February 14, 2026 • 42 mins
Cheryl sits down with Katie Vieira — a former 4th grade teacher turned homeschool mom — to talk about what surprised her most when she stepped outside the traditional school system. They unpack how early academic pressure has changed, why many kids feel burnout younger than ever, and how standardized testing and school accountability can shape what happens in the classroom (and the stress teachers carry).
They also dive into the real-life side of homeschooling: finding community, handling seasons where screens sneak in more than you planned, keeping reading and learning positive when kids resist “lessons,” and the ongoing challenge of balancing motherhood with creative work and personal goals. Katie shares about her children’s book “Into the Field: Tennessee Summer,” inspired by shifting away from screen-heavy days and toward outdoor adventures, confidence-building, and learning through experience — plus what’s next in her planned series.
In this episode, we cover:
- Katie’s path from certified teacher to homeschool mom
- Why kindergarten/early elementary standards feel so intense now
- Standardized testing pressure (and how it can impact teachers)
- Lockdown drills, school anxiety, and what parents weigh in their choices
- Screen time seasons, outdoor resets, and the “thousand hours outside” idea
- Homeschool balance: work, creativity, and family rhythms
- Colorado homeschool options and one-day-a-week enrichment programs
- How to keep learning positive when kids push back
Links & resources mentioned:
Katie Vieira + Into the Field: Tennessee Summer
Katie's Instagram
🎹 Have your kiddos learn piano from this amazing resource, check out: Simply Piano. We love it! 🎶
Cheryl's ebook: The Homeschool How To: Complete Starter Guide
🎁 Free resource: Grab my free 30-day homeschool quick start guide at thehomeschoolhowto.com
Cheryl's book:🚨 Let's Talk, Emergencies! 🚨on Amazon!
Instagram: TheHomeschoolHowToPodcast
Facebook: The Homeschool How To Podcast
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Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:02):
I didn't plan to homeschool.
I started asking hard questions,realized how little control
parents actually have, and madethe hard decision to leave a
government job to homeschool mykids.
Now I interview otherhomeschooling parents to learn
how this all works.
I'm Cheryl, and this is theHomeschool How-To podcast.
Let's learn this together.
(00:24):
Welcome, and with me today, Ihave Katie Vieira.
Katie, thank you for being here.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm so excited to be here.
I am too.
Um, I still sound a littlenasally, so I apologize for
that.
We've been we've had the flu inmy house for like two weeks.
It's been awful.
SPEAKER_01 (00:39):
Tis the season.
I feel like we're on this rollercoaster ride where one will get
sick, and then as soon asthey're better, the next one
gets sick, and it's just aconstant up and down.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (00:49):
But you know, I'm waiting for someone to say to
me, Well, did you get your flowshot?
No, we did not.
We didn't either.
SPEAKER_01 (00:55):
All right, so Katie, you're a homeschool mom?
I am a homeschool mom.
So I have a second grader,technically, I guess, you know,
if we're going that route, and akinder, and I also have a
toddler.
Uh, I was a certified teacher.
I have my master's degree ineducation, and I never, ever in
a million years expected tohomeschool.
And when I stayed home, youknow, to raise my babies,
(01:18):
because financially as ateacher, that just made the most
sense.
We just kind of caught this wavesomewhere along the way.
And I learned that homeschool isso much more than I ever
imagined it was.
And I unlocked these communitiesthat have been so much fun to
meet and develop at in thedifferent places that we've
(01:40):
lived.
So it's been a lot of fun.
And I'm so glad that we've foundthis path.
SPEAKER_00 (01:44):
Awesome.
Well, all right, why don't youwalk me into that a little bit
more?
Like you were staying home withthe kids to save money because
daycare costs so much.
When did it even present itselfto you to homeschool?
SPEAKER_01 (01:56):
Honestly, it was during COVID.
So when I had one at the time,and we were starting to tour
preschools for her to be in likethe three-year-old classroom
when COVID came around.
And when we decided, okay,that's not a good idea.
We're just gonna, you know,continue to keep her home,
(02:16):
which, you know, makes sense fora three-year-old anyway.
But, you know, that wasn't ourline of thinking at the time.
I was already in some Facebookgroups for uh Tinkergarden.
I was a Tinkergarden leader atthe time.
It's like a nature localcommunity class.
And I was doing some likeTinkergarden.
Yep.
I loved teaching Tinkergarden.
(02:36):
So we met a lot of differentgroups on Facebook for that
reason.
And when we decided to stayhome, I was like, okay, I'm
gonna try and find thesedifferent communities.
And within that, I was seeinglike homeschool group doing
this, because anotherTinkergarden leader in the
community was homeschooling.
And the classes that werepopping up, the science lessons
(03:00):
they were doing, the unitstudies they were meeting up at
parks to unravel.
I kind of sat back and was like,this is so much different than I
ever imagined it was.
Cause I guess growing up, notthat I ever really thought much
about homeschooling, but in theback of my mind, I guess there
(03:21):
was a little bit of a stigmathat, you know, that's not what
we do.
We just go to traditional schooland homeschooling wasn't ever on
our radar.
But when I was starting to seehow expansive it was and all of
the things that we were able todo and how little time you
actually need to spend doing allthe things that I was doing with
(03:41):
my students in school, it justmade sense.
And then we were actually movingher kindergarten year.
So I, you know, that kind ofcemented it.
I'm not gonna put her intoschool to take her out and then,
you know, have her leave herfriends to go move to another
state.
So I was like, I'm just going tounschool that year, you know,
(04:02):
just transition to the new placeand figure out our bearings
there and kind of giving herthat space to be a kid and to
take that time to be passionateabout things and not necessarily
shove information down herthroat because there were
definitely times as a teacher,I'd be like, okay, honey, we're
gonna sit down and do ouralphabet or whatever it might
(04:24):
have been.
And she would just reject it.
Like, I'm not gonna do that,mom.
And I had to take a step backand be like, well, I'm not gonna
force you because I'm nothomeschooling you so that you
have this negative connotationwith school, right?
So trying to find that balanceof, okay, one of my big
motivators for homeschooling ingeneral was let them play, let
(04:48):
them be kids.
As a teacher, I was seeing somuch of how the standards were
shifting and the rigor wasgetting harder and things were
being pushed down from the uppergrades down to the lower grades.
And I know we hear it all thetime, but like the kindergarten
standards now are the first andsecond grade standards of, you
know, 10 years ago.
(05:10):
And it's just unacceptable in mymind that when we were in
school, we were napping inkindergarten.
We were playing house inkindergarten.
And there's no time for thatanymore.
SPEAKER_00 (05:20):
Yeah.
And when I was in kindergarten,they it was still half day.
And now it's mandatory full day.
And now they have what's calledhere in New York, universal
preschool.
So the like a preschool aged kidis actually in the regular
elementary school and on thebuses with all of the rest of
the kids.
So they are actually taking ourkids earlier on.
(05:43):
It's pretty crazy.
Um, I find it funny though, thatthey are making kids do like the
first and second grade level inkindergarten.
But yet, are kids graduatingwith any more knowledge when
they are graduating at 18 yearsold?
SPEAKER_01 (05:57):
No, if anything, I think it's having the reverse
effect because we're pushingthese kids so hard at these
early elementary grades thatthey're essentially burning out
by the time they get to third,fourth grade because either they
took off with reading in one wayor another, maybe they were
memorizing words or whatever itmay be.
(06:17):
And then when it comes to uhmore challenging schoolwork or
more challenging text, they'restarting to see that failure and
they're kind of crippled by itessentially.
So these kids that were maybedoing well, maybe pushed really
hard, once they start takingthose standardized tests, once
they start feeling that anxiety,they they burn out and our
(06:40):
dropout rate is higher becauseof it.
What grade did you teach?
I taught fourth grade.
Okay.
And so I had all thestandardized testing, the
writing and the reading andmath.
SPEAKER_00 (06:50):
I was just gonna ask that.
When do they start standardizedtests now in the school?
SPEAKER_01 (06:55):
Okay, so this actually blew my mind because
when we were living in Florida,they had a voluntary
pre-kindergarten year where itwas federally funded for
four-year-olds to go to thispreschool setting.
And again, we kind of toyed withthat idea and we decided against
it.
And I found out that year thatstandardized testing began for
(07:18):
four-year-olds.
They were pushing it down tothat level.
It wasn't as high stakes as thestandardized testing we
typically hear about, but it wasdriving teacher performance
standards.
So these teachers are gettingeither dinged or rewarded based
on how these students are doing.
(07:40):
It's computerized.
So they're putting thesefour-year-olds on computers and
asking them to navigate all ofthat on top of trying to figure
out alphabets?
I don't know.
That's wild.
SPEAKER_00 (07:51):
Yeah.
I just remember, I mean, I don'tremember much from school, but I
remember being in like, I don'tknow, maybe it was fifth or
sixth grade and taking Iowatests or something like that,
and just making designs in thebubbles down the scantron sheet.
Like I was not reading what thequestion was.
Because I was like, what happensif I do bad?
(08:11):
And I think they probably said,oh nothing.
So I was like, okay, I'm justgonna make a little flower in
this.
Oh, I was gonna make a little,you know, circle, a little
rectangle in that one.
And like, I'm thinking there'sprobably some teacher that was
like fired because I did so badon them.
But I mean, it's just crazy tome.
And I we think about thefunding, and it's like, okay,
(08:33):
well, the majority of your kidsdid poorly.
So we think, like, all right,maybe that school doesn't get
the funding, which it shouldreally be an all-reality
opposite.
Like, if they're the kids arenot doing well, they probably
need more funding and moreresources.
But it's not only tied to theschool, but it's tied to the
teacher too.
So like teachers will actuallyget reprimanded if their
students don't do well.
SPEAKER_01 (08:54):
I don't know how it is in every state, but when I
was teaching in Florida, andagain, this may have changed
because I left the classroom 10years ago.
But when I was teaching, we hadthis performance standard uh
evaluation every year.
And half of it was the principalcoming in and observing you and
like your actual teaching.
The other half was yourstudents' test scores.
(09:17):
And if your two to if yourstudents tested well, then you
got bumped up and got moremoney.
And if your students did not dowell, you did not get a raise.
SPEAKER_00 (09:27):
No, you're joking.
SPEAKER_01 (09:28):
I swear to God.
I swear to God.
So when you put that kind ofstress on the teachers,
automatically they're no fun.
We are not having any fun.
We have got to do scantrons.
That's what it becomes.
I didn't know that.
SPEAKER_00 (09:40):
And I've I've talked to teachers about funding before
and whether they just, you know,didn't know or or it's different
in every state.
But that is wow.
I mean, I get it because it'slike you need some way to
measure because these kids arethere all day and they're using
that as like a measurement forwhat is going on all day long.
(10:00):
But there's so many factorsbeyond a teacher's control to
what goes on in the classroom.
It just isn't like fair.
SPEAKER_01 (10:09):
I distinctly remember there were two years.
One year our air conditioningwent out in the room the morning
of the state test.
So, right there, I mean, we hadto go to a different room.
The, you know, our wholeschedule was all shifted, and
that could have impacted everysingle student's, you know,
focus and concentration thatday.
There was another year thelittle girl lost her sweater
(10:30):
that morning, and she wasdistraught.
Like she had just crumbledbecause she lost her sweater and
she was like worried her mom wasgonna be mad or whatever it may
have been.
But it she might have just beennervous.
And that one thing, you know,threw her off.
And like, who who knows?
I don't remember how she did iton the test, but well, I
wouldn't.
SPEAKER_00 (10:49):
And then you think of it right.
You think of it in terms ofthat, like, oh, that's just so
silly.
It was uh it was a sweater.
But when you are thinking aboutlike inner city schools or, you
know, kids that are theirparents are going through a
divorce, maybe, or I I have myfriend I always talk about her,
she's a teacher in Albany, andshe's like, uh Cheryl, I have
(11:10):
kids in my class that literallywatched their sibling get
murdered last week.
Um, I have ones that, you know,they they're molested at night,
like from mom's boyfriend.
You know, they're writing thisand or telling me, like the one
girl, I remember, oh God, Iremember the little girl's name
too.
The little girl would like tellher because it got a shock out
of people when she said thatwhatever the mom's boyfriend did
(11:34):
to her.
And so she actually would sayit.
And then it was to the pointwhere I was like, okay, is this
really happening?
Because you're you want to tellpeople because you like that you
get the attention andeverybody's like, oh my God, and
this and that.
So then, like, is she taking ittoo far?
But obviously, it somethinghappened because kids don't just
come out with that sort ofstuff.
And my friend who was a teacher,like, obviously, she was a
mandated reporter, so it wasreported, but she's like, it's
(11:57):
so impossible to get a childtaken away from a parent.
Like, you literally have towitness it happening, at least
in New York, to remove a childfrom the home because there's
just this whole investigationthat has to happen, and that
takes months.
And you know, you're questioningthis person and questioning that
person and questioning thechild, and it's like it just
(12:17):
doesn't happen overnight likeyou'd think it would, right?
And so she's like, I'm dealingwith this stuff.
None of these kids have normalupbringings, and then you're
throwing 30 of them in aclassroom all together, like
forget your sweater being lost.
SPEAKER_01 (12:32):
Like, well, it's when you put when you put all of
that into perspective,curriculum, you know, like your
standard, rigorous, whatever itis, is not the priority, you
know.
Social, emotional, having themfeel safe, making sure they're
fed, priority.
SPEAKER_00 (12:51):
I know.
And I just made a post today ofmy kids watching TV.
And I'm like, of course, becausewe've been sick too, and like we
just we watch entirely too muchTV here.
Like I regulate what they canwatch, but I'm like, I'm like,
oh I gotta shut this thing off.
I'm like, you know what?
Cheryl, okay, they are safe,they are loved, they are well
fed.
If at seven and three years old,like creature cases is on too
(13:16):
much.
I mean, is that the worst thinggoing on?
Because then I think back now,as I'm saying my friend's story
from when she was a um, I mean,she still is a teacher, but you
know what she told me, it'slike, yeah, all right, creature
cases isn't the biggest, it'snot going to make or break their
life's success.
SPEAKER_01 (13:33):
No, and there's seasons for those things.
And that's actually where theinspiration for my book came
from because we were, I was sixmonths pregnant and we were
moving from Florida to KansasCity the week between Christmas
and New Year's.
So it was just mass pandemonium,as you can imagine, packing up
and Christmas trees and presentsand and you know, hormones and
everything else.
SPEAKER_00 (13:54):
After three years of interviewing homeschooling
families, I realized howoverwhelming it can be to piece
everything together.
So I took the best advice, tips,questions, and resources that
I've learned along the way andput them into one practical
ebook.
If you're looking for a clearstarting point, you'll find the
link in this show's description.
SPEAKER_01 (14:15):
I think my kids, my then two and four-year-olds,
probably watched Cocoa Melonlike eight hours a day.
Cause it was like, guys, we needto pack.
You guys need to just stay inone spot and not hurt each
other.
SPEAKER_00 (14:28):
Yeah.
There are seasons, and that'sokay.
Yeah, absolutely.
And and it's funny now becausemy son, I mean, it's so cold
here in New York, but he stillwants to get outside all the
time.
Like he is just never one that'slike, oh, I'm gonna sit around
and watch TV all day.
The three-year-old, it's alittle bit harder.
Yes, I would like to just bereading books with her all day
long, but in a perfect world, Ithink I would gouge my eyes out
(14:51):
if that's what I would do too.
Um, you're right.
It is, it's it's not like thiswhen it's nice out and when
we're all healthy.
But yeah, it's like, all right,so they're they're not on a bus
with someone showing themsomething inappropriate on a
phone.
They're not having a shelter inplace drill.
Those are are a big thing for metoo, a big deterrent for school.
And I don't think people putenough emphasis on that.
(15:12):
What was that like as you wereteaching?
SPEAKER_01 (15:14):
So when I was teaching, it was right at the
same time as Sandy Hook.
And I remember being terrified,like in tears as a teacher to
these, you know, young kids andknowing that those were some of
the things that were happeningin the world.
And that's when the lockdowndrills really started.
And I remember we were inoutdoor school.
(15:35):
And I remember they would liketrain us as teachers, like to
put construction paper in thewindow of the door and turn the
lights off.
And we had to put all the kidsin like a closet in the hallway
in between the classrooms.
And it was wild to try anddownplay it to the kids, but
also like, guys, we're playing agame.
(15:58):
Like, we're gonna be quiet inhere.
Like, I want a snack.
So yeah, and it's interestingbecause we're in Colorado.
And Colorado is an amazing statefor homeschooling.
They are so, there are so manyoptions for homeschoolers, and a
lot of them are uh funded by thestate where you could do like a
(16:18):
one day a week program in allsorts of different things,
whether it's like a natureschool or a traditional school
or a classical school.
And the school that my girls goto one day a week, they have a
lockdown drill.
And they came to me and theykind of talked about it and was
like, well, what happened?
What did you do?
They're like, I don't know, theteachers turned off the lights
(16:39):
and we sat under the desk and itwas weird.
And then it was done.
So it's it was, I guess, atrade-off because that's
definitely something that Ididn't want my kids exposed to.
But I do love this program verymuch.
And I think it balances out ourhomeschooling world very well.
So hearing them recount theirexperience with it made me feel
(17:02):
a lot better that they didn'tfeel like something bad was
happening and they weren'tscared about it.
So I think it is a lot how it'shandled at the schools.
My daughter was more scared of afire drill.
Yeah, which I accidentally did.
SPEAKER_00 (17:16):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (17:16):
And I did a fire week.
SPEAKER_00 (17:19):
And I well, I think at home, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (17:21):
I was like, this is our homeschooling.
We're gonna do like a fire,like, we're gonna learn all
about like firemen and what firedrills are and where the fire
alarms are in the house.
And I like played a YouTubevideo of a fire alarm sound.
So they like knew what it was.
My five-year-old wastraumatized.
She woke up thinking the houseis on fire for a week.
I was like, oh my gosh, I'm sosorry.
I didn't mean to.
SPEAKER_00 (17:42):
That's what I wrote a children's book about that,
about how to talk to your kidsabout emergencies.
It's called Let's Talk.
I need to read that becauseapparently I'm just yeah.
And you know, I have to bring itout now because like since I've
written it, but like I haven'tbrought it back out in a while,
but it's like all of that stuff,how to safely do that.
So it's not, but I mean, Ididn't actually play an alarm in
(18:05):
the house.
I mean, maybe that's a goodidea.
I, you know what I did though?
I had it, I tested it.
I was like, this is we're justgonna put the tester on so you
guys know what it sounds like.
SPEAKER_01 (18:15):
Yeah.
And it wasn't even like thewhole house, it wasn't even like
the tester, like loud one.
It was just on my phone, and shewas still, she didn't like it.
But I feel like it's animportant conversation that you
do have to have.
SPEAKER_00 (18:27):
It is, and that's why I wrote a book about it
because I couldn't find anythingon it.
And I'm like, geez, we are soworried about like teaching them
how to read and write, but whatabout like their first and last
name?
What about mom's cell phonenumber?
Yeah.
What about how to break into aphone to call 911 if like
grandma has a stroke orsomething?
SPEAKER_01 (18:47):
Yeah, no, it's interesting because I never
really thought twice about it.
And then a friend of mine whosehusband goes away for work
often, who had two girls aboutthe same ages as mine, she was
telling me how she was liketraining her older one how to
call 911 and when to and why,like if mommy doesn't wake up or
whatever.
And I was like, that's somethingI'm supposed to be doing.
(19:08):
Like, I didn't know that.
So yeah, it was my first wake-upcall.
SPEAKER_00 (19:12):
Well, I'll send you a book since you sent me your
book.
I will send you mine.
Now tell me about your bookbecause it is so cute and it was
like, it's so cold here.
Although today was 36.
So it was actually really warmtoday compared to negative 18
the other day.
But um, your book is all aboutgetting out into like nature,
(19:34):
and I love that it comes withthe little pack with the water,
and I got to teach my son, no,my husband got to teach my son
how to use the compass.
It was so cute, and it just mademe want springtime so badly.
So, can you tell me a little bitabout like what inspired you to
write this book?
SPEAKER_01 (19:51):
Of course.
So I definitely released it thewrong time of year, but maybe it
is an inspiration.
So it's into the field,Tennessee summer, and it was
inspired right in that time thatI was talking about where my
daughters were spending a littlebit more time on screens than I
ever imagined that I would everallow.
And I started to actually seesigns of screen addiction, which
(20:12):
we all see a little bit, right?
When we turn off the cartoon andthere's tantrums and they're so
mad at us, no matter how manywarnings we give of like, okay,
five more minutes or last show,and then we're gonna turn off.
They became unhinged.
And they started to like, theywould prefer to be inside than
being outside and like all ofthose things that started to
(20:33):
make me go, this isn't, thisisn't right.
We need to be spending more timeoutside and taking more risks
and really tapping into oursenses outside of just TV,
right?
When we're inside, everything isoverstimulating, but when we're
outside, it's relaxing, right?
So in that shift, when we wereliving in Kansas City, we
(20:53):
started doing the thousand hoursoutdoor challenge and those
benefits and seeing them kind ofshed that screen addiction,
essentially, and they werebuilding their confidence, they
were making friends and willingto take risks, it was amazing to
see.
And I was reading this bookcalled Um Glow Kids.
I don't know if you've everheard about it, but it takes
(21:15):
that screen addiction.
Yes, such a good read.
It takes that screen addictionto the extreme.
And the author gives theseanecdotal records of children
that are playing, you know,Minecraft or Call of Duty or
whatever the video game is forlike 16 hours a day, all through
the night.
And they they actually becomecatatonic.
(21:37):
They're like unresponsive to theworld at times because they're
so their brain is so wired intowhat's happening in the game.
And they actually have to workthrough this in like sessions.
So I took that idea of theseextreme cases, and that was
where that the character Georgein the book is born.
(21:58):
And he is a video game.
Game kid, and he's trying totell his friends, the other two
characters, about this new gamethat he just started playing.
And they ask their mom, Oh, mom,can I play this, you know, new
video game my friend was tellingme about?
And in the essence of balancingscreen time, because that's what
it is, it's a balance.
The mom gives them permission toplay, and they actually get
(22:21):
transported into the game.
And this game is a hiking game.
So throughout it, they have touse their hiking skills, use
their experiences in thethousand-hour outdoor challenge
and teach their friend Georgehow to work through these
obstacles on the trails and innature in order to pass the
level and make it home.
So throughout that, they'relearning teamwork, they're
(22:43):
learning survival skills.
And I try to embed a lot ofeducational things in there so
that the kids are learning.
They're learning state names,they're learning animals and all
sorts of different things,compass skills, tricks when you
are lost in the woods orwhatever it may be, without them
really knowing, right?
Because that's whathomeschooling is all about,
being a little sneaky with whatyou're teaching them and letting
(23:05):
them unlock those passions andwhat they're excited about.
So I try to really embed that inand allow kids to explore
different things that they loveabout nature or whatever it may
be.
And what ages is this bookperfect?
So I would say, depending onreadability, it's gonna be like
four to 10 years old, going fromlike maybe reading it aloud to a
(23:25):
four-year-old, but they're gonnabe really excited about it to a
10-year-old who's still readingit that the their shorter
chapters, but still a little bitmore complex language than maybe
like a magic treehouse, which Ikind of relate it to a lot in
that readability, but slightlymore challenging and complex
language and literary skills.
(23:46):
Okay, awesome.
SPEAKER_00 (23:47):
Have you had you um been a writer before?
Or was this just a new endeavorthat you tried out?
SPEAKER_01 (23:53):
This is a new endeavor for me.
I taught writing when I was afourth grade teacher because you
know, I had to teach FCATwriting at the time.
But I always wanted to be awriter.
I can remember being a littlegirl on my bed, you know, typing
on the laptop, telling my mom Iwrote a story.
But this is the first time thatI finished a story and took it
all the way through to fruition.
(24:14):
And it has been so fun to notonly experience that for myself,
but also to see my daughters,and I mean my son too, but he
doesn't really.
He's still little, for them tosee for them to see what I'm
going through and that I'mworking towards this goal.
And they are so proud.
It's really inspiring to me tokeep going.
(24:36):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (24:36):
So how do you make that work with the balancing?
Because I know that's a hardpart for me with having like the
podcast and running theInstagram page.
And then when I, you know, I didwrite the children's book and
then I wrote an e-book based onwhat I've learned from talking
to homeschooling families.
And I really struggle with likefinding that balance because in
(24:57):
my mind, too, it's like, okay,the kids are still so young.
We don't have to spend a wholelot of time on book work or
anything.
But then you do kind of fallinto these like pitfalls where
like, oh, okay, well, it's stillyucky outside, it's still cold,
or you have the sniffles orwhatever.
And I mean, we do do a lot ofthings outside the home as far
as like, you know, groups thatwe meet up with and um like
(25:19):
ukulele lessons, gymnastics,dance, that sort of stuff,
wilderness class, biking.
So I guess like it's in there,but it's still a hard balance,
right?
Like, how do you find a good,healthy balance?
Do you have a lot of help fromyour husband or how do you make
it work?
SPEAKER_01 (25:35):
I am still trying to figure out how to make it work.
But my husband is verysupportive.
Um, and he works from home.
So we're able to kind of tagteam a lot where, you know, our
schedules kind of align.
But this is a little bit of anew juggle for me.
I finished the book in, I don'tknow, like October, November,
(25:56):
and started the Instagram pageand started promoting it and
started working towards, youknow, scheduling interviews and
book signings and differentthings like that to um to spread
the word.
And it is taking way more of mytime than I ever expected.
And my husband and I have had tohave a couple sit-downs of like,
okay, this is exciting.
This is, you know, a journey foryou, and we're working towards
(26:17):
this goal.
But homeschooling our kids isstill the priority, right?
So I'm working on that balanceof not letting this become a
full-time job because I neverimagined that it would be.
But like in my mind, I stillhave all these to-dos that I'm
like, this could definitely sitdown on my computer at 8 a.m.
and work until, you know, five.
(26:39):
But I try to schedule like a 9a.m.
start time for our lessons whenwe do have to, you know, get
specific things done each day.
And like you said, having thosescheduled outings that we go to
as far as like meeting up withtheir co-op or, you know, going
to the space foundation ordifferent things that we're
doing as well.
(26:59):
Uh I try to get most of it in inlike either after bedtime or
like that first hour aftercoffee, because getting my kids
to sit down right away afterbreakfast is not gonna happen.
Yeah.
So it kind of works out thatthey go play for like an hour,
get kind of get those wigglesout, and I bang out as much as I
can in that time.
But it is, it's a juggle.
(27:20):
And I felt really good about itat first, like, oh, look at me,
I'm doing all these things.
And then I started seeing thingsslip, and I'm just like, this is
hard, but we could do hardthings.
SPEAKER_00 (27:30):
Yeah, it is.
And then, like you said, yourkids look at you and they're so
uh like proud of you andinspired by you.
And I and that teaches themstuff too, right?
Like, you know, because I amhere to take care of you and
homeschool you, but I also havepassions and creativity that
I'm, you know, want to work onand develop.
(27:50):
So it definitely isn't becausebecause they them seeing that
it's gonna spark something inthem someday.
Quick thoughts to sharesomething that's been a great
fit for our homeschool.
My son, he's seven, and we buttheads if I am teaching him
directly.
So his reading and math are donemostly independently, and I'm
just there to support andcorrect when needed.
I really wanted him to learnmusic too, especially knowing
(28:12):
how closely music and readingare connected in the brain.
That's why we started usingSimply Piano.
He's learning to read music andplay piano on his own, using
songs he already knows andloves, and it feels more like a
game than a lesson.
It's been amazing to watch hisconfidence and skills grow.
If you want to check it out,grab the link in the show
description.
So it definitely is a hardbalance.
SPEAKER_01 (28:34):
It is.
And I have definitely letmotherhood, I'm gonna go ahead
and use the word consume me forthe first, you know, seven years
of it.
And it was really nice to findsomething that I was excited
about outside of that.
It it almost made me feel like Iwas finding a little bit of me
again.
You know what I mean?
(28:55):
Like that, that pre-mom me.
I don't know.
Yeah.
You know, it's it's it'sbalanced.
SPEAKER_00 (29:02):
Yeah.
And um, you know, I don't thinkthere's ever a right answer.
I I talk to many parents wholike they work from home and
they still homeschool, but it'snot that they have, you know,
the eight hours during the dayfree to just entertain their
kids either.
So it is, it's like you'reweighing you're weighing what uh
(29:23):
makes sense for you guys,especially like in the season
and in that.
But that's been a hard thing forme as well.
And, you know, I I I keepsaying, like, okay, well, it'll
get better in a couple of monthswhen, like when I get a schedule
going, when I get past thisproject, and when I can get a
little routine of what I need toget done, you know, and it
(29:44):
always seems like that partdoesn't come.
But, you know, I I look at mychildren, my seven-year-old son
more so because he's the onelike kind of out there like
doing his own thing.
And, you know, we do like todaywe were bowling and then he had
ukulele lessons and he went to afriend's house for a little bit
after.
And, you know, he we didn't sitdown and do any reading,
writing, or math yet.
(30:05):
I'll read to him um before bed.
I that's something I definitelystruggle with too, like making
sure we get in that readingtime.
But, you know, I I don't know, Ijust think about like what what
what was my life like when I wasseven?
You know, and I definitely didnot have parents that read to me
at night.
My mom was like, law and orderis on, get upstairs, go to bed
yourself, you know, probablywith her cigarette in her hand.
(30:27):
Um, you know, I school, justlike I said, I don't really
remember.
Like they would give me a test,and I'm like, I don't feel like
reading this.
This is a lot of reading.
I'm just gonna make designs inthe Scantron.
So it's like we can compare, Iguess we compare like what we
see on the Instagram pages.
Like, oh my gosh, look at thesewomen like reading to their kids
all day long.
Their children are are readingin Greek by the time they're
(30:50):
eight.
That's probably not the realitythough.
SPEAKER_01 (30:53):
I'm thinking I'm gonna go out on a live and say
it's not the reality.
I do love that shift inInstagram of seeing a little bit
more of that real life, youknow, seeing, you know, messy
houses and kids being crazy.
And I I try to participate inthat with my Instagram page
because again, I'm kind of newto Instagram.
(31:14):
I mean, obviously not new, youknow, completely, but my husband
would scroll more than me.
And like I use Facebook for justlike homeschool groups, but I
never really dipped into socialmedia like I did now.
And it it has been kind of fun.
A little content therapy, I usedto call it, or I guess I still
do, uh, where it, you know, as asay a home mom, as a homeschool
(31:35):
mom, it can be really lonely andcomparing yourself, like you
said, to, you know, other momsyou're seeing.
So it's really nice to see momsthat you can connect with and
feel like, okay, they're in thesame boat, or okay, like this
feeling is not unusual to feeloverwhelmed or, you know, doubt
yourself or whatever it may be,and to just find that community
(31:56):
in there has been kind of fun.
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (31:58):
And especially for like the reading, you know, my
son's seven.
I think you said you have asecond grader as well.
Yeah.
So yeah, she'll be eight nextweek, I think.
And for him, like the readingtook it took until he was seven.
He's now just getting the hangof reading.
And for a while, I was like, Ohmy gosh, like I'm not doing
enough.
(32:18):
And then, like you said before,you try to sit them down and do
stuff, and they're like, I don'twant to do it.
And then you're putting the badconnotation around it.
Uh it really is hard.
And I I try to step back and sayto myself, like, listen, I'm
getting stressed about itbecause I care.
And like, if I didn't care atall, then that probably would be
the problem.
(32:39):
I think realizing that they'reall gonna get there in their own
time, they're all justindividual kids.
Sometimes girls read earlier onthan boys, they just want to be
out running around.
It's like synapses in the brainthat have to make the
connections before, you know, orelse you are you are making it a
chore for them and they're notgoing to actually enjoy reading.
And even now, my son will say, Ican't wait till I don't have to
(33:00):
do schoolwork anymore.
And I'm like, You shouldn't wantto learn.
SPEAKER_01 (33:04):
It's it's I know, and I tried to avoid that.
It is.
And like I mentioned, I tried toavoid that so as I I tried so
hard to make sure that there wasalways this like positive light
on like sitting down andlearning.
And I have failed at that too,because that my daughter will
come to me and be like, it'sSaturday, we don't have to do
school.
And I'm like, Well, this is whywe homeschool, because we didn't
(33:26):
do school like Tuesday,Wednesday, or Thursday this
week.
So yeah, I mean, having thatflexibility, but you know, it's
it's they're having to dosomething they don't want to do.
SPEAKER_00 (33:36):
Yeah.
Right.
So that and that's what I neverheard it like put that way is
the human condition.
Like anything that you areforced to do, you probably don't
want to do, right?
Like you might love cooking, butwhen you have to cook for people
three times a day, seven days aweek, 365 days a year, and then
most of the time they turnaround and say, I don't want to
(33:58):
eat this.
You're like, ah, you just don'twant to do it anymore.
So yeah.
Were you gonna say something?
SPEAKER_01 (34:04):
Yeah, my I remember my sister when she was looking
for a job, she loved music.
And she was moving to LA and shehad a choice between should I
pursue like a movie career or amusic career?
And she was like, I'm gonna gofor the movie career because I
love music too much.
And if it's my job, I might notlove it anymore.
And I'm like, that's totallytrue.
(34:26):
Once it comes into the movies,it loses a little bit of fun.
Well, she's working with movies,but she's not in movies.
So yes, she is she's a publicistfor Disney.
Cool, very cool.
SPEAKER_00 (34:38):
Oh, that's exciting.
So, okay, why don't we we uhtalk a little bit more about
like what are your plans for thefuture for your book?
What have been some of thefeedback that you've gotten so
far?
It is uh so cute.
My son and I started reading it,and like I said, it just made me
want to get outside and like bewarm out.
Like, please, please get over 40to smell the snow, go play.
SPEAKER_01 (35:00):
So that is that is my goal with it.
That was my intention.
I wanted it to kind of sparkthat fire for kids to want to
get outside and play.
So this was the first book inwhat I hope to become a series
where each of the books travelto a different state.
So throughout the series, thekids are gonna be learning a
little bit more about the UnitedStates and geography.
(35:22):
And I don't know, maybe it'll gointernational one day.
But I'm already about halfwaythrough the second book, which
is gonna be Colorado Campground.
So my daughter still asks mejust about every night or every
day if I am gonna work onColorado Campground.
And I'm like, one day, honey, Iwill get back to it.
One thing at a time.
SPEAKER_00 (35:40):
Yeah.
Oh, that's fun.
SPEAKER_01 (35:41):
So are where you're in Kansas City right now?
So we moved from Kansas City toColorado.
So it was a wild three years.
We lived in three states inthree years.
So we are settled in Coloradonow, and that is where we will.
And yeah, I bet the campingthere is awesome.
It is.
It's amazing.
The last time we went camping,my daughter and I went for a
(36:02):
run.
And as we're, as we're going,she's giving me all these ideas.
And she's like, when you writethis book, you need to make sure
you include this.
And then when you do the fourthbook, you'll have it be like
this.
And then when you do the fifthbook, they'll do this.
She's got the whole thing mappedout in her mind.
It is the cutest thing ever.
And I mean, I really should havelisted my daughters as
(36:25):
additional authors because theyinspired so much of this story.
And I would, after bedtime, Iwould write out a chapter based
on, you know, whatever hike wedid or inspired by something
that was going on in our life atthat time.
And then I would read it to themthe next day and they would give
me input on, you know, well, Idon't think the I don't think
Claire would say that.
(36:45):
I think she would say it likethis, mom.
Or I think Claire should bewearing this.
So they they had some reallycute input.
That is adorable.
SPEAKER_00 (36:54):
And that is like, you know, just I don't know.
That's so cool for them.
They can see that this can be areal career of theirs someday
too, you know.
I love that.
I love the the whole, it's justfull circle.
So what what do you see longterm for your kids for
homeschooling?
Like, is this something you planon sticking with long term?
What if they come to you one dayand are like, mom, I really want
(37:15):
to go to school?
Have you thought about that?
SPEAKER_01 (37:17):
Gosh, I'm so guilty of using going to school as like
a threat.
I'm the worst.
I'm so sorry.
I know I'm not supposed to doit, but I more than once have
been like, honey, if you're notgonna sit down for this lesson,
you're gonna be going to schoolsix hours a day.
So it's so funny because when westarted homeschooling, we were
just like, oh, you know, we'lljust homeschool the early years
(37:39):
and then by like second grade,we'll send them to traditional
school.
And then our reasons tohomeschool kind of evolved from
that, you know, let them play,let them be kids, they're
pushing them too hard.
And now it's, you know, bodyimage and building friendships
and what are you being exposedto in schools?
And, you know, we think aboutthat projection as we move
(38:02):
forward.
And like it just seems likethere's a new and very valid
reason to homeschool at everygrade level.
So as far as we're concerned,we're in it for the long haul.
And I mentioned um the programthat we're in actually has a
middle school, like collegepathways program where starting
in, I forget if it's sixth orseventh grade, they they
(38:24):
actually become dual enrolled atthe local college and they like
start building their schedulesand figuring out where they're
gonna go and what they want tolearn about.
And it just is a really greatopportunity for them where we're
at.
And we love that balance.
So we're in it.
SPEAKER_00 (38:44):
And do you guys have funding available in Colorado
for homeschoolers?
SPEAKER_01 (38:49):
Yeah.
Not for the families, but forthose programs.
So depending on which programyou choose, there's like whether
you want to do a nature schoolor a Charlotte Mason school or a
Waldorf school, there's there'sdifferent options that are
funded.
Do you have all those schooloptions for homeschoolers there?
When we were moving here, it wasthat time of year where you're
(39:10):
supposed to be like enrollingyour kid in whatever like
homeschool enrichment programthey call them that you wanted
to.
And we were living in KansasCity and I remember being like
panicked, like, I can't pick onefrom so far away.
And we made a trip specificallyto like tour different
homeschool enrichment programs.
Cause me at the time, like Iwould enroll my kids in anything
(39:31):
and everything.
Like you said, like ukuleleclass or gymnastics or music
class.
And I was like, it's a freeclass.
We need to, I need to beenrolled in this.
Like, I need to make surethey're taking advantage of
this.
And I toured the nature schooland I was like, we're gonna be,
she's gonna be outside all day.
Like, it's gonna be awesome.
And she hated it.
She was like, absolutely not.
I'm not going there.
And then she toured thetraditional school where like
(39:53):
she has to wear a uniform andlike say the Pledge of
Allegiance and sit in a desk allday.
And I was like, I don't know, Idon't even think we should tour
this place.
Like, this is crazy.
And she loved it so much to thepoint where I was like, honey,
what do you love about it?
She was like, Mommy, I'm gonnahave a desk.
SPEAKER_00 (40:07):
I was like, that's like literally we're looking for
that's why I'm homeschoolingyou.
SPEAKER_01 (40:15):
Are we doing this wrong?
I don't know.
But it's one day a week.
I can get you a desk, honey.
But it's yeah, and it's one,it's one day a week.
And um, they just teach languagearts and like art music, PE.
So they like have all thespecials that a traditional
school would have, and then theyjust teach like writing and
language arts.
And I was like, that's kind ofawesome because I don't like
(40:36):
teaching phonics, so they cankind of take that off of me and
we'll do like all theexperiential, like touring
restaurants and going to thefirehouse and like doing all of
that cool stuff.
They could do phonics.
SPEAKER_00 (40:49):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (40:50):
Phonics is nice.
SPEAKER_00 (40:51):
I'm ready to offload.
I did we do an online programfor reading right now.
Uh, I've done the the stuffwhere I physically teach him,
and this just seems to beworking better.
Katie, I am going to link all ofyour the references to your book
and your Instagram page in theshow's description.
Why don't you just tell us realquick where people can find you
(41:12):
if they want to check out yourbook right now?
SPEAKER_01 (41:14):
Okay, so uh Into the Field, Tennessee Summer is on
sale pretty much anywhere booksare sold online.
So Amazon, Barnes Noble, justwhen you are typing it in, Into
the Field Tennessee Summer.
You have to start typing in thatTennessee Summer because Into
the Field is just a little toopopular.
I didn't think it all the waythrough.
But I'm also in the middle of alittle bit of a virtual book
(41:35):
club on my Instagram page.
So every Friday for the nextcouple of weeks, I'm going to
release extension activitiesthat can be done with the book.
So all of the homeschoolers outthere are gonna love this.
I know I love stuff like this.
Uh, we once you read likechapter one, it's going to have
discussion questions,comprehension questions,
(41:56):
science, social studies, art,life skills, all tied up in a
little bow.
Like chapter one, one of theactivities is making mud pies
outside, which we're not doingright now because it's 36
degrees.
But those will be released everyFriday for the next couple of
weeks.
Chapter one is already out.
SPEAKER_00 (42:13):
Cool.
All right, so all everything islinked in the show's
description.
Check that out.
Katie, thank you so much forbeing here today.
This has been so much fun.
I loved being here with you.
Thank you for having me.
Thank you for listening to theHomeschool How To Podcast.
If today's episode helped you,please be sure to follow the
(42:34):
show and leave a review.
It's the best way to support thepodcast.
And if you're just gettingstarted or need a reset, head to
thehomeschoolhowtu.com and grabmy free 30-day homeschool quick
start guide.
Until next time, keep learning,keep questioning, and thank you
for your love of the nextgeneration.
I didn't plan to homeschool.
I started asking hard questions,realized how little control
parents actually have, and madethe hard decision to leave a
government job to homeschool mykids.
Now I interview otherhomeschooling parents to learn
how this all works.
I'm Cheryl, and this is theHomeschool How-To podcast.
Let's learn this together.
(00:24):
Welcome, and with me today, Ihave Katie Vieira.
Katie, thank you for being here.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm so excited to be here.
I am too.
Um, I still sound a littlenasally, so I apologize for
that.
We've been we've had the flu inmy house for like two weeks.
It's been awful.
SPEAKER_01 (00:39):
Tis the season.
I feel like we're on this rollercoaster ride where one will get
sick, and then as soon asthey're better, the next one
gets sick, and it's just aconstant up and down.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (00:49):
But you know, I'm waiting for someone to say to
me, Well, did you get your flowshot?
No, we did not.
We didn't either.
SPEAKER_01 (00:55):
All right, so Katie, you're a homeschool mom?
I am a homeschool mom.
So I have a second grader,technically, I guess, you know,
if we're going that route, and akinder, and I also have a
toddler.
Uh, I was a certified teacher.
I have my master's degree ineducation, and I never, ever in
a million years expected tohomeschool.
And when I stayed home, youknow, to raise my babies,
(01:18):
because financially as ateacher, that just made the most
sense.
We just kind of caught this wavesomewhere along the way.
And I learned that homeschool isso much more than I ever
imagined it was.
And I unlocked these communitiesthat have been so much fun to
meet and develop at in thedifferent places that we've
(01:40):
lived.
So it's been a lot of fun.
And I'm so glad that we've foundthis path.
SPEAKER_00 (01:44):
Awesome.
Well, all right, why don't youwalk me into that a little bit
more?
Like you were staying home withthe kids to save money because
daycare costs so much.
When did it even present itselfto you to homeschool?
SPEAKER_01 (01:56):
Honestly, it was during COVID.
So when I had one at the time,and we were starting to tour
preschools for her to be in likethe three-year-old classroom
when COVID came around.
And when we decided, okay,that's not a good idea.
We're just gonna, you know,continue to keep her home,
(02:16):
which, you know, makes sense fora three-year-old anyway.
But, you know, that wasn't ourline of thinking at the time.
I was already in some Facebookgroups for uh Tinkergarden.
I was a Tinkergarden leader atthe time.
It's like a nature localcommunity class.
And I was doing some likeTinkergarden.
Yep.
I loved teaching Tinkergarden.
(02:36):
So we met a lot of differentgroups on Facebook for that
reason.
And when we decided to stayhome, I was like, okay, I'm
gonna try and find thesedifferent communities.
And within that, I was seeinglike homeschool group doing
this, because anotherTinkergarden leader in the
community was homeschooling.
And the classes that werepopping up, the science lessons
(03:00):
they were doing, the unitstudies they were meeting up at
parks to unravel.
I kind of sat back and was like,this is so much different than I
ever imagined it was.
Cause I guess growing up, notthat I ever really thought much
about homeschooling, but in theback of my mind, I guess there
(03:21):
was a little bit of a stigmathat, you know, that's not what
we do.
We just go to traditional schooland homeschooling wasn't ever on
our radar.
But when I was starting to seehow expansive it was and all of
the things that we were able todo and how little time you
actually need to spend doing allthe things that I was doing with
(03:41):
my students in school, it justmade sense.
And then we were actually movingher kindergarten year.
So I, you know, that kind ofcemented it.
I'm not gonna put her intoschool to take her out and then,
you know, have her leave herfriends to go move to another
state.
So I was like, I'm just going tounschool that year, you know,
(04:02):
just transition to the new placeand figure out our bearings
there and kind of giving herthat space to be a kid and to
take that time to be passionateabout things and not necessarily
shove information down herthroat because there were
definitely times as a teacher,I'd be like, okay, honey, we're
gonna sit down and do ouralphabet or whatever it might
(04:24):
have been.
And she would just reject it.
Like, I'm not gonna do that,mom.
And I had to take a step backand be like, well, I'm not gonna
force you because I'm nothomeschooling you so that you
have this negative connotationwith school, right?
So trying to find that balanceof, okay, one of my big
motivators for homeschooling ingeneral was let them play, let
(04:48):
them be kids.
As a teacher, I was seeing somuch of how the standards were
shifting and the rigor wasgetting harder and things were
being pushed down from the uppergrades down to the lower grades.
And I know we hear it all thetime, but like the kindergarten
standards now are the first andsecond grade standards of, you
know, 10 years ago.
(05:10):
And it's just unacceptable in mymind that when we were in
school, we were napping inkindergarten.
We were playing house inkindergarten.
And there's no time for thatanymore.
SPEAKER_00 (05:20):
Yeah.
And when I was in kindergarten,they it was still half day.
And now it's mandatory full day.
And now they have what's calledhere in New York, universal
preschool.
So the like a preschool aged kidis actually in the regular
elementary school and on thebuses with all of the rest of
the kids.
So they are actually taking ourkids earlier on.
(05:43):
It's pretty crazy.
Um, I find it funny though, thatthey are making kids do like the
first and second grade level inkindergarten.
But yet, are kids graduatingwith any more knowledge when
they are graduating at 18 yearsold?
SPEAKER_01 (05:57):
No, if anything, I think it's having the reverse
effect because we're pushingthese kids so hard at these
early elementary grades thatthey're essentially burning out
by the time they get to third,fourth grade because either they
took off with reading in one wayor another, maybe they were
memorizing words or whatever itmay be.
(06:17):
And then when it comes to uhmore challenging schoolwork or
more challenging text, they'restarting to see that failure and
they're kind of crippled by itessentially.
So these kids that were maybedoing well, maybe pushed really
hard, once they start takingthose standardized tests, once
they start feeling that anxiety,they they burn out and our
(06:40):
dropout rate is higher becauseof it.
What grade did you teach?
I taught fourth grade.
Okay.
And so I had all thestandardized testing, the
writing and the reading andmath.
SPEAKER_00 (06:50):
I was just gonna ask that.
When do they start standardizedtests now in the school?
SPEAKER_01 (06:55):
Okay, so this actually blew my mind because
when we were living in Florida,they had a voluntary
pre-kindergarten year where itwas federally funded for
four-year-olds to go to thispreschool setting.
And again, we kind of toyed withthat idea and we decided against
it.
And I found out that year thatstandardized testing began for
(07:18):
four-year-olds.
They were pushing it down tothat level.
It wasn't as high stakes as thestandardized testing we
typically hear about, but it wasdriving teacher performance
standards.
So these teachers are gettingeither dinged or rewarded based
on how these students are doing.
(07:40):
It's computerized.
So they're putting thesefour-year-olds on computers and
asking them to navigate all ofthat on top of trying to figure
out alphabets?
I don't know.
That's wild.
SPEAKER_00 (07:51):
Yeah.
I just remember, I mean, I don'tremember much from school, but I
remember being in like, I don'tknow, maybe it was fifth or
sixth grade and taking Iowatests or something like that,
and just making designs in thebubbles down the scantron sheet.
Like I was not reading what thequestion was.
Because I was like, what happensif I do bad?
(08:11):
And I think they probably said,oh nothing.
So I was like, okay, I'm justgonna make a little flower in
this.
Oh, I was gonna make a little,you know, circle, a little
rectangle in that one.
And like, I'm thinking there'sprobably some teacher that was
like fired because I did so badon them.
But I mean, it's just crazy tome.
And I we think about thefunding, and it's like, okay,
(08:33):
well, the majority of your kidsdid poorly.
So we think, like, all right,maybe that school doesn't get
the funding, which it shouldreally be an all-reality
opposite.
Like, if they're the kids arenot doing well, they probably
need more funding and moreresources.
But it's not only tied to theschool, but it's tied to the
teacher too.
So like teachers will actuallyget reprimanded if their
students don't do well.
SPEAKER_01 (08:54):
I don't know how it is in every state, but when I
was teaching in Florida, andagain, this may have changed
because I left the classroom 10years ago.
But when I was teaching, we hadthis performance standard uh
evaluation every year.
And half of it was the principalcoming in and observing you and
like your actual teaching.
The other half was yourstudents' test scores.
(09:17):
And if your two to if yourstudents tested well, then you
got bumped up and got moremoney.
And if your students did not dowell, you did not get a raise.
SPEAKER_00 (09:27):
No, you're joking.
SPEAKER_01 (09:28):
I swear to God.
I swear to God.
So when you put that kind ofstress on the teachers,
automatically they're no fun.
We are not having any fun.
We have got to do scantrons.
That's what it becomes.
I didn't know that.
SPEAKER_00 (09:40):
And I've I've talked to teachers about funding before
and whether they just, you know,didn't know or or it's different
in every state.
But that is wow.
I mean, I get it because it'slike you need some way to
measure because these kids arethere all day and they're using
that as like a measurement forwhat is going on all day long.
(10:00):
But there's so many factorsbeyond a teacher's control to
what goes on in the classroom.
It just isn't like fair.
SPEAKER_01 (10:09):
I distinctly remember there were two years.
One year our air conditioningwent out in the room the morning
of the state test.
So, right there, I mean, we hadto go to a different room.
The, you know, our wholeschedule was all shifted, and
that could have impacted everysingle student's, you know,
focus and concentration thatday.
There was another year thelittle girl lost her sweater
(10:30):
that morning, and she wasdistraught.
Like she had just crumbledbecause she lost her sweater and
she was like worried her mom wasgonna be mad or whatever it may
have been.
But it she might have just beennervous.
And that one thing, you know,threw her off.
And like, who who knows?
I don't remember how she did iton the test, but well, I
wouldn't.
SPEAKER_00 (10:49):
And then you think of it right.
You think of it in terms ofthat, like, oh, that's just so
silly.
It was uh it was a sweater.
But when you are thinking aboutlike inner city schools or, you
know, kids that are theirparents are going through a
divorce, maybe, or I I have myfriend I always talk about her,
she's a teacher in Albany, andshe's like, uh Cheryl, I have
(11:10):
kids in my class that literallywatched their sibling get
murdered last week.
Um, I have ones that, you know,they they're molested at night,
like from mom's boyfriend.
You know, they're writing thisand or telling me, like the one
girl, I remember, oh God, Iremember the little girl's name
too.
The little girl would like tellher because it got a shock out
of people when she said thatwhatever the mom's boyfriend did
(11:34):
to her.
And so she actually would sayit.
And then it was to the pointwhere I was like, okay, is this
really happening?
Because you're you want to tellpeople because you like that you
get the attention andeverybody's like, oh my God, and
this and that.
So then, like, is she taking ittoo far?
But obviously, it somethinghappened because kids don't just
come out with that sort ofstuff.
And my friend who was a teacher,like, obviously, she was a
mandated reporter, so it wasreported, but she's like, it's
(11:57):
so impossible to get a childtaken away from a parent.
Like, you literally have towitness it happening, at least
in New York, to remove a childfrom the home because there's
just this whole investigationthat has to happen, and that
takes months.
And you know, you're questioningthis person and questioning that
person and questioning thechild, and it's like it just
(12:17):
doesn't happen overnight likeyou'd think it would, right?
And so she's like, I'm dealingwith this stuff.
None of these kids have normalupbringings, and then you're
throwing 30 of them in aclassroom all together, like
forget your sweater being lost.
SPEAKER_01 (12:32):
Like, well, it's when you put when you put all of
that into perspective,curriculum, you know, like your
standard, rigorous, whatever itis, is not the priority, you
know.
Social, emotional, having themfeel safe, making sure they're
fed, priority.
SPEAKER_00 (12:51):
I know.
And I just made a post today ofmy kids watching TV.
And I'm like, of course, becausewe've been sick too, and like we
just we watch entirely too muchTV here.
Like I regulate what they canwatch, but I'm like, I'm like,
oh I gotta shut this thing off.
I'm like, you know what?
Cheryl, okay, they are safe,they are loved, they are well
fed.
If at seven and three years old,like creature cases is on too
(13:16):
much.
I mean, is that the worst thinggoing on?
Because then I think back now,as I'm saying my friend's story
from when she was a um, I mean,she still is a teacher, but you
know what she told me, it'slike, yeah, all right, creature
cases isn't the biggest, it'snot going to make or break their
life's success.
SPEAKER_01 (13:33):
No, and there's seasons for those things.
And that's actually where theinspiration for my book came
from because we were, I was sixmonths pregnant and we were
moving from Florida to KansasCity the week between Christmas
and New Year's.
So it was just mass pandemonium,as you can imagine, packing up
and Christmas trees and presentsand and you know, hormones and
everything else.
SPEAKER_00 (13:54):
After three years of interviewing homeschooling
families, I realized howoverwhelming it can be to piece
everything together.
So I took the best advice, tips,questions, and resources that
I've learned along the way andput them into one practical
ebook.
If you're looking for a clearstarting point, you'll find the
link in this show's description.
SPEAKER_01 (14:15):
I think my kids, my then two and four-year-olds,
probably watched Cocoa Melonlike eight hours a day.
Cause it was like, guys, we needto pack.
You guys need to just stay inone spot and not hurt each
other.
SPEAKER_00 (14:28):
Yeah.
There are seasons, and that'sokay.
Yeah, absolutely.
And and it's funny now becausemy son, I mean, it's so cold
here in New York, but he stillwants to get outside all the
time.
Like he is just never one that'slike, oh, I'm gonna sit around
and watch TV all day.
The three-year-old, it's alittle bit harder.
Yes, I would like to just bereading books with her all day
long, but in a perfect world, Ithink I would gouge my eyes out
(14:51):
if that's what I would do too.
Um, you're right.
It is, it's it's not like thiswhen it's nice out and when
we're all healthy.
But yeah, it's like, all right,so they're they're not on a bus
with someone showing themsomething inappropriate on a
phone.
They're not having a shelter inplace drill.
Those are are a big thing for metoo, a big deterrent for school.
And I don't think people putenough emphasis on that.
(15:12):
What was that like as you wereteaching?
SPEAKER_01 (15:14):
So when I was teaching, it was right at the
same time as Sandy Hook.
And I remember being terrified,like in tears as a teacher to
these, you know, young kids andknowing that those were some of
the things that were happeningin the world.
And that's when the lockdowndrills really started.
And I remember we were inoutdoor school.
(15:35):
And I remember they would liketrain us as teachers, like to
put construction paper in thewindow of the door and turn the
lights off.
And we had to put all the kidsin like a closet in the hallway
in between the classrooms.
And it was wild to try anddownplay it to the kids, but
also like, guys, we're playing agame.
(15:58):
Like, we're gonna be quiet inhere.
Like, I want a snack.
So yeah, and it's interestingbecause we're in Colorado.
And Colorado is an amazing statefor homeschooling.
They are so, there are so manyoptions for homeschoolers, and a
lot of them are uh funded by thestate where you could do like a
(16:18):
one day a week program in allsorts of different things,
whether it's like a natureschool or a traditional school
or a classical school.
And the school that my girls goto one day a week, they have a
lockdown drill.
And they came to me and theykind of talked about it and was
like, well, what happened?
What did you do?
They're like, I don't know, theteachers turned off the lights
(16:39):
and we sat under the desk and itwas weird.
And then it was done.
So it's it was, I guess, atrade-off because that's
definitely something that Ididn't want my kids exposed to.
But I do love this program verymuch.
And I think it balances out ourhomeschooling world very well.
So hearing them recount theirexperience with it made me feel
(17:02):
a lot better that they didn'tfeel like something bad was
happening and they weren'tscared about it.
So I think it is a lot how it'shandled at the schools.
My daughter was more scared of afire drill.
Yeah, which I accidentally did.
SPEAKER_00 (17:16):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (17:16):
And I did a fire week.
SPEAKER_00 (17:19):
And I well, I think at home, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (17:21):
I was like, this is our homeschooling.
We're gonna do like a fire,like, we're gonna learn all
about like firemen and what firedrills are and where the fire
alarms are in the house.
And I like played a YouTubevideo of a fire alarm sound.
So they like knew what it was.
My five-year-old wastraumatized.
She woke up thinking the houseis on fire for a week.
I was like, oh my gosh, I'm sosorry.
I didn't mean to.
SPEAKER_00 (17:42):
That's what I wrote a children's book about that,
about how to talk to your kidsabout emergencies.
It's called Let's Talk.
I need to read that becauseapparently I'm just yeah.
And you know, I have to bring itout now because like since I've
written it, but like I haven'tbrought it back out in a while,
but it's like all of that stuff,how to safely do that.
So it's not, but I mean, Ididn't actually play an alarm in
(18:05):
the house.
I mean, maybe that's a goodidea.
I, you know what I did though?
I had it, I tested it.
I was like, this is we're justgonna put the tester on so you
guys know what it sounds like.
SPEAKER_01 (18:15):
Yeah.
And it wasn't even like thewhole house, it wasn't even like
the tester, like loud one.
It was just on my phone, and shewas still, she didn't like it.
But I feel like it's animportant conversation that you
do have to have.
SPEAKER_00 (18:27):
It is, and that's why I wrote a book about it
because I couldn't find anythingon it.
And I'm like, geez, we are soworried about like teaching them
how to read and write, but whatabout like their first and last
name?
What about mom's cell phonenumber?
Yeah.
What about how to break into aphone to call 911 if like
grandma has a stroke orsomething?
SPEAKER_01 (18:47):
Yeah, no, it's interesting because I never
really thought twice about it.
And then a friend of mine whosehusband goes away for work
often, who had two girls aboutthe same ages as mine, she was
telling me how she was liketraining her older one how to
call 911 and when to and why,like if mommy doesn't wake up or
whatever.
And I was like, that's somethingI'm supposed to be doing.
(19:08):
Like, I didn't know that.
So yeah, it was my first wake-upcall.
SPEAKER_00 (19:12):
Well, I'll send you a book since you sent me your
book.
I will send you mine.
Now tell me about your bookbecause it is so cute and it was
like, it's so cold here.
Although today was 36.
So it was actually really warmtoday compared to negative 18
the other day.
But um, your book is all aboutgetting out into like nature,
(19:34):
and I love that it comes withthe little pack with the water,
and I got to teach my son, no,my husband got to teach my son
how to use the compass.
It was so cute, and it just mademe want springtime so badly.
So, can you tell me a little bitabout like what inspired you to
write this book?
SPEAKER_01 (19:51):
Of course.
So I definitely released it thewrong time of year, but maybe it
is an inspiration.
So it's into the field,Tennessee summer, and it was
inspired right in that time thatI was talking about where my
daughters were spending a littlebit more time on screens than I
ever imagined that I would everallow.
And I started to actually seesigns of screen addiction, which
(20:12):
we all see a little bit, right?
When we turn off the cartoon andthere's tantrums and they're so
mad at us, no matter how manywarnings we give of like, okay,
five more minutes or last show,and then we're gonna turn off.
They became unhinged.
And they started to like, theywould prefer to be inside than
being outside and like all ofthose things that started to
(20:33):
make me go, this isn't, thisisn't right.
We need to be spending more timeoutside and taking more risks
and really tapping into oursenses outside of just TV,
right?
When we're inside, everything isoverstimulating, but when we're
outside, it's relaxing, right?
So in that shift, when we wereliving in Kansas City, we
(20:53):
started doing the thousand hoursoutdoor challenge and those
benefits and seeing them kind ofshed that screen addiction,
essentially, and they werebuilding their confidence, they
were making friends and willingto take risks, it was amazing to
see.
And I was reading this bookcalled Um Glow Kids.
I don't know if you've everheard about it, but it takes
(21:15):
that screen addiction.
Yes, such a good read.
It takes that screen addictionto the extreme.
And the author gives theseanecdotal records of children
that are playing, you know,Minecraft or Call of Duty or
whatever the video game is forlike 16 hours a day, all through
the night.
And they they actually becomecatatonic.
(21:37):
They're like unresponsive to theworld at times because they're
so their brain is so wired intowhat's happening in the game.
And they actually have to workthrough this in like sessions.
So I took that idea of theseextreme cases, and that was
where that the character Georgein the book is born.
(21:58):
And he is a video game.
Game kid, and he's trying totell his friends, the other two
characters, about this new gamethat he just started playing.
And they ask their mom, Oh, mom,can I play this, you know, new
video game my friend was tellingme about?
And in the essence of balancingscreen time, because that's what
it is, it's a balance.
The mom gives them permission toplay, and they actually get
(22:21):
transported into the game.
And this game is a hiking game.
So throughout it, they have touse their hiking skills, use
their experiences in thethousand-hour outdoor challenge
and teach their friend Georgehow to work through these
obstacles on the trails and innature in order to pass the
level and make it home.
So throughout that, they'relearning teamwork, they're
(22:43):
learning survival skills.
And I try to embed a lot ofeducational things in there so
that the kids are learning.
They're learning state names,they're learning animals and all
sorts of different things,compass skills, tricks when you
are lost in the woods orwhatever it may be, without them
really knowing, right?
Because that's whathomeschooling is all about,
being a little sneaky with whatyou're teaching them and letting
(23:05):
them unlock those passions andwhat they're excited about.
So I try to really embed that inand allow kids to explore
different things that they loveabout nature or whatever it may
be.
And what ages is this bookperfect?
So I would say, depending onreadability, it's gonna be like
four to 10 years old, going fromlike maybe reading it aloud to a
(23:25):
four-year-old, but they're gonnabe really excited about it to a
10-year-old who's still readingit that the their shorter
chapters, but still a little bitmore complex language than maybe
like a magic treehouse, which Ikind of relate it to a lot in
that readability, but slightlymore challenging and complex
language and literary skills.
(23:46):
Okay, awesome.
SPEAKER_00 (23:47):
Have you had you um been a writer before?
Or was this just a new endeavorthat you tried out?
SPEAKER_01 (23:53):
This is a new endeavor for me.
I taught writing when I was afourth grade teacher because you
know, I had to teach FCATwriting at the time.
But I always wanted to be awriter.
I can remember being a littlegirl on my bed, you know, typing
on the laptop, telling my mom Iwrote a story.
But this is the first time thatI finished a story and took it
all the way through to fruition.
(24:14):
And it has been so fun to notonly experience that for myself,
but also to see my daughters,and I mean my son too, but he
doesn't really.
He's still little, for them tosee for them to see what I'm
going through and that I'mworking towards this goal.
And they are so proud.
It's really inspiring to me tokeep going.
(24:36):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (24:36):
So how do you make that work with the balancing?
Because I know that's a hardpart for me with having like the
podcast and running theInstagram page.
And then when I, you know, I didwrite the children's book and
then I wrote an e-book based onwhat I've learned from talking
to homeschooling families.
And I really struggle with likefinding that balance because in
(24:57):
my mind, too, it's like, okay,the kids are still so young.
We don't have to spend a wholelot of time on book work or
anything.
But then you do kind of fallinto these like pitfalls where
like, oh, okay, well, it's stillyucky outside, it's still cold,
or you have the sniffles orwhatever.
And I mean, we do do a lot ofthings outside the home as far
as like, you know, groups thatwe meet up with and um like
(25:19):
ukulele lessons, gymnastics,dance, that sort of stuff,
wilderness class, biking.
So I guess like it's in there,but it's still a hard balance,
right?
Like, how do you find a good,healthy balance?
Do you have a lot of help fromyour husband or how do you make
it work?
SPEAKER_01 (25:35):
I am still trying to figure out how to make it work.
But my husband is verysupportive.
Um, and he works from home.
So we're able to kind of tagteam a lot where, you know, our
schedules kind of align.
But this is a little bit of anew juggle for me.
I finished the book in, I don'tknow, like October, November,
(25:56):
and started the Instagram pageand started promoting it and
started working towards, youknow, scheduling interviews and
book signings and differentthings like that to um to spread
the word.
And it is taking way more of mytime than I ever expected.
And my husband and I have had tohave a couple sit-downs of like,
okay, this is exciting.
This is, you know, a journey foryou, and we're working towards
(26:17):
this goal.
But homeschooling our kids isstill the priority, right?
So I'm working on that balanceof not letting this become a
full-time job because I neverimagined that it would be.
But like in my mind, I stillhave all these to-dos that I'm
like, this could definitely sitdown on my computer at 8 a.m.
and work until, you know, five.
(26:39):
But I try to schedule like a 9a.m.
start time for our lessons whenwe do have to, you know, get
specific things done each day.
And like you said, having thosescheduled outings that we go to
as far as like meeting up withtheir co-op or, you know, going
to the space foundation ordifferent things that we're
doing as well.
(26:59):
Uh I try to get most of it in inlike either after bedtime or
like that first hour aftercoffee, because getting my kids
to sit down right away afterbreakfast is not gonna happen.
Yeah.
So it kind of works out thatthey go play for like an hour,
get kind of get those wigglesout, and I bang out as much as I
can in that time.
But it is, it's a juggle.
(27:20):
And I felt really good about itat first, like, oh, look at me,
I'm doing all these things.
And then I started seeing thingsslip, and I'm just like, this is
hard, but we could do hardthings.
SPEAKER_00 (27:30):
Yeah, it is.
And then, like you said, yourkids look at you and they're so
uh like proud of you andinspired by you.
And I and that teaches themstuff too, right?
Like, you know, because I amhere to take care of you and
homeschool you, but I also havepassions and creativity that
I'm, you know, want to work onand develop.
(27:50):
So it definitely isn't becausebecause they them seeing that
it's gonna spark something inthem someday.
Quick thoughts to sharesomething that's been a great
fit for our homeschool.
My son, he's seven, and we buttheads if I am teaching him
directly.
So his reading and math are donemostly independently, and I'm
just there to support andcorrect when needed.
I really wanted him to learnmusic too, especially knowing
(28:12):
how closely music and readingare connected in the brain.
That's why we started usingSimply Piano.
He's learning to read music andplay piano on his own, using
songs he already knows andloves, and it feels more like a
game than a lesson.
It's been amazing to watch hisconfidence and skills grow.
If you want to check it out,grab the link in the show
description.
So it definitely is a hardbalance.
SPEAKER_01 (28:34):
It is.
And I have definitely letmotherhood, I'm gonna go ahead
and use the word consume me forthe first, you know, seven years
of it.
And it was really nice to findsomething that I was excited
about outside of that.
It it almost made me feel like Iwas finding a little bit of me
again.
You know what I mean?
(28:55):
Like that, that pre-mom me.
I don't know.
Yeah.
You know, it's it's it'sbalanced.
SPEAKER_00 (29:02):
Yeah.
And um, you know, I don't thinkthere's ever a right answer.
I I talk to many parents wholike they work from home and
they still homeschool, but it'snot that they have, you know,
the eight hours during the dayfree to just entertain their
kids either.
So it is, it's like you'reweighing you're weighing what uh
(29:23):
makes sense for you guys,especially like in the season
and in that.
But that's been a hard thing forme as well.
And, you know, I I I keepsaying, like, okay, well, it'll
get better in a couple of monthswhen, like when I get a schedule
going, when I get past thisproject, and when I can get a
little routine of what I need toget done, you know, and it
(29:44):
always seems like that partdoesn't come.
But, you know, I I look at mychildren, my seven-year-old son
more so because he's the onelike kind of out there like
doing his own thing.
And, you know, we do like todaywe were bowling and then he had
ukulele lessons and he went to afriend's house for a little bit
after.
And, you know, he we didn't sitdown and do any reading,
writing, or math yet.
(30:05):
I'll read to him um before bed.
I that's something I definitelystruggle with too, like making
sure we get in that readingtime.
But, you know, I I don't know, Ijust think about like what what
what was my life like when I wasseven?
You know, and I definitely didnot have parents that read to me
at night.
My mom was like, law and orderis on, get upstairs, go to bed
yourself, you know, probablywith her cigarette in her hand.
(30:27):
Um, you know, I school, justlike I said, I don't really
remember.
Like they would give me a test,and I'm like, I don't feel like
reading this.
This is a lot of reading.
I'm just gonna make designs inthe Scantron.
So it's like we can compare, Iguess we compare like what we
see on the Instagram pages.
Like, oh my gosh, look at thesewomen like reading to their kids
all day long.
Their children are are readingin Greek by the time they're
(30:50):
eight.
That's probably not the realitythough.
SPEAKER_01 (30:53):
I'm thinking I'm gonna go out on a live and say
it's not the reality.
I do love that shift inInstagram of seeing a little bit
more of that real life, youknow, seeing, you know, messy
houses and kids being crazy.
And I I try to participate inthat with my Instagram page
because again, I'm kind of newto Instagram.
(31:14):
I mean, obviously not new, youknow, completely, but my husband
would scroll more than me.
And like I use Facebook for justlike homeschool groups, but I
never really dipped into socialmedia like I did now.
And it it has been kind of fun.
A little content therapy, I usedto call it, or I guess I still
do, uh, where it, you know, as asay a home mom, as a homeschool
(31:35):
mom, it can be really lonely andcomparing yourself, like you
said, to, you know, other momsyou're seeing.
So it's really nice to see momsthat you can connect with and
feel like, okay, they're in thesame boat, or okay, like this
feeling is not unusual to feeloverwhelmed or, you know, doubt
yourself or whatever it may be,and to just find that community
(31:56):
in there has been kind of fun.
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (31:58):
And especially for like the reading, you know, my
son's seven.
I think you said you have asecond grader as well.
Yeah.
So yeah, she'll be eight nextweek, I think.
And for him, like the readingtook it took until he was seven.
He's now just getting the hangof reading.
And for a while, I was like, Ohmy gosh, like I'm not doing
enough.
(32:18):
And then, like you said before,you try to sit them down and do
stuff, and they're like, I don'twant to do it.
And then you're putting the badconnotation around it.
Uh it really is hard.
And I I try to step back and sayto myself, like, listen, I'm
getting stressed about itbecause I care.
And like, if I didn't care atall, then that probably would be
the problem.
(32:39):
I think realizing that they'reall gonna get there in their own
time, they're all justindividual kids.
Sometimes girls read earlier onthan boys, they just want to be
out running around.
It's like synapses in the brainthat have to make the
connections before, you know, orelse you are you are making it a
chore for them and they're notgoing to actually enjoy reading.
And even now, my son will say, Ican't wait till I don't have to
(33:00):
do schoolwork anymore.
And I'm like, You shouldn't wantto learn.
SPEAKER_01 (33:04):
It's it's I know, and I tried to avoid that.
It is.
And like I mentioned, I tried toavoid that so as I I tried so
hard to make sure that there wasalways this like positive light
on like sitting down andlearning.
And I have failed at that too,because that my daughter will
come to me and be like, it'sSaturday, we don't have to do
school.
And I'm like, Well, this is whywe homeschool, because we didn't
(33:26):
do school like Tuesday,Wednesday, or Thursday this
week.
So yeah, I mean, having thatflexibility, but you know, it's
it's they're having to dosomething they don't want to do.
SPEAKER_00 (33:36):
Yeah.
Right.
So that and that's what I neverheard it like put that way is
the human condition.
Like anything that you areforced to do, you probably don't
want to do, right?
Like you might love cooking, butwhen you have to cook for people
three times a day, seven days aweek, 365 days a year, and then
most of the time they turnaround and say, I don't want to
(33:58):
eat this.
You're like, ah, you just don'twant to do it anymore.
So yeah.
Were you gonna say something?
SPEAKER_01 (34:04):
Yeah, my I remember my sister when she was looking
for a job, she loved music.
And she was moving to LA and shehad a choice between should I
pursue like a movie career or amusic career?
And she was like, I'm gonna gofor the movie career because I
love music too much.
And if it's my job, I might notlove it anymore.
And I'm like, that's totallytrue.
(34:26):
Once it comes into the movies,it loses a little bit of fun.
Well, she's working with movies,but she's not in movies.
So yes, she is she's a publicistfor Disney.
Cool, very cool.
SPEAKER_00 (34:38):
Oh, that's exciting.
So, okay, why don't we we uhtalk a little bit more about
like what are your plans for thefuture for your book?
What have been some of thefeedback that you've gotten so
far?
It is uh so cute.
My son and I started reading it,and like I said, it just made me
want to get outside and like bewarm out.
Like, please, please get over 40to smell the snow, go play.
SPEAKER_01 (35:00):
So that is that is my goal with it.
That was my intention.
I wanted it to kind of sparkthat fire for kids to want to
get outside and play.
So this was the first book inwhat I hope to become a series
where each of the books travelto a different state.
So throughout the series, thekids are gonna be learning a
little bit more about the UnitedStates and geography.
(35:22):
And I don't know, maybe it'll gointernational one day.
But I'm already about halfwaythrough the second book, which
is gonna be Colorado Campground.
So my daughter still asks mejust about every night or every
day if I am gonna work onColorado Campground.
And I'm like, one day, honey, Iwill get back to it.
One thing at a time.
SPEAKER_00 (35:40):
Yeah.
Oh, that's fun.
SPEAKER_01 (35:41):
So are where you're in Kansas City right now?
So we moved from Kansas City toColorado.
So it was a wild three years.
We lived in three states inthree years.
So we are settled in Coloradonow, and that is where we will.
And yeah, I bet the campingthere is awesome.
It is.
It's amazing.
The last time we went camping,my daughter and I went for a
(36:02):
run.
And as we're, as we're going,she's giving me all these ideas.
And she's like, when you writethis book, you need to make sure
you include this.
And then when you do the fourthbook, you'll have it be like
this.
And then when you do the fifthbook, they'll do this.
She's got the whole thing mappedout in her mind.
It is the cutest thing ever.
And I mean, I really should havelisted my daughters as
(36:25):
additional authors because theyinspired so much of this story.
And I would, after bedtime, Iwould write out a chapter based
on, you know, whatever hike wedid or inspired by something
that was going on in our life atthat time.
And then I would read it to themthe next day and they would give
me input on, you know, well, Idon't think the I don't think
Claire would say that.
(36:45):
I think she would say it likethis, mom.
Or I think Claire should bewearing this.
So they they had some reallycute input.
That is adorable.
SPEAKER_00 (36:54):
And that is like, you know, just I don't know.
That's so cool for them.
They can see that this can be areal career of theirs someday
too, you know.
I love that.
I love the the whole, it's justfull circle.
So what what do you see longterm for your kids for
homeschooling?
Like, is this something you planon sticking with long term?
What if they come to you one dayand are like, mom, I really want
(37:15):
to go to school?
Have you thought about that?
SPEAKER_01 (37:17):
Gosh, I'm so guilty of using going to school as like
a threat.
I'm the worst.
I'm so sorry.
I know I'm not supposed to doit, but I more than once have
been like, honey, if you're notgonna sit down for this lesson,
you're gonna be going to schoolsix hours a day.
So it's so funny because when westarted homeschooling, we were
just like, oh, you know, we'lljust homeschool the early years
(37:39):
and then by like second grade,we'll send them to traditional
school.
And then our reasons tohomeschool kind of evolved from
that, you know, let them play,let them be kids, they're
pushing them too hard.
And now it's, you know, bodyimage and building friendships
and what are you being exposedto in schools?
And, you know, we think aboutthat projection as we move
(38:02):
forward.
And like it just seems likethere's a new and very valid
reason to homeschool at everygrade level.
So as far as we're concerned,we're in it for the long haul.
And I mentioned um the programthat we're in actually has a
middle school, like collegepathways program where starting
in, I forget if it's sixth orseventh grade, they they
(38:24):
actually become dual enrolled atthe local college and they like
start building their schedulesand figuring out where they're
gonna go and what they want tolearn about.
And it just is a really greatopportunity for them where we're
at.
And we love that balance.
So we're in it.
SPEAKER_00 (38:44):
And do you guys have funding available in Colorado
for homeschoolers?
SPEAKER_01 (38:49):
Yeah.
Not for the families, but forthose programs.
So depending on which programyou choose, there's like whether
you want to do a nature schoolor a Charlotte Mason school or a
Waldorf school, there's there'sdifferent options that are
funded.
Do you have all those schooloptions for homeschoolers there?
When we were moving here, it wasthat time of year where you're
(39:10):
supposed to be like enrollingyour kid in whatever like
homeschool enrichment programthey call them that you wanted
to.
And we were living in KansasCity and I remember being like
panicked, like, I can't pick onefrom so far away.
And we made a trip specificallyto like tour different
homeschool enrichment programs.
Cause me at the time, like Iwould enroll my kids in anything
(39:31):
and everything.
Like you said, like ukuleleclass or gymnastics or music
class.
And I was like, it's a freeclass.
We need to, I need to beenrolled in this.
Like, I need to make surethey're taking advantage of
this.
And I toured the nature schooland I was like, we're gonna be,
she's gonna be outside all day.
Like, it's gonna be awesome.
And she hated it.
She was like, absolutely not.
I'm not going there.
And then she toured thetraditional school where like
(39:53):
she has to wear a uniform andlike say the Pledge of
Allegiance and sit in a desk allday.
And I was like, I don't know, Idon't even think we should tour
this place.
Like, this is crazy.
And she loved it so much to thepoint where I was like, honey,
what do you love about it?
She was like, Mommy, I'm gonnahave a desk.
SPEAKER_00 (40:07):
I was like, that's like literally we're looking for
that's why I'm homeschoolingyou.
SPEAKER_01 (40:15):
Are we doing this wrong?
I don't know.
But it's one day a week.
I can get you a desk, honey.
But it's yeah, and it's one,it's one day a week.
And um, they just teach languagearts and like art music, PE.
So they like have all thespecials that a traditional
school would have, and then theyjust teach like writing and
language arts.
And I was like, that's kind ofawesome because I don't like
(40:36):
teaching phonics, so they cankind of take that off of me and
we'll do like all theexperiential, like touring
restaurants and going to thefirehouse and like doing all of
that cool stuff.
They could do phonics.
SPEAKER_00 (40:49):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (40:50):
Phonics is nice.
SPEAKER_00 (40:51):
I'm ready to offload.
I did we do an online programfor reading right now.
Uh, I've done the the stuffwhere I physically teach him,
and this just seems to beworking better.
Katie, I am going to link all ofyour the references to your book
and your Instagram page in theshow's description.
Why don't you just tell us realquick where people can find you
(41:12):
if they want to check out yourbook right now?
SPEAKER_01 (41:14):
Okay, so uh Into the Field, Tennessee Summer is on
sale pretty much anywhere booksare sold online.
So Amazon, Barnes Noble, justwhen you are typing it in, Into
the Field Tennessee Summer.
You have to start typing in thatTennessee Summer because Into
the Field is just a little toopopular.
I didn't think it all the waythrough.
But I'm also in the middle of alittle bit of a virtual book
(41:35):
club on my Instagram page.
So every Friday for the nextcouple of weeks, I'm going to
release extension activitiesthat can be done with the book.
So all of the homeschoolers outthere are gonna love this.
I know I love stuff like this.
Uh, we once you read likechapter one, it's going to have
discussion questions,comprehension questions,
(41:56):
science, social studies, art,life skills, all tied up in a
little bow.
Like chapter one, one of theactivities is making mud pies
outside, which we're not doingright now because it's 36
degrees.
But those will be released everyFriday for the next couple of
weeks.
Chapter one is already out.
SPEAKER_00 (42:13):
Cool.
All right, so all everything islinked in the show's
description.
Check that out.
Katie, thank you so much forbeing here today.
This has been so much fun.
I loved being here with you.
Thank you for having me.
Thank you for listening to theHomeschool How To Podcast.
If today's episode helped you,please be sure to follow the
(42:34):
show and leave a review.
It's the best way to support thepodcast.
And if you're just gettingstarted or need a reset, head to
thehomeschoolhowtu.com and grabmy free 30-day homeschool quick
start guide.
Until next time, keep learning,keep questioning, and thank you
for your love of the nextgeneration.
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