The journey of homeschooling is as unique as the families who embark on it. In this enlightening conversation with Christy, a homeschooling mother of three daughters who has been educating at home for 11 years, we discover the freedom and flexibility that homeschooling offers families who are willing to think beyond traditional education models.

Christy’s homeschooling journey began when her oldest daughter, who was attending a private Christian school and experiencing stress due to introversion and learning difficulties, asked to be homeschooled. Despite knowing nothing about homeschooling initially, Christy researched and discovered that this educational path could provide the individualized support her daughter needed. Within two years, she brought her other two daughters home as well, recognizing that “to get the full benefit you really need the whole family on the same program.”

One of the most significant advantages Christy found in homeschooling was the ability to customize education to each child’s learning pace and style. Her oldest daughter, who struggled with reading, was able to work at her own pace without pressure. By allowing her daughter to work “one to two years behind typical grade level for a very long time,” Christy removed the stress associated with arbitrary timelines. The result? By age 15-16, when privately assessed, her daughter “qualified for nothing” in terms of learning disorders, demonstrating that “working at a child’s appropriate pace and helping them to regulate their nervous system” can often be more effective than labels and interventions.

The flexibility of homeschooling transformed their family life in numerous ways. They reduced their school week to four days, which allowed them to take advantage of their motor home for desert camping and road trips. They purchased ski passes and would regularly leave for skiing on Thursday mornings, camping in their RV and returning Sunday or Monday. Living on a hobby citrus farm, the children participated in harvesting and other agricultural activities, integrating real-world experiences into their education.

Interest-led learning became a cornerstone of their homeschooling approach. When her fourth-grader loved horses, they studied equine science for the entire year. Another child was interested in birds, so they focused on bird science, which led to setting up jelly feeders around their house that attract hooded Orioles. For history, instead of following a rigid four-year cycle, they allowed the children to choose topics that interested them, using “Who Was” books for younger grades and letting the children select which historical figures they wanted to learn about.

Christy emphasized that homeschooling doesn’t need to follow traditional educational models or include subjects that don’t interest the family. While some homeschoolers may embrace classical education with Latin and poetry, Christy focused on practical life skills like cooking, physical activity, and money management. She believes in honoring each child’s unique interests and abilities rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all curriculum or parental preferences. This approach led to one daughter studying harp instead of piano despite having a grand piano in their home, and another daughter becoming passionate about horses, eventually leading to the purchase of one.

The results of this customized approach to education have been impressive. Her oldest daughter earned a substantial academic scholarship to Concordia University in Southern California, despite being “fully off the radar” as a homeschooler with a private school affidavit rather than part of a charter school. Another daughter chose to attend public high school for her sophomore through senior years and is thriving as the vice president of ASB in a school of 3,000 students.

For families considering homeschooling, Christy offers reassurance that homeschooled children “achieve higher and have better social skills… and get into colleges at a higher rate than conventionally schooled kids.” She encourages parents to explore the many resources available, from curriculum reviews on websites like Kathy Duffy Reviews to homeschool conventions and YouTube unboxing videos. Most importantly, she reminds parents that homeschooling can “look different in every single household” and that if it doesn’t work out, children can always return to conventional schooling.