Happy Monday Ex-homies…

Something I’ve been mulling over a lot recently is the purpose of the Ex-Homeschoolers Club. And I think its purpose is two-fold.

One, provide a support group for those of us who lived the homeschool experience. No one understands it the way we do and even though our experiences are vastly different, there is a shared commonality that’s hard to put into words.

And two, share our stories so that the next generation of homeschool families can learn from the good, bad, and ugly that we went through.

Did you know…

It is estimated that over 9 million Americans had experienced being homeschooled as of February of 2020.

On last weeks episode…

I sat down with my longtime friend Stephanie to unpack her full-circle journey through homeschooling, early marriage, and parenting. From growing up in a large, unstructured homeschool family to unexpectedly finding herself enrolling in public education and eventually homeschooling her own kids, Stephanie’s story captures the beauty and struggle of learning to let go.

In this episode, we covered:

• What happens when homeschooling becomes more chaos than classroom

• The pressure of teaching your kids subjects you never learned yourself

• Letting go of the “public school is evil” mindset and embracing change

• How rediscovering curiosity as an adult reshaped Stephanie’s perspective

• Why structure, community, and self-awareness matter more than perfection

Stephanie’s honesty about the realities of homeschooling—and the courage it took to pivot—is a powerful reminder that education isn’t one-size-fits-all.

What I’m reading…

Many of you know that I’m a 2 books at a time kinda guy. So that being said, I’m currently working my way through The Body Keeps The Score and The Man Who Died Seven Times. 

If you’re unfamiliar with The Body Keeps The Score, it’s basically a book around healing traumas in your life. In the last few years, I’ve started to recognize some of the religious traumas in my life and the ways they rear their ugly head in my day-to-day. So I’ve been on a mission to learn to listen to my body and recognize when and why things trigger me. Even if you don’t have traumas of your own (which you do), this book is also helping me recognize the traumas of others and learn to be patient and understanding with my reactions.

The Man Who Died Seven Times is my fun fiction read for October. The plot centers on a grandson stuck in a 9 day time-loop where he has to solve the murder of his grandfather. But can he actually change the outcome or is grandfathers death fate?

If you want to keep up with my current reads, follow me over on Fable. I track all my reads and even leave some book reviews from time to time.

Something cool I found…

I recently found the Coalition for Responsible Home Education and I love the work that they are doing by educating the public and advocating for child-centered, evidence-based policy and practices for families and professionals.

Please check them out and see how us ex-homeschoolers can support them in their mission to set standards in homeschool and eliminate the negative experiences.

Until next time…

Peace & Love my friends

Jacob G