like to homeschool in the 1990s, her experience mainstreaming homeschooled kids in the 2000s, and how she views the issues within education today.

Some of the topics covered in today’s episode are:

• Parenting today
• Organic learning
• Mainstreaming your kids
  • From the kid’s perspective and the parent’s perspective
• How a former homeschool Mama turned Grandma feels about the modern education system

I start today’s episode off by doing something I don’t normally do. I spend the first part of this episode recounting my childhood and how it has helped mold my parenting style for my son and the unique differences I am able to see already between him and his age-grouped peers.

Mainstreaming to High School

In this section, Mom talks about what it was like to set my brother up for mainstreaming and how she dealt with the pushback from the administration on different aspects of how things went and were done with him.

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… and the guidance counselor said, “Of course she is. It’s 7 o’clock in the morning.”

Debbi, The State of Education podcast 6/21/2022

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Debbi recounts a few examples of issues she had with scheduling and the guidance counselor and how she dealt with those issues.

Advocating for Your Students in Public School

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You don’t have to homeschool to be a good parent. That does not fit in everybody’s lifestyle.

Debbi, The State of Education podcast 6/21/2022

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In regards to education during the pandemic lockdowns, and post lockdowns, Debbi said this;

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I think that there were many parents who were absolutely shocked at what was going on with their children every day.

Debbi, The State of Education podcast 6/21/2022

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Debbi talks about different ways that you, as the parent, can talk with the teachers to resolve issues you may have, either with something going on in the class or with the general curriculum.

We shortly discuss the different ways to respectfully talk with teachers and the fact that teachers don’t have an easy job and don’t get enough credit for what they do for our children. We talk about the fact that teachers don’t know what we, as parents, want for our kids if we don’t talk to them, and ways that you can respectfully talk with your child’s teachers to find out what is going on in your student’s classrooms.

For more info on this topic, check out episode 10 of The State of Education podcast.

Words of Wisdom for Parents Who Just aren’t Sure Anymore About School

In regards to things that are going on in schools today and the worries that parents have been voicing, Debbi had this to say,

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I don’t think that homeschooling should be a knee-jerk reaction. … it’s a commitment.

Debbi, The State of Education podcast 6/21/2022

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Think it all through so your kids don’t get caught in the middle of you being afraid.

Debbi, The State of Education podcast 6/21/2022

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I got nothing for you except prayers. Think it through and God bless ya.

Debbi, The State of Education podcast 6/21/2022

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Homeschooling in Less than Ideal Situations

Debbi talks about how she and my Dad were able to homeschool my brother and me through some less than idea situations over the years. We touch on topic from job loss to continuing education, to working full-time and how they were able to do it all.

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If you wait for the perfect time to do anything, you won’t.

Debbi, The State of Education podcast 6/21/2022

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2 Kids, 2 Different Approaches to Education

Mom and I discuss some of the differences between my brother and I, and the paths we are taking to educate our own children after being homeschooled in the same home.

Debbi gives some examples of how my brother is thriving as a public school parent and working to ensure that his kids are raised in a manner that he is happy with, even when his kids are in the care of the school. She gives an example of how he has asserted himself as the parent of his children and how he expects the school to treat his kids.

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So there was no doubt in anybody’s mind who the advocate was for those children.

Debbi, The State of Education podcast 6/21/2022

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Different Ways to Set Up Your Homeschool

I explain two of the different subcategories of homeschooling that there are today to my Mom.

• Co-op Learning
• Pod Learning

Resources

• https://www.phaa.org/lawguide.pdf
  • GUIDE TO PA HOMESCHOOL LAW by HOWARD AND SUSAN RICHMAN

• https://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Home%20Education%20and%20Private%20Tutoring/Pages/default.aspx
  • Pennsylvania Department of Education Home Education and Private Tutoring

• https://pahomeschoollaw.com/?s=legislation
  • How to navigate PA Homeschooling Law today