With Special Guest Andrea Fife, ADHD Education Specialist

"Try different, try again. Don't just try harder, try something different."

– Andrea Fife

In this packed Q&A episode, we tackle the tough questions parents face in alternative education. Special guest Andrea Fife delivers a masterclass on supporting ADHD learners, revealing why traditional approaches often fail and how technology, dopamine, and understanding executive function are key to success. Plus, Isaac and Matt explore finding community, essential subjects, and knowing when to push vs. when to let go.

Learn:

- Why executive function age in ADHD learners is typically 2/3 of their chronological age and what this means for expectations

- How to help kids develop social skills in the age of screens (hint: model it yourself!)

- The "three R's plus entrepreneurship" approach to essential subjects

- When to let kids quit activities vs. pushing through challenges

- Why sharing your own struggles and vulnerabilities builds trust with teens

- How alternative education creates unique opportunities for multi-age relationships and real-world learning

Chapters

00:00 Welcome Back to the Open Ed Podcast

00:46 Addressing ADHD in Homeschooling

02:06 Expert Insights with Andrea Fife

11:43 The Role of Exercise and Dopamine

19:32 Finding Community and Socialization

26:27 A Radical Approach to Education

26:54 The Importance of Basic Skills

27:57 Connecting Learning to Real Life

29:21 Nurturing Natural Aptitudes

30:32 Alternative Math Learning Methods

31:54 Addressing Parental Concerns

32:32 Raising Resilient and Responsible Adults

38:14 Balancing Fun and Learning

39:35 Encouraging Perseverance in Kids

47:18 Success Stories and Final Thoughts

When Krystle's daughter was struggling to read at a first-grade level at age 10, multiple diagnoses and years of Orton-Gillingham programs weren't helping. Then she discovered something surprising: it wasn't dyslexia at all - it was a treatable vision problem called convergence insufficiency. Today, her daughter reads 800 words per minute at college level.

In this eye-opening episode, learn how vision problems are often misdiagnosed as dyslexia, and discover a promising solution that's helping students worldwide overcome reading challenges. Perfect for parents whose children are struggling with reading or have been diagnosed with dyslexia.

Visit Vision Reading Academy: https://visionreadingacademy.com

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction01:17 - Krystle's Daughter's Story04:16 - What is Convergence Insufficiency?07:53 - How to Identify Vision Problems vs. Dyslexia11:33 - The Assessment Process13:55 - How the Program Works16:45 - How Screen Time Affects Vision20:45 - When to Worry About Reading Struggles25:35 - The Problem with Labels and Diagnoses29:30 - Success Stories and Transformation34:30 - How to Get Help37:18 - Final Thoughts and Resources

When Jamie Lesko - a former special education teacher, first started homeschooling, she did what many teachers-turned-homeschoolers do: she recreated school at home. Desks. Rigid schedules. Planners. Her son regularly melted down on the floor.

Then one day, she found all three kids doing schoolwork atop a closet loft.

Her first instinct? Worry. But then she had an epiphany: "Why do they have to learn at a desk?"

Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come when we stop trying to replicate what we know and start building what works.

In this episode, Jamie Lesko takes us through her family's unexpected journey into homeschooling, and how the pandemic led her to a more personalized approach for her three children.

We explore:

- Why traditional teaching credentials aren't always the most important qualification

- How to transition from "bringing school home" to true homeschooling

- The power of letting children choose when and where they learn

- Creating an "educational cocktail" unique to each child

- Managing full-time work while homeschooling

- Building independence and problem-solving skills

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to OpenEd Podcast

00:35 Jamie's Family Educational Journey

01:45 Transition to Homeschooling

03:55 Homeschooling Challenges and Discoveries

05:24 Charter School Experience

08:29 Homeschooling Realizations and Community Support

11:29 Adapting to Homeschooling

16:33 Balancing Homeschooling and Family Life

16:59 Flexibility and Autonomy in Homeschooling

18:27 Choosing the Right Curriculum

20:40 Adapting to Individual Learning Styles

24:35 Teaching Problem-Solving Skills

27:13 Parental Roles in Homeschooling

34:10 Rapid Fire Questions and Insights

You don't have to choose between work and customized learning. Build around the system, not against it.

Sunny Simkin, a single working mom reveals how she transformed her children's education without leaving public school. After struggling with math herself, she refused to let her daughter face the same challenges. Instead of fighting the system, she built around it - combining public school with targeted programs like Mathnasium, Ninja Warrior classes, and specialized music education.

Learn how she:

- Identified her children's unique learning styles

- Found creative alternatives to traditional sports

- Improved her daughter's math performance

- Balanced work and educational enrichment

- Discovered hidden local resources

Plus: Get specific recommendations for after-school programs that actually work, including Let's Play Music, Soccer Shots, and more. Perfect for working parents who want to personalize their kids' education without homeschooling.

Follow for more practical education tips for working parents!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Personalized Education

00:31 Meet Sunny Simkin

01:19 Sunny's Educational Journey

03:11 Challenges with Math

05:27 Interventions and Solutions

11:44 Extracurricular Activities

19:27 Balancing Public School and Personalization

25:18 Resources and Recommendations

28:08 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Charlynn Chambers didn't set out to revolutionize education. She just wanted to help her kids learn. But somewhere between the pandemic and pancakes, she stumbled upon a profound truth: education isn't separate from real life.

For her children, traditional schooling had been a struggle. Sitting still, focusing on worksheets, and regurgitating facts for tests seemed to dim their natural curiosity. At home, though, a different story unfolded.

Charlynn found learning opportunities everywhere. Division wasn't just numbers on a page; it was splitting Stormtrooper armies in Star Wars scenarios. Fractions weren't abstract concepts; they were measurements in a favorite recipe. Leadership wasn't a buzzword; it was taking charge of making breakfast for the family.

"Education isn't about being able to just score all the right things on all the right tests," Charlynn realized. "It's about really being more of a whole individual."

This wasn't a rejection of academic rigor. Rather, it was an expansion of what "education" could mean. By integrating learning into daily life, Charlynn's children weren't just memorizing facts – they were developing skills to navigate the real world, pursue their passions, and continue learning long after any test was over.

In Charlynn's kitchen classroom, education became more than preparation for life. It became life itself.

Resources mentioned:• OpenEd• Math Base Camp• Education.com• Reading Eggs

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:22 Transition from Charter to Homeschool

01:24 Pandemic's Impact on Education Choices

03:12 Homeschooling and Neurodivergence

04:20 Parental Involvement and Curriculum Concerns

08:45 Homeschooling Journey and Adjustments

12:19 Customizing Education for ADHD

16:24 Hands-On Learning and Life Skills

18:34 Balancing Curriculum and Life Lessons

22:39 Intentional Living and Learning

27:11 Fostering Lifelong Learning at Home

28:28 Challenges and Rewards of Homeschooling

31:41 Essential Resources for Homeschooling

35:47 Homeschooling in Oregon: Insights and Trends

46:09 Practical Tips for New Homeschooling Parents

47:15 Balancing Challenges and Growth

51:20 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

From factory settings to farm life, Apogee Strong founder Matt Beaudreau reveals why traditional schooling may be holding your child back. Learn how real education happens outside the classroom and why parents are better equipped than "experts" to guide their children's learning. Matt shares insights from his journey founding his microschool network, working at Stanford, and transforming education for thousands of families.

Learn more: https://apogeestrong.com/apogee-schools

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:38 Education Isn't Political

05:11 Individualized Education

09:29 Fundamentals of Education

14:29 Defining Success

18:51 Simplifying Education

26:11 Lightbulb Moments

34:07 Transfer of a Way of Life

37:00 Socratic Conversations at Home

44:41 Parents Are the Experts

48:43 The Value of Experience

Chapters

00:00 Understanding Negative Thinking in Kids

00:21 Introduction to the OpenEd Podcast

00:23 Meet Joey Mascio of Sidekick to Hero

01:07 The Importance of Open Education

01:53 Joey's Journey from Teacher to Sidekick to Hero

02:36 The Missing Piece in Education: Self-Development

04:35 Teaching Self-Development Through Humor and Stories

05:18 Joey's Disney and Improv Background

07:05 The Impact of Sidekick to Hero on Kids

09:20 The Power of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

14:14 From Sidekick to Hero: Teaching Teens to Reframe Their Mindset

17:06 Introduction to the Hero Arenas

17:15 Exploring the Four Hero Arenas

18:07 Gamification and Real-World Application

19:34 Balancing Screen Time and Real Life

20:49 Teens and Technology: A Deep Dive

29:22 Improv Game: One Sentence Summaries

30:47 Wrapping Up and Final Thoughts

In this episode of the OpenEd podcast, we sit down with Joey Mascio, founder of Sidekick to Hero, a program designed to teach self-development skills to teenagers. Joey, a former middle school teacher and Disneyland performer, shares his insights on the importance of teaching cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other personal growth techniques to young people.

Key Themes

1. The gap in traditional education around self-development and resilience
2. Using storytelling and gamification to engage teens in personal growth
3. The impact of technology on teen mental health and productivity
4. Reframing negative thoughts and building self-confidence
5. The importance of real-world action in learning and growth

Highlights

The Missing Piece in Education

Joey reflects on his time as a teacher: "There's no education, no class, no curriculum that really teaches self-development, resilience, or anything like that. We find this stuff as adults, and we always say, 'I wish I knew this when I was a teen.'"

Rewriting Our Stories

Drawing from his own experiences with bullying, Joey explains: "I was rewriting my unhelpful thoughts that weren't getting me the results I wanted. Teens are capable of doing this, but they don't know they can. They're not aware of the difference between the facts around them and their stories or thoughts about those facts."

The Hero's Journey in Personal Development

Joey describes his approach: "Sidekick to Hero is my way of teaching CBT and other self-development concepts to teens. The hero is the person in the story who rises up to change the ending. Nobody else in the story does that – it's the hero."

Technology as a Tool, Not a Lifestyle

On the impact of excessive screen time, Joey notes: "If you play Fortnite for four hours and get to level 95, when you turn it off and look around in your real life, there's been no change, no improvement. It doesn't transfer over, and your real life is not improving."

Closing Thought:

"Teens can do so much more than they're currently doing. They just have to change their mind about themselves so they can change their story."

This episode offers valuable insights for parents, educators, and teens themselves on the importance of self-development skills and how to cultivate them in a world full of distractions. Joey Mascio's Sidekick to Hero program presents an innovative approach to teaching these crucial life skills, emphasizing real-world application and personal growth.

Kerry McDonald, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education and host of the LiberatED podcast, discusses the revolution in alternative education models.

Key topics:

• Rise of homeschooling and microschools
• Impact of COVID-19 on education choices
• Technology's role in enabling new learning approaches
• Blurring lines between traditional and alternative education
• Growth of low-cost private schools and school choice policies
• Challenges and opportunities in education innovation

Kerry shares insights on how parents are becoming more empowered in their children's education and why personalized learning is the future.

#AlternativeEducation #Homeschooling #EdTech #SchoolChoice #Microschools

Chapters

00:00 Reflecting on Education: Well-Schooled but Not Well-Educated

00:34 Introducing Carrie McDonald: A Force in Education Innovation

01:06 The Education Entrepreneurship Lab: Empowering Innovators

03:36 Carrie's Journey: From Economics to Education

08:08 Discovering Homeschooling: A Pivotal Moment

11:52 The Rise of Alternative Education Models

13:41 Pandemic Pods and Parental Empowerment

17:17 The Future of Decentralized Education

20:07 The Rise of Homeschooling

21:03 Exploring Micro Schools

22:06 Adoption of Unconventional Education

23:30 The Middle Majority Embraces Alternatives

25:12 Blurring the Lines: Public vs. Private

27:36 Navigating State Regulations

35:40 Technology's Role in Education

38:24 Predictions and Future Trends

40:45 Conclusion and Contact Information

When was the last time you outran a bear? These kids did it last week. Dive into the wild world of Nature Kids Connect – a part-time nature-based enrichment program that meets every Friday in the Salt Lake City area.

No phones. No screens. No limits. See how unplugging from tech and plugging into nature is creating a generation of fearless leaders.

Bears don't care about your Instagram, and neither do these kids. Witness the power of real-world experiences in shaping young minds.

Learn more at https://NatureKidsConnect.com

00:00 Introduction to the Open Ed Podcast

00:28 Exploring Nature Kids Connect

00:45 A Day in the Life of Nature Kids

03:33 Weather Challenges and Outdoor Learning

05:29 Wildlife Encounters and Journaling Adventures

08:24 Backpacking Trips and Outdoor Bonding

17:50 Entrepreneurship and Future Plans

26:02 Balancing Technology and Nature

31:20 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Today, we're diving into our first-ever Q&A session. Matt Bowman and Isaac tackle some of the most pressing questions from our amazing community of parents and educators.

Here's a taste of what we cover:

00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer

02:00 Is obsession with one subject okay?

05:00 How to balance freedom and future prep?

08:00 Is it normal to feel like I'm winging it?

10:00 How to assess learning without grades?

14:00 How should we approach screen time?

19:00 How to encourage reluctant readers?

26:00 How can kids discover their passions?

32:00 Assignments or self-directed projects?

40:00 Can homeschoolers go to college?

44:00 What if I don't feel qualified to teach?

48:00 Closing Remarks and Call for Questions

Remember, there's no one-size-fits-all answer in education. We're all figuring this out together.

Share your questions as comments on the video.

Check out the new Q&A playlist with clips from these episodes and share them with your fellow parents in need!