Homeschool Coffee Break

What if adding more to your homeschool day is actually hurting your kids' education? More activities, more workbooks, more subjects — it sounds like the right move, but it may be doing the opposite of what you think. There's a better way, and it's simpler than you'd expect.
In this episode, we dig into why doing less in your homeschool can lead to more real learning — and how to start making that shift today. Here's what we cover:
✅Why piling on more subjects and activities produces less actual education (not more)
✅How to replace a workbook with 1 simple question that builds real thinking skills
✅The power of going deep into one topic — and why your kids will actually enjoy learning again
✅Why you need to stop asking "did we finish everything?" — and what to ask instead
✅The Charlotte Mason method that helps kids retain more with shorter, focused lessons
You don't have to do it all. Listen to this episode and walk away with a simpler, more intentional homeschool day — starting tomorrow.
👉 Grab the free Read, Write, Discuss chart in the show notes and start using it this week!
Resources for You
Free Read, Write, Discuss Chart
How to Simplify Your Homeschool (free 3-day video course)
Show Notes:
What If Doing Less Actually Gave Your Kids a Better Education?
What if the reason you feel overwhelmed as a homeschool mom is because you're trying to do too much? And what if doing less actually gave your kids a better education? Today we're going to talk about a problem that I think many homeschool moms have. They want their kids to have the best education, so they just keep adding and adding and adding. And all you're doing is strangling your kids' love for learning and setting them up to have a bad attitude.
We Left Public School But Brought It With Us
Here's what happens. We leave the public school system, but we bring it with us. We don't like what they did or are doing, but we bring it with us anyway. Traditional schools are designed to cover material. They produce followers. They produce workers.
The Industrial Revolution changed education. They wanted workers. They wanted people that would follow. They didn't want thinkers, they did not want leaders — they wanted workers to come to work and not question. And that's the model you're following when you do the same things as the public school or the traditional grade-level model. It's not designed for deep understanding.
People say, oh, that one-room schoolhouse — they didn't learn hardly anything. But they learned a lot more in the one-room schoolhouse than I think our kids do today. They had kids at different levels, and an 8-year-old might hear something that a 12-year-old was learning and pick it up right alongside them.
Charlotte Mason Had It Right — Go Deep, Not Wide
Charlotte Mason emphasized short lessons, but go deep. Her students retained more because they engaged deeply. How about today? Are you just trying to get through the checklist and get through everything? Or do you focus on one topic deeply?
Especially with older kids and teenagers — and this is something we talk about in our Raising Leaders course — they need to pick a topic and dive deep into it. Maybe for a whole month. If a kid likes motorcycles, he can do the science of motorcycles, the math of motorcycles, the history of motorcycles, he can draw some motorcycles. There's a lot you can do with one topic. And when you let them choose, they take ownership. They dive deep. And they're going to learn their math, they're going to learn science — all of it.
With younger kids, you can still do the same thing. It's called a unit study. Read some books, do some hands-on activities, watch some videos. Because here's the thing — we think if we give them a whole lot to do, they're learning. But that's not really the case. Your kids take a test on Friday and forget it by Monday. That's not real learning.
More Activities Can Actually Produce Less Education
When we have a lot of activities and a lot to cover in a day, more really produces less education. Kids are rushing to get it all done. They're not taking time to think about it. They're in information overload and they're not retaining the information. It's just a checklist. It's the conveyor belt. It's a productivity system — and I know you want something better for your kids. You want a true education.
My son Hunter didn't do math from 1st grade to 5th grade, and he caught up in a year and a half. When we put him in private school in 10th grade, he won the math award for the whole school. So go figure. It's okay to not do every subject every day.
Even when I was a public school teacher, we didn't do every subject every day. I taught social studies, the teacher next door taught science, and we would flip-flop every three weeks. My kids got social studies for three weeks, then science for three weeks.
Practical Things You Can Do Right Now
First, if you've got a bunch of workbooks — stop the workbooks. Use real books, like Charlotte Mason talks about. Read together, use it for copy work, use it for dictation, notebooking, narration back. Narrate orally. If you've got younger kids, let them write a narration in a notebook. As they get older, keep a reading journal where they write about whatever they're reading. It's very simple and you can do it in any subject that you have a book. You could even do it with a movie you watch together or a newspaper.
As your kids get older, I really encourage you to use our Read, Write, Discuss method. Every day they read. Every day they write one page in their journal. And once a week, you have a discussion about whatever book you're reading together.
Another thing you can do is cut one assignment today. No workbook page, no nothing. Instead, replace that one assignment with — tell me what you learned, and what do you think about it. Let them talk. Most kids would rather sit and talk about it than do a workbook. Those workbooks strangle them and bring bad attitudes, I think.
Stop Asking "Did We Finish Everything?"
That question puts pressure on your kids. That is a source of bad attitude. I'm a Labor Day to Memorial Day schooler, and wherever we were at Memorial Day, we took the summer off and picked right back up on Labor Day. We still learned. My kids were still being educated — they just weren't doing the formal reading and writing, but wherever we were in our subjects, we just picked it right back up.
Instead of asking, did we finish everything — ask this instead. Did my child think today? If they didn't, they're just regurgitating information.
At dinner tonight, ask — what's the one thing that stood out to you today? Or what was your high and your low? Even a 3-year-old can answer that. When you hear what stood out to them, you begin to see inside your child's mind and their heart about what they are truly learning. And you might be able to pursue it in ways you didn't even think about.
Leaders think deeply. They don't need to think widely. Focus on fewer subjects, but go deep in each one of them. Quit doing more. Do less subject areas, and go deep.
In the show notes, I have our Read, Write, Discuss chart — grab that here. I also have our How to Simplify Your Homeschool three-day video course. They're very short videos, less than five minutes each, and each one has an activity you can do. It's for you, Mom — to help you simplify and stop the overwhelm.

Are you constantly wondering if you're doing enough — or panicking that your kids are falling behind? The stress and overwhelm you're feeling as a homeschool mom may not be a "you" problem. It's 3 sneaky lies you've been believing, and it's time to let them go.
In this episode, we break down the 3 biggest lies homeschool moms believe and how to flip the script so you can finally homeschool with confidence. Here's what we cover:
✅Why "I'm not doing enough" is keeping you stuck in busywork that doesn't actually help your kids
✅The truth about "falling behind" — and why your timeline is the only one that matters
✅Why chasing the perfect curriculum is costing you peace (and your kids' love of learning)
✅The simple 3-step process that replaces overwhelm with intention — no perfect curriculum required
✅1 question to ask yourself this week that changes how you see your whole homeschool
Stop second-guessing yourself. Listen to this episode and walk away with a simpler, more purposeful way to homeschool.
Grab the free Read, Write, Discuss chart in the show notes and start using it this week!
Resources for You
Free Read, Write, Discuss Chart
How to Simplify Your Homeschool (free 3-day video course)
Show Notes:
The Struggle Is Real
Are you ending your school day thinking, did we even do enough today? Or even worse, you're thinking, am I messing this up completely? What if I told you the problem isn't you? It's the beliefs that you've been handed over the years and through your own schooling.
Today, we're going to be talking about the 3 biggest lies that homeschool moms believe, and how we can correct them. Because a lot of times, the stress and the overwhelm that we feel, we are putting on ourselves. And it all starts up here in our mind.
Lie #1: I'm Not Doing Enough
A lot of y'all are really worried. Am I doing enough? Am I doing the right activities? You feel behind, so then you add more, and more, and more, and you live right there, constantly second-guessing yourself.
This belief comes from the public school mindset. You left a school system, and yet you're bringing it with you, and you're comparing yourself to the school system. And that's not going to help you whatsoever.
Thomas Edison was labeled difficult in school. His mom pulled him out and taught him at home differently. She did not do the same kinds of things they were doing in school, and he actually became one of the greatest inventors in history. He didn't need more and more school. He didn't need more and more activities. He needed a different kind of education, a better kind of education.
Here's something I want you to do — today or tomorrow. Ask yourself about your activities. Is this helping my child think? Or is it just completing something? Checking off that checklist that someone else gave you.
I am not opposed to a checklist, as long as it's your checklist — not a curriculum scope and sequence where you gotta make sure you get everything done every single day. If your kids have bad attitudes, that's probably one reason. So stop checking off someone else's list.
If it's just a completion activity, that means it's optional. It may not even be helpful. Ask yourself: does this build character in my kids? Does it help them think? Does it help them learn? If it doesn't, maybe get rid of all that busy work, because they're not retaining much of it anyway.
You don't need more school. You just need a different kind of education. Start looking at ways you can develop your kids into thinkers.
Lie #2: My Kids Are Falling Behind
Behind whom? Seriously. The public school system should not be your standard. Other homeschoolers should not be your standard. Don't get on social media and start comparing yourself. Your kids are all unique. Your family is unique. You need to look at what is best for your kids.
My youngest, Hunter, did not do a formal math curriculum until sixth grade. When he started in 6th grade, he caught up in a year and a half to grade level. He did not do math for 5 years, and he turned out okay. We did send him to a private Christian school in high school — his first year in 10th grade, he won the Math Award. He wasn't falling behind. I was doing what was best for him. He needed to focus on language. He didn't like reading, and we were going to work on that.
My daughter, Gentry, we took off of math for a whole year around 7th grade. Her attitude was not good, she didn't like it at all — but no math. For a year. Did she fall behind? No. She finished in time. In fact, in college, she would help her friends do their math homework and tutor them, because she knew the tools.
Abraham Lincoln had less than one year of formal schooling. He was self-educated through reading and discussion. He wasn't behind, because they didn't really compare. He just had a different and more powerful path of education.
You care enough to homeschool your kids. They are not going to fall behind.
When I think about Abraham Lincoln, it reminds me of the process that we teach our moms — Read, Write, Discuss. It's so simple. You don't even need a curriculum. You can use any book — a book about music, history, science, even math. You read about it every day, you write in your journal or do narration, and then you discuss it once a week. Super simple.
I have a free chart in the show notes you can download to help you get started with our Read, Write, Discuss process.
Lie #3: I Need the Perfect Curriculum
I know a lot of you — this is coming out in April — you're getting ready for the next school year and you're like, I don't know what to do. I'm not opposed to all curriculum, but just have a reason. If all it is is checking off the boxes, that's not a very good reason to get it. And for many of you, you bought, you switched, and then you tried again, and you're just constantly in flux and not really sticking with anything.
Curriculum doesn't educate. Curriculum doesn't create leaders or prepare kids for life. Thinking does. What are you doing to encourage your kids to think well? One of our goals in homeschooling was to think biblically and to think critically. You don't need the perfect curriculum. You have the freedom to do whatever.
What to Do This Week
Stop searching for new. Use what you already have. But in the process, ask better questions, or let your kids narrate back what they learned. That encourages a thinking skill.
Here's another secret — don't answer your own question. Give your kids time to think.
There is a completely different and better way to homeschool that removes all three of those lies. Take a step back and start asking questions. You can do it. You don't need a curriculum, and you don't need a checklist. You just need the right tools and the right process to go along with what you're already doing.
Resources Mentioned
📥 Free Read, Write, Discuss Chart — Download it here free to get started with our simple process right away.
🎥 How to Simplify Your Homeschool — This free 3-day video course goes right along with everything we talked about today. Grab it at here and see if it gets you going!

What if your child graduated with straight A's but had no wisdom, no courage, and no character? Grades were never meant to be the real goal — and this episode is going to challenge everything you thought homeschooling was supposed to accomplish.
We are breaking down why character education is the foundation your homeschool actually needs, and sharing 3 practical ways to start building it in your home this week:
✅Why curriculum delivers information but character determines everything else
✅1 question to ask at dinner tonight that builds character, ownership and leadership
✅How to focus on just one character quality for 3 to 4 months without overwhelm
✅Why a single Bible verse can do more for your child than any curriculum can
✅The tool that helps your whole family work on character together every single day
Grab the Character Training Toolkit mentioned in this episode and start building what really matters in your homeschool.
Resources for You
Character Training Toolkit (charts, e-book, videos)
Free Character Mini Chart
Show Notes:
The Real Goal of Homeschooling: Raising Kids with Godly Character
If your child graduates with straight A's but lacks wisdom, character, and courage — have you really succeeded? Grades were never meant to be the goal of education. Today I want to talk about the real goal of homeschooling.
God Uses Young Leaders — Not Just Good Test Takers
When we go back and look at Scripture, we see repeatedly that God does use young leaders. But these leaders aren't necessarily ones that just passed the test. It goes so much deeper than that.
David led Israel as a young man. He killed Goliath with some rocks. Daniel influenced kings through wisdom and character. They both had godly character and they had faith.
We have the freedom to raise thinkers, leaders, and disciples. And that is exactly what we should be doing.
Here's the thing. Curriculum delivers information. Character determines how that information is used. Let me repeat that. Curriculum delivers information. Character determines how that information is used.
The Story of William Wilberforce
I want to tell you a little story about a man named William Wilberforce. His dad died when he was 9, so his mom sent him to London to live with his aunt and uncle. They were believers, and there was a lot of Christian influence in the home.
He was exposed to a man named George Whitfield and became a believer himself at the age of 12. He also became friends with John Newton — for those of you who don't know who John Newton is, he wrote Amazing Grace. He was a slave trader who turned pastor. Wilberforce started seeking spiritual counsel from John Newton.
And he said this: God had set before me two objects — the suppression of the slave trade, the reformation of manners.
This took a lot of courage. Christian worldview drives out slavery — it is an anti-slavery mission. But this cause was very unpopular in Parliament back in the day.
Wilberforce became the target of ridicule, political attacks, and even assassination threats. People wanted to kill him because he wanted to get rid of the slave trade. Admiral Nelson was so irate that he actually pummeled Wilberforce on the street.
Twenty Years of Perseverance
He began in 1793. He introduced an abolition bill. It failed by 8 votes. Then he had a new bill banning British ships from the slave trade. It failed by 2 votes. His political allies began to abandon him, but he continued to introduce abolition bills year after year.
Twenty years of influencing public opinion. And he began to see the tide turn against the evils of slavery.
Fast forward to February 23, 1807. He's in the House of Commons. The room rose to its feet, turned to Wilberforce, and began to cheer — three rousing Hip Hip Hoorays — while Wilberforce sat with his head bowed and wept. He was so overcome. The vote passed 283 to 16.
They had abolished the British slave trade.
That's the kind of person I want my kids to be. And I'm sure you want your kids to be strong in their faith but also strong in character. That is the character of a leader — faith-driven purpose, moral courage, perseverance despite failure after failure, a long-term vision, and a leadership stand that protects millions of lives.
How to Build Godly Character in Your Kids
So how can we take this story and apply it to you? I believe we need to be raising our kids to have courage, perseverance, and endurance. And I think we take it off of our shoulders and put it on God's shoulders to train our kids in godly character. It was godly character that got Wilberforce through 20 years.
I wouldn't try to tackle every character quality at once. I would choose one character quality that your kids need to work on and spend 3 or 4 months on it. Find a verse that reinforces that godly character. Let your kids memorize it and say it every morning at breakfast. And then, when they struggle and they don't do it, you bring them back to that verse. It's always back to God's words — not my words.
One of the things we have put out is our Character Training Toolkit. There are three charts, and they all have the positive and the negative — for example, truthful and cheating. There's a space to write what happens when they're truthful and what happens when they're cheating, a verse, and you've already decided ahead of time what you're going to do. It also comes with mini charts you can put on the refrigerator, so everyone in the house is working on it together. I'll put a link to that in the show notes.
Simple Dinner Table Questions That Develop Character
Another thing you could do is at dinner tonight ask, what is one good decision you made today? This trains your kids to think about their character. It trains them to take ownership and leadership of their character.
It forces them to think about how their day went. A low could be that they sinned and they need to confess it. A high may be that they were truthful and received a blessing. These types of activities develop ownership and leadership — and that's what I want in my kids. They didn't need to be dependent on me for the rest of their life.
The Question to Ask About Every Curriculum Choice
As you look at resources for your homeschool — whether it's curriculum or whatever — use this question: Will this help my child become wiser? Or just busier?
Is it just checking off a checklist so they can get a grade? Or are you truly building wisdom in your children? Great homeschooling parents protect curiosity, character, and independent thinking — which leads to ownership and leadership.
Your homeschool is not just preparing your kids for college or a job. You are raising thinkers, leaders, influencers, and disciples.
Character was one of the most important things for me. Besides a relationship with God, that is what I wanted for my kids — to think biblically and critically, and to act according to the Bible as well.
Check the show notes for links to the Character Training Toolkit, the Leaders in Training series, the e-book on manners, and the other resources mentioned in this episode.
If you got one thing out of this episode, would you please share it with another homeschooler or Christian parent who could use it? And wherever you're listening, leave a review or a comment — that would mean the world to me.

Does your child pass the test on Friday and forget everything by Monday? That is not real learning — and this episode is going to show you exactly how to tell the difference.
We are breaking down 2 powerful tools that reveal whether real learning is actually happening in your homeschool, and why ditching the test might be the best decision you make this year:
✅Why tests measure short-term memory, not actual understanding
✅The 2 tools that reveal what your child is truly learning
✅How ONE simple question after any lesson builds thinking skills
✅Why https://howtohomeschoolmychild.com/177younger and older kids need different assessment approaches
✅The one daily habit that turns reading into deep, lasting learning
Grab the free resource mentioned in this episode and go even deeper into the process that makes real learning stick.
Resources for You
Free 3-Step Thinking Process Chart
Raising Leaders, Not Followers Course
Factory Model Education: Why Homeschool Moms Feel Overwhelmed
How to Break Out of the Homeschool Trap
Show Notes:
Do Kids Really Need Tests? How to Know If Real Learning Is Happening
Hey, let's be honest — your child could pass the test on Friday and forget everything by Monday, right? So if that's true, how do we know if real learning is even happening? That's what we're going to talk about today.
Some of you really do worry: Are my kids learning anything? Are they going to turn out okay? Will they be prepared for life?
Testing Measures Memory, Not Wisdom
We tend to think tests are the way to go. We just need to give them a test and find out. But testing often measures short-term memory, not wisdom — not long-term memory.
One of my goals for our kids was to think wisely, to think critically, and to think biblically. I think wisdom is so important.
Albert Einstein struggled in traditional schooling environments that emphasize memorization. And yet, his curiosity and his questioning produced breakthroughs in physics — the general theory of relativity — because of curiosity, because of questioning. Not because of memorizing something and taking a test.
Real learning shows up as curiosity, connections, and insight. It allows your kids to go deep instead of surface learning.
The Power of Discussion
I have two powerful tools I want to share with you. The first one is discussion. Discussion activates the brain in ways worksheets can't. It encourages open questions, conversations, and thinking out loud. This is so important because it prepares our kids for life and gets them to start thinking.
And did you know writing is just thinking on paper? So you could be discussing this around the dinner table, or you could have the kids writing.
One of the things that we teach is our Read, Write, Discuss method. We go deep into this in Raising Leaders, Not Followers, but basically every day your child reads something, they write one page in their writing journal — not a narration, but about how questions and why questions — and then discuss it once a week.
That works well in any subject. You can do it in science, in history, in literature, in music. You could even do it in math sometimes.
I encourage families to use your family read aloud. Whatever book you're reading out loud, everyone hears it. Every day you're reading it out loud, and then you write in your reading journal. This is especially true for older kids, because that is when those thinking skills really kick in, around 12 and 13 and up.
They're going to write one page, and then once a week, you'll discuss it. Don't discuss your family read aloud every day — it sort of takes the fun out of reading. But once a week, have a discussion and ask open-ended questions and let them talk about it.
The Power of Narration for Younger Kids
For younger kids, I would say the power of narration. Narration is a powerful tool. Charlotte Mason has really made that popular, and for people that follow the Charlotte Mason approach, this is their primary learning assessment.
You can have a narration out loud, or you can have a narration on paper — a narration notebook where they write their narration. I would say younger kids, you could even do this with 4- and 5-year-olds, up to maybe 3rd grade, always narrating out loud.
But as they get older, they should be able to write a paragraph about whatever they remember from the story. It's just telling back what they learned in their own words. It strengthens their memory, it improves communication, and it reveals to you their understanding of what was read.
For moms that have multiple kids, it's hard to read everything that everyone's reading. So I say start with your read aloud, just to get started and get into a rhythm — discussion for older kids, and narration for younger kids.
One Simple Prompt That Reveals Everything
After reading anything, just say: Tell me the most interesting thing you learned or remember from that book. That works in any subject.
You're not adding more to your schedule. You're taking what you're already doing and instead of giving them a test — and I know a test is easier for mom, print it out and let them do it — but ask them, what's the most interesting thing that you learned? And then let them tell you.
This simple prompt reveals attention, comprehension, and curiosity. You can evaluate if they are learning. You don't need a test.
For what it's worth, I didn't keep grades until high school. I paid attention to what they were doing and what they were learning, and we would have conversations. Even when they were in elementary school, one by one they would come right to the kitchen table and sit in that chair, and we would talk about whatever they were working on and what they were learning. That is how I evaluated them.
I did not give them a grade on their writing ability. The only purpose for that reading journal is to get their thoughts out of their head and onto paper. So don't even grade complete sentences. It's a journal — they're just getting their ideas out.
Frederick Douglass and the Power of Real Learning
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery, and around the age of 12, his owner's wife started teaching him the alphabet. It was illegal to teach slaves to read. The owner found out and forbid his wife from doing it, because he didn't want to make Frederick Douglass unmanageable.
But secret learning began. He started trading bread for reading lessons with poor white boys. He learned everywhere he could — in the streets, from neighborhood children, from scraps of books. He began to read newspapers constantly and became very curious about the world and what freedom was. He started reading a journal called the Columbian Orator, and this reading awakened his opposition to slavery.
It wasn't a bunch of tests. It wasn't a bunch of workbooks. It was reading — deep into his soul. Education became leadership for him. He started sharing his knowledge with other enslaved people, and eventually started a secret Sunday literacy class where he taught slaves to read the New Testament, with dozens attending.
His literacy brought about confidence, critical thinking, and leadership. His early self-education was the foundation for what he became — an abolitionist, a writer, a national speaker.
And I think that's what we want for our kids. To give them a foundation in reading and writing and discussing is the perfect foundation to learn about any subject area.
The One Question to Ask After Every Lesson
So what is the one question that you're going to ask after any lesson? What did you think about that? Or, what did you learn about that?
When you do that, it develops thinking skills. It builds confidence. And it reveals what real learning is taking place. That's what we want. We don't need tests. We just need to read, write, and discuss.
Free Resource: I have a free chart you can grab — our three-step thinking process chart. You can find it at here. When you're there, read the blog post I've written because it dives even deeper into this Read, Write, Discuss process and moves you even further into independent learning — so that your kids begin to have the tools of learning, and they can learn anything in life.

Are you homeschooling to escape the traditional school system, but still following its exact blueprint without realizing it? There is a trap that most homeschool moms fall into, and it quietly keeps your family stuck on the same conveyor belt you were trying to leave behind.
This episode breaks down what is leadership education, why it is completely different from the traditional (public school) model most of us grew up with, and how simple shifts can change everything about how you homeschool:
✅The ONE question you can ask your kids this week that sparks real critical thinking
✅3 signs your child is actually growing that have nothing to do with a test
✅The surprising historical reason schools were never designed to raise thinkers
✅Why finishing the checklist-curriculum is actually working against your child's growth
✅Why this approach pulls the best from 5 different homeschool methods into one clear purpose
Stop letting someone else's curriculum tell you what kind of homeschool mom to be. Hit play and find out how to take back the reins.
Resources to Help YOU
Raising Leaders, Not Followers Course.
How to Simplify Your Homeschool Course (3 daily videos, 5 minutes or less)
Factory Model Education: Why Homeschool Moms Feel Overwhelmed
Show Notes:
You Left the School System — But Did You Leave Its Blueprint?
Did you know many homeschool moms believe they have escaped the school system, but unknowingly they're still following its blueprint? The trap? They are focusing on information instead of transformation.
Why do so many moms follow the traditional school model? Now, this isn't traditional over thousands of years — it's just the last 150 years. Why do we follow it? Because it's what we know. We grew up on the conveyor belt. It feels comfortable because it's what we know, and we don't know where to go to get off it.
The traditional system was built during the industrial revolution. What was its purpose? To train workers for factories. They needed people that could not think. They needed worker bees that would do what they were told. And let's be honest, that's really where our society is. Most people don't know how to think.
Where This Model Came From — And Why It Was Never About Your Child
Horace Mann was an education reformer who helped popularize the Prussian model of school back in the 1800s. This is what Charlotte Mason was so totally opposed to. That model treated a child as if they were a container that you just poured bits of information into and then let them regurgitate it. And that's a lot of what we do today in a traditional school — whether that's a public school or a private school.
Horace Mann's goal in moving this from Europe to America was uniformity, obedience, compliance, and efficiency. It was not leadership. It was not innovation. It was not freedom. They wanted to control society. Industrialists were pouring billions of dollars into the education system, and Horace Mann went right along with it.
Homeschooling, if we do it a different way, gives us the freedom to pursue a completely different goal. And Christian homeschooling does the same thing — just with a faith-based foundation.
What Is Leadership Education — And Why Does It Matter?
Instead of asking what information should my child memorize — which is teaching our kids what to think, a checklist mentality that isn't even your checklist, it's someone else's — leadership education asks a completely different question: what kind of person is my child becoming?
Do they have the tools of learning and the desire to learn anything they need? Leadership education, or freedom education, teaches our kids how to think instead of just what to think. That's what I wanted. I wanted my kids to know how to think critically, how to think in wisdom, and how to think biblically.
We homeschooled for 10 years. Halfway through, I started with Charlotte Mason, then moved to classical and interspersed some unit studies. But then I found leadership education and I was all in — because I believe it integrates all the best things from different approaches. The best of Charlotte Mason, classical, the Christian principal approach, unit studies, delight-directed learning — all put together with the purpose to raise kids to lead.
And y'all are like, "Well, my kids aren't going to be a leader." Well, they may not be CEO or mayor of the city, but they're probably going to have kids someday and they will need to lead their family.
From Information to Transformation: A Shift in Perspective
When we quit asking about information and we start looking at transformation, we make a shift — a shift to character, thinking, initiative, responsibility, and so much more.
George Washington had little formal education. What shaped him the most was mentorship. Lord Fairfax helped shape George Washington as a man — full, well-rounded mentoring. Thomas Jefferson had George Wythe mentoring him. They were all there at the same time during the colonial period.
And what were they using? Reading, being responsible at a young age, writing about it — Benjamin Franklin talks about that in his autobiography — and then discussing it. Read, write, discuss. This is how we can mentor young people to lead. These are the leadership qualities that allowed George Washington to lead a nation right in its very beginning.
What You Can Do This Week
I'm just giving you the tip of the iceberg here. But what are some things you could do this week?
Start asking your kids leadership-type questions. What do you think about that? Don't tell them what you think. Let them think. Too often, moms, we answer our own question and don't give them the opportunity to think. And they catch on — Mom's going to answer it anyway, so I don't have to think.
Try: Why do you think that happened in the story? What would you have done if you were that person? These questions get them to think and open the door for discussion. Discussions grow thinkers.
It's just one mindset shift that can bring instant clarity. Shift away from "did we finish the lesson?" — that's checklist productivity and it's not what you want — to "did my child grow today?" That is where they begin to take ownership of their own education, and you begin to take ownership of your homeschool instead of letting some curriculum tell you what to do.
Growth might look like curiosity, deeper questions, moral insight, responsibility, perseverance, or even kindness to a sibling. There are a lot of ways that growth can look. Instead of just having a test to check off, we want to look at their growth on a regular basis.
Free Resource: How to Simplify Your Homeschool
I know this may feel overwhelming, but I have created a free course called How to Simplify Your Homeschool. It's three short daily videos — five minutes or less each. It gives you ideas to simplify your homeschool and to think beyond the textbook and beyond the conveyor belt, so that you can see your child actually growing.
Grab the free course at howtoschooolmychild.com/simplify.