The Rational Educator

We conclude our two part episode with Jenn Casey, homeschool mom, and co-founder of an Atlanta area homeschool co-op. We talk about some of the reasons behind starting the co-op, the importance of founding principles, of community, and protecting all partners by forming a legal entity.

This is a great episode, with lots of insight into the workings of a homeschool co-op. If you're looking to start your own co-op, this is a great organization to model yours after.

You can find her co-op, The Space, Time, and Community co-op, here:
https://www.stacofga.org/

We also referred to a blog post on their website that asks whether or not their co-op classes are rigorous. You can find that here:
https://www.stacofga.org/stacblog/high-school-classes-and-rigor-at-stac

Interested in a classic literature curriculum for your middle or high school student?
Sign up for a free trial of the Literature Plus program from The Pisan Academy. You'll get everything you need to teach the greatest works of Western Civilization, along with additional readings of history and philosophy to add context and make the works come alive.
https://www.pisanacademy.com/free

If you're a parent and you're considering homeschooling, but feeling a little overwhelmed, take a look at this free guide that contains actionable steps, lists of issues to consider, as well as planning checklists:
https://www.pisanacademy.com/8-steps

Let us know what you think! Send us an email!
[email protected]

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Here's a quick bonus episode that should've been part of last week's episode and didn't make it. But Jenn's answer is so good here that I wanted to make sure it got heard.

Make sure you check out our next episode for the conclusion of our interview with Jenn.
Here's a link to her Atlanta based co-op:
https://www.stacofga.org/

If you're a parent considering homeschooling, check out this downloadable PDF guide with a checklist to help you get started:
https://www.pisanacademy.com/8-steps

Interested in a classic literature curriculum for your middle or high school student?
Sign up for a free trial of the Literature Plus program from The Pisan Academy. You'll get everything you need to teach the greatest works of Western Civilization, along with additional readings of history and philosophy to add context and make the works come alive.
https://www.pisanacademy.com/free

Let us know what you think! Send us an email!
[email protected]

Music attribution:
Misunderstood by 3lb3r3th (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/3lb3r3th/44072 Ft: Alchemistry

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Jenn Casey is an entrepreneur, co-founder of a homeschool co-op in Atlanta, and homeschool mom to three kids. In this episode, we talk about how she started with visions of using classical methods straight out of The Well-Trained Mind, only to find that it wasn't working for her son.

How did she figure it out and find a method that actually worked? Tune in and find out!

Interested in a classic literature curriculum for your middle or high school student?
Sign up for a free trial of the Literature Plus program from The Pisan Academy. You'll get everything you need to teach the greatest works of Western Civilization, along with additional readings of history and philosophy to add context and make the works come alive.
https://www.pisanacademy.com/free

Let us know what you think! Send us an email!
[email protected]

Support the show

With the increasing uncertainty surrounding the status of schools, more and more families are turning toward "Pandemic Pods," or small associations of families that opt out of the traditional school classroom setting in favor of educating their children within their own self-contained environments, or "pods."

In this episode, co-founders Deanna and Joel talk about what seems like a new phenomenon, but might actually be another name for the homeschool co-op. They explore how to get started with your own pod, and the vast number of resources that are available to help in the journey.

Check out the Homeschool Legal Defense Association to learn about the laws regarding education in your area.
https://hslda.org/

Looking for a literature and history curriculum for your middle and high school students?
Sign up for a free trial of the Literature Plus program:
https://www.pisanacademy.com/free

If you'd like to share your stories with us on the Passionate Homeschooler podcast, go to this link and send us a message:
https://www.pisanacademy.com/share

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Becky Russell has been homeschooling her kids since 2012 and has accumulated a lot of experience that she publishes on her website and YouTube channel. She's here with us to share some of her stories and tips.

Be sure to check out her website:
https://russellslovinglife.com/

And her YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa4zojFjRDPaXgjApK6jL_Q

Here's the free trial link for the Literature Plus curriculum:
https://www.pisanacademy.com/free

If you'd like to share your own stories with us, click on this link:
https://www.pisanacademy.com/share

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Gen LaGreca is an author with four novels under her belt, and while they seem like they are set in different eras and genres, they have the common theme of independent, rational heroes who have a love for truth and liberty, and a clear sense of right and wrong.

Her Young Adult novel Fugitive from Asteron is a great read for liberty minded high schoolers and advanced middle schoolers. Her well-researched Civil War novel A Dream for Daring is a unique take on the Antebellum South and how destructive its corrosive slave-owning culture really was.

In this episode, we talk about what art and literature can do for a child's education, and how important it is to study history and literature together.

You can contact her through her website here:
https://wingedvictorypress.com/

For a free trial of the Literature Plus curriculum:
https://www.pisanacademy.com/free

If you'd like to tell your homeschooling story on the Passionate Homeschooler podcast, let us know:
https://www.pisanacademy.com/share

Support the show

If you're wondering if it's possible to homeschool your kids with a full time job, here's Laura Kronen, mother of two boys, and author of Homeschool Happily: Yes, You Can! available here: https://amz.run/3QCV

In this episode, we talk to Laura about how she got into homeschooling, the problems with the traditional classroom experience, and the fulfilling rewards of homeschooling.

Check out her website here:
https://www.beyouonlybetter.com/

For a free trial of the Literature Plus curriculum:
http://www.pisanacademy.com/free

If you'd like to tell your homeschooling story on the Passionate Homeschooler podcast, let us know:
http://www.pisanacademy.com/share

Support the show

Today, we think of education as a centrally controlled monolith, with policy driven from the top down, and schoolkids shuttled through classrooms like widgets on an assembly line. But this wasn't always the case. Education was once managed by the choices of individual families that more closely resembled what we call homeschooling today.

In this episode, Deanna and Joel talk about how a few influential policymakers from the 19th century helped create what would become the Leviathan that is the modern education system.

Check out a trial of the Literature Plus curriculum:
http://www.pisanacademy.com/free

If you'd like to tell your homeschooling story on the Passionate Homeschooler podcast, let us know:
http://www.pisanacademy.com/share

Support the show

Everyone's education journey is different, and homeschooling might not be for everyone. Here's an interview with a dad who believes in a strong education, but decided that homeschooling wasn't right for their family. We talk about their choices, why he's so supportive of a Montessori education, and some of the pitfalls of the traditional classroom experience.
Even if you're not considering anything other than a homeschool life, Matt's story will give you something to think about.

If you're a homeschool parent and you'd like to share your story, or you just want to reach out and say hi, send us an email: [email protected].

If you'd like to try a free trial of our Literature Plus curriculum, go to https://pisanacademy.com/free

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I'm sure you've heard the same misconceptions before. Homeschool kids are isolated, they're unsocialized, and they live in a bubble. 

In this episode, co-founder Deanna Heikkinen is here to talk about some of her own misconceptions about homeschooling that she discovered were false when she got to know and work with homeschooling families. 

Check out https://pisanacademy.com/free to sign up for a free trial of the LIterature Plus curriculum. Everything you need to teach classic works of literature, without being an expert.

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