What happens when a former public school teacher decides she won’t send her own kids to school?

In this episode of the Homeschool How To Podcast, Cheryl sits down with Ashley Martinez—a former teacher turned homeschooling mom of two—who shares what she saw inside the classroom, why she chose a different path, and how her family makes homeschooling and working actually work.

This conversation goes beyond curriculum and schedules. Ashley opens up about:

• What teachers see inside schools that most parents don’t
• Why more educators are choosing to homeschool their own kids
• How to balance working from home while homeschooling
• The truth about socialization, co-ops, and hybrid homeschool models
• Why homeschooling gives families more freedom, flexibility, and connection
• Letting go of “balance” and embracing seasons of life

If you’ve ever thought:
“Can I homeschool if I still need to work?”
or
“I feel called to homeschool but don’t know how to make it work…”

This episode will give you clarity, encouragement, and a real-life look at what’s possible.

🎯 Ready to learn how families are actually doing this? Cheryl has interviewed 200+ homeschool families—and put a step by step process together for how to work and homeschool (even as a single parent!) Check it out below!

👉 How to Work & Homeschool (Even as a Single Parent!)

Find Ashley at:

https://linktr.ee/mrsashleymartinez

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In this episode, we step outside the traditional conversation around education and take a deeper look at something bigger—how we’re raising our kids in today’s world.

Cheryl sits down with Doug Evans, founder of The Sprouting Company, to talk about self-sufficiency, food, environment, and why more families are questioning the systems we’ve always relied on—from school to the food we eat.

They explore:

• Why play-based learning may be more powerful than structured classrooms
• How environment (indoor vs outdoor living) impacts children’s development
• The connection between food, health, and independence
• Simple ways families can become more self-sufficient (even if you’re busy)
• What it looks like to raise kids outside the traditional system

While this conversation isn’t just about homeschooling, it touches on a core idea many parents are starting to realize:

We have more control over our children’s lives—and learning—than we’ve been led to believe.

If you’ve ever questioned the way things are “supposed” to be done, this episode will give you a lot to think about.

Episode Resources:

The Sprouting Company

Instagram- The Sprouting Company

https://www.youtube.com/@TheSproutingCompany

• Cheryl’s eBook- The Homeschool How To: Complete Starter Guide

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What if the biggest problem with education isn’t your child… but the school system itself?

In this episode of the Homeschool How To Podcast, Cheryl sits down with Dr. Peter Gray, author of Free to Learn, to talk about what schools get fundamentally wrong about how children actually learn.

They discuss the hidden history of schooling, why shame and obedience are still built into the system, how kids learn to read and do math when they’re actually ready, and why self-directed learning may be far more effective than most parents have been led to believe.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your child is really “behind,” whether school is preparing kids for life, or whether there’s a better way to learn, this conversation will challenge the way you think about education.

In this episode, we discuss:

• what schools were originally designed to do
• why forced learning often backfires
• reading without a rigid timeline
• math anxiety and real-life math
• why motivation changes everything
• how children learn when they’re trusted

About Dr. Peter Gray:
Dr. Peter Gray is a research professor, psychologist, and author of Free to Learn. His work focuses on self-directed education, play, and the ways modern schooling conflicts with children’s natural development.

Resources mentioned:

• Free to Learn by Dr. Peter Gray
• Dr. Gray's website: https://www.petergray.org/
• Check out Dr. Gray's Substack
• Cheryl’s eBook- The Homeschool How To: Complete Starter Guide

If this episode encouraged you, be sure to follow the show, leave a review, and share it with a parent who needs to hear this.

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