What happens when a teacher decides the best place for her own child to learn might not be a classroom? If you’ve ever wondered why teachers choose to homeschool — or whether you could homeschool without a teaching degree — this one’s for you. In this episode of Everyday Educator, host Kelli Wilt, a former kindergarten teacher, sits down with Erica Atkinson — former first-grade teacher, 14-year CC mom, and CC’s book sales manager for the Eastern U.S. — and Wendy Jones — former high school math teacher, CC’s Director of Operational Support, and mom of a two-year-old preparing for Foundations.
The three share what they saw from inside the public school classroom — data-driven instruction, nonstop assessments, the kids in the middle getting overlooked, and a graduation stage that felt like a factory — and why it turned their hearts toward home. Erica explains why being a trained teacher made homeschooling unique rather than easier, and why her biggest lesson was that homeschool is not school at home. Kelli shares how Leigh Bortins’ The Core quieted the classroom-teacher voice in her head, and Wendy describes how watching CC graduates at National Commencement convinced her this is the education she wants for her daughter. Then they tackle the most common homeschool fears: “I don’t have enough patience,” “My child will miss out socially,” “I don’t know enough,” and “I could never teach high school.”
Here’s the good news: you don’t need an education degree. You just need to stay one week ahead, lean on your community, and trust that God equips the ones he calls. Grab a coffee and share this one with a friend who’s on the fence.
📘 The Habits of a Classical Education: Practicing the Art of Grammar by Leigh Bortins