The Homeschool How To

Cheryl - Host
  • 4.8 (100)
  • Education
  • Updated Weekly

I don't claim to know anything about homeschooling, so I set out on a journey to ask the people who do! Join me as I chat with homeschoolers to discuss; "why are people homeschooling," "what are all the ways people are using to homeschool today," and ultimately, "should I homeschool my kids?"

  1. #177: The Truth About Leaving a Successful Career to Homeschool

    1d ago

    #177: The Truth About Leaving a Successful Career to Homeschool

    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

    47 min
  2. #176: What If Your "Imperfect" Homeschool Is Actually Enough? | Jennifer Pepito

    Jun 27

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

    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

    51 min
  3. #175: Former Teachers Reveal: Your Kid Only Gets 7 Minutes of 1-on-1 Time in School

    Jun 20

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

    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

    47 min
  4. #174: The World Schooling Dad Who Says American Education Is Getting It Wrong

    Jun 13

    #174: The World Schooling Dad Who Says American Education Is Getting It Wrong

    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

    46 min
  5. #173: When the Right School Didn't Exist, They Built It. Here's How.

    Jun 6

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

    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 behindHow they built a co-op using their existing property and businessFinding and hiring a teacher who left a 25-year public school careerMixed-age classrooms and individualized learning plansNavigating homeschool co-op laws in Massachusetts, Vermont, and New YorkHow running a business from home changes what your kids learnWhy their shy, isolated daughters transformed after just one yearHow to start your own co-op even without a big property or budgetResources mentioned: Jericho Valley Co-op website: jerichovalley.orgJericho Valley Co-op Instagram: @jericho.valleyGet 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

    39 min
  6. #172: They Didn't Want Smart Kids — The Truth About How Public School Was Designed | Nicki Truesdell

    May 30

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

    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 GattoCrimes of the Educators by Alex Newman and Sam BlumenfeldThe Marxification of Education by James LindsayYou'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

    56 min
  7. #171: Homeschool Mom of 5 Gets Real About the Chaos — Multiple Ages, One Income, and Starting a Business

    May 23

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

    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

    49 min
  8. #170: They Shut Down Her Classroom Because Kids Were Getting Too Much Help

    May 16

    #170: They Shut Down Her Classroom Because Kids Were Getting Too Much Help

    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

    44 min
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4.8
out of 5
100 Ratings

About

I don't claim to know anything about homeschooling, so I set out on a journey to ask the people who do! Join me as I chat with homeschoolers to discuss; "why are people homeschooling," "what are all the ways people are using to homeschool today," and ultimately, "should I homeschool my kids?"

Information

  • Creator
    Cheryl - Host
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    186
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Homeschool How To
  • Show Website
    The Homeschool How To

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