This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Nadine Lauffer from Pennsylvania. Nadine is a current homeschool student and the host of the How to Homeschool in High School podcast. When she was in fourth grade, Nadine's mom decided that she was going to homeschool Nadine and her little sister along with several friends from church. Eventually, the Lauffer's moved to a new state and did not have the same co-op community they were used to in Florida; but they had grown in their philosophy and loved the time and relationship-building that homeschooling afforded. One of the biggest challenges that Nadine has experienced as a homeschool student is the fear of missing out on all the glamorous things depicted about school in books and movies and among her friends. However, Nadine has outgrown this fear and recognizes how much the homeschool option and lifestyle has blessed her life. Presently, she is taking two dual enrollment courses at a local college, and Nadine is learning how homeschooling has helped her to be adaptable. She is confident because she has learned to love learning and how to learn. To show how unafraid she is to learn, Nadine started a podcast in 2022 to help people, specifically her homeschool high school peers, to learn and understand more about homeschooling. Nadine counsels new homeschool families to expect the journey to be challenging and even inconvenient, but completely worth the struggle.

Connect with Nadine
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2045736

Books
The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home
Rethinking School: How to Take Charge of Your Child's Education
God's Smuggler

 Curriculum
https://iew.com/
https://diveintomath.com/shormann/
https://bereanbuilders.com/ecomm/

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Jeff Park from Calgary, Alberta. Jeff is a father of four and the founder and executive director of the Alberta Parents Union, with expertise in policy research, advocacy, and political campaigning. Growing up in the southern States, Jeff attended Christian schools and was also traditionally homeschooled. From his successful debate experience at Liberty University in Virginia, Jeff was recruited by HSLDA to do research on home education. After getting married and moving to Alberta, Canada, Jeff pursued his interest in school choice by working for several organizations and think tanks, specifically focusing on education policy. Eventually, Jeff started Alberta Parents Union to advocate for parental authority and control in all education choices, including homeschooling. In our conversation, Jeff explained and clarified several questions about education, including funding problems and the option for school vouchers, parents' voice and influence, or lack thereof, in education decisions, and the problem with way too much government control in how education happens in North America. We discussed the research and the reasons for the significant growth of homeschooling and its superior benefits to any other education option, like homeschool students' greater participation in the democratic process and running for office. Ultimately, Jeff Park just wants to make sure that families have more education options and that they know what those options are.

Connect with Jeff Park
https://www.albertaparentsunion.ca/

 Resources
https://hslda.ca/
https://hslda.org/

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Nephi Zufelt from Pocatello, Idaho. Nephi is a homeschooling father of five, mechanical engineer, business owner, leader in his local church congregation, and author of Katie Bell and the Wishing Well: A Story of Finding True Wealth, and The Big Startup Guidebook for Kids. Nephi and his wife had talked about homeschooling often when their kids were younger, but it wasn't until he left his job to start his own business and moved from Tennessee to Colorado that they finally decided to try homeschooling. At first, the Zufelt's just did what they thought was done in the schools. But over time and after studying the principles of homeschooling and learning, they began to see the great benefits and advancement of the homeschooling option. Nephi's wife had taught all of her children to read before they were five and so they already had that foundation when they started learning at home. Nephi and I talked a lot about how archaic and ill-equipped the public school system is to give students individualized attention. Unfortunately, most parents are still caught up in the old-school paradigm of focusing on their kids getting good grades and getting into college, when this is not sufficient for the world and future they are entering. Our children need to be curious and creative, know how to solve problems, love learning, know how to learn, and understand the principles of learning if they are to be successful in the rapidly changing and competitive world. The schools simply don't do this stuff! Nephi gave us so many excellent insights into topics like parent engagement, the role of the homeschool dad, principles versus skill sets, and knowing the difference between teaching your children grit and giving them the space to pursue their interests. Finally, we talked about Nephi's expertise in teaching children about wealth mentality. He helps us understand what real wealth actually is, things like good health, freedom of time, and strong relationships, instead of a myopic focus on materials and accumulation. Nephi reminds us that it takes great failures to create wealth.

Connect with Nephi
www.wealthmentalityfamilies.com

Nephi’s Books
Katie Bell and the Wishing Well: A Story of Finding True Wealth
The Big Startup Guide for Kids: A Principle-Based Approach to Entrepreneurship

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Scott Postma from Idaho. Scott is a homeschool father of four and a grandfather of six, all of whom are homeschooled. He has a PhD in Humane Letters from Faulkner University, and he's the president and CEO of Kepler Education, a marketplace for live online classical Christian education. Named after the famous German astronomer, Johannes Kepler, Kepler Education helps students enjoy the freedom of homeschooling with the expertise of a broad faculty. Before their first child was born in 1991, Scott's wife already knew she wanted to homeschool, but Scott thought that was a weird idea and took some time to get on board. Now, Scott cannot imagine sending a child into the public system. One of the things Scott loves most about homeschooling is the emphasis on cultivating lifelong learners. In our conversation, we talked about the importance of making decisions according to our worldview, and we lamented how much waste we observe in the way educational resources are allocated. However, we both feel optimistic about the growth of home education and other alternatives to the conventional system. Although the homeschool journey can be overwhelming and has many challenges, Scott reminds us to keep it simple, read a lot, and to not take ourselves too seriously.

Connect with Scott Postma
https://scottpostma.net/
https://kepler.education/

Websites and Curriculum
https://www.aceschooloftomorrow.com/
https://www.abeka.com/
https://classicalconversations.com/
https://www.bjupresshomeschool.com/
https://www.aop.com/
https://romanroadspress.com/
Saxon Math
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Kuyper

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Pat Farenga from Boston, Massachusetts. Pat grew up in New York and eventually ended up in Boston for postsecondary studies. After completing his Master's degree, and with the challenge of finding available work in the early 1980s, Pat ended up working at a bookstore in Boston. Unbeknown to Pat, this bookstore was below the office of John Holt, one the most influential figures for the modern unschooling and homeschooling movements. When John Holt died in 1985, Pat became the publisher of the well-known homeschooling newsletter, Growing without Schooling (GWS), and president of Holt Associates. More recently, Pat has finished preparing all 143 issues of GWS and has made these available online. Mr. Farenga is an unschooling father of 3 daughters, an accomplished pianist and saxophonist, and he is a prolific writer, best known as the author of The Beginner's Guide to Homeschooling (1998) and Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Homeschooling (2003). During our conversation, we discussed many of the unfortunate problems with the conventional school system and how it is designed to stifle curiosity and the love of learning. We also talk about how homeschooling and unschooling allow families to escape the arbitrary benchmarks that plague schools and their students. This episode is of interest to all who are seeking an alternative to conventional schools, and we are given access to many resources to help us improve education and lifestyle.

Connect with Pat Farenga
https://www.johnholtgws.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/Johnholtgws

Books
Deschooling Society
Instead of Education
Teach Your Own
How Children Fail
How Children Learn
In Search of Excellence

Resources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothering_(magazine)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svWynGmBQb0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_Z
https://www.thewaldockway.com/carschooling/

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Chris Ronan from Seattle, Washington. Chris is not a homeschool parent or connected to homeschool really at all, except that he works for a company that facilitates an outdoor experience that many homeschool families enjoy: Geocaching. Chris is the senior public relations manager of Geocaching, and he also spends a lot of time training Geocaching volunteers. Over a decade ago, Chris and his wife became interested in Geocaching on a trip to visit his sister. They fell in love with it and Chris found himself, like Charlie Bucket who was fortunate to visit Wonka's chocolate factory, eventually working for Geocaching. The company started in the year 2000 after a man from Oregon hid a container and challenged people online to find it. Four months later, Geocaching was official, and today there are more than 3.3 million geocaches in more than 190 countries throughout the world. Homeschool families tend to love time in nature and going on field trips, and Geocaching provides an ideal activity for both. In this conversation, listeners will learn more about Geocaching, and they might feel more inclined to give Geocaching a try.

Connect with Chris Ronan
https://www.geocaching.com/play

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Steve Lambert from Kansas City, Missouri. Steve is a homeschool father of two, grandfather of 7, all of whom have graduated from homeschooling. Steve is the publisher of the famous Five in a Row curriculum, and he's the husband of Jane Lambert who created Five in a Row. The Lambert's started homeschooling in 1981. After more than a decade of homeschooling, Jane started creating engaging lessons from the books she had vetted for her children, and began sharing her lessons with other homeschool mothers. In 1994, Five in a Row officially began as a curriculum, and for nearly 30 years it has been used by more than 600,000 children in all 50 states, every Canadian province, and more than 60 countries. Five in a Row is based on great books that are read five days in a row with a specific emphasis each day. The books used in Five in a Row must meet 3 essential criterion: beautiful illustration, rich diversity of content, and they must be soul-stirring and leave a lifelong impression. Throughout our interview, Steve shares countless wise insights and engaging experiences that illustrate the fundamental principles and keys of homeschooling. Perhaps the most profound realization from this episode is that the best education takes place when snuggling with our children while reading a great book on a comfy sofa.

Connect with the Lambert’s
https://fiveinarow.com/

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Robert Flatt from Oklahoma. Robert is a homeschool father of 4 and the executive director of the NCHC (National Christian Homeschool Championships), a homeschool sports organization that began in the early 1990s. Robert's parents made the decision to homeschool when he was in first grade. When he was 13, his family moved from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma where they learned about homeschool basketball. Robert's dad soon became a coach of a team and was eventually asked to run the entire program, known today as the NCHC. In 2017, Robert took over as the executive director and the NCHC continues to grow each year. The NCHC has hundreds of basketball teams and volleyball teams, as well as teams in track and field and golf all over the United States. Last year there were more than 360 basketball teams that attended the homeschool basketball national championships in Springfield, Missouri. Some prominent players that started their basketball careers in the NCHC include Justin Jackson, Blake Griffin, and Moriah Jefferson. Robert reminds listeners that building community among homeschool families is essential, and that sports is one way to foster such community.

 Connect with Robert Flatt
https://www.nchclive.com/

Websites
https://hslda.org/
https://homeschoollife.com/

This Golden Hour

 In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Samantha Shank from Los Angeles, California. When she was only 14 years old, Samantha started her own business, Learn in Color. Now, after more than a decade, Learn in Color is an online educational platform for parents and teachers that has reached thousands of homes and classrooms. Her useful Math cheat sheets and educational movie guides are Samantha's best sellers. Samantha started university at age 16 and graduated in two and a half years. She also completed her Master's degree in Science Education rather quickly, and Samantha is a skilled graphic designer. When Samantha was in 3rd grade, she knew she wasn't being challenged and requested that her parents allow her to be homeschooled. She started homeschooling in 4th grade and went all the way through to university. Samantha was self-directed at a very early age and she loved the free time and flexibility that homeschooling afforded her so that she could pursue her own interests. She imagines homeschooling her own children one day, and Samantha counsels homeschooling families to simply let their children learn, and to not try to emulate how learning is done in schools.

Books and Resources
I am David
The Hiding Place
Your Complete Guide to Building a Memory Palace

Curriculum
Abeka Curriculum
Saxon Math
Teaching Textbooks
Math U See

Media
The Pursuit of Happyness
One Republic - "Life in Color"
Mindhunter (TV Series)

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Dr. Jay Wile from Indiana. Dr. Wile has a PhD in nuclear chemistry and has taught at Ball State University, Indiana University, and other postsecondary institutions. While teaching at Ball State University, Dr. Wile had an experience with one of his top Freshman students who was asking insightful questions about what he was studying. When Dr. Wile learned that this student was homeschooled, he decided to learn more about homeschooling. Dr. Wile developed a 3-part criteria to identify homeschool students among his classes. He learned that homeschool students tended to participate more in class, they read the material in preparation for class, and they would try to answer the extra questions that Dr. Wile would put on tests. When he and his wife eventually adopted a young woman through church connections, the Wile's decided to homeschool so that they could help her fill her learning gaps in preparation for postsecondary learning. Over the years, Dr. Wile has been sought out by many homeschool families for help with teaching Science. He has developed many texts, notebooks, and materials, including "Science in the Beginning." Listeners should visit bereanbuilders.com to find Dr. Wile's excellent resources.

Websites
https://bereanbuilders.com/ecomm/
https://www.mfwbooks.com/

Books and Curriculum
The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe without Design
Berean Builders Science Curriculum

This Golden Hour