00:04 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Have you ever wondered what it's like for a teenager to be homeschooled like from their perspective? When I started homeschooling my kids, katie here was 12 years old and now she is 17. And we are going to talk to Katie about her experience homeschooling and what that's been like transitioning from public school to the homeschooling world. So, katie, thanks for coming today.

00:31 - Katie (Guest)

Yes, thank you.

00:32 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Okay, we don't have to be so formal because this is my daughter. Okay, so you were public schooled up until age 12? Okay, you were public schooled up until age 12. Yes, how um did you like school? Like, let let everyone know how you felt about school.

01:03 - Katie (Guest)

I will be honest, I did like school, um, but it was also elementary school, where it's still kind of fun for younger kids and I had some of the best teachers I want to say yeah, you had some really good teachers, um, and then you did, she did a little bit of middle school and and then COVID hit.

01:23 - Janae Daniels (Host)

because it was in sixth grade, towards the end of sixth grade in March, when COVID hit, and so she finished home, finished schooling out at home, but we didn't really think of it as homeschooling because they'd still go online and you know it was COVID schooling y'all. But then that summer was when we decided to homeschool. And what was your reaction when I approached you and said, hey, uh, we're going to start homeschooling.

01:53 - Katie (Guest)

You know, I'm going to be honest, I didn't really think you were like going to go through with it. I thought it was a thought, um, but I, you know, I just didn't really know how to react. I'm like okay. I mean, I had a one of my best friends actually homeschooled like for all of her life, and so I'm like okay. I can sort of see it and she liked homeschooling yeah she did.

02:23 - Janae Daniels (Host)

yeah, she's in a different state than us, but she actually had a really good experience homeschooling yeah.

02:28 - Katie (Guest)

Anyways. So I just wasn't really sure. I was like, oh okay.

02:34 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Okay, so do you remember when we started the school year? It was 2020. We started homeschooling July of 2020. Katie was 12. She had two older brothers who went to public school, uh, and graduated. And then she has one older brother, joshua, who I've interviewed, who is has a very different personality than Katie. Katie tends to be more, more shy. Josh is not shy, he's super loud. Um, and then under Katie there's two more siblings. So before, before we get into like that, that, first the first little while, what was your relationship with your siblings before you started homeschooling?

03:21 - Katie (Guest)

That's hard to say because I was kind of young. That's hard to say because I was kind of young, um, it was different. I mean, we'd all like hang out together, um, but there wasn't much time to spend with each other because of school and then getting home and then we all wanted to do our own thing. I mean, sometimes we played games together, but then it's like I want to do this, well, I want to do this, and sometimes we play games together, but then it's like I want to do this, well, I want to do this, and sometimes we still have that. But I feel like we're more connected now a little bit because, like, we can do sibling hangouts whenever we want.

03:54 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Yeah, and they. They actually hang out a lot, like this morning they watched the grocery store. Wait, they did. Oh, you did, or was that yesterday?

04:03 - Katie (Guest)

That you went and got donuts.

04:09 - Janae Daniels (Host)

That was yesterday, okay. So, yeah, they unbeknownst to me. They decided we live very close to a grocery store, so they walked to the grocery store, got donuts, um, all together, and she'll let her younger sister and brother hang out with her friends and her friends don't care because they do the same with their siblings, so because they're also homeschooled. Okay, so let's talk about that first week. I remember. For me it was a nightmare. Um, do you remember that first day? I do? Okay, let's talk about that. That first day of homeschooling. What was that like for you?

04:39 - Katie (Guest)

So I don't know what I was expecting. I think more. So I was like, okay, it's going to be like school at home, but more freedom. It was kind of terrible. Yeah, I'm gonna be honest, I love you mom, but it wasn't the best experience Because we got sat down and I usually don't like the like first day of school in where we have to sit down and then talk about what we're going to do. I really personally like to actually get down to what we're going to do, actually learning and stuff, instead of talking about our like schedule with learning which I do like schedules now, but it's kind of boring and that doesn't really like let me pay attention as much.

05:34 - Janae Daniels (Host)

So what now? If you want to hear the whole story y'all, you can watch some of the previous episodes where I discuss our beginning of our homeschooling journey that first day. But that that day, what changed and made the day more interesting?

05:47 - Katie (Guest)

that day. What changed and made the day more interesting? Well, my mom was boring us with like plans and then it's like study, study hard, you got to do this. That. So much, so much restriction. And we had the piano tuner here and we're like he's playing some pretty good songs. So we went upstairs and we were just listening to him play the piano. I don't think I had ever seen a piano being tuned before, because we hadn't ever tuned it really. Um, but it was really cool to see like how everything worked and I mostly just wanted to hear the songs that were being played. Yeah, because he was really good at playing the piano and that's like whenever there's a pianist, that's like playing really well. I enjoy the music that's played.

06:34 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Yeah, and I would say you enjoyed listening to him more than you liked listening to me. Oh definitely Okay. So then y'all, that's when I shifted things, because I realized that my kids were it wasn't going to work doing school at home, right, I had everything planned out down to the minute and it it was a disaster and, like Katie said, she actually likes, liked school. So then we started to change things up. Do you remember what we ended up doing?

07:12 - Katie (Guest)

this. It's been a while, but we ended up like de-schooling or whatever it's called, and we started to unlearn our like the stuff we learned from school, like all the schedules, like this at this time, like like all the periods we had to do, and we just we started like going on little mini field trips. Um, we I remember my mom found this lady at the farmer's market who made soap and so she got her business card and then she called her and she's like hey, do you do anything for homeschoolers? And so my mom got a group together, um, and this lady taught us how to make soap and me and I know my little brother now um, we remember it, did you like it? We enjoyed it, because she taught us how the soap was made with the lye and all the other stuff and it was really interesting to learn about and we got soap out of it.

08:18 - Janae Daniels (Host)

I got a big soap loaf. Yeah, do you remember when we went to Texas and went to the Texas History Museum? I do, and I gave you a packet because I was still like okay, no, even though we were trying to de-school, I'm like okay, but I should get a packet and have worksheets for them, for the Texas History Museum. What was your sentiment about that packet? That said packet. What was your sentiment?

08:44 - Katie (Guest)

about that packet. That said packet. Well, it was sort of interesting, but it was also like we're going on vacation to a wedding. I don't want to be focusing on this paper.

09:00 - Janae Daniels (Host)

I'd rather write my own stuff down, and so it was after that experience that I stopped doing like packets and worksheets for field trips and things like that, because I realized they learn their own, like they. They get out of it with the things that are interesting to them, like that's what sticks for them. Yeah, um, do you remember some of the other field trips that we went on?

09:24 - Katie (Guest)

There were so many.

09:29 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Or your favorite field trips.

09:33 - Katie (Guest)

There were so many I can't. It's been a while, like I said. Okay, this one wasn't really a field trip, but we did do some science experiments and I'm not too fond of science, but this one was really fun because we got to put Coke and Mentos and we made a little rockets out of the Coke and Mentos and we made a little rockets out of the Cocomentos. And we were doing it at our friend's house in the cul-de-sac and their door was open and we threw the bottle down on the ground and it exploded and went all the way close to the open door like hitting the steps.

10:23 - Janae Daniels (Host)

It almost went in the door. It almost went in the door. Yeah, had the top step not hit like stopped it, it would have gone straight into the house. It was kind of hilarious, but terrible. Okay. So that that first year was, I would say for me as a mom it was pretty rough. How did you feel from your perspective? How was that for you?

10:50 - Katie (Guest)

I will say, up until we did the field trips and other stuff, it didn't feel like I was learning anything. It just didn't feel like I was learning anything, which I was. But it doesn't feel like that, especially going through school, when you're like, okay, like I've done all these subjects and this is what learning is supposed to feel like for a public schooler. It's interesting. Was it a weird adjustment for you? Oh, it was definitely a weird adjustment, because I'm like I don't know what to do with myself. Is this learning Like? Am I getting anything out of this?

11:32 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Did you find that? What were some of your feelings Like? Were you frustrated? Were you okay with it? Like what was going on in your head at the time, that first year?

11:45 - Katie (Guest)

I mean, I didn't mind homeschool, it was just weird and I was frustrated at some points because I don't really like math and the math curriculum I had just wasn't making sense to me, and so there were a lot of feelings like some days were better than others. Um, I definitely enjoyed some of the field trips.

12:10 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Some of them weren't as enjoyable, um, but but it sounds like though you struggled with like, am I actually learning anything? And did. Did you ever feel like, oh, is it okay if I don't wear anything? Or, or were? Did it make you nervous for the future?

12:29 - Katie (Guest)

um, I don't know what I thought about the future. I'm like I don't know what to do, but I think now, as like uh, almost actually I'm going to be a senior this year, I've definitely have learned some stuff, and it's just taken a while to realize it that learning is not like a set thing.

12:56 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Yeah well, I think it's. We have to shift our our view of what learning is, because it's supposed to be organic, it's supposed to be fun and, unfortunately, um the way that the school system is set up, it kills the level of learning for most kids. You know, and you were a good student, I mean, you had your struggles with certain classes, but you, you put your heart and soul into your homework and would spend hours.

13:24 - Katie (Guest)

I did. I enjoyed some of it. I still never made it into talented and gifted.

13:35

Okay, let's talk about that a little bit, because did that bother you? Oh yes, it greatly bothered me. Why? Because it's called talented and gifted and it made me feel like I wasn't smart enough to be in that class or any class. And that was really frustrating to me because I'm like my brother got in, why can't I get in If he's smart, why can't I be smart too? And like why are these kids called gifted? Like, am I not talented or gifted? It really, like, shifted my perspective of myself a lot To some point. Even still I'm like do I have talents? But it was, it definitely hurt and it wasn't great.

14:23 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Yeah. So I think, katie, you bring up a good point and I'm just want to say this Um, after she tested for talented and gifted and didn't get in the talented and gifted program, she has ever since then regularly asked me like, do you think I have gifts? Am I talented at things? Like? And I saw a shift in her that, like, she's always been talented, she's always been gifted, incredibly gifted, and yet that single test affected her, just like when kids are put in the lowest reading group and then they spend years thinking I must be stupid, right?

15:08

Unfortunately, the more I've learned about the education system, the more I've learned that that that was done intentionally so kids would start to doubt themselves, that it would start to separate kids out, which is emotionally, I feel like it's very damaging to kids, because kids come with their own gifts. They come with their own talents, um, and Katie is intensely talented and gifted. So so one of the things that I noticed when that first year of homeschooling is you started reading a lot, like you already read, yes, but that's when you became. If you look y'all look at her earrings. If you're listening, you can't see them, but it's literally a stack of books. They're huge, bigger than I had normally. Yeah, they're book earrings, right, she is a bookworm to the nth degree, so let's talk about that. Because you had a lot of free time, and so what made you turn to books?

16:06 - Katie (Guest)

Okay, I will say I got into reading when I was younger. So when I was in second grade, didn't care for reading. I'm like, why do I need to do this? And then, I think in third grade my brother was preparing for the Battle of the Books and so I was like, oh, that piqued my interest. And then my brother was in the Battle of the Books in fifth. So I was like, oh, that piqued my interest. And then my brother was in the Battle of the Books in fifth grade. And so in fourth grade I started reading a little more than I would like, reading all those books in the list. And then fifth grade came and I was like, it's my turn for Battle of the Books. So I read a lot of the books, not all of them, I think I read like 20.

16:41 - Janae Daniels (Host)

I'm going to pause you for a second. So Battle of the Books. In Colorado and I don't know if it's all of Colorado, but in fifth grade they have this long book list and the kids who read the books can be on a team where they compete against kids from other schools within the state answering questions about the books, and so they call it Battle of the Books and there's a book list given at the beginning of fifth grade and so Katie wanted to participate.

17:08 - Katie (Guest)

That in a huge way, yeah it was one of the only clubs I ever really participated in, but I did it. I only read like 20, like 25 books. Not many books, because there's 50 books on the list yeah on the list and maybe 30. No, no, I think there's like 30 books on the list.

17:25 - Janae Daniels (Host)

yeah, on the list and maybe 30. No, no, I think there's like 30 books on the list, because you read a good chunk. I thought it was 50, though maybe anyway there's, it's a lot anyways.

17:31 - Katie (Guest)

So I read a couple of the books. Um, unfortunately, that day I was sick, so I was pushing through that day because I wanted to be there. Um, but I was a substitute, so I went out when somebody went in because we were a team. But then, after I started homeschooling, I borrowed somebody's book, which I feel bad because I haven't been able to return it to her which book.

17:57

is it Wings of Fire? Okay, it's the second book, because she got me into that series in sixth grade and then COVID happened and then I never saw her again, so I couldn't give back the book. I have no idea what happened to her, oh well there's that.

18:16 - Janae Daniels (Host)

So if you find this friend who, uh, let let her borrow the book, uh, reach out, because we'll get the book back to you, which.

18:23 - Katie (Guest)

I feel really bad about that because I'm like I don't know how to contact her, I like. So I felt bad about that. But then that got me into that series and by the time I was in seventh grade I had finished, like I was reading, like like books, like I don't know there was a thicker yeah, were they were. They were a little bit thicker books and I read those in two days, not one. I'm not that fast of a reader and why?

18:53 - Janae Daniels (Host)

why were you able to read them so quickly, katie Daniels?

18:56 - Katie (Guest)

because I had a lot of more, a lot more time on my hands and I didn't have too much to do. I was still like transitioning, so I'm like I don't know what to do, but I did read a lot. I came to love a lot of books and now I have a full library.

19:17 - Janae Daniels (Host)

In her room. Yeah, no, it's a library y'all in her room.

19:20 - Katie (Guest)

Not really, because the library is to have a library, you have to have a thousand books. Oh gotcha, I don't think I have more than a hundred in there, maybe two hundred.

19:32 - Janae Daniels (Host)

So one of the things she mentioned, that we started de-schooling. And if you, if you're if you're unfamiliar with the term de-schooling, I do a whole episode. I actually do two different episodes on de-schooling. That would be helpful and I will link those in the show notes so you can look those up. But de-schooling is essentially the process, the adjustment process that you make going from public school to homeschool, and in the de-schooling process you do very little in the way of academics. Most people will say, oh, don't do anything in the way of academics, but that freaked all of us out. Yeah, because we're like what? We have to do something. So then we're like you have to read, write and do math, and then that's it and we'll go on field trips, and so you had all this, because then you have all this time on your hands. Yeah, and so we did cooking. You started cooking a lot. Um, you started reading. Do you remember and I've shared, I've shared this about this in past episodes do you remember what subject you became kind of obsessed with?

20:38 - Katie (Guest)

oh, oh, okay, um, because I started reading a lot. I got a lot of books for christmas and one of them happened to be historical fiction. Um, I think this one was about world war ii, and that was really interesting to me because I was like, oh, because I've heard about world war ii, but I don't think we ever, like, went too much in depth to it?

21:03 - Janae Daniels (Host)

yeah, certainly not at school, you didn't and so I started loving history.

21:09 - Katie (Guest)

I mean, I've always liked history, but then when I got homeschooled, um, it's become a passion for me. I like learning about history and obviously sometimes it's boring. It definitely depends on who the teacher is and like what you're reading about, because there are some like boring teachers and books. But I became really interested in it because it was fascinating how these people lived their lives and how they got through that time period, because the hardships they had and everything so the next year which here's a question for you, because the next year you we actually had you in a history class, yes, in a co-op.

21:57 - Janae Daniels (Host)

In a co-op, like we did a thomas jefferson education co-op history class, which was fabulous, it was absolutely fabulous. Um, but where would you say, like, how would you say that history affects you the most? Is it through a class or is it through historical fiction? Like, where does it really resonate? Or where did you really start? You started to love it when you read the historical fiction, but where does it really stick in your brain?

22:24 - Katie (Guest)

I really like learning the facts, but also which is something that's learning the facts, but also which is something that's also interesting to me, is where it lies on, like the scale of time because it's history and so like this thing could be happening then, but I didn't really know when things happened or what happened.

22:47

And so looking back it's like, oh, this happened and I didn't know that. And there's a lot of people who don't know history and don't know the lessons that can be learned from history, because I've heard somewhere a lot of times that history repeats itself and it does if you look at it. But having the opportunity to learn about history and like the past is really cool. And then learning about ancestors and it just shows like what they had to go through and it like where everything puts into place, like putting stuff into place in my brain, was really cool to me, because I'm like, oh, this happened and then this happened and I know a lot of cool facts now do you feel so?

23:35 - Janae Daniels (Host)

in the class that she was in they had the kids read a lot of historical fiction and and then, and then there was some, and then there's some, because what were some of the books that you read? You read the red scarf girl, and that was actually, I think, non-fiction. Yes, um, what else did you read?

23:52 - Katie (Guest)

a notorious benedict arnold the notorious life of benedict arnold. That was a good one. Um ah, there was a book about john adams. Um what else? A lot of revolutionary war books, because that was the history.

24:11 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Yeah, that was. The theme was the Revolutionary War, that first semester.

24:14 - Katie (Guest)

I remember books from the second year. What are some of the other?

24:18 - Janae Daniels (Host)

books from the second year and we did a co-op for two years, so actually, there were two different co-ops, but it was both through Thomas Jefferson Education.

24:26 - Katie (Guest)

The first year was the Revolutionary War, the second was Civil War, World War I and World War II. We read a lot of books. The second year that I remember we read To Kill a Mockingbird Uncle Tom's Cabin books about that. We read Flag of Our F fathers um, which was really fun, and I enjoyed the co-ops um learning about the classes and stuff yeah she.

25:00 - Janae Daniels (Host)

She got super competitive because there was what there were, awards and and she wanted to win everything. I didn't know she had that competitive streak in her and then I discovered very quickly that she's super competitive and will win.

25:14 - Katie (Guest)

Neither did I, but I guess I like completing stuff.

25:18 - Janae Daniels (Host)

So how was your reading experience in school different than your reading experience starting to homeschool and within the co-ops Like what? What was different about that?

25:35 - Katie (Guest)

the co-ops like what? What was different about that? Well, I could read what I wanted to and it didn't affect the time management that I had, because of all the like homework and then like school books are just so boring, to be honest. Um, with the co-op books that they had us read, um, I know Josh didn't really. No, he did not read them enjoy them.

25:55

Yeah, but I think with like certain people like certain things, and so I really enjoyed reading the books first, and then there were certain, like my mom said, special awards to go with the books and things you could earn, and they were interesting books to begin with.

26:16 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Yeah, which they didn't, and they didn't get grades in this co-op, but they did. They could win awards, which she won all of them okay. So let's talk a little bit, because then that I feel like the first couple of years, as we were trying to get our bearings, friendships were a struggle for us making friends because we didn't know where to find any. Honestly, like we were trying to like going to co-ops and I was trying to do meetups. Honestly, like we're trying to like going to co-ops and I was trying to do meetups, how was that for you that that first couple of years?

26:54 - Katie (Guest)

Well, the first couple of years I had my friend who had just moved to Texas. But she moved and I didn't really talk to her because I didn't have too much of a way of reaching out, and she was a public school friend and that long distance was hard, you know. And then I still had my public school friend which I met in fifth grade. But it was also hard hanging out with her and talking to her because she was in school and I wasn't, and with school comes a lot of homework and it was just hard finding times that we could talk to each other or even like hang out and stuff, times that we could talk to each other or even like hang out and stuff.

27:34

And the first year it was really hard with friends because, like my mom said, we didn't know where to look for friends, which if you look in the right places you can find them. But we had a family, two families I think, we were with, and I was friends, sort of friends with them. And then they moved and I'm like, oh man, um, but I did have friends in the sense that I had siblings, because siblings can become the best of friends, um, and yeah, sorry to.

28:11 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Would you say that it shifted your relationship with your siblings that time, that you, that you didn't have your peers as friends?

28:21 - Katie (Guest)

Yeah, we, we became closer. Um, sometimes it's still hard with siblings.

28:28 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Always. That's always the case.

28:30 - Katie (Guest)

But you learn to love your siblings even more, I want to say, because you're just with them a lot of the time and they become your best friends. And even those that you're not with, like you don't see for a while, like I hadn't seen my brother because he was, you know, moved out, but then the times that I would see him, like it made it more special too, because he was all like he was chillin on graduated as an adult and so he, you know, and then we got along and we just do stuff together.

29:03

Okay, do you want to do this? Yeah?

29:05 - Janae Daniels (Host)

yeah, okay. So then we started another enrichment by the year three. We we found another enrichment program and let's talk about that a little bit HSA, hsa, yeah.

29:20 - Katie (Guest)

Yes, so I did have some friends in the co-op, but they lived in Denver.

29:25 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Yeah, Cause we drove to, we drove up to. We're in Colorado Springs. We drove up to Denver an hour yeah, and so it makes it hard when they live an hour away. And anyway, that was tough the first couple years of friends. It was tough for us y'all it was.

29:39 - Katie (Guest)

It was tough yeah, and you find friends where you could. So it's not like we're totally friendless, but it's hard making sort of lasting friends when when you're proximity, yeah yeah, um, but I went to this enrichment program, which was theater.

29:56

Mind you, I had done a couple things when I was younger, but not really much theater, and I had wanted to do a play in fifth grade, but I was really nervous and I didn't really want to audition. I was not excited about that and so I was't really want to audition. I was not excited about that, and so I was like I want to be in the play but I don't want to be on stage in front of people. Which is funny, because this enrichment program which started in high school, my mom signed me up for the arts, which was like, oh cool, it's going to be drawing and stuff. And she was like, no, cool, it's gonna be drawing and stuff. And she's like, no, it's theater. I was like, okay, this is gonna be so much fun and then what happened?

30:38

well, it's the first day of the enrichment program and I was like I didn't know what I was expecting. So I get there and the teachers were really nice and I made a friend the first day, because you always have to make a friend the first day.

30:58 - Janae Daniels (Host)

And none of these kids really knew each other.

30:59 - Katie (Guest)

Yeah, it was a new program that they were doing, so there were some kids who came from the middle school program but a lot of the kids were new and so the first year I had made were so tight-knit that group, because it was like the first year and there was not many people, so we knew everybody and we got to know everybody because the teachers, they were making it less clicky, they were like everyone's gonna know everyone and we had fun because we we did a lot of stuff. We um learned how to sing better. Like I became more comfortable with singing in front of people, which at home I sing a lot all the time, but in front of other people it is like it it's a little nerve-wracking to sing in front of people and, just like you know, be weird in front of people. And then, like we got to do actually building our own sets and trying to put together costumes and by the time auditions came around, I'm like, personally, for me it would be easy. I'm a little lazy, it would personally be easier for me to audition than to not audition.

32:19

And so I did the audition and I started Light with the theater and so it was just, it was fun.

32:32

It was nerve-wracking and this audition was interesting because for normal auditions I hear I've never done a real audition um, they have you choose the songs. But for this one, because we had to like do it fast, there were so many kids to go through in one day because it was only one day of auditions, so they chose songs from the musical that we were doing, cinderella, which we could choose from to sing, and then monologues we could choose from, and so we were in groups of three and I felt really comfortable at that time because you think it wouldn't be more comfortable with multiple people. But then when you're in like groups, like a group of people you know and you're like I've already messed up, like sure the people who audition you are like staring at you and it's kind of scary, but you've got the people next to you to laugh with, and so that was like that first year of HSA was really fun and I made some really great friends.

33:35 - Janae Daniels (Host)

I was gonna say, because that's when you really well or was it the first year or the second year that you really like solidified your little friend group. Well, more in the second year.

33:44 - Katie (Guest)

Like I had made so many friends and we like we hosted a lot of hangouts at my house like who wants to do movie night? We had the best potlucks, I will say. We brought some. We brought some pretty good food. And then the second year, um, was interesting because there was the. The seniors had moved out and so there were like people coming in from middle school, people coming in from just wanting to join, and, you know, the seniors moved out. So we're like, okay, this is a little weird, because there were more people than just the 20, because it's a bigger program and it's a new year, and that year we were doing Peter Pan. We had to do auditions alone, and by that time I was okay with auditioning. It's still scary, but I got better with it and I happened to get Wendy's understudy and so I was like, oh no, I need to learn this because I've never had a big part. Mind you, last Cinderella I was the footman and ensemble.

34:46 - Janae Daniels (Host)

She literally was like they're like what do you want to audition for? She's like the footman, and I worry that I may not get the role. And I'm like you'll probably get the role of the footman because I don't think anybody else wants it, so. So then. So, cinderella, you did footman in the second year.

35:05 - Katie (Guest)

I was the footman in the ensemble and that was really fun. And then the second year I gained a little more courage. We did Peter Pan and I was like I want to be one of the Lost Boys or like a brave girl or something like that. You know one that has like a speaking role.

35:20 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Of which did you get?

35:20 - Katie (Guest)

it, or like a brave girl or something like that. You know one that has like a speaking role, Of which did you get it? Which I did get one of the Lost Boys, which was really fun.

35:28 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Love my boy Tootles. Then, third year, which is this last year, she.

35:33 - Katie (Guest)

Before we get to that, I want to say, with the friendship part though, I got Wendy's understudy too after getting the Lost Boy, mainly because I was my brother's understudy for the first year, because we didn't have many boys and I memorized his lines with him. And so the second year they're like OK, you can be a good understudy and you know you might fit Wendy as an understudy, which I love, the girl who was playing Wendy, wendy as an understudy, which I love, the girl who was playing Wendy. But I was like, wait, I've never actually like done like a big role before and I'm not sure if she's going to be gone or not. She was there for the play but it was fun and because I was like a little nervous for that, I invited the understudy for Peter Pan to come to my house and have us practice, which she ended up being like one of my closer friends now, like closest friends now.

36:29 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Yeah, which is interesting because she's this particular friend is adorable and she's a ranch kid and I asked her I'm like so.

36:37 - Katie (Guest)

That's other, that was Peter Pan. And I asked her. I'm like, so that's other, that was Peter Pan.

36:42 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Oh, gotcha, gotcha. Anyway, when I've talked to the other kids at the homeschool academy, a lot of the kids are like I didn't have a lot of friends. And then, you know, except for my siblings, and most of them were really close to their siblings, and you know, except for my siblings, and most of them were really close to their siblings, and then this group of kids became really close friends and they still are.

37:04 - Katie (Guest)

Now we have our own inside jokes.

37:08 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Their own little friend group. And so, going back, we also during this time, katie's freshman year, which would have been our third year of homeschooling when she did Cinderella. So during this time, katie's freshman year, which would have been our third year of homeschooling when she did Cinderella, one of the requirements, the whole reason we ended up in that co-op is because I thought this will be a great opportunity for my kids to take college classes. And I called and said listen, can a 14-year-old go to the state college? And they said yes. I said okay, we're just going to pay out of pocket the state college. And they said yes, I said okay, we're just going to pay out of pocket.

37:41

And somebody there said why don't you go through the homeschool program, through your school district, because then they will pay for it. And I'm like, oh, I did not know that. I mean, I do pay my taxes. So that's what we did and you took. You and your brother both took classes. Let's talk about how you felt as a 14-year-old going into classes with college students and non-traditional students. There were some that were my age in the classes. How did you feel going into it?

38:08 - Katie (Guest)

Well, I was glad I had Josh with me because, like my mom said, I'm a little more on the shy side and so it was weird going back to school, but it was. It was just a class and so you go in there and you sit down and the teacher talks at you and you take notes and you learn, you do homework and it wasn't that bad. And then we did the public speaking class and there was like there was like you just had to speak in front of people and it grew Like I can talk to people in front of like groups better. I wouldn't say I'm the best at it.

38:51 - Janae Daniels (Host)

So do you remember? Because the first year you took the first semester, you took English Composition 1, and then you took English Composition 2, second semester. Do you remember what you said to me at the end of English composition two? No, okay, I will refresh her memory. She was sitting on my bed one night working on her final paper for English composition two and she's like okay, so literally all I have to do is jump through the professor's hoops, do exactly what they ask and I get a good grade. I mean, I don't even feel like I necessarily learned anything, but I jumped through the hoops and I got a good grade, and both she and her brother ended up on the president's list and dean's list. And so here they are, y'all 14 and 15. And they're smart kids.

39:40 - Katie (Guest)

At that time 15 and 16.

39:46 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Oh, yeah, oh, because that's right, because by the end of the year you had turned 15, and then he had turned 16. Which blew me away, because I'm like these are college-level classes, right. There was non-traditional students in that class that were my age, and then there was normal college age kids in there, and then my kids and a couple other homeschoolers.

40:03 - Katie (Guest)

I will say with this community college, because it is community college, they allow people of any age range. And so with the classes we had people who were in high school and Josh made friends with a bunch of seniors. And we had this one friend who we love her. Um, she took a like, we made friends with her. We're like, oh, happy birthday. Was she in high school as well? Yes, she was a senior that year and we're like, she took us to all the food places around and we just hung out. And then, um, we had somebody who was like 45 in our class and he was taking public speaking and he was just the coolest dude ever. We're like, oh, you're kind of cool, yeah, you're cool. And he was like you are too. And we had like the regular college-aged students, which some of them are really nice, but some of them are like, oh, yeah, okay.

41:01 - Janae Daniels (Host)

So I do have to say I was really worried, like, oh my gosh, what if some of these college students like offer drugs to my kids or whatnot, you know, like offer, offer, want to affect them in a negative way? Um, but what I realized oh, thank you is that they don't want to affect them in a negative way. But what I realized oh, thank you, is that they don't really want to intermix with high school kids and they're like I'm here to get my degree and I'm going home. You know, like, so that I was like oh, whereas, like in high school, in the public school, there's a lot of peer pressure to do lots of things that shouldn't be done in the, in the college setting. Uh, it was, it was different because they didn't. They didn't they, they were involved in their own lives and working and being adult was with college.

41:49 - Katie (Guest)

I mean, everybody had their own thing, like they had their own friends, their own study groups and you can make friends with them. But they're like everybody kind of keeps to themselves and, like my mom said, like everybody's has their own things, like classes aren't at the same time, they happen all at different times and so you're not like you make sort of, like you make acquaintances with people at college but like, unless you're actually looking for a friend, everybody's just in their own little bubble and they minded their own business, so that I was like, oh, this is actually better as far as safety goes, yeah, for my kids.

42:28 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Then, uh, then the high, then the local high school would have been, yeah, which is a good high school, don't get me wrong. Um, okay, so, and now you're, you're going um, she skipped one year of college and then did another year last year and then you're going into another year this year. Yeah, let's talk about for the things that you wish were different as far as homeschooling goes, like things that you feel like you've missed out on, missed out on different as far as homeschooling goes, like feel things that you feel like you've missed out on, missed out on.

43:00 - Katie (Guest)

Well, I wanted to go to one of the school dances because everybody was talking about it at church, everyone would talk about the school dances and you know, everybody goes to different schools at church and I still have my public school friend and I was like, okay, okay, I want to go to one of these dances. And so I asked my friend and I'm like, hey, can I go to homecoming with you and like a group of friends, yeah, not as a date, but like can you get me into the dance?

43:31 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Can you get?

43:31 - Katie (Guest)

me into the dance because I want to see what it's like. Spoiler alert we walked around the whole time.

43:39 - Janae Daniels (Host)

It was boring. It was kind of boring, I feel, like you came home and it was totally anticlimactic, like you had been so excited, and then you're like what?

43:47 - Katie (Guest)

Yeah, which I haven't been to prom. I don't think I ever will, but I'm like I don't know. We've got our own homeschool thing and other things.

43:57 - Janae Daniels (Host)

I was going to say she got excited about the homeschool dances that she went to, but now, as far as the school dances she's like, then they're done that, I've done that.

44:14 - Katie (Guest)

But like there's certain school events that like you're not allowed to participate in and that just you need groups of people to do, and like there's like senior assassins and like color dances and other stuff.

44:24 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Yeah, and not every school does these, but our home-based school does, so she's aware of it going on Multiple, Like our home, like the school, that we live next to A lot of people in the district. Yeah.

44:35 - Katie (Guest)

A couple people, like a couple schools in the district do that, and so people at church would like talk about it and be like, oh man, like that sounds fun. Um, but there is this year, actually, because I'm a senior, there's a friend of mine's mom was like hey, let's get together and do senior stuff because we don't want you guys to miss out and we want you to have like the best senior year. So, like, we've done multiple meetings and we're gonna do a lot of fun stuff for senior year because, because we can, because we can like and like, we don't have to be in school to do it. Um, I will say one thing that did frustrate me was I know in this school that we live next to I know the person in the yearbook committee and I was like hey, if I ever wanted to like sneak into the yearbook, could you get me. And she's like no, you're not a student.

45:34

No, and I was like not even one picture. I feel very hurt.

45:40 - Janae Daniels (Host)

So, but it sounds like, though you don't and correct me if I'm wrong you don't feel like you've missed out on really anything that the public school kids that you're friends with at church do.

45:50 - Katie (Guest)

I mean like there's certain things because they talk about it so much and when you hear them talk about it it's kind of frustrating. And when you hear them talk about it it's kind of frustrating. Well, it was not as much anymore, but when I was like still like in the middle of homeschooling, like my first year of I guess, the enrichment program yeah.

46:10 - Janae Daniels (Host)

high school or freshman year.

46:12 - Katie (Guest)

They would just talk about it. I'm like that's all you talk about. And now you're talking about these fun things, and I'm doing a lot of fun things, but you don't want to hear about those because it's not something you guys can connect with, I guess okay.

46:26 - Janae Daniels (Host)

So this is something that I found super interesting is when I'd watch, um, the homeschool kids talk to the public school kids like they're friends at church and everything, because I've gotten to watch a lot of interactions.

46:38

The homeschool kids are really good about asking questions and like, tell me about this and tell me about that, but it's not reciprocated, and so we talk about socialization and yet I've noticed that it's been the homeschool, the homeschool kids that we've associated with and that we've seen that actually are far more socialized if we want to use that term like they, they are far more emotionally aware.

47:08

They're far, they have far more emotional intelligence than their counterpart, public school peers. Now, I'm sure that that's not the case all the time everywhere, because everyone's different, but that's been. My observation is that the homeschooling kids have far more emotional intelligence than the public school kids, and I think part of that reason is because the relationship with the parents that they're still mimicking and observing parents and how parents should behave and that's how adults should behave, which goes back to peer versus parent orientation, which I talked about a few weeks ago. That is an episode you don't want to miss, okay, so let's talk about then, to close up for today the things that you've appreciated or learned the most due to homeschooling learned the most due to homeschooling.

48:05 - Katie (Guest)

Well, for one, I've definitely learned how to be around people better, because in school you're just walking, doing your own thing, trying to make friends, and then there's cliques, just like how to talk to people better and I'm trying to get out of that like my comfort zone more for that and talk to more people. I've learned how to be in front of people without being scared, because this year I was a main role on stage and so I learned how to better like project my voice and be louder and be out there. I've learned more about history than I probably would have ever learned. I still don't like math, I'm sorry.

48:52 - Janae Daniels (Host)

We've tried so many curriculums, y'all and other things Although when you were doing the flip house with dad last year, we do sometimes, we'll do fix and flips and she's learned percents. But when they went to Home Depot or Lowe's to look at something and something was like 30% off, and my husband's like like, oh, it's 30% off. And then he explained to her percents in context, in real life. She's like, oh, my gosh, that's amazing, you know, and here she had learned it in school, but out of context, so it didn't mean anything to her. And then she's like, mom, in like two minutes I learned percents and I get him a little over exaggerating no, no, like you is it, though?

49:37

So, other things that you, other things that you are. What are some of the things that you're grateful for? As far as that you wouldn't have experienced had you been in the public school system.

49:54 - Katie (Guest)

I'm grateful for the opportunities that I get to learn outside of school because, like, they tell you what you learn and I'm glad that I get to learn the things that I want to learn. Because I'm homeschooled, I've gotten more into working with my hands, I've learned the things I've wanted to learn. I've learned things I've wanted to learn and I even could get a job when other students can't, couldn't, and it's been a really fun job because I get to watch a child who is the most adorable child I have ever seen.

50:34 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Oh, yeah, so because she's homeschooled, she, um, somebody approached her and said could you nanny a couple days a week for me in within in my house while I work from home? And and she, she, you know the, her boss is like I, I couldn't have done this with a public school person, or even an adult, or an adult. She's having a hard time finding adults, and so katie's been able to do that and and still, and she's like oh, and you can work on, you know the, your homeschooling stuff while you're here too, you know, as long as you're not in the middle of watching baby, yeah, but um, what is the? What advice would you give to those parents, as well as kids, thinking about homeschooling?

51:22 - Katie (Guest)

Oh, that's hard, but I think if you're struggling with school, maybe trying homeschooling out for a day or two.

51:32 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Or longer.

51:33 - Katie (Guest)

Or longer I can't to homeschool. But she like we had this camp and I she was so frustrated with school, like she was telling me all her frustrations with school and how she was in all these like situations that she didn't want to be in um, and I was like talking to her about my experience with homeschool and she's like that sounds like so much fun. I want to try that and she has a lot of friends now like she homeschools now and so she's been homeschooling for a year, which.

52:22

I didn't like, I didn't mean to do that, and this one lady's like, so I heard you got her into homeschooling and she's recruiting and she's like I heard you got her into homeschooling and that kind of sounded like she's like, oh, don't try to get my kids into it. But I promise it's not like that. I was just sharing with her like how much I enjoyed homeschool over public school. Um, because the freedom and just and she's happier now is what I've seen. And so it's going to be hard at first. I will say, but try new things, because I never knew I would have liked embroidery if I hadn't Look at all the things you can do and create and you'll have more time for it, and so it's really good to be homeschooled now.

53:29 - Janae Daniels (Host)

Love it. Katie, thank you for taking the time. Thank you for taking the time with me in our basement to do this interview with me, you for taking the time with me in our basement to do this interview with me, y'all. I think for me, the best thing that's come out of homeschooling is the relationship with my kids. Even if we do squabble sometimes, I love being with them. They love being with me.

53:55 - Katie (Guest)

Oh, I love my mom way too much. I think I love being with her more than she likes being with me.

54:00 - Janae Daniels (Host)

I don't know. That is not true. That is not true. Oh, they all liked me to tickle their backs and sometimes I feel like that's the reason, jacob and Josh, I just love my hugs so I've got great kids, um, but y'all like, for me the relationships had been worth every hard piece of homeschooling. The relationships have made those hard pieces absolutely 100% worth it. And so, anyway, katie, thank you again, thank you mom.

54:31

Mamas and papas, grandmas and grandpas, you are doing so much better than you think you are. You got this. We'll talk next week.

54:39 - Katie (Guest)

Yeah, love you, mama Love you.