What Homeschool Parents Can Learn From Alumni Stories

Our Voices Can Make A Difference In Homeschooling Legislation

If you wanna support the work of CRHE, consider a donation: https://crhe.org/support-crhe/Today we're talking homeschool legislation. And who better to do that than Tess Ulrey, director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education. Together, we're breaking down major legislative victories in Nebraska and Connecticut, explaining the goals behind the Make Homeschool Safe Act, and exploring the complicated balance between parental rights, children’s rights, and educational freedom. The conversation also dives into public school sports access, mandated reporters, homeschool stigma, and why reliable homeschool data matters more than ever.*Key Topics Covered*• Nebraska’s LB1224 and what it changes for homeschool oversight• Connecticut’s new homeschool registration requirements• Why CRHE advocates for homeschool accountability• Suspicious withdrawal during CPS investigations• Access to public school sports and extracurriculars• Homeschooling and children’s rights• Why homeschool data and registration matter• Legislative pushback from both homeschool and public school communities• The future of homeschool reform in the U.S.*Resources Mentioned*• CRHE Website: https://crhe.org• Make Homeschool Safe Act: https://crhe.org/make-homeschool-safe-act/• Homeschooling's Invisible Children: https://hic.crhe.orgIf you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who might benefit from hearing this story. Follow Ex-Homeschoolers Club on Instagram and TikTok for updates, and send us a message – we’d love to hear from you!*Connect with Me*Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exhsclub/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@exhsclubEmail me at exhsclub@gmail.com*Chapters*00:00 Welcome Back Tess Ulrey from CRHE01:08 What Is CRHE? And What Do They Do?02:27 Big Wins In Nebraska And Connecticut03:55 Make Homeschool Safe Act07:50 Nebraska LB1224 Breakdown11:36 Kids Rights Bipartisan Shift14:21 Connecticut HB5468 Changes16:18 Why Registration Matters20:16 Access Bills Sports Resources25:23 Pushback and Practicalities27:48 Homeschoolers on Teams28:21 Proms and Shared Events30:04 Breaking Homeschool Stigma32:49 What Bills Are Next34:13 How Laws Spread Statewide38:38 Federal Graduation Recognition43:58 Parents Rights Debate45:10 How Alumni Can Help53:15 Local Outreach and Wrap Up

Did You Forget Something? How to find any moment from the podcast

You can try out Podspun for yourself here: https://podspun.com/@Ex-HomeschoolersClubToday I’m sharing something a little different, it's a bonus episode/demo of a new tool called Podspun that lets you search through podcast episodes to find the golden nuggets you might have forgotten. If you’ve ever remembered a conversation from the show but couldn’t remember which episode it came from, this tool is designed to solve that problem. You can search topics, keywords, and even ask questions that pull answers directly from past episodes and guest conversations.I walk through how the tool works, show a few real examples from the podcast, and explain how it can help both longtime listeners and brand-new audience members explore the show in a completely new way.After you test it out, I’d genuinely love to hear what you think. Whether you have ideas for new features, feedback on how it works, or topics you’d like to explore through the tool, send me your thoughts at exhsclub@gmail.com. I’ll be sharing listener feedback directly with the creators as they continue improving the platform.Connect with meInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/exhsclub/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@exhsclubEmail me at exhsclub@gmail.comChapters00:00 Welcome To A Special Announcement Episode00:33 Podcast Search Problem01:05 Meet Podspun01:24 Search Captions Demo02:27 Ask a Quesion Demo03:33 Try It and Share Your Feedback

What Homeschool Parents Can Learn From Alumni Stories

What happens when homeschool parents actually listen to homeschool alumni?In this episode, I'm sitting down with homeschool mom and former teacher Kim Andrysczyk for a thoughtful conversation about homeschooling, parenting, emotional health, and accountability. Instead of getting defensive about criticism from homeschool graduates, Kim shares why listening matters — and how those conversations can help shape healthier homeschool experiences for future generations.Kim opens up about raising three homeschooled children, navigating learning disabilities and dyslexia, struggling with the blurred lines between parent and teacher, and eventually deciding to send one child back to public school when homeschooling stopped working. Together, Jacob and Kim explore authoritarian parenting, emotional regulation, testing and accountability, homeschool legislation, and why alumni voices deserve to be heard.This episode is a nuanced, compassionate discussion about growth, mistakes, and how families can do better moving forward.*Connect with Kim*• The South Carolina Homeschool Connection: https://www.homeschoolingsc.org• Cola City Homeschoolers Convention: https://www.colacityhomeschoolers.com*Resources Mentioned*• The Myth of Good Christian Parenting: https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Good-Christian-Parenting-Evangelical/dp/1587436647• Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Inside-Guide-Becoming-Parent/dp/0063159481• Homeschooled by Stefan Merrill Block: https://bookshop.org/p/books/homeschooled-a-new-york-times-bestselling-memoir-and-read-with-jenna-pick-stefan-merrill-block/7e9b1465fdf608ff?ean=9781335000989&next=t• Stories Behind Stances: https://www.amazon.com/Stories-Behind-Stances-Creating-Empathy/dp/B0C6W15LK7• Rachel Denhollander: https://rachaeldenhollander.comIf you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who might benefit from hearing this story. Follow Ex-Homeschoolers Club on Instagram and TikTok for updates, and send us a message – we’d love to hear from you!*Connect with me*Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exhsclub/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@exhsclubEmail me at exhsclub@gmail.com*Chapters*00:00 Welcome Back to the Ex-Homeschoolers Club01:24 Why Kim chose homeschooling04:23 Extracurriculars and co-op learning12:16 Dyslexia testing and support resources17:14 When homeschooling stops working18:49 Parent vs teacher role conflict24:39 Parenting style and emotional regulation29:53 Listening to alumni and handling criticism36:43 Authority triggers and accountability39:34 Kids Need A Voice41:17 Authoritarian Backlash42:26 Common Sense Safeguards43:45 Testing Builds Confidence46:13 Training DSS Agents48:48 South Carolina Accountability Work54:20 Prevention And Protective Factors01:01:46 Community Over Isolation 01:03:23 Transcripts And College Prep01:08:15 Homeschool Expo Details01:13:30 Final Thanks And Wrap

She Was Raised to Be the “Perfect” Homeschool Daughter

This week in the clubhouse, I'm sitting down with Lydia to unpack what it was like growing up homeschooled in a large “Fundy-lite” Christian family deeply influenced by Vision Forum culture, purity culture, and Quiverfull-adjacent ideology. Lydia shares her experience being the oldest of seven children, navigating homeschool co-ops, modesty culture, conservative Christian college, and the immense pressure of becoming the “obedient oldest daughter.” Together, Jacob and Lydia explore how homeschool isolation can exist even inside large communities, the hidden emotional burden placed on oldest daughters, and the long process of deconstructing beliefs that shaped adulthood. This conversation dives into homeschooling culture, Christian nationalism, purity culture, social isolation, and the struggle to build an identity outside of the expectations placed on homeschool kids. Some Of The Things We Referenced * I Kissed Dating Goodbye * Homeschool Legal Defense Association * Doug Phillips * Shiny Happy People Connect with Lydia * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@90shomeschooler * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/90shomeschooler/ If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who might benefit from hearing this story. Follow Ex-Homeschoolers Club on Instagram and TikTok for updates, and send us a message – we’d love to hear from you! Connect with Jacob * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exhsclub/ * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@exhsclub * Email me at exhsclub@gmail.com Chapters 00:00 Let's Meet Lydia 01:03 Growing Up On A Fundie Lite Homestead 03:42 Is Virginia The Homeschool Hub 05:33 Why Lydia's Family Homeschooled 09:48 Did Your Homeschool Curriculum Prepare You For College 13:12 I Went To College To Meet My Husband 14:35 What Is Vision Forum 19:00 Were Are Parents Even Reading What They Were Giving Us 22:05 Did You Have A Homeschool Community 27:17 Socialization Isn't The Same As Real Friends 28:50 Did Big Family Dynamics Lead To Parentification 33:22 Was College A Culture Shock 37:58 Why College Didn’t Change Me 40:43 Moving Out Was The Catalyst For My Deconstruction 45:16 My Therapist Made Me Start A TikTok 50:31 Today's Risks Of Homeschooling 53:05 Embrace the Weird

What Happens When Homeschool Kids Finally Enter the Real World?

This week on the podcast, I sat down with Jaycie to unpack what it was like growing up K–12 homeschooled in a deeply religious environment shaped by ACE curriculum, church culture, and isolation. From role-playing public school in her bedroom as a kid to struggling with depression and culture shock during college, Jaycie shares an honest look at how homeschooling shaped her relationships, faith, and transition into adulthood. In this episode, we covered: * ACE curriculum often prioritized religious ideology over deep academic learning * Homeschool isolation can make transitions into adulthood and college extremely difficult * Many homeschoolers develop strong self-teaching and research skills * Fear-based religious messaging can make social connection feel unsafe * College became both liberating and emotionally overwhelming * COVID gave many former evangelicals space to reevaluate faith and church culture * Public school and homeschooling both have tradeoffs, but involvement from parents matters most * Creative freedom and independent learning were meaningful positives from homeschooling Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to the Ex-Homeschoolers Club 00:35 Jaycie's Homeschool Rundown 01:36 ACE Curriculum Breakdown 03:09 Pros and Cons of ACE 09:45 Church as Social Life 11:02 Moving Missouri to Texas 13:59 Senior Year Depression 16:35 College Culture Shock 26:39 Gods Not Dead Mindset 30:23 Dropping Out and Marriage 32:50 Faith Shift During COVID 36:49 Homeschooling Reconsidered 40:22 Choosing Public School 44:33 Art Career and Reading 50:40 Cringey Co Op Puppets 53:04 Wrap Up and Goodbye If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who might benefit from hearing this story. Follow Ex-Homeschoolers Club on Instagram and TikTok for updates, and send us a message – we’d love to hear from you! Connect with me: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exhsclub/ * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@exhsclub * Email me at exhsclub@gmail.com