9 Must Hear Interviews with Homeschool Graduates
One of the unfortunate parts of the early homeschool movement was that parents didn’t have the chance to interview a homeschool graduate over lunch. There were none! It was a real gamble to decide to homeschool. Nowadays however, there are so many homeschool graduates who are happy to share their success stories with you.
On the Homeschool Made Simple podcast, Carole Joy Seid has interviewed nine homeschool graduates who were homeschooled using her approach. They have all launched from their family home and set off on their own adventures!
Each of these homeschool graduates demonstrates various aspects of the Homeschool Made Simple method including a love for literature, freedom to pursue their own interests, cultivation of community, loyalty to family ties, and a deep love for God.
If you’re looking for evidence that homeschooling works, here you go! Listen to these nine amazing men and women share their stories in the interviews below.
Becoming a Lifelong Learning
Homeschooling is so powerful, because of its ability to be customized. Rather than fit a child to a form, we are able to form the education to fit the child. Thereby allowing the child to become the person they were made to be.
When we approach education with this tailor-made mindset, we experience the true benefits of homeschooling. Regardless of how long a child is homeschooled, the opportunity to follow their own interests and become a lifelong learner will change their educational trajectory.
In this first episode, we hear a conversation with Luciano Arroyo of how being homeschooled completely changed his educational path from one of failure to success. And the amazing thing is, Luciano didn’t even begin homeschooling until sixth grade!
A Love for Literature
The average American reads less than 12 books a year. This tells us most people do not enjoy reading. If they did, they would read more! It has been said that readers are leaders, and so if we want to raise children who lead, we need to raise children who read.
At Homeschool Made Simple, we believe the core of a great curriculum is book, books, and more great books!
In this next interview, Lizzie Frykman shares how homeschooling using great books and history as the spine of her curriculum cultivated a true love for literature that continues on to this day. She and Carole connected over their favorite books and which ones they would grab if the house were on fire!
A Deep Love for God
A primary reason we homeschool is so that we can disciple our children to know and love God. In America, our constitutional rights to homeschool are largely based on religious freedom. And so we desire to use the time we have to teach our children about God and how to walk with him.
Sienna DeMoss talks about her family’s story of starting to homeschool and what she considers to be the most important parts of homeschooling. Sienna wanted to have a greater understanding of the Bible and decided to go to Bible college before attending Liberty University.
We have the opportunity to enrich our children’s spiritual lives as we spend each day with them and teach them from a biblical worldview.
Pursuing Their Own Interests
When we let a child pursue their own interests, we cultivate a love of learning that endures. A child allowed to follow curiosity also has greater ownership of what they learned, because they haven’t been made to learn the things they know. They were genuinely interested, and so they learned.
In this next episode, Frankie Beck shares about what happens when parents give their children the freedom to pursue their own interests at their own pace. You’re going to love hearing from him! It is one of our most listened to episodes. The innate motivation to learn is amazing!
The Gift of Learning with Parents
Many of the families represented in these interviews didn’t start out planning to homeschool. However, over time, they felt convicted to embrace the God-given responsibility to educate their own children.
Natalia Barba shares how her parents, who are both lawyers, made the decision to homeschool and some of the sacrifices they made along the way. Though it wasn’t easy, their whole family is so glad they stepped out in faith to homeschool.
Natalia’s parents, along with her two sisters, are some of her favorite people. The gift of learning with parents is that love is spelled T-I-M-E, and nothing can ever replace that time spent together.
Cultivating Community
It might surprise you to know that homeschooled children are some of the most sociable people out there! While many folks are concerned about homeschoolers being socialized, it is actually not a point of concern at all.
The best people to teach a child what it means to be human are not in fact peers but adults. For this reason, most homeschoolers become meaningful members of their community.
In this next episode, Joaquin Arroyo shares his own experience of being homeschooled from 6th grade through high school. After graduation, he ended up going to Cornell University. Many would be concerned about people at Ivy League schools being antagonistic to the faith, but Joaquin has found something different.
He is connecting with Christian community right where he is and flourishing.
Homeschool for High School
A lot of families feel intimidated by the thought of homeschooling through the high school years. They start feeling the pressure to outsource education as their kids become teenagers. However, the teen years are the golden years!
When Katherine Frykman was asked if she was glad she was homeschooled for high school she answered, “I’m so glad! Not going to school in high school opened up a lot of doors that would not have opened otherwise. It provided opportunities I wouldn’t have had. I’ve never regretted not going to school for high school!”
Listen to her full story below!
Does It Reallly Work?
In the Stone Age of the homeschool movement, a family in Iowa asked Carole to help them homeschool their children. She did, and now those children are grown with children of their own. And miracle of miracles, they are homeschooling their children with the same Homeschool Made Simple method!
In this episode, Kathy Mitchell shares about the value of a literature based approach to education and how it prepared her for college at Pepperdine University and ongoing work as a graphic designer.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and Kathy’s story will be all the proof you need that this simple, inexpensive, and enjoyable approach to education actually works!
It’s Never Too Late
Perhaps you think it’s too late to homeschool, because your child is already in high school. But Vidal Arroyo’s story shows it is never too late to begin homeschooling. He was homeschooled for only one year – his senior year of high school. However, he credits that year with still making a difference in his educational experience. Spoiler alert: Vidal ended up being a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.
Take the Next Step in Homeschooling
