Military Family Chooses Homeschool and Public School

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Military Family Chooses Homeschool and Public SchoolEpisode #8- Military Family Chooses Homeschool and Public School

Today’s guest, Army chaplain’s wife and mom of seven, Jennie Mucher, talks about their family’s homeschooling journey and the decision to send their oldest son to public school.

Jennie’s first experience with homeschooling occurred when she was a teenager and was “adopted” into a community of homeschoolers who attended her church youth group. She felt she, too, would want to homeschool her own children one day.

When she did start homeschooling in 2009, she chose a curriculum based on what her neighbor used and because everything she needed was included in one package. However, their homeschooling style would change over the years to a more Classical Conversations/ Charlotte Mason/ eclectic approach that better suits her family’s preferences and learning styles. As a military family, the biggest benefit of homeschooling has been that the children have continuity. Jennie shares, “We don’t just do school together; we do life together.”

When their oldest son expressed his desire to attend public school, her husband was supportive and confident their son would do just fine. Jennie admits she was initially reluctant but recognized her son’s need for more peer interaction. Additionally, public school has allowed her athletic son to play the competitive team sports he enjoys. Gratefully, there were no issues with the school system accepting their homeschool records, and he was able to enroll on grade level.

In the meantime, Jennie’s younger children are happy to continue in their home education, and she sees the blessing of both public and home education for their family. When asked what advice she would like to pass on to parents considering homeschooling, she says, “Choose your hard.” She explains that it’s hard to homeschool and it’s hard to send your child to public school. “So I think you just have to ask God for wisdom and discernment for each child.”

Jennie Mucher is the wife of Kevin Mucher, an Army chaplain, who entered military service in 1991 and has served as a chaplain since 2007. They have 7 children. They will graduate their oldest  on June 12, 2022 and their youngest is 8 months old. They have been stationed at Fort Drum (‘07-‘10), JBLM (‘10-‘12), Eglin AFB (‘12-‘15), Fort Hood (‘16-‘19), and Fort Bliss (‘19-present). Jennie has been homeschooling since 2009.

 

Resources:

Join Crystal and her guests each week as they bring relevant information to equip you, stories to encourage you, and content to inspire you. You don’t have to go it alone, tune in to the Military Homeschool Podcast, and be energized in your military homeschooling journey!

How to listen:

  1. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or Stitcher
  2. Subscribe on your favorite podcast listening app
  3. Or listen right here (just scroll down)

Got questions, comments, or have show topic ideas? Contact Crystal via email at militaryhomeschoolpodcast@gmail.com or connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

 Please subscribe, follow, and share with all of your military homeschooling friends!

 

Classroom Teachers Who Homeschool – Special Replay

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

What happens when classroom teachers decide to homeschool their own children?What happens when classroom teachers decide to homeschool their own children? How do they make the transition from classroom management to managing the personalities around their kitchen table? 

If you are a classroom teacher considering homeschooling your own kids, you’ll appreciate this episode and the conversation with former classroom teacher Jolanthe Erb, who brings ten years of homeschool experience to the discussion. We talk about issues unique to the classroom, how homeschooling is different, and why perhaps not everyone is equipped to teach every child.


SHOW NOTES:

Recommended Resources:

Jolanthe Erb – Homeschool Creations

Follow Fletch/Kendra:
Fletch Twitter
Kendra Twitter

Follow the Studio Dogs:
Betty the Surf Dog – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website
Rasta The Chocolate Lab – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website

Previous Episodes Mentioned:
None

Music clips used on this episode:
Imagine by John Lennon- buy it here on iTunes
Teach Your Children by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young – buy it here on iTunes


LISTEN HERE

Are you ready to listen to Fletch and Kendra get real about homeschooling? Press the PLAY button below.


 

A Special Thank You to Our Network Sponsor:  Courageous Movie

 

From the Kendrick Brothers, creators of the No. 1 box-office movie WAR ROOM and OVERCOMER, comes the remastered re-release of COURAGEOUS Legacy, in theaters September 24. Celebrating 10 years of impact on families and fathers, this updated version of the film includes new scenes and an enhanced look and sound.

Filled with action-packed drama, COURAGEOUS Legacy will once again have viewers laughing, crying, and cheering as they are challenged and inspired by everyday heroes who long to be the kinds of dads that make a lifelong impact on their children. Protecting the streets is second nature to these men. Raising their children in a God-honoring way? That’s courageous.

Check out the trailer here!


When Homeschoolers Judge – Best of Homeschooling IRL

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Free homeschooling podcast about judgment among homeschoolers.Homeschooling is a choice born out of the freedom to choose what we feel to be the best educational option for our children. It should follow, then that if a family who has made the choice to homeschool then decides to put a child into a traditional school setting, fellow homeschoolers will support that freedom to choose, too.

Unfortunately, that’s not the reaction many receive when they announce they’ll be returning to school. Instead of encouragement and reassurance, they often receive condemnation from the homeschool community.

What’s a homeschooler to do? And what is the Biblical, grace-filled, gospel-centered response as both the homeschooling parent returning kids to a classroom and the homeschooling friend looking on?


SHOW NOTES:

Recommended Resources:

None

Get Social With Us:

Follow Fletch/Kendra:
Fletch Twitter
Kendra Twitter

Follow the Studio Dogs:
Betty the Surf Dog – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website
Rasta The Chocolate Lab – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website

Previous Episodes Mentioned:
None

Music clips used on this episode:
Judge Not – Bob Marley (Buy it here on iTunes)

 


Special Thanks to Our Network Sponsor -Bridgeway Academy!

Bridgeway Academy was founded in 1989 in response to the need for more freedom in education as well as the protection that accreditation offers for homeschooling families. Since then, more than 30,000 K–12 students, and many charter and brick-and-mortar schools, have made Bridgeway Academy their trusted education partner.

As part of our commitment to personalized homeschooling, we are proud to offer both secular and Christian options for homeschool families, charter schools, state organizations, co-ops, athletic organizations, arts schools, and others who seek flexible education options for their families.

Click here to learn more!

 


LISTEN HERE

Are you ready to listen to Fletch and Kendra get real about homeschooling? Press the PLAY button below.

From Public School Teacher to Lifeschooler – Tina Hollenbeck

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

From Public School Teacher to Lifeschooler - Tina HollenbeckOn this episode, I had the privilege to talk to my new friend Tina Hollenbeck, the researcher behind The Homeschool Resource Roadmap, about her journey from public school teacher to home educator. Tina’s experience shows that even those on the tighter end of the scale when it comes to schedules and routines can successfully lifeschool their children. The lifeschooling mindset is important and relevant for all types of personalities and homeschooling styles.

Tina and her husband have been home-educating since she quit her job as a public school teacher just prior to giving birth to their older daughter, who is now 16. They also have another daughter, age 15.

Tina was blessed to find amazing homeschool mentor moms when her kids were little, and in recent years has become a outspoken advocate, endeavoring to promote home learning whenever she’s given the opportunity. She mentors prospective home educators in her local area and via her Facebook group, The Christian Homeschool Oasis, and enjoys speaking on various topics related to homeschooling and healthy parenting. She is a regular contributor to Learning Tangent Magazine, serves as the volunteer staff writer for Celebrate Kids, Inc., and has co-authored a book entitled Celebrating Children’s 12 Genius Qualities.

In 2013, Tina launched an on-going research project that culminated in the development of The Homeschool Resource Roadmap, a database of information about more than 3,000 homeschool-oriented resource providers. Though initially focused on each company’s position regarding common core, The Roadmap has now expanded to offer a more detailed “snapshot” of each provider, giving home educators a “one stop shop” for comparing and contrasting various options. (Bio taken from https://hsroadmap.org/about-2/.)

Here is what I asked Tina on this episode of the podcast:

  • Tell us first of all how you started homeschooling?
  • I’m always fascinated when a former teacher, particularly a public school teacher, leaves the profession to homeschool. What was it like making that transition? I assume you have not always been of the lifeschooling persuasion!
  • Tell us some about some of the books that made the biggest impact on your homeschooling journey.
  • To remind our listeners, the definition of lifeschooling is “the individualized process of discovering your child’s God-given gifts and talents through real life experiences that happen within the context of your family’s unique situations and missions.” How does your family lifeschool? Is there a part of that definition that particularly speaks to you?
  • Tell us about a typical day in your homeschool?
  • I’ve been poking around on your website and your research project is pretty impressive! Tell our listeners about it and what lead you to take on this huge endeavor.
  • I heard this quote not long ago by a pastor on the radio that went something like this: “Passion is not something that you develop, but rather something that you discover as God shows you what He has already called you to do.” I love that quote because it so fits with my own experience. What would you say is your biggest passion as you carry out your mission?

And that’s Life as a Lifeschooler! Subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. Hope you’ll join us next time!

When Homeschoolers Judge – HIRL Episode 147

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Free homeschooling podcast about judgment among homeschoolers.Homeschooling is a choice born out of the freedom to choose what we feel to be the best educational option for our children. It should follow, then that if a family who has made the choice to homeschool then decides to put a child into a traditional school setting, fellow homeschoolers will support that freedom to choose, too.

Unfortunately, that’s not the reaction many receive when they announce they’ll be returning to school. Instead of encouragement and reassurance, they often receive condemnation from the homeschool community.

What’s a homeschooler to do? And what is the Biblical, grace-filled, gospel-centered response as both the homeschooling parent returning kids to a classroom and the homeschooling friend looking on?


SHOW NOTES:

Recommended Resources:

None

Get Social With Us:

Follow Fletch/Kendra:
Fletch Twitter
Kendra Twitter

Follow the Studio Dogs:
Betty the Surf Dog – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website
Rasta The Chocolate Lab – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website

Previous Episodes Mentioned:
None

Music clips used on this episode:
Judge Not – Bob Marley (Buy it here on iTunes)


SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE AN iTUNES REVIEW:

Allow the magic of the internet to deliver Homeschooling In Real Life to your tablet or smart phone. Let us show you how easy it is:

  1. Follow this link to our iTunes page.
  2. IMPORTANT STEP: Under our big red HomeschoolingIRL logo, just click on View in iTunes
  3. The iTunes program will automatically launch and take you to our podcast page.
  4. FIRST – Click SUBSCRIBE. Voila! All or our podcasts will come directly to your computer and smart phone.
  5. NEXT – Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. Remember the best reviews are 5-stars (hint hint!).
  6. Thanks for being one of our listeners! HIRLers rock!

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO LISTEN TO HomeschoolingIRL?

  1. You can listen right on this page. There is an audio player below.
  2. You can listen on your iPod, Smartphone or tablet. Open the PODCAST app on your device, search podcasts for “HomeschoolingIRL” and click subscribe. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
  3. Subscribe to the HomeschoolingIRL website and you will be notified when every new episode is released. Follow this link and begin your FREE SUBSCRIPTION.

ADVERTISERS/SPONSORS:

Sony Pictures/Affirm Films

Download the Christian Family Discussion Guide Here

Please visit our coffee sponsor: Caroline’s Coffee for 10% off any order.
Use code HIRL


C_Logo_2012


Join Fletch (from theMangoTimes) and Kendra (from KendraFletcher.com) for the HomeschoolingIRL podcast every week as they interview guests and talk through some of the goofiness they have experienced in nearly two decades.


LISTEN HERE

Are you ready to listen to Fletch and Kendra get real about homeschooling? Press the PLAY button below.

Classroom Teachers Who Homeschool – HIRL Episode 111

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Free Homeschool podcast about classroom teachers who homeschoolWhat happens when classroom teachers decide to homeschool their own children? How do they make the transition from classroom management to managing the personalities around their kitchen table? 

If you are a classroom teacher considering homeschooling your own kids, you’ll appreciate this episode and the conversation with former classroom teacher Jolanthe Erb, who brings ten years of homeschool experience to the discussion. We talk about issues unique to the classroom, how homeschooling is different, and why perhaps not everyone is equipped to teach every child.

EPISODE TIMELINE
:50 Fluff – 25th Anniversary Trip to Santa Cruz, Terror in France, Pokemon Go
10:26 Classroom Teachers Who Homeschool with Jolanthe Erb, Part 1
27:46 – Classroom Teachers Who Homeschool with Jolanthe Erb, Part 2
40:49 –  The show is over. iTunes Reviews. Goodbye!


SHOW NOTES:

Recommended Resources:

Jolanthe Erb – Homeschool Creations

Follow Fletch/Kendra:
Fletch Twitter
Kendra Twitter

Follow the Studio Dogs:
Betty the Surf Dog – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website
Rasta The Chocolate Lab – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website

Previous Episodes Mentioned:
None

Music clips used on this episode:
Imagine by John Lennon- buy it here on iTunes
Teach Your Children by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young – buy it here on iTunes


SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE AN iTUNES REVIEW:

Allow the magic of the internet to deliver Homeschooling In Real Life to your tablet or smart phone. Let us show you how easy it is:

  1. Follow this link to our iTunes page.
  2. IMPORTANT STEP: Under our big red HomeschoolingIRL logo, just click on View in iTunes
  3. The iTunes program will automatically launch and take you to our podcast page.
  4. FIRST – Click SUBSCRIBE. Voila! All or our podcasts will come directly to your computer and smart phone.
  5. NEXT – Click RATINGS AND REVIEW. Remember the best reviews are 5-stars (hint hint!).
  6. Thanks for being one of our listeners! HIRLers rock!

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO LISTEN TO HomeschoolingIRL?

  1. You can listen right on this page. There is an audio player below.
  2. You can listen on your iPod, Smartphone or tablet. Open the PODCAST app on your device, search podcasts for “HomeschoolingIRL” and click subscribe. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
  3. Subscribe to the HomeschoolingIRL website and you will be notified when every new episode is released. Follow this link and begin your FREE SUBSCRIPTION.

ADVERTISERS/SPONSORS:

Please visit our coffee sponsor: Caroline’s Coffee for 10% off any order.


C_Logo_2012


LISTEN HERE

Are you ready to listen to Fletch and Kendra get real about homeschooling? Press the PLAY button below.


Join Fletch (from theMangoTimes) and Kendra (from Preschoolers and Peace and KendraFletcher.com) for the HomeschoolingIRL podcast every week as they interview guests and talk through some of the goofiness they have experienced in nearly two decades.

Homeschooling, Public School & College: An Interview With My Son

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

A Conversation with My Son About Homeschooling, Public School & College: The Homeschool Sanity Show Podcast

My oldest son was home from college and I asked if I could interview him about homeschooling, public school, and college. I hope you find it encouraging.

Teaching Tip of the Week

Starfall.com

This Week’s Organized Homeschool Challenge

The Hot Spot Challenge.

Links

Pennsylvania Homeschoolers

Next Week

Homeschool Tips for Teens with ADD

Have a happy homeschool week!