
I’ve considered myself a homeschooling mom ever since my oldest was born (so 16 years now)! Every day of my 6 kids’ lives is part of their homeschool journey. And it’s been quite an exciting and sometimes challenging journey. Which is why I’m so excited to be talking with Andrew Pudewa today.
I was recently on Andrew’s podcast but today we’re talking all about homeschooling: why any family can do it and why you might want to consider it. Andrew is the founder and director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing. And he speaks around the world on topics related to teaching, writing, thinking, spelling, practical experience, and more.
Today’s conversation centers around common homeschooling myths and how you can get started. Things like homeschoolers aren’t socialized or it takes too much time. We also touch on how college isn’t what it used to be and why almost any high school student can finish some (or all) of their undergrad college classes during high school.
We discuss what kids really need to know in life, and what employers are actually looking for (hint: it’s not math skills!). I’m really excited to share this episode with you and I hope you’ll join Andrew and me and listen in!
Episode Highlights With Andrew
- Why the pandemic led to an increase in homeschooling but why this is still happening even with schools open now
- Homeschooling vs other alternative education options
- Do homeschooled kids actually not get enough opportunities for socialization?
- Why homeschooling can take much less time than regular school and still accomplish just as much
- Why boredom can be a good thing and the downside of how much we’ve eliminated it
- How to teach as a homeschool parent even if there are topics you don’t know yourself
- The way high school kids can take college enrollment courses virtually and get credit
- How to get started homeschooling if you’ve never tried it before, including how to know your state’s requirements
- What bedtime story culture is and why he feels it is so important
- Can homeschool students still go to college? Yes, but is that the best option?
- Why he shares my opinion that entrepreneurship is a great way to teach life skills
- Reading out loud to children is the number one predictor of writing skills in adults and the number one predictor of adults who like to read
- Shockingly, over 2/3 of high school age students have not read one book in the previous year
- Parting advice: the least important part about growing up is academics. Why? When you look at great people, many of them didn’t even do great in school but they made huge contributions to the world because of their character
Resources We Mention
- IEW – Institute for Excellence in Writing
- Christian Halls Association – CHI
- Home School Legal Defense Association
- Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker
- Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself by William W Li MD
- The Divine Comedy (The Inferno, The Purgatorio, and The Paradiso) by Dante Alighieri
More From Wellness Mama
- 516: Matt Beaudreau on Why Your Kids Should Quit School + a Better Model of Education
- 361: Homeschooling and Raising Entrepreneurs With Nathan Barry
- 401: Rethinking Education to Set Our Kids Up for Success With Jesse Elder
- 364: Mindset Strategies to Survive and Thrive as a Homeschooling, Working Parent With Carrie Husse
- How to Create a Homeschool Schedule That Works
- 6 Favorite Practical Homeschool Resources (My Kids Love)
- How to Set up a Homeschool Classroom
When will Katie be coming out with her homeschool curriculum that she mentions so often on her podcasts? I’m hoping it’ll be before I’m done homeschooling my 8 year old twins.