CHM165: Podcast Changes! What’s Ahead for Christian Homeschool Moms?

Welcome to the Christian homeschool Mom's Podcast. I'm Dimitria, your host. Welcome back to the show for the new year. I hope your twenty twenty five is off to a fantastic start and I'm so excited to dive into another year of homeschooling encouragement and support with you all. If you've been a long time listener, you know that this show has had a twelve year legacy as the Christian homeschool Mom's Podcast, and now we're expanding our reach to serve a broader community of parents who are dedicated to fostering their children's success, whether through homeschooling, traditional schooling, or a hybrid approach. As many of you know, my homeschooling journey has shifted. One of my daughters has graduated from college and my youngest is now in high school. And with this trans I've stepped into a new season of education and that is after school tutoring. So I currently work in an after school program as well as per school district. And let me tell you, I'm seeing a lot of things that I didn't see as much when I was primarily a homeschool co op parent and teacher. So As a former homeschooling parent now working as an after school math and reading tutor, I have a unique perspective on both homeschooling and traditional education, and my journey has given me some insights and some experiences to help parents navigate their children's education no matter their learning environment. There's such a great need in our school systems, and while I absolutely believe that there are some fabulous schools, I also recognize that there's no one size fits all approach to education, even with homeschooling. Whether a child is homeschools or in private school, or even attending public school, many students need additional support at different levels, and that's why this year my podcast focus will be shifting slightly to highlight the needs of our kids and their education in all learning environments. This podcast is for all parents who want to be intentional advocates for their child's academic and personal growth, and my goal is to provide encouragement, support, and actionable strategies to help parents make informed decisions about their child's education while embracing the flexibility to do whatever works best for their family. Let me just chat for a brief minute about what this show is not just so that we're very clear. I know that the title of this podcast has always been the focus on homeschool parents of faith, Christian homeschool moms, right, but that leads me to really have to clarify some things just so there's no confusion about what this show is predominantly for what it's about and what my heart is and the spirit of this podcast is. It is not legalistic. I'm not here to push a one size fits all educational philosophy on anyone. It's also not po This podcast isn't about debating policies, but rather empowering parents with knowledge and resources. It's also even though we are Christian moms moms of faith, this show is not dogmatically religious. So while I am a person of faith and many of you listening to this show are Christian women, I don't believe that there's only one right way to raise or educate our children as Christian women. I have my own opinions and perspectives about raising kids, but I'm not one hundred percent correct and no one is. And any podcast host, blogger, or influencer who makes you feel like their opinions are the only ones are the only right ones. I recommend right away from that. This show is a place for open minded discussions, learning and personal growth from the perspective of faith. So what this show is It's number one, a place of freedom. I believe in freedom of choice. Whether you homeschool or not, I respect your decision. If you're here, it's because you've thought about homeschooling or are currently doing it, and I'm honored to be a part of your journey. This is a space for real conversations. I'll share my experiences after nearly two decades of homeschooling and my current work in education. But remember this is just advice, so take what resonates with you. And thirdly, it's a show of hopefully a balanced perspective. So while I loved homeschooling my kids over the years and know its benefits, I do not believe that God mandates homeschooling as the only way to raise godly children. In fact, I'm just gonna step out on a limb here and say that the entire concept of quote unquote raising godly kids can sometimes be skewed. Our real job as parents is to raise children to become responsible adults, and whether those adults choose to follow in our footsteps or not. Our role as parents is to lay that foundation, to provide guidance, and to trust God to direct their steps. So who we are on this show Hopefully we are God fearing people who embrace faith in our parenting journey. We're moms of faith with real questions about homeschooling, parenting, and education, and where parents seeking wisdom and practical strategies to help our children thrive. So my goals for this show in twenty twenty five and beyond is to number one, empower parents with educational strategies. I want to provide those actionable tips on how you can support your child's learning at home, to reinforce those classroom lessons if they happen to be in school, and to foster critical thinking skills that will help them thrive academically and personally. Number two, I want to help bridge that gap between homeschooling and traditional education. We all know that sometimes our kids are in a space of life where they might need to go to school for whatever reason. Maybe we as parents are in a space where we can't homeschool any longer. So I want to help to bridge that gap, and with experience in both homeschooling and working in the school system, I can share insights to help you make informed decisions whether your child is homeschooled, in public school or private school, or even a hybrid model, because again there's that freedom of choice, and we have a lot of choices right. Number Three, I want to support parents as advocates for their child's education. So you're going to gain strategies to work effectively with teachers, to navigate school policies if you need to, and find the best resources for your child, ensuring their success in any learning environment. Four. I really have been wanting to talk about this for a while, and that's incorporating music and the arts into learning. So as a part time music instructor, I've taught some piano lessons in the past, I would love to highlight the importance of music education and creativity and the arts in cognitive development, in academic performance, and emotional intelligence. Five. I want to encourage a growth mindset and lifelong learning. So I want to help parents instill that resilience and confidence and the love of learning in their children that extends way past traditional schooling or homeschooling. So together, we're going to explore ways to cultivate a growth mindset in both kids and parents alike. And number six, We're going to provide faith based encouragement for those who want it. So for parents who wish to integrate faith into their child's education, I will continue to offer spiritual encouragement along with principles to nurture their child's academic and personal growth. So I'm hoping that by blending my personal experience as a homeschooling mom, a veteran homeschooling mom, and my current work in the school system, this podcast aims to equip, encourage, and empower all parents, whether they're homeschooling, teaching in the classroom, or simply advocating for their child's success. Through this new show format, I hope that you'll find the tools, the inspiration, and the community that you need to guide your children toward a brighter future. Thanks so much for being here and being part of this show. Do Before I go, want to briefly share with you that I recently uploaded a review of the Grace Bible for Kids on my YouTube channel, So take a look at that review. If you've been looking for a great resource to help your little ones engage with God's word, you're definitely going to want to check it out, so just head over to my YouTube channel at mom Zest mom Zest, and if you enjoy that review, be sure to give it a thumbs up and share your thoughts in the comments. I am attempting to make sure that I'm getting more attraction there over at YouTube, so I would love to have your eyeballs over there on the YouTube channel and to see what resources I've provided there. So I'm going to be back on another episode to dive into a new topic, which is all about tutoring and how to determine whether or not your child might benefit from some tutoring. So we'll talk about that next time, but for now, I just wanted to give you updates on what this show is, the direction that we're going in, and I look forward to hearing from you to hear what your thoughts are all about this new format, And there may even be an upgrade on the podcast banner art as well, so you might be seeing the cover art change on your podcast fed And that is all for now. I am super happy to just be here with you guys. Even though I'm all the way on the other side of homeschooling, I'm still feeling really excited and jazzed about investing in the homeschool community from this perspective, so I hope that I can be of great encouragement to you in the future. And that's all I have for now. Thank you so much for listening, and happy homeschooling.