Two Generations of Homeschooling: Kid to Dad's View

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Meet Hunter Muse is a husband and dad to three young children. Hunter hails from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area and has built a career in the technology industry as a product manager.

Hunter is a proud graduate of homeschooling, where he experienced a blend of different educational approaches, including co-ops, tutors, and self-driven learning. After high school, he attended Brigham Young University, following a two-year mission trip to Brazil for his church.

Hunter's wife was also homeschooled, and together they plan to homeschool their own children. They intend to use a mixed approach of self-directed learning and microschools to guide their kids as they grow.

We invited Hunter to share his thoughts on homeschooling:

Hunter shares: 

• What are the key differences between homeschooling and traditional schooling

• How has homeschooling changed since he was a teenager

• What challenges did he face as a homeschooled student

And more…  

Enjoy!

Why did you decide to homeschool your kids?

Homeschooling allows us to adapt to the unique needs, interests, pace, and rhythm of each of our kids. It’s an extension of our relationship with our children, and we try to make learning letters & numbers as natural as learning to walk or tie shoelaces.

Lots of families ask - “when is the best time to start doing school as a homeschooler?” - and our answer is this: homeschooling is about releasing the artificial structures & constraints of our public school learning system and embracing the organic process of learning & growing that your child will go through.

In terms of how I was personally benefited compared to kids in traditional schooling - I can think of a number of ways. One, I had more time to explore & develop my passions.

At the age of 12 I got really into music & piano. I started practicing 3-4 hours per day. I was determined to be a professional musician & play music for a living. Going deep into music taught me much more than just how to play certain pieces or styles - I learned history, world languages, discipline, foreign cultures, overcoming obstacles, breaking down difficult problems, and so much more.

Having the time to explore encouraged me to develop my curiosity, which has benefitted me to this day.

I also learned to interact with people from lots of different backgrounds & ages. I took community college classes as a teenager, volunteered with nonprofits during the day, started my own business teaching piano lessons, participated in Boy Scouts, and more. I was constantly interacting and working with people in the community that gave me skills that helped me as an adult.

I often say that one of the biggest differentiators in my career has been being homeschooled. When it’s done right, it makes a massive difference.

From your perspective, what are some of the key differences between homeschooling and traditional schooling?

To be clear, I am not anti-traditional schooling. It's tremendously helpful to have free, accessible education for all K-12 students - it blesses millions of families, opens up doors of opportunity for students across the country, and allows thousands of mission-driven educators to help students succeed.

Some of my very best friends were educated in public schools, including some of the smartest people I know.

However, I’ve found that the good things & success stories that come from the public schools come in spite of the system, not because of it. The structure & methodology of public school education tends to work OK for 25% of students - but what about the rest?

While the public school system is a solid stopgap to ensure a minimum viable education (hopefully) for every student, is that the best we can do?

We all know that there are many different kinds of intelligences & learning strengths and weaknesses. We’re all unique and have different backgrounds & needs. And yet, we don’t question why traditional schooling uses a one-size-fits all approach.

And once you begin to question this one-size-fits all approach, you start to realise other things that we just take for granted in our culture: like why we make students sit down and be quiet for 6-7 hours per day, or why we group them together based on what month and year they were born, or why many students never read a single book in its entirety, or why we emphasise memorisation & correct answers over open-ended exploration & good questions. And on and on.

This is where homeschooling can offer something better.

Homeschooling essentially “unbundles” traditional school to allow families to mix & match and customise their student’s education experience.

How do you see homeschooling today compared to when you were a teenager? Are there notable differences in approaches and options?

When I was homeschooled over a decade ago, there was significantly more stigma around the practice. I remember trying to hide the fact that I was homeschooled from new friends and acquaintances.

I’d inevitably get a look of skepticism and confusion, and then the questions would come.

“How do you make friends?”

“Don’t you want to go to college?”

“What if you want to join a club or a sports team?”

Nowadays, homeschooling has become a much more common practice. Ironically, most of my peers who today are having children of their own plan to homeschool!

There are also so many more options & configurations for homeschooling families than a decade ago.

Online learning resources have continued to explode - you can learn anything at any time.

Microschools & hybrid homeschool programs are more common. I would have loved these options when I was a homeschooler! It’s exciting to think about what the future will bring.

Can you share more about the challenges you faced as a homeschooled student and how those experiences inspired you to found 21st Century Learners?

I founded 21st Century Learners to provide opportunities for students ages 12+ to learn real world skills using science-backed teaching methods. We offer virtual, cohort-based classes to learn technology skills and entrepreneurship using project-based learning. We launched our first two classes last year and they were fantastic.

Nothing like this existed when I was a teenager unless you found the right teacher or were enrolled in a full-time online school. We’re just getting started!

In your work with teenagers, what's the most common challenge you observe, and how do you guide them through it?

The most common challenge I’ve observed is that our society has conditioned teenagers that they’re helpless and need to wait until some ambiguous future time to pursue their dreams and live their best life.

Teenagers vastly underestimate the impact they’re capable of making on the world. So they typically take a passive stance in life, waiting to be told what to do or given permission to do things they want to do.

This is ridiculous, and placing these artificial boundaries on teens is so wasteful and damaging to them.

I try to guide them through these challenges by showing them “the art of the possible” - telling them stories of other teenagers who accomplished great things, coaching them to identify what impact they want to have and doing something about it. I also run a podcast called Path of a Homeschooler, where I interview former homeschoolers on their journeys and what they did as teens.

Teens have so much latent potential that just needs to be unleashed!

Homeschoolers sometimes face stereotypes about not pursuing STEM degrees.

I’ve actually found the opposite to be true. I know tons of homeschoolers who go into the sciences & engineering disciplines. I believe in most cases it’s because they’ve avoided labeling themselves as being “bad” at math, and have nurtured a love of learning and figuring things out.

I believe that homeschooling doesn’t steer you away from STEM degrees any more than it steers you towards them - homeschooling simply can provide the environment for the student to develop and express their unique individuality.

So if a student is inclined towards the arts & humanities, they’ll likely go deep in that area. But if they’re inclined towards science & math, they’ll go in that direction.

When you look back at your homeschooling, what things do you think could have been better or more certain, and what important things do you want to make sure your own kids get in their education?

I loved my experience - I wouldn’t change a thing! If I had to improve something about it, I wish I would have worried less about the future and focused more on the projects and topics I was passionate about at the moment.

I think this might be why I’m so passionate about helping teenage students recognise the impact they can have today!

Did you encounter comparisons and judgments from people in your life as a homeschooled kid?

Absolutely. All the time. From family, friends, neighbours, you name it. I often felt “out of the loop” with the cool public school kids. It wasn’t until later in life when I became so grateful to have never been in the loop in the first place!

At the time, I felt some shame and resentment. I wanted to hide it. However, as I grew older and more confident in myself, and because kind of prideful of the fact I was homeschooled. I began to appreciate that I was the one with the freedom, not my public school friends! I had the time to explore, to develop my passions, to build my own business, to volunteer for political campaigns, to interact with incredible people in the community.

Once I caught hold of the vision, the advantages - that’s when I handled the skepticism a lot better and it didn’t bother me anymore.

What resources or homeschooling methods have you found particularly effective in your journey, and would you recommend any specific resources to other parents considering homeschooling?

If you’re considering homeschooling, I recommend following us on Instagram at @pathofahomeschooler (not that I’m biased or anything). We have our blog and podcast that educates families on homeschooling options and tells the stories of former homeschoolers. We’re also working on courses and other things to help make the transition as seamless and empowering as possible.

I also highly recommend that families plug into the local network of home educators. There is likely a bustling community of homeschool families that provides an invaluable resource for you!

There are many creators on all the social media platforms that write and talk about homeschooling - I recommend following them and immersing yourself in the ideas and paradigm-shifting views that they discuss.

Share your social links or anything you are building or creating related to homeschooling.

Please feel free to follow along @pathofahomeschooler on Instagram. We’ll likely have a Twitter account soon as well. Our podcast will be dropping weekly episodes, and look out for lots of free resources.

If you’re looking for some more in-depth coaching, feel free to contact us! We coach families who are considering homeschooling on setting up their unique pathways.

I also provide coaching for teenage students to help find their purpose and pursue projects that develop their individuality and confidence. You can find more info on that at 21stcenturylearners.com