I’m re-releasing this episode because it’s still one of my all-time favorites—and honestly, one of the conversations that stayed with me long after we hit stop on the recording. 

In this episode, I’m joined by Kiri Jorgensen, a former public school teacher in rural Montana and mom of four. Kiri shares what she saw changing inside the school system—from Common Core and high-stakes testing to increasing bureaucracy—and why her family chose to homeschool their youngest child after experiencing both public school and homeschooling.

We also get practical: Kiri explains a simple framework that helps parents homeschool with confidence—separating “learning” (reading, writing, math) from “learning about” (curiosity-led unit studies). She shares her favorite strategy (the “curiosity jar”) to turn your child’s questions into meaningful learning without recreating school at home.

Finally, Kiri talks about her work as the founder of Chicken Scratch Books, a publisher creating clean, traditional middle grade fiction for families who want books they can trust.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why Kiri left teaching and what she noticed shifting in schools
• Common Core, testing pressure, and how it affects classrooms
• Why homeschooling can take less time and lead to deeper learning
• The “curiosity jar” method for interest-led homeschooling
• Building lifelong learners and confident, capable kids
• Chicken Scratch Books and choosing better middle grade reads

Guest: Kiri Jorgensen
Website: chickenscratchbooks.com

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Mentioned in today’s episode:

 🎹  Have your kiddos learn piano from this amazing resource, check out: Simply Piano. We love it!  🎶 

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