.png)
The Homeschool How To
I don't claim to know anything about homeschooling, so I set out on a journey to ask the people who do! Join me as I chat with homeschoolers to discuss; "why are people homeschooling," "what are all the ways people are using to homeschool today," and ultimately, "should I homeschool my kids?"
The Homeschool How To
#101: Balancing the Badge and the Blackboard: Why a School Resource Officer Chooses to Home Educate
This podcast episode discusses the journey of a working mom who chose homeschooling for her daughters, highlighting the flexibility, family bonding, and curriculum customization it allows. The conversation delves into concerns about traditional schooling, modern educational pressures, and the unique perspective of a law enforcement officer.
• Exploration of why families choose homeschooling
• Balancing work responsibilities with education
• The importance of preserving childhood innocence
• Concerns about educational agendas in public schools
• Factors contributing to student anxiety due to testing
• The flexibility of curriculum choices
• The benefits of tailored education and personalized learning
• Insights from a law enforcement perspective and resource officer on the impact of active shooter drills
• The role of family values in educational decisions
• Recognition of teachers and the challenges they face
Let's Talk, Emergencies! - Cheryl's children's book, and don't forget
The Activity Book!
The Tuttle Twins - use code Cheryl40 for 40% off ages 5-11 book series
JIBBY MUSHROOM COFFEE - try today with code CHERYL20 for 20% off!
Earthley Wellness - use code HomeschoolHowTo for 10% off your first order
TreehouseSchoolhouse for your Fall Nature Study Curriculum- use promo code: THEHOMESCHOOLHOWTOPODCAST for 10% off entire order (if code puts you under free shipping limit- check out the traceable calendar to add to your order!)
PLEASE SHARE the show with this link!
Venmo, Ko-Fi (no fee)
Thank you for tuning into this week's episode of The Homeschool How To! If you've enjoyed what you heard and you'd like to contribute to the show, please consider leaving a small tip using the link in my show's description. Or, if you'd rather, please use the link in the description to share this podcast with a friend or on your favorite homeschool group Facebook page. Any effort to help us keep the podcast going is greatly appreciated. Thank you for tuning in and for your love of the next generation.
Instagram: TheHomeschoolHowToPodcast
Facebook: The Homeschool How To Podcast
Welcome to this week's episode of the Homeschool How-To. I'm Cheryl and I invite you to join me on my quest to find out why are people homeschooling, how do you do it, how does it differ from region to region, and should I homeschool my kids? Stick with me as I interview homeschooling families across the country to unfold the answers to each of these questions week by week. Welcome, and with us today I have Stephanie from Miami, florida. Stephanie, thank you for being here.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me. I'm a big fan of the podcast that is so cool to hear.
Speaker 1:All right. So first of all, I just want to say I'm jealous because you're in Florida, where the weather I'm sure is gorgeous right now, and though it's nice here, we're getting to that coat weather and, oh, it's just like the season is coming. The six month long winter Ouch, where are you?
Speaker 2:located? I'm in New York. Oh yes, new York, new York. Um, okay, where are you located? I'm in new york. Oh yes, new york, new york. It's cold over there, huh over here we're enjoying 70.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, I don't know why I'm in new york, all right. So are you a homeschool mom? Yes, I am, and how, and that's right, because you got your kids in the back there, so you, they'd probably be at school today, right, if they already did their homeschool for today. Yes, so how many kids do you have and what are their ages?
Speaker 2:So I have two girls aged eight and five. Have you always homeschooled them? So I started homeschooling my daughter for kindergarten. She was five years old. However, after kindergarten, my husband and I decided to put her in a Christian private school, because I had started the police academy. So she went to a Christian private school for first and second grade and then, once we were adjusted with the new schedule, the new career, we decided that we wanted to go back to homeschool. So she is homeschooling for third grade and then my little one started preschool this year. So we're doing homeschool for pre-K-4.
Speaker 1:Awesome. So I get this question a lot how do I homeschool if my husband and I both work? So I feel like this is a great kind of segue into that, like, how do you guys make it work? Obviously, when you were in the academy, that was hard. You probably both had similar schedules, so, but you know what does that look like in your household.
Speaker 2:My husband and I are both law enforcement officers, so when I got into the career yes, it was very hard, because the police academy took a long part of the day he was basically the only one taking them to school, picking them up, doing everything, and he used to work the midnight shift. So that's why we had to take a break for those two years till we got adjusted. Now we both currently work the day shift, homeschooling. The beauty of it is that you don't have to follow the regimen of regular traditional schooling Monday through Friday, eight hours a day, et cetera so you customize homeschool and you tailor it based on your own needs. So my husband has three days off of work out of the week and I have two days. Basically, we homeschool on our days off, and when we're working, the girls are enjoying their weekend. So for them, school looks like Thursday, friday, saturday, sunday, and then they have Monday through Wednesday as their weekend.
Speaker 1:And so do they stay with a relative, or it's. How does that work?
Speaker 2:Yes, my mom is retired. She retired this year, which was basically an answer prayer, so she's the one that watches them when we're at work. Sometimes she'll kind of like dabble into you know the schooling part, but my husband and I are very involved so we like to follow their learning closely. So that's why we choose to homeschool when we're home.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is. It's a fine line, because I've felt like as a homeschooler, you know you're choosing to have your kids home when they would otherwise be, you know, in the school all day. So, as a homeschooler, when you ask a friend or a relative, hey, could you watch the kids and it's probably my own, you know inside my head, but I feel like they're like well, you could just have them in school, where they're supposed to be right now, and I wouldn't have to watch them. But is that something like that you feel in the back? I know that sounds awful and I'm sure if anybody that watches my kids heard this, they'd be like I don't say that, but you got to wonder because your kids are such a joy to have Right.
Speaker 2:Right, I mean, I agree with you because I was born in Miami, florida, so I did school here from daycare all the way to college, so I know what that system is like. But for some reason, since I had my firstborn like since she was newborn I knew that this was the route that I wanted to take. And she was born in 2016, when it wasn't as popular as it is now, especially after COVID. But I still knew that I wanted to do my research, that I wanted to educate myself as to how, because, obviously, when you're first considering it, I think one of the most common thoughts are am I educated enough to educate my child? Like? I didn't go to school for teaching, I don't know all the subjects or the topics, so how am I going to possibly educate my child in school from kindergarten to, hopefully, senior year?
Speaker 2:So I did a lot of research and, you know, one of the more comforting things was that I heard was that, as a parent, you're never going to want to hurt your child or like make them feel like they're behind in any way, shape or form. As a matter of fact, we're the ones that are mostly invested in making sure we offer them the best we can possibly do. So that gave me comfort in knowing that, even if I didn't know the answers, I was going to figure it out just to make sure that she was, that they were successful. So, yeah, it's just, it's been a journey, but nonetheless I take comfort in the fact that I know this is what I want for them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you're willing to put up with anyone's like why don't you have them in school?
Speaker 2:Because you know this is what's best.
Speaker 1:And I think also you know, people, that, like our parents, school wasn't quite as bad as it is now, when you know we were going through it, or I'm you know, I'm 40. So it was much different than the agendas going on now. But let me ask you, why do you homeschool?
Speaker 2:One of the reasons is definitely the agenda that they have going on now. You know a lot, of, a lot of things that are being taught in school, you know, are what we learned, but then there's some additional things like gender and options like that that I don't necessarily want them to receive at school. I want them to reach an age where I'm able to teach them based off our beliefs and our principles, and I don't want other people feeding into them, especially so young. So I want to make sure that they're clear on principles and beliefs and things like that, off of our family first. One of the second reasons would be the standardized testing that is being done in schools. I think it has become out of hand. When I was in school, we just had to do one test, which at that time, for Florida, was the FCAP. I know that's not what it's called anymore, but we just had to worry about that one test in March and we were done. Now it's three tests a year and these kids are developing anxiety. Is that even?
Speaker 1:for like your daughter's age.
Speaker 2:It's three tests a year. Yes, it starts in third grade, so this would have been her first year. So they test in December in in sorry. They test in September, in December and in March and the curriculum for these, like everything, is geared toward their success in a test. So it's not even about them learning, because they're going to retain information. It's for them to retain it for the test.
Speaker 2:And I have so many friends of mine who talk to me constantly about their kids being stressed, developing anxiety, feeling too overwhelmed, not just by the schoolwork during school but also the homework after school. Right now we're out for Thanksgiving break and there's kids who have mandatory assignments to turn in while they're on vacation. So I'm just, it overwhelms me. The two years we had Kaylee in school was like a reality check. Like this is not what I want for my daughter. We would wake up very early, get her dressed for school and have her go to school for eight hours, come home, have to do homework and then any extracurricular activity that she had. By the time she laid down she was exhausted, and then she had to do that five times a week, and it's not something that I want for any of them. I wanted to give them the gift of time and freedom and enjoying what they're learning, not feeling like they have to learn because they have to ace a test. So, basically, those are my top reasons.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's so true, such good points.
Speaker 1:Because they, when they're so busy like that, they have no opportunity to even find interests of their own.
Speaker 1:And I think that's a big thing about like why I got to like 38 years old and I was like I still don't know what I enjoy. Like when I, when I thought about homeschoolers, I'm like, what could you possibly do all day If it, if the school work only takes an hour or two, as they're in middle school, maybe three as high schoolers, what do you do all day? Like it made no sense to me, but that's because I was part of the system that never let me explore my own interests. So now, like I see my son is really into riding his four wheeler and we like to go on hikes in the woods and we like to meet up with friends for play dates or go to a museum or go to the library, even just like they have toys at the library to just go and play with new toys. Um, there's just so many things that like I can't fit it all into a week that we have to say no to certain things.
Speaker 1:And for myself, I never knew that I would like you know podcasting or you know learning the social media aspect of stuff. So it's like I, I. Society just makes us so busy that we have no time to find our own interests.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely, definitely. I think that the time it's just we were so busy with so many things that we forget to appreciate and enjoy the little things when we're so consumed in what's next, what are we going to do next, and so on and so forth. So I just didn't want that for them. I wanted them to have the gift of time and freedom. And you know, to be honest, since Kaylee did do two years in school, when we considered her bringing her back to homeschool, we did speak to her. She was between she was seven years old, which was last summer when we spoke to her about whether or not she wanted to go back to her school or she wanted to stay home, and she said it right away she wants to do homeschool. And she she even being so little herself, she realized how stressful the schedule was. So it was definitely, I think, god's timing. We, we are grateful that we did put her in school so she can have kind of that experience and know where she, where her preference, lied.
Speaker 1:Yes, that is important, and when you think about things like this in the beginning, this really concerned me. Things like, oh, missing out on Halloween parades or, as they get older, homecoming dances and proms or football games, all that sort of nostalgia stuff that we look back on. How do you reason with that? Do you think that they will miss out? We just got done reading the Tuttle Twins and the Fate of the Future, book number nine in the Tuttle Twins series for ages five through 11.
Speaker 1:What I love about these books is how it relates back to real life.
Speaker 1:Every time the Fate of the Future has a fun story centered around the book the Anatomy of the State by Murray Rothbard and even though it's a kid's book, I'm learning right along with my kids.
Speaker 1:The story in Fate of the Future centers around the importance of competition among businesses and how detrimental monopolies can be. We even related it back to our recent vacation to Maine and how we went out for ice cream to three different places and because we had options, the ice cream parlors had to compete for our business by either lowering their prices or increasing their quality. Every time I read a Tuttle Twins book to my kids, it sparks the best conversations and I always end up feeling like, wow, I didn't realize my son could actually grasp concepts like that. If you didn't catch my interview with Tuttle Twins author Connor Boyack in episode 24, you definitely want to go back and check that out. And if you'd like to get the Tuttle Twins books for yourself or someone else, please go to my link so they know I sent you the homeschoolhowtocom slash Tuttle and use code Cheryl40 to get 40% off ages 5 through 11 series plus more. You can use the link and code in my show's description.
Speaker 2:Absolutely not. I'll tell you, as somebody who went to school, I wasn't even part of all the activities I and the beautiful thing is that we can do so much with them and the freedom and the time that we're giving them right. Thankfully, I have been blessed enough to have the options of a co-op within our church and, um, you know, they get. They get to play when all the other kids are at school. They get to have fun and be surrounded by kids their age and we get to take field trips. And she is also in jiu-jitsu. She used to do gymnastics and ballet. So whatever she wants to dabble on, we have the option to give it to her. So I love that we're giving her different experiences and she can say oh yes, I like this, I want to continue or I don't. So I don't really think she's missing out on anything. She's actually gaining experience in different areas and kind of checking off what she likes and what she doesn't like. She's being exposed, I think more so than if she is in school.
Speaker 1:That's such a good point. You're not missing out, you're actually getting opportunities to do other things. And I, you know, it's like you don't know what you don't know anyways, like I don't know what kids do in France. So am I missing out on something? Because my experience didn't look like a student of France's like yeah, okay, maybe I'm missing out, but does it bother me? No, because I don't know what they do, so it doesn't, I don't care. So, like, when I think about that, like, oh, is my child missing out Because they're not going to have the traditional prom? It's like well, one, you can just make that in your homeschool community. You can do a dance. You rent a hall and get the homeschoolers there so you can do it.
Speaker 1:But, two, it's like why do we your kid doesn't you know it because you had it, but your child doesn't know it, so like they don't know what they're missing out on anyways. And was it really that fun? No, probably like the planning of it was the fun stuff, like finding a dress and spending way too much money. That is really just stuff that doesn't need to happen anyways, because it's such that instant gratification. And then you're like it's just gone, okay, so just like a wedding.
Speaker 1:They're like mini wedding so putting that into perspective for myself and for other people, I think, is helpful, because that is generally, and generally the dads are the ones that are like well, are they going to miss out on this stuff? They don't want their kids to be like weird and resentful, right, how does your husband feel about?
Speaker 2:it. My husband was actually all for it. He was very supportive from the very beginning that we chose that. I kind of planted the idea. He loved it. He was always been like, okay, how are we going to do this? So he didn't mind doing it. But how, how are we going to do this? So he didn't mind doing it, but how, how are we going to pull it off?
Speaker 2:Once we took the leave to go back to homeschool after, he was a little more concerned because we were both working. But again it was more like how are we going to do this? And it actually freed up a lot more of his time because he used to come home after working the midnight shift and then I would have her ready and dressed for school and then he would have to drop her off in school and our school was about 20 minutes 20 minutes away from where we lived, plus traffic. So he was, he hadn't slept all night and he was stuck in traffic and then, trying to come home, he would sleep for a few hours before he had to get up and pick her up all over again. So it was a very exhausting and overwhelming time. So he found himself having more time now as well, even though now he works mornings. But he still felt like that.
Speaker 2:That's that relief from not being so stressed out. He's always been very supportive. Like I said, when I'm at work and he's off, he'll homeschool and he'll sit with them and explain to them math and whatnot. And, like I said, we're not the we weren't the smartest of the bunch, but again, like that devotion and that desire to make sure that we educate our girls, it's what drives us and I mean he has surprised himself with the way that he's learning. Yes, that is one of my biggest. It's been an experience.
Speaker 1:Yes, what types of curriculum do you guys use?
Speaker 2:We use a Becca. So I've been using a Becca since kindergarten and I really like the structure of it, and I think one of the things I love the most is that we have the video led option, so we have a teacher there breaking things down, kind of like. If there's things that we don't remember, we're like oh yeah, okay, so now let's explain it to them. If they don't understand the way they're explaining it, we'll break it down our own way. But I feel like it's a way for us to also rely on professionals who studied education and things like that yeah.
Speaker 1:So how many hours a day or how much time a day? And you said it was four days a week that you generally spend on the curriculum. How long does it take each day?
Speaker 2:So generally for Ava it'll take about an hour and a half and then for Kaylee between two hours to two and a half hours.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that is a lot because they're young, but I've looked at different curriculums. A Be Becca was one of the ones that was more intense for sure, which is great, for some people has a lot of classes, right, a Becca.
Speaker 2:So the way that I've tweaked that, I have been able to customize it. They do have a lot of classes. So Ava will have maybe about five classes and then Kaylee will have nine, and that is a little overwhelming because it's homeschool, right? So homeschool is supposed to be a little more relaxed, but I don't give them all the classes. So you know, we focus on math, reading and writing, and then sometimes they'll have crafts here and there, but I try to focus on the fundamentals. So that's how I've been able to tweak it. I do the unaccredited version so I don't have to report their assignments to anybody except our evaluator, because in Florida we do have to have the work evaluated at the end of the year.
Speaker 2:So that's the person that I reported to. But, as far as you know, unaccredited meaning not having to send back any documentation to a BECA. That's how I have decided to do it. The first year I did do accredited because I thought for some reason I was still again trying to figure it out. So I did have to send over some assignments at the end of the semester, things like that. But I really don't think it's necessary, especially at the younger grade levels.
Speaker 1:That's the first time I've heard of a curriculum having an accredited and an unaccredited version, so is it that they will like take more? Like for the states like mine that have to report a lot? We have heavy reporting requirements in New York for homeschool, so will they kind of take that portion over for you if you do the accredited one, we do.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, they actually do. They actually do, which it works well for some people, but I didn't find it necessary. In Florida we just have to have an evaluator come at the end of the year and pretty much make sure that they are doing schooling and they are learning. We don't have to report our work. But at the time I guess I thought, because I wanted to do homeschool long term, I thought it was something that I should do from the very beginning. But again, I don't think it's necessary during elementary years, not even middle, maybe in high school, when you know they're going to get ready to apply for colleges and whatnot. But I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, one step at a time with homeschooling, that's for sure and that's nice because you can change however you want to do it. Do the girls seem to like the ABECA, or have you had a lot of pushback? I know that, like your daughter had a little bit of time in school so she is kind of used to what it could be. And then when you get kids like my son, that are like. I don't even want to sit here for 20 minutes.
Speaker 2:So, like I said, I won't do all the courses and I will give them breaks in between so they could kind of like relax and cool off their mind and stuff. You know, like everything, sometimes they're just not in it and they'll tell me, like mommy, I'm just not in it today, especially math. I think Kaylee has a harder time with math. So I'll just like let them cool off. If anything, we'll go the next day. But again, the beauty of homeschool is that you're not, you don't have to follow a program specifically to the T. You tweak it here and there according to your family's needs, and that's why I focus more on the fundamental subjects rather than, I guess, the extras.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
Speaker 2:But I am. You know. It's always important, I think, to educate yourself. So at the homeschool co-op that for the church that we go to, they've recommended other programs, so I might consider other ones. I did hear that a Becca is heavy on the subjects, so maybe there are other ones. I did hear that a Becca is heavy on the subjects, so maybe there are other options, but for now we are with a Becca. At least I think we're going to finish the year with a Becca.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. And so you said it's a lot of sit down work and textbook. And sometimes there's arts and crafts, but that's not like a primary. It's more like reading to them and giving them the assignment to do that sort of. Is that how that goes?
Speaker 2:Yes. So what they do is that they'll send me part of the material, is that they'll send me like a guidebook for the parents, so and they separate every lesson They'll give you all the topics and all the paperwork that you need for that, for that lesson. So, for example, math, page one and two, reading, page one and then science and so on and so forth. So I just have everything organized by folders, so lesson one through lesson. It's 170 lessons for the school year, so I'll have 170 folders and each of the paperwork for the day I put it in one folder. So all I have to do is pull out the folder and this is the work for the day. That's how I have found my sanity in organizing, rather than going through the books every day and trying to figure it out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that works great. That works great, and it seems just less work to do when you do it that way. Awesome. So, yes, yes, and they don't have to take tests with this, or are there tests along the way?
Speaker 2:There are tests. However, I tell her no stress, I just want to see how you're doing. So I'm not even grading them. I'm looking at it and I'm saying, okay, so she needs a little work here, a little work there. But I don't pressure her when it comes to the tests or quizzes or whatnot.
Speaker 1:I just it's just to see where she is. Yeah, becca has been around for a long time. I think it was one of the first curriculums like that they ever and it is religious right. There's a religious component to it.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, it is.
Speaker 1:Correct Awesome, all right, um, now, okay. So we'll shift gears. Now to um like how, how is homeschooling with you working full time Like your sanity level? You have a stressful job. I mean, especially being in law enforcement in Miami. I can't even imagine what you see on a day-to-day basis. So, like is, how much is that for you? Do you work like 12 hour shifts?
Speaker 2:I work five eight hour shifts, so I work Monday through Friday during the day for eight hours.
Speaker 1:Okay, and then on your days off you're doing the homeschooling. That's a lot. How do you handle that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Um, it is stressful at work, but coming home and knowing that they're home and knowing that we can kind of have more control of that aspect of our lives and we can go at our own pace is what contradicts my job. So it gives me a sense of relief to know that at home everything is okay. Yeah, there's things out on the road that you see that are not nice, but having control of your home and knowing that in a home it's a, it's a little more calm and a little more peaceful and less stress, it balances everything out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think that's another reason why homeschooling was pivotal for us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was surprised to hear you say that you had the agendas going on in the Florida schools, because you know in New York it's definitely heavy up here, even in even in more of the rural parts of New York. But I was under the assumption that in Florida it was a little less.
Speaker 1:I don't know, I don't know if it's more of the liberal or I don't know, but but funding comes. I mean, this is federal funding dollars, so when it comes from the department of education it goes into all the schools. I guess it goes everywhere.
Speaker 2:I would say that, yes, I guess, because of our governor, maybe there's a little less than New York, but it's always there. I mean, I think our kids today are being faced with a lot. Definitely they're being faced with a lot more than we were when we were growing up. We weren't thinking about changing our genders at such a young age, you know, or we weren't thinking about partnerships at such a young age. Now it's kind of like okay, so where do you go? Do you go this way? Do you go this way Even in cartoons, you know and I'm talking about elementary level cartoons.
Speaker 2:I'm not even talking about middle school and high school, because I know that topic is more prevalent in adolescent years, but in elementary school you've seen the cartoons there they've shifted gears and unfortunately, with my daughter there's a show that she really loved as a six-year-old and then all of a sudden we see that one of the episodes you know has already development and I guess I'm trying to be gentle when I describe it, but you know, it's just geared toward the same sex relationships. And she was six and I hadn't even had that talk with her about. You know what that is. She had no idea. So the fear of their exposure at such a young age. It was. It was like no, I don't want this for my children. I'm trying to preserve their innocence as much as possible and I know that one day they'll be exposed to many different things. However, I want to be the one to guide them. I don't want other people doing it for me and other people feeding them their agendas no, not my kids people feeding them their agendas.
Speaker 1:No, not my kids. How much so. All right you have, since you are working, and not only just working, but you're like really out there, like on the streets, seeing what is going on in society today. So for someone like you know, the homeschool mom who maybe stays at home with the kids and really doesn't see that stuff but kind of hears things like do you, do you have advice or justification for like no, like the stuff I see, like you know what are some of the things that you do see when you're out at work, that that kind of confirm or solidify your decision to homeschool.
Speaker 1:Is it as crazy as we think it is from our?
Speaker 2:home. Is it as crazy as we think it is from our home? Fortunately it is. So I did encounter one time parents dropping off a child I believe it was a four-year-old at his pre-K class and the child was a boy and he was wearing like girl clothes and a girl backpack and some girl glitter shoes. So the teacher shared with me that the boy, that the mom and dad, male and female, they just wanted to give their child an option. They wanted to kind of implement in him the freedom to be whatever he wanted to be at that age, four years old. And you know, obviously every parent has their own decisions to make. I do respect it, but it is like that and they're not the first ones and they're not the last ones.
Speaker 2:What surprised me mostly was the age. I was like four years old, and you're already trying to, like you know, challenge the fact that he's a boy or give him the options. In this day and age you have to be very sensitive and very fragile with people, especially in this career, because we don't discriminate, we cannot follow a bias. So you know, I do keep my personal stuff at home and on the streets I have to have a different mindset. But you know, like you're asking me what I see and those are the things that I see. So, again, at home I know that that's not what I want for my kids, but on the street, nonetheless, I have to have a different mindset. But yeah, I would say that to the homeschool mom or the stay-at-home mom that, yes, there are things that you see out in this world that I at least don't want for my children.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's like there are, of course there's always been kids that want to dress up. Or you know, like the brother wants to wear the sister's clothes because maybe sissy gets more attention and he's trying to get that attention. Okay, and allowing that, like, okay, we can play dress up today, you know, but like, playing dress up is different than cause. Nowadays too, when you put kids in the clothing of the opposite gender, you now have teachers that feel that they could just take it upon themselves to say, hey, are you interested in being the other gender? And you have schools pushing for, um, doing the gender reaffirming, drugs and the hormone blockers at such a young age and a lot of times without the parents' consent.
Speaker 1:We just passed in New York. It just got passed, it was called Prop 1 and it was a change to our New York State Constitution, which all this stuff you don't really learn about in school. They might tell you, every state has their own constitution, but I don't ever remember learning about that. So they changed, made an amendment to our New York state constitution that you now they added in that, um, they, they said it was all about green, this, green energy, this, and that you know we want to. We want a sustainable living, which is bad on its own.
Speaker 1:But then they added in that you can't discriminate no longer on age. Okay, so that sounds great Like grandma, we don't want to discriminate, grandma Right. But when you really look into it, it is that if a child wants to get on hormone blockers, that the school can take things upon themselves now because they can't discriminate based on the child's age. So there's more to it, obviously. I read the bill, actually didn't go into a lot of detail, which is almost worse because now you have these liberties that places will put in themselves.
Speaker 1:And I would say, if you asked me five years ago, I would say that is crazy. I sound like a nut. I am jumping to conclusions. But when you look at what happened during COVID and people putting masks on children without parents' consent, like like, that's insane.
Speaker 1:You cannot cover my child's airways without my consent and when I say no, you either do it anyway or kick the child out. So like really parents' wishes about their children. I feel like in the school system. It's just gone out the door so I can sound crazy, but I still think I'm right.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, no. I agree with you a hundred percent. Institutions want to, like, put this doctrine on our children without us even knowing, which is crazy, because we're the parents, we're the ones, we're the caretakers, we're the ones that are raising our kids. So you're telling me that you want to be able to bypass me, right, the person who carried these children for nine months, the one who feeds them, the one who takes care of them, who's responsible for them financially and to make sure that they are good additions to society. But you want to bypass me, to indoctrinate them how you want.
Speaker 1:Hey everyone, this is Cheryl. I want to thank you so much for checking out the podcast. I'm going to keep this short and sweet because I know your time is valuable. I want to ask you a serious question Do your kids know what to do to actually save their life in an emergency? The most important thing we can talk to our kids about is knowing their first and last name, knowing mom and dad's first and last name, mom's phone number, dad's phone number, their address, what to do if they get lost, what to do if someone who's watching them has a heart attack, a stroke, an accident where they fall and your child needs to get help.
Speaker 1:We live in a world where there's no landline phones anymore, basically, and cell phones lock. Does your child know how to call 911 from a locked cell phone? It is absolutely possible, and my book demonstrates how to do that, whether it's an Android, whether it's an iPhone and, most importantly, it starts the conversation, because I was going through homeschooling curriculum with my kids, realizing that, gee, maybe they skim over this stuff, but they don't get into depth, so my child's not going to remember this should an accident occur, right? I asked a couple of teachers what they do in school and they said they really don't do anything either other than talk about what to do in a fire during the month of October fire prevention month. So I wrote a book because this is near and dear to my heart.
Speaker 1:I have had multiple friends that have lost kids in tragedies and I don't want to see it happen again if it doesn't have to. We were at the fair over the summer and the first thing I said to my son when we walked through that gate was what's my first and last name, what is your first and last name and what is my phone number? And if you get lost, what are you going to do? You can get my book on Amazon and I will put the link in my show's description Again. It's called let's Talk Emergencies and I really hope you'll check it out because there's just no need to be scared when you can choose prepared.
Speaker 2:So for them to be liberal and for them to think that everything is okay and permissible? No, no. So that's something that I refuse for my children. I agree with you 100%. There's no way that you're going to teach my children something before I get the chance to teach them.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:Now, do you think, Thankfully, that's not our case here in Florida yet, but I wouldn't be surprised. Do you think, thankfully, that's not our case here in Florida yet, but I wouldn't be surprised? I mean Florida, like I said, our current governor is a little bit more strong minded in that sense, but it's just that we're seeing so many things today and it wouldn't surprise me when it comes here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, I think, our elections in New York. I wonder about how legitimate, you know, even our governor's races are, because there is, even though we have New York City, there's a lot of country in New York and a lot. When you look at how different counties went, you know it's, it's a lot of I'm. I'm not surprised that we're so strongly Democratic here. But when you look at the map, there's a lot of farms in New York. I don't know, and I thought after COVID a lot of people moved out of the city too. So I'm wondering who's even there voting. So that's interesting, right, as we kind of like gear close up.
Speaker 1:I was also wondering too, like when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s I was born in the 80s and the 90s like drugs were kind of a thing Like, oh, you know if, if, if people homeschooled, it would be like, oh, don't send them to school because there's drugs. Is that like because you're in law enforcement? You see that side? Is that even a thing anymore? Is it a worry? Is that lower down on your list of concerns for sending your kids to school? I feel like we don't hear about it as much anymore. Or if we do. It's like the the more of the opioid epidemic, sort of thing versus like I mean, I don't know, I didn't really but you know what I'm asking.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's not really one of my reasons, but I can see where it's a concern for a lot of parents, especially middle school and high school parents, because we definitely see a lot of THC vape pens. You know marijuana in schools and you know if you're an adult, go on, go about your business, do what you choose to do. But we're seeing this more prevalent in middle school and high school kids in the bathroom using vape pens or even selling. It's crazy how many kids will get their hands on a lot of vape pens and just start distributing in schools. So I can definitely see where that's a concern for adolescent parents. I don't think I'm there yet or that hasn't been on my list of why I homeschool, but I can see where parents are concerned because it's very common.
Speaker 2:And the thing is that it's very hard to prove if it's THC or hemp or whatnot. So labs in Florida are not even really processing those, those uh charges. So it's kind of like, okay, you get caught, you know it will only go so far.
Speaker 1:Nothing, yeah, nothing really happened.
Speaker 2:So it's very prevalent here.
Speaker 1:Interesting Okay, and.
Speaker 2:I know that it's slowly but surely it's becoming legal in a lot of different parts of the United States and I know that that's slowly but surely is becoming legal in a lot of different parts of the United States and I know that that's something that is going to continue to be pushed, so I can see where it's a concern.
Speaker 1:And what about? What are your thoughts on, like the shelter in place drills I've had, as I kind of think more about it, that has become more of a reason that I don't want to send my kids to school. I think just the sheer aspect of having a shelter in place drill is kind of a traumatic event for a child and we're like desensitizing them and teaching them that you know guns are the problem and your neighbor can turn against you at any time. But what are your thoughts, since you're in law enforcement? Are these traumatic events for kids? Are they necessary?
Speaker 2:Are schools even safe? And it's not easy because, yes, we are essentially preparing them for a mass casualty event and what to do, and it's very unfortunate that we have to do that, but it's something that, as horrible as it sounds, has become common and we've seen it throughout the years the massacres. It's terrible. So we do it kind of like to bring them to awareness of the possibility, but always hoping that it doesn't happen. Nonetheless bringing their awareness up, like if something should ever happen anywhere.
Speaker 2:Just be aware of things that you can do to make sure that you stay out of the way in those moments, like make sure that the lights are off, make sure that if you happen to be in the hallway, you run in the first door that you can and you lock yourself in, making sure that if you by any chance have a chair, a desk chair, you lock it over the door hinge so that nobody can push open. We go over this with the teachers more in detail than we do with the kids. With the kids it simply lights out. Nobody speaks With the teachers. We do go into detail of things that they can do and objects that they have in the classroom that they can use to make sure that door does not open. It sucks, and I'm sorry that there's not a fancier word.
Speaker 2:It sucks to put these kids in those mindsets, but at the end of the day, it's something that has happened in different parts of our country and it's something we need to bring awareness to. So here in Florida I'm not sure how it works in New York, but here in Florida, after the Parkland shooting happened, they have implemented that we have a school resource officer at every single school. So you know we're dedicated to that school. We have to be there every day that the school is open and make sure that you know we do our walkthroughs. We're always around the area, we're visible and prepared for such a tragic event.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and Parkland was the one. Where is it accurate that, like a door was left open and that's how the shooter got in.
Speaker 2:That would be Texas.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that would be Texas, that would be the Uvalde, the.
Speaker 1:Uvalde shooting.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah that a door was propped open, and so you know as SROs that's, school resource officers that those are things that we look for through our walkthroughs. We make sure that the doors are locked on the outside so nobody can just barge in. We only have one main point of entry and it has to be. Somebody has to be there to make sure that whoever's coming has signed in, has a badge, has a sticker, things like that, that whoever's coming has signed in, has a badge, has a sticker, things like that. It's very unfortunate, like you know, like I was sharing with you, but I do think in the time that we're living, it's necessary because we're already at a disadvantage when somebody wants to do something like this, because they already have a plan, you know, maybe they've done their studies about the area that they want to target. So we are already at a disadvantage. So doing these drills kind of helps us a little bit to make sure that we we do what we can in such a horrible moment.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I tell the kids all the time because sometimes you know for them it's just oh, turn the lights off and they get you know excited and they start you know laughing, and and I tell them I need you guys to take this serious because this is the most practice we're going to get. You know, god forbid such a terrible thing should happen. So I do encourage them to take it serious. And it's unfortunate, it breaks my heart anytime we have to do these, but I do think it's necessary.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I had something in my head, sorry, yeah, no, you're okay. I had like a million thoughts at that moment. Yeah it really is.
Speaker 2:I know it's a heavy one. It's a heavy one.
Speaker 1:Oh, I know what I was going to say. So, yes, the yesterday, uh, a friend of mine said can you pick my son up from school there's a half day, and she was in court with the son's father. So she said, you know, could you pick him up either at school or at my house when he gets off the bus? So I went to her house when he got off the bus except he didn't get off the bus. And this is a six year old first grader. And so I contacted her.
Speaker 1:She said, oh well, the father's girlfriend instead picked up the six-year-old from the school. And I'm sitting there thinking how would I have even been able to pick him up? And how is some you know, the father's girlfriend of the week able to pick him up? Like this doesn't seem secure to me either.
Speaker 1:So when you're talking about, like you know, things we can do, we do have, you know, recess and before school and after school. Like we can't keep them safe at all times and I understand that's just part of life Like we can't keep our children safe 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Like you know, my kid rides a four wheel or something could happen on that. I'm totally aware of that, but I was kind of shocked to like here. Like okay, here, I am ready to pick up your son and he's not getting off the bus. The six-year-old went with a dad's girlfriend and that it is that easy to go. Are there? Do you find that like maybe the beginning of the year? Schools have stricter regulations than maybe towards the. It gets towards the middle of the year and some of that gets lax.
Speaker 2:I would say that toward the beginning of the year the teachers are still trying to get to know the parents or the people who commonly pick them up. I would say that throughout the year they kind of become more familiar with the faces and if they see somebody they'll kind of question. I have seen teachers will kind of be like oh, are you who? Are you? Are you new, or will you have permission? Obviously, throughout the school day they have to go through the office and then in the office they check for proper documentation, id, who this person is that's picking up and whatnot.
Speaker 2:There are so many kids like the teacher to kid ratio is very minimal, so it it is hard to keep tabs. But I do give credit to teachers because they do so much and they really the majority of them really like get to know these children throughout the year and they take care of them as if they were their own. So they do what they can. But generally teachers are really stretched thin so slip ups can happen, like happen right there. Parent involvement and communication is so important and I know when there's issues going on in the house there's room for error.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's really tough situations working in schools because you really see the families that are going through it. You see them going through it. It can get really ugly.
Speaker 1:To close up, does that sort of stuff because you are in the school, you see all of it and you're a very kind woman, so I'm not trying to put you on the spot to say anything bad. We know that teachers do so much, but there there's so many tax dollars getting taken and the teachers don't. They don't see it, they don't see it in their classroom, they don't see it going to their students, they don't see it going to their pockets. It's administration. But um, yeah, since you do see what's going on in the school, this has this helped solidify your like decision to homeschool.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, my goodness. I see these kids around test time and I feel so sorry for them and I try to kind of cheer them up If I see that they're stressed out, make them laugh a little bit, ask them how they're doing. So what I do as a school resource officer I try to do presentations about bullying is another one, by the way. Peer pressures and bullying. That's another reason why I decided to homeschool, but I'll try to do presentations on that to make sure that they ask for help when they need it. So I make myself as available as I can to these kids and I do see the stress that is put on them when it comes to testing, when it comes to peer pressure, when it comes to being tired.
Speaker 2:These kids, they get tired. We think because we're adults and we're always on the go, that, and because they're kids and they're brand new and they're fresh and they don't have financial responsibilities per se and they don't have financial responsibilities per se. We minimize their tiredness, but they get tired too, and their minds. They get really tired with everything that they're learning and then having to go home and do homework. So definitely working at school has even solidified my decision to homeschool Every day that I go home I see it as a huge gift and a huge advantage that I'm giving my daughters.
Speaker 2:I promise you, as their mother, I don't feel like they're missing out on anything. I feel like they have an advantage that I wish I had when I was their age and I always remind them of that. And they're very aware of it, even though they're little, especially the older one, because the older one went to school. The little one not so much. But I know that through the years she'll get it because she'll see other kids her age who are maybe in school and she'll kind of, I guess, compare that. But it's just, my decision is solidified, even more so working at the schools.
Speaker 1:Stephanie, thank you so much for your perspective. This has and, like I said, you know, like you said, it's no bash on teachers, like they do everything that they can, for the most part, like 95% of teachers are absolutely amazing, but it this is just the reality of what we're in. They're not doing the right thing with our money. They take all well, we spend a lot in school taxes here and we're not seeing it pay off. And even all these tests, the test scores aren't good. So it's like what are you doing all day?
Speaker 2:No, it's too much pressure, even on the teachers, not just the students, but even on the teachers, not just the students, but even on the teachers. I'll take this time to say my hats off goes to any teacher watching this. You are amazing. I know from experience that you, you all and women do so much more than we even see and you guys are stretched thin. I think it's countrywide, unfortunately, and I wish that they, that they, were rewarded more for everything that they do, because teachers they really give, and I see it day in and day out, and my decision to homeschool has nothing to do with the teacher not being enough for my kid, it's just that they're stretched out too thin. So I've taken their education into my hands, but I know that not everybody can, unfortunately, or because they simply don't want to, which is perfectly fine. But I've chosen this for my children and I commend the teachers because they really put a lot out there and they don't get rewarded enough or recognized enough.
Speaker 1:Yeah, your perspective has been so interesting to hear. I really thank you for coming on today and talking to us about this, of course, anything else that you wanted to make sure we chatted about yeah.
Speaker 2:I appreciate your podcast so much because you've covered so many different topics that I need to hear and that keep me moving forward different perspectives and I just appreciate what you're doing. I'm grateful that you've given this homeschool podcast a home for people like me who need that support and that encouragement. We just come here and we feel good, so thank you.
Speaker 1:That's so sweet. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Stephanie, for all that you do.
Speaker 1:And thank you for your service as well. Thank you so much. Thank you, stephanie, for all that you do and thank you for your service as well. Thank you, cheryl. Thank you for tuning into this week's episode of the Homeschool How-To. If you've enjoyed what you heard and you'd like to contribute to the show, please consider leaving a small tip using the link in my show's description. Or, if you'd rather, please use the link in the description to share this podcast with a friend or on your favorite homeschool group Facebook page. Any effort to help us keep the podcast going is greatly appreciated. Thank you for tuning in and for your love of the next generation.