Secular Homeschool Revolution

Ashley

Welcome to the "Secular Homeschool Revolution" podcast, where we go on an exciting journey into the world of homeschooling from a progressive and secular mom's perspective. Join us as we explore the ins and outs of the homeschooling arena with over six years of hands-on experience and the delightful chaos of raising three wonderful kids.

  1. What Does “Educated” Actually Mean in 2026?

    2d ago

    What Does “Educated” Actually Mean in 2026?

    What does it really mean to be educated in 2026? In this episode of Secular Homeschool Revolution, Ashley explores why education has to mean more than grades, test scores, memorization, and compliance. For progressive secular homeschoolers, being educated is not just about being “good at school.” It is about raising kids who can think critically, ask better questions, understand history honestly, navigate technology and AI ethically, build community, know themselves, and care about the world around them. Ashley breaks down why modern homeschooling allows families to move beyond traditional school measures and create an education rooted in curiosity, justice, cultural literacy, digital literacy, emotional intelligence, and real-world learning. This episode is for secular homeschool parents who are reimagining education beyond worksheets, standardized testing, and fear-based ideas of success. Like, follow, subscribe, and share this episode with another homeschool parent who is ready to define education beyond grades, tests, and compliance.

    36 min
  2. Black, Brown & Queer: Why Intersectionality Matters During Pride

    Jun 3

    Black, Brown & Queer: Why Intersectionality Matters During Pride

    In this Pride Month special, host Ashley digs into the connection between queer liberation, racial justice, disability justice, immigration justice, and gender justice. Because the first Pride was a riot. And the people who started it deserve to be named. WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE: ♿ The connection between disability justice and queer liberation 🌍 Queer and trans immigrant experiences and why immigration justice and LGBTQ+ rights are the same fight for millions of people   BOOKS MENTIONED & RECOMMENDED: Picture Books (Ages 3–8) Intersection Allies: We Make Room for All by Chelsea Johnson, LaToya Council & Carolyn Choi — a picture book explicitly about intersectionality When We Love Someone We Sing to Them by Ernesto Ortíz — a bilingual picture book about a Mexican family with a gay son I Am Marsha P. Johnson by Alex Gino — picture book biography of a queer liberation icon Neither by Airlie Anderson — about not fitting into either/or categories Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders — accessible queer history for young children Middle Grade (Ages 8–12) George (now Melissa) by Alex Gino — a trans girl of color navigating identity and belonging Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender — a queer Black Caribbean protagonist Pet by Akwaeke Emezi — speculative fiction with a nonbinary Black protagonist The Pants Project by Cat Clarke — a trans boy, a school dress code, and a fight worth having Young Adult (Ages 13+) All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson — a Black queer coming-of-age memoir. Essential reading. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas — a queer Latinx ghost story with gorgeous representation Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender — a trans Black teen navigating identity and love The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed — race, class, and identity through a queer Black teen's eyes History & Nonfiction for Kids and Teens Queer, There, and Everywhere by Sarah Prager — 23 LGBTQ+ people who changed the world, including BIPOC figures across history Brave. Black. First. by Cheryl Hudson — 50 African American firsts, including queer trailblazers Gay & Lesbian History for Kids by Jerome Pohlen — comprehensive and accessible For Parents & Educators Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde — essays and speeches from one of the most important queer Black feminist voices in history Borderlands/La Frontera by Gloria Anzaldúa — foundational text on identity, queerness, and the borderlands experience The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor — radical self-love at the intersection of body, race, gender, and disability All About Love by bell hooks — on building a culture of love rooted in justice So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo — direct, accessible, essential CURRICULUM & ORGANIZATIONS MENTIONED: GLSEN — K–12 inclusive education resources and lesson plans Learning for Justice — free lesson plans on identity, intersectionality, and justice Black Lives Matter at School — curriculum centering Black queer and trans lives Zinn Education Project — people's history curriculum with LGBTQ+ and racial justice intersections Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement — Latinx-centered queer advocacy and education Sylvia Rivera Law Project — trans rights resources with explicit racial justice framing Disability Justice Culture Club — Mia Mingus and others on disability justice DOCUMENTARIES MENTIONED: The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (Netflix, 2017) Paris Is Burning (1990) — Black and Latinx ballroom culture (parents preview first) Disclosure (Netflix, 2020) — Laverne Cox on trans representation in media Whose Streets? (2017) — Ferguson uprising centering Black queer voices IF THIS EPISODE MOVED YOU, SHARE IT WITH: ✔ Secular homeschool parents looking for intersectional LGBTQ+ curriculum ✔ Progressive homeschool co-ops and learning pods ✔ Parents of LGBTQ+ kids building affirming home education ✔ Educators looking for queer and racial justice resources for kids ✔ Anyone done with the sanitized version of Pride TAGS & KEYWORDS: secular homeschool, progressive homeschool, LGBTQ homeschool curriculum, intersectionality for kids, Pride Month education, queer liberation racial justice, Black queer history, trans liberation homeschool, Marsha P Johnson kids, teaching intersectionality, homeschool Pride Month, secular homeschool podcast, queer affirming homeschool, BIPOC LGBTQ books for kids, disability justice homeschool, immigration justice LGBTQ, gender justice homeschool, unschooling LGBTQ, homeschool for the culture, Ashley secular homeschool revolution   Support SHR- https://buymeacoffee.com/secularhschoolrevolution

    36 min
  3. 5 Controversial Hot Takes Every Homeschool Family Needs to Hear

    May 28

    5 Controversial Hot Takes Every Homeschool Family Needs to Hear

    As a homeschool parent and community leader, I'm bringing five hot takes that range from unschooling, all-in-one curriculum programs, indoctrination in secular spaces, who homeschooling is actually for, and the dark side of our community that we need to stop avoiding.  Let'ts get into the convo!   In This Episode Why unschooling without intention and accountability crosses a line What all-in-one programs like Time4Learning and Mia Academy are quietly doing to your child's critical thinking skills Why secular homeschool families are not exempt from indoctrinating their kids  and what liberatory education actually looks like Why homeschooling is not for everyone and why that is completely okay The dark side of homeschooling and where we are deciding to stand.    Connect With Us 🌐 Website: www.secularhomeschoolrevolution.com 📸 Instagram: @SecularhomeschoolRevolution 🎵 TikTok: @SecularhomeschoolRevolution Support the Show If this episode made you think, made you uncomfortable, or made you feel seen  consider buying me a coffee. This show is a labor of love and every contribution keeps the mic on and the honest conversations coming. ☕ buymeacoffee.com/secularhschoolrevolution   Enjoyed This Episode? Please follow or subscribe wherever you are listening  it is the single most powerful way to help this show reach more BIPOC homeschool families who need these conversations. And if this episode resonated, share it. Drop it in your homeschool group chat. Send it to the family who needs to hear take number three. Our voices belong in this space and the only way we get louder is together.

    27 min
  4. Homeschooling, Parenthood and Inner child

    Feb 25

    Homeschooling, Parenthood and Inner child

    Homeschooling has impacted me in ways I expected flexibility, freedom, and the ability to build an education around my kids’ interests and our values, but this episode is about the part I didn’t expect. In this episode of Secular Homeschool Revolution, I’m sharing a personal reflection on how homeschooling has become an unexpected journey of inner child healing. What started as an educational choice has also become a deeply emotional process of witnessing my kids receive support, patience, and room to grow in ways that can feel healing to witness as a mom. I talk about the moment that cracked this open for me: watching Cari’s week eight of horseback riding lessons after she set a goal for herself was incredible!  Watching her move through fear with support reminded me how powerful consistency, patience, and staying present can be.

    22 min
  5. Mastery-Based learning in Homeschooling: Why Grades Don't Equal Understanding

    Feb 17

    Mastery-Based learning in Homeschooling: Why Grades Don't Equal Understanding

    What is mastery-based learning  and why does it matter for homeschoolers? After referencing it in last week’s episode, Ashley realized not everyone may be familiar with what mastery-based learning actually means. In this episode of Secular Homeschool Revolution, she breaks it down in a clear, practical, and supportive way. Mastery-based learning shifts the focus from finishing the curriculum and chasing grades to building true understanding. Instead of asking, “Did we complete it?” this model asks, “Do you understand it?” What mastery-based learning is (in simple terms) Why grades don’t always equal comprehension How mastery looks in real-life homeschool moments The difference between memorization and deep learning How to maintain accountability without recreating school at home Why slowing down can actually increase rigor If you’ve ever worried your child is “behind,” this episode will reframe that narrative and remind you that depth over speed is a radical, intentional choice. Mastery isn’t about perfection. It’s about confidence rooted in real understanding.   Resources & Links ☕ Support the podcast: buymeacoffee.com/secularhschoolrevolution 📲 Connect with Ashley on social media: Follow Secular Homeschool Revolution on Instagram & Facebook 🎧 Subscribe, rate, and review to help more secular homeschool families find this spac

    25 min
  6. Presidents' Day, But Make It Decolonized

    Feb 15

    Presidents' Day, But Make It Decolonized

    Presidents’ Day gets packaged as “celebrate great leaders,” but the way it’s commonly taught is basically nation-branding: hero worship, sanitized harm, and “respect power don’t question it.” In this mini episode, we flip the script with a decolonized, equity lens asking who benefited, who was harmed, and who resisted. We also shout out the students walking out and organizing right now because that is civic education in real time. And yes, my kids are heading to a student-led “ICE Out” protest and I’m proud as hell. In This Episode Why Presidents’ Day is often propaganda (and how it shows up in “cute” school activities) Myth-making vs critical history: admire power vs analyze power How to do a quick Power Audit of any president (who benefited / who paid) Why student walkouts are democracy with teeth (and why the “they don’t even know” crowd is projecting) A simple way to teach civics that includes outcomes, not just names and dates.  Quote to Carry With You “Presidents’ Day isn’t neutral. It teaches kids to respect power not question it. We’re not doing that over here.” Call to Action If your kids are questioning, organizing, walking out, speaking up celebrate that. That’s the point. That’s the future acting like the future.   Support This Work If this blog or the Secular Homeschool Revolution podcast supports your family: ☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://buymeacoffee.com/secularhschoolrevolution

    11 min
  7. Are Grades Necessary?

    Feb 13

    Are Grades Necessary?

    Do homeschoolers need grades? Can you homeschool without grades and still prepare for college? In this episode of Secular Homeschool Revolution, we unpack whether grades are truly necessary or just part of a conditioning system built around ranking and compliance. We cover: How traditional grading systems shape behavior Why mastery-based learning works in homeschool settings What assessment without grades looks like How to create narrative transcripts for college admissions Whether colleges require homeschool GPAs The myth of “everyone gets a trophy.” If you’re questioning report cards, transcripts, or how to document rigor in a secular homeschool, this episode offers both a mindset shift and practical tools. Support the show: www.secularhomeschoolrevolution.com https://www.instagram.com/secular_homeschool_revolution/ buymeacoffee.com/secularhschoolrevolution   Stay revolutionary.

    39 min
  8. The Way We Teach Black History Is The Problem

    Feb 4

    The Way We Teach Black History Is The Problem

    Black History Didn’t Start With Slavery: Teaching Black History the Right Way Most of us learned Black history out of order and that wasn’t an accident. In this episode of Secular Homeschool Revolution, host Ashley breaks down why the way Black history is taught in schools is incomplete, sanitized, and designed for comfort rather than truth. This conversation explores why Black History Month exists, who fought to have Black history taught in schools, and why schools resisted teaching it honestly. More importantly, this episode explains why the order of Black history matters and why starting with Africa instead of slavery fundamentally changes how kids understand history, systems, resistance, and the world they live in today. This episode is especially for: secular homeschool families progressive parents educators questioning traditional curriculum families looking for better ways to teach Black History Month In this episode, we cover: When Black History Month started and who created it Why schools chose to teach Black history out of order How starting Black history with slavery distorts the entire narrative Why beginning with African civilizations matters How to teach Black history without centering trauma Age-appropriate ways to teach Black history (elementary, middle, and high school) A week-by-week Black History Month breakdown for homeschool families Black history curriculum and resource recommendations Week-by-Week Black History Month Teaching Framework Week 1: Africa  Black history before enslavement Week 2: Enslavement as disruption and resistance Week 3: Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and systemic backlash Week 4: Black life, resistance, and culture today This episode challenges families to move beyond “theme month” teaching and toward truth-centered, systems-aware, liberation-focused education. Resources Mentioned Your African History – African history curriculum for families https://yourafricanhistory.com/ Kamali Academy – Afrikan-centered education and liberation learning https://www.kamaliacademy.com/ EVERFI – 306: Black History (Free Curriculum) https://everfi.com/courses/k-12/online-african-american-history-curriculum/ Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) https://asalh.org/ Support Secular Homeschool Revolution If this episode supported your homeschooling journey and you want to help keep this work accessible and independent: ☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://buymeacoffee.com/secularhschoolrevolution Your support helps fund future episodes, resources, and community-driven content.   Black History Month homeschool, secular homeschool Black history, teaching Black history, Black history curriculum homeschool, African history homeschool, progressive homeschooling, decolonizing education, anti-racist homeschooling, Black history resources, homeschooling February Black history

    43 min
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4.6
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

Welcome to the "Secular Homeschool Revolution" podcast, where we go on an exciting journey into the world of homeschooling from a progressive and secular mom's perspective. Join us as we explore the ins and outs of the homeschooling arena with over six years of hands-on experience and the delightful chaos of raising three wonderful kids.

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