Homeschooling can start at any point in your child’s education. For Heidi St. John’s family, their journey started after noticing detrimental effects public school was having on sibling relationships. One fateful day, she missed the cut off period to enroll her second daughter in school, and the rest is history! Now with only one homeschool student left, Heidi is helping other homeschool parents find community through her organization, the Firmly Planted Family Homeschool Resource Center. “I would say that my favorite place to be is home. It's sitting around the campfire with our kids and grandkids at the end of a long day and people, you know, bring in whatever leftovers they have in their fridge and hang out. And I think that those things don't happen by accident! They happen because of intentionality. And, and we just love spending time with our kids. It breaks the narrative of the culture, right? [They believe] your kids are this interference and ‘we can't wait to send them to school and all the things.’ Homeschooling really changed the way we saw family, and I think it did it for the better”—Heidi St. John

Claiborne Thornton heard about homeschooling in the 80s. He has actively participated in homeschool advocacy in Tennessee, from being a homeschool dad to President of the Tennessee Home Education Association (THEA). In this conversation with Claiborne and Jim Mason (HSLDA President), learn about the early days of homeschool freedom, engaging with your representatives, and the importance of attending your homeschool capitol day—it might just involve 180,000 cookies! “We have a system that is designed for us to have the freedom to step forward and act. We understand how to take and use the tools that are set out before us and to preserve what we've been entrusted with. It's a complicated thing, it's a beautiful thing, and it's a very dynamic dance that goes on to make that to make that happen. And it's so encouraging to see other folks around Tennessee and across the country step forward and use those tools that we've been given. [We have the] freedom to interact with those that represent us and [build relationships] with them to help them see we're well-intended. Look through the systems that are there and try to find ways to make those connections. That's critically important with your friends, and even with those who might have some disagreement with.”—Claiborne Thornton

Never assume that an individual is or isn’t an ally of homeschooling based on their political affiliation. Join Tom Leonard, attorney and former Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, and Jim Mason (HSLDA President) in an insightful discussion on the grassroot efforts of homeschool advocacy. You’ll be encouraged to cultivate relationships with legislators across parties, because you never know what might happen! “It's about the issue. It's not about the party. [I believe] a couple of our biggest allies right now on this issue are Democrats that serve in the House of Representatives. But on the flip side, I can't tell you how many Republicans that you would think this [would be] an easy issue for them. They're conservative. They've got a conservative voting record who when you first bring this up, their first question is, “well, Tom, you're just talking about a registry. What does it matter?” Now once you have that conversation, they understand it. But again, assume nothing in this business. Never assume that somebody is not going to be an ally and never assume that somebody is. Get out there and educate these legislators in a very respectful way!”—Tom Leonard

As homeschooling grows, so does the conversation about how education is defined. Join Dr. Timberly Baker (Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at Arkansas State University) and Jim Mason, HSLDA President, in a discussion on challenging the traditional view of schooling. Many prospective and novice homeschool families can feel insurmountable pressure to create a structured, 8-to-3 schedule. This doesn’t need to be! Parents are their child’s first teacher, guiding their learning every day! Learning can (and does!) take place anywhere, and a rigid schedule isn’t required. The possibilities of homeschooling are endless, and each student’s experience is unique. “I often say that we are our children’s first teacher. So you've already done much of this work in terms of teaching them what you think that they need to know. You do it all the time anyway! We have to disrupt our thinking that schooling happens in this sort of 8 to 3 structure only, and that if it's not that, then it's not a school, right? And so, once we get to helping folks disrupt that notion, then it becomes a much broader conversation about the possibility of being able to homeschool”—Dr. Timberly Baker

Dr. Brian Ray has been studying homeschooling before we even knew what to call it! Brian and Jim Mason (HSLDA President) discuss advocacy research, conflicting worldviews at play, and the importance of peer reviewed studies protecting against these biases. You won’t want to miss this insightful conversation on home education research and what the next generation of research may look like! “What are [homeschoolers vs public schoolers] doing now in life, you know, occupation. Are they married? Do they go to college or not go to college? Do they vote? Do they volunteer? Are they happy or not? Are they depressed or not? Do they feel fulfilled in life or not? Group study can help us know what is happening. And if we think these five things are good things, what was going on growing up that was connected? So I think a piece of the new generation of research is going to be looking within groups.”—Dr. Brian Ray

Homeschool moms juggle many different roles, and Anne Miller is no exception! But for her, one of those roles led to becoming a key advocate for homeschooling in her state. Join Anne Miller, Executive Director and President of the Home Educators Association of Virginia (HEAV), and Jim Mason, President of HSLDA, as they reflect on the importance of advocacy, 40 years of homeschool freedom, and the incredible growth of the homeschooling community. Hear Anne's inspiring journey from volunteering with HEAV to leading the organization as Executive Director and President! “There are vast numbers of homeschool families now. We're not alone anymore. I'll tell you, in the 1980s, we felt very alone. We only knew one family. And then we found this small group that we didn't even know existed! But now, everybody knows a homeschooler. There are homeschoolers probably right on your block or around the corner. They're everywhere.”—Anne Miller

Being present and giving the attention and experiences your child needs to flourish is important. That’s why Houlie Duque, Founder of Homeschool to Go, wants you to find your family’s rhythm! Join Houlie and Will Estrada (HSLDA Attorney) as they discuss her bilingual curriculum, how she is supporting parents in their homeschool journeys, and how her own childhood homeschool journey of just three months propelled her to the top of her class. “If you give your children that presence and that attention, you will watch them flourish. That's all that a child needs. When they're little kids in kindergarten and they're like ‘look what I can do!’, they are in a constant search for [affirmation]. From experience, but also from studies, I know this to be one of the most determining factors in flourishing and becoming of an individual. So when I say truly present, it really is as simple as that is. Sitting down eye level with your child and doing something together when you're not distracted by external responsibilities.”—Houlie Duque

Dr. Brian Ray and Professor Danish (Dany) Shakeel launched their investigation into calls for homeschooling bans—when no significant data exists to justify these demands. After conducting an in-depth study that shed new light on the factors contributing to child welfare, their research revealed that risks were double outside the home, proving that the family plays a crucial role in protecting children—and home is the safest place to be. Join Jim Mason, HSLDA President, and Dany Shakeel as they dive into these findings and discuss what his research means for the homeschooling community and how it disproves the recent, unsupported allegations that homeschooling leads to abuse. “If you compare the numbers, the statistics—the incidences of abuse are double in social settings as compared to at home, which means that the family is the protector of children, as compared to someone else. This makes theoretical sense because any nonsocial actor who is not a part of a family is not likely to care about the child. And on average, the parents are closer to their children. They invest in them. They are likely to protect them. And that's what we see in the data.”—Dany Shakeel

Homeschooling doesn’t mean doing public school at home, and it doesn’t mean you have to homeschool like your friend with 15 years of homeschool experience. Your journey is unique! Dena Bless joins Jim Mason (HSLDA President) in an encouraging conversation about beginning your homeschool journey, the importance of community, and how to (and why you should) connect with your state organization or local homeschool group. Enjoy their discussion on the benefits of homeschooling and fostering relationships with your children. “I remember when I started [homeschooling], I was afraid. Can I actually do this? Will I do enough? Will I do too much? Will I ruin my kids? Will I never graduate [my kids] or never have enough knowledge or whatever? I think a big part of what [community] does is provide that support of, yes, you can do it and your homeschool doesn't have to look like everybody else's home school, right? Your family is different.”—Dena Bless

Jeffrey Lewis, President of Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE), joins Jim Mason, President of HSLDA, in this second part on what is happening in Illinois. They discuss the recent call for more homeschool regulations in Illinois, and what homeschool families can do to face this new wave of opposition to homeschool freedom happening in the United States. “Government officials want to do things that are going to make society better. And they feel like counting things, tallying things, registering things is often a way to help. It's an expensive thing to do. But it doesn't always do much other than count things. . .And so all of the families, the thousands and thousands of families in Illinois, who've been doing a great job schooling their children at home, now are going to have an extra burden that could put them in jeopardy if they don't comply. And they haven't done anything wrong.”—Jeffrey Lewis

Meet Jeffrey Lewis, homeschool dad, attorney, and president of Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE). In part 1 of this conversation with Jim Mason, HSLDA President, learn about the current legal landscape of homeschooling (especially in Illinois,) the media attention on further restricting home education freedom, and how Illinois homeschool families engage with lawmakers. “We've encouraged our homeschooling families: get to know your local lawmakers, get to know your local senators and representatives, so that they actually know who you are and where you are. Not so they can count you, but so that they know that you’re good, upstanding citizens that work in your communities, who vote, and [who] play a role in trying to do the right things that a society needs in order to keep being that society.” — Jeffrey Lewis