A Heart 4 Homeschool Podcast with Kendra Price

As homeschooling has become more mainstream, I’ve found it refreshing that many people are somewhat familiar with the idea of home education. When I mention the fact that we homeschool now, most people simply nod their heads. It’s no big deal.

It’s a different story, however, when I say I am homeschooling my high schoolers. It’s one thing to homeschool elementary or even middle school, but high school? That’s when I get the stares and the questions. How can homeschool parents provide the academic rigor their children need to compete? What about standardized tests like the SAT and ACT?  And other activities that round out the high school experience? Like prom, community service, and other extracurriculars?

For additional information on resources to help your homeschooled teen, check out my presentation for Black Family Homeschool Educators & Scholars Coffee Talk titled, " Online Tools to Get Your Homeschool Teen Organized and Accountable."

In this episode, I will be having a candid conversation with Pamela Smith a veteran homeschool mom, business owner, and former director of an evangelical homeschool program, who is working on a groundbreaking book titled, Black Faces in White Spaces. In her upcoming book, Pamela shares her heartbreaking experiences as a black, Christian homeschool program director and starts a very necessary conversation about what homeschoolers of color at times experience. We also discuss the underlying fear many new black homeschoolers have of entering majority white, evangelical homeschool spaces.
Pamela also owns Afrocentric Homeschoolers on Facebook and @blackhomeeducators on Instagram. 

New and prospective homeschooling parents often have many questions: What are the homeschool laws for my state? Where do I find affordable curricula? What is my child's learning style? What is deschooling? Now the answers to these questions are at your fingertips with the Homeschool Yo Kids app. This app, developed by fellow homeschool mom, Jae Carter, provides resources, encouragement, and the answers you need to begin your homeschool journey comfortably.  Download the app to your iOS or Android device and listen to Jae explain what inspired her to create such a revolutionary resource for the homeschooling community.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1616697031

During the pandemic, many black families have chosen to divest from the public school system in order to homeschool their children. They've discovered homeschool freedom and the liberty to teach their children accurate history and have conversations surrounding race that would be suppressed in public schools. Many have embraced homeschooling for the long term and are already seeing positive results which begs the question--is homeschooling the solution to systemic racism in education? Tune in to our Clubhouse conversation.

Though The 1619 Project has been fraught with criticism, detractors, and legislation seeking to ban it from public school classrooms, it continues to stand as a testament to the resilience, perseverance, and resolve of the enslaved and their descendants in spite of struggle. It’s also a testament to the tenacity of Nikole Hannah Jones, the Pulitzer prize-winning journalist who created The 1619 Project. In this episode, you’ll hear our clubhouse discussion of The 1619 Project, why teaching accurate history is so important for the next generation, and how we can serve within our communities to ensure all of our children are educated in truth rather than myths.

In this episode. I’m going to share three strategies that have helped us get refocused, re-energized, and re-engaged with homeschooling after the holidays. 

In this episode, you’ll hear myself and other homeschool moms in A Heart 4 Homeschool Clubhouse room share the nuggets of wisdom we’ve acquired and why those nuggets are so valuable to us. Join the A Heart 4 Homeschool Clubhouse on the Clubhouse app and participate in live discussions on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Central Standard Time. 
https://www.clubhouse.com/club/a-heart-4-homeschool

In this episode, veteran homeschooling mom, Florence Gichuhi, shares her passion for encouraging and empowering teens. Be sure to check out Florence's Facebook Group, "Encouragement and Empowerment for Moms With Teenagers", where she provides wisdom to help moms better connect with their teenagers.

In Part 2 of Tips on Choosing Homeschool Curricula, I want to discuss some questions should ask yourself before choosing curricula and then I’ll give you some tips on evaluating whether a specific curriculum is a good option for your family.

I want to invite you to visit my website where I am using my love for homeschool curricula to write honest, thorough reviews with Melanated Gold Review Squad. 

I also want to invite you to visit the Melanated Gold Homeschool Magazine which features homeschooling families of color and provides all kinds of helpful information that is beneficial to your homeschool life and the larger homeschool community.  

Curricula is a big deal in homeschool circles. It’s often the first question new homeschooling parents have and everyone has thoughts surrounding whether or not you need it, what curricula are best to use, and how to not spend an arm and a leg for it. In this podcast episode, Miss Phyllis, Tira Hunter, and I will share some helpful tips.

Find reviews of homeschool curricula from veteran homeschool moms at Melanated Gold Homeschool Review Squad. The Homeschool Review Squad is a part of the Melanated Gold Homeschool Magazine where you can find tips and links to resources that support your homeschool efforts. 

While there are a few benefits to having an educational background, former educators have to go through some of the same shifts in mindset to truly embrace the freedoms and benefits of homeschooling their children. In this episode, I’ll be speaking with Lesley Sessler, a former public school teacher and administrator who left the traditional classroom and public school mindsets behind to homeschool her son, Sammie. She will share the insight and joys she’s discovered having completed her first year of homeschool.

I invite you to follow Lesley Jones Sessler on social media @watchmonkeymama. Please visit her blog with the same title www.watchmonkeymama.com.
You can also see the video of this interview on my A Heart 4 Homeschool Channel 

In this episode, I’m speaking with my friend and veteran homeschool mom, Miss Phyllis Asinyanbi. Miss Phyllis has an incredible testimony of how she remained committed to homeschooling despite the incredible odds she faced as a single parent to her son who has unique learning and emotional needs as a twice exceptional child There are many who believe that only people in a certain income bracket and a certain marital status can effectively homeschool, however Miss Phyllis’ experience is a testament to the old adage, where there’s a will, there’s a way.
 
If you are a African-American single parent who either wants to homeschool or is already homeschooling, I invite you to join the Facebook Group that Miss Phyllis moderates called African American Single Parent Homeschoolers. 

In this episode, I will be chatting with veteran unschooling mom, Tira Hunter. Unschooling is a form of homeschooling that in the past has been misunderstood. I’ve heard it said that “unschooling is unparenting”. In this episode, we are shattering that misconception and showing how unschooling may actually be the future of education in that it gives kids the freedom to explore topics that interest them and empowers them to develop their passions. Tira will share how unschooling empowered her daughter Zoi, now a homeschool graduate, to become a talented artist and creative, who became a commissioned artist at 13 years old.

I invite you to check out Tira’s daughter Zoi on Instagram @artbyZoi and on Facebook @Zoi the Creative

Many people outside the homeschooling community think homeschooling takes place mostly at home, in isolation, away from others. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, there is an entire homeschool program that places the necessity for community as an integral portion of its objectives. In this episode, I’ll be speaking with fellow homeschool mom, Lisa Renee Clark. We’ll discuss how Classical Conversations answers the need for community and helps homeschoolers to understand how everything is connected. Tune in to learn how Classical Conversations has positively impacted Renee’s homeschool.

Please check out Lisa Renee Clark's blog ReneeLife.com

You can also see the video of this interview on my A Heart 4 Homeschool Channel 
https://youtu.be/Vj4Y-jfGXjg 

Homeschooling is all about tailoring your child’s education to fit their needs, personality, and how they naturally feel comfortable learning. This is why it’s so important for homeschooling parents to understand their child’s learning styles and what homeschool methods best align with the manner in which they learn.  In this episode, I will share some basic information to help you to determine what your child’s learning style is and then I’ll provide an overview of the most common homeschool methodology.

I want to invite you to follow me on Instagram @aheart4homeschool where you can see snapshots of my homeschool journey and connect with me. Don’t forget to check out my website www.aheart4homeschool.com where you can access free resources for your homeschool, including my free ebook Ready Set Homeschool that walks you through getting started with homeschooling, pointing you towards different free and discounted resources for your homeschool.com. Also, find A Heart 4 Homeschool on Pinterest where I have an entire board dedicated and organized by Homeschool Method . 

Often when people hear that I am a former public school science teacher, they immediately think I have an edge on homeschooling because of my previous teaching experience. The truth is, however, that I am actually at somewhat of a disadvantage, because homeschooling is NOT public school at home. In this episode, I chat with my fellow homeschool moms Miss Phyllis Asinyanbi and Mrs. Tira Hunter about the very necessary process of deschooling. We’ll define what deschooling is, discuss why it’s essential to your homeschool journey, and how long the deschooling process takes.  Also, check out the article on Deschooling written by Miss Phyllis. https://freehomeschoolingresources.wordpress.com/deschooling/

Typically when you ask a veteran homeschooler how to get started with homeschooling, the very first thing they will tell you is to find out what the homeschooling laws are for your state. They will then direct you to the Homeschool Legal Defense Association website (HSLDA.org) This is great advice, but did you know that HSLDA offers a lot of other important resources. Tune in to this episode to find out more about the resources and information HSLDA provides and why it’s a good idea to be an HSLDA member.

Don’t forget to visit my website www.aheart4homeschool.com where you can subscribe and download your free copy of my ebook “Ready, Set, Homeschool” that walks you through getting started with homeschooling and provides such gems as a video on how to design a homeschool daily schedule, a quiz to help determine your child’s learning style, how to develop a homeschool mission statement and more

Often when parents are considering the decision to homeschool, they begin immediately thinking about the “how’s” of homeschooling—how do I homeschool multiple children, how do I create lesson plans and schedules, how do I choose curriculum. The truth is however, that understanding “why” you choose to homeschool will help you to be more effective and efficient in pursuing “how” you homeschool. So, in this episode I will be discussing the importance of establishing “why” you choose to homeschool and how creating a homeschool mission statement can help you throughout your homeschool journey.

Check out my Youtube Channel where my husband and I discuss in depth why we chose to homeschool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVT2NOdBuWs&t=4s

Subscribe to my blog and download a free copy of  my ebook  "Ready, Set, Homeschool!" that provides a worksheet to walk you through developing a Homeschool Mission Statement. My ebook also helps you get started with homeschooling!
http://www.aheart4homeschool.com

In this introductory episode, I lay out why I've chosen to begin A Heart 4 Homeschool Podcast, who this podcast is for, and what listeners will gain by tuning in! Tune in starting August 1st!