For Michelle Ellis and her husband, Kevin, the decision to home educate came long before the arrival of their two boys. The Ellises found inspiration from the Bible as well as affirmation from Michelle’s 25 years of experience as a public school teacher, where she taught a range of children … read more

When Monica Guerra and her family began their homeschool adventure 12 years ago, they had a few things to figure out. “We had the ‘why’ for choosing homeschooling,” the St. Petersburg resident explains, “but we needed the ‘how.’ We had decided to homeschool because we believe that God had called … read more

For Aislynn Holt and her family, the homeschooling journey began before the beginning — of official schooling, that is. “My husband and I had made the discussion to homeschool our children when our first son was a year old,” says Aislynn, who at that point made plans to attend the … read more

Dina Fox and her husband, Jeffrey, decided to try homeschooling their oldest son when they saw that he was not socially ready for a full-day kindergarten classroom, but appeared ready to start learning. “We tried the local public school the next year,” Dina recalls, “but found that the schedule and … read more

Julia Gordie was stressing out. Then, at a point when she wondered whether should could actually follow through on homeschooling her children, the St. Augustine resident received a comforting piece of advice from one of her closest friends.

“She told me that I am the only person who will always … read more

Most parents faced with a child with a physical or learning disability would leave the education process to the “experts.” Valencia Tupper has chosen a different (and more profitable) path.

Valencia’s 11-year-old son, Alex, actually has two conditions — dyspraxia and dysgraphia. Often called the “clumsy child syndrome,” dyspraxia is … read more

For Diana LoPresti, homeschooling began suddenly — in the middle of a school year. The LoPrestis had started their son Giovanni, now 9, in a private Christian grade school their church had just launched, and the learning environment seemed positive enough. But challenges soon loomed.

“As the year progressed,” Diana … read more

Better Late Than Never

Linda Wooldridge began homeschooling in part because of what someone was unable to do. “We had friends who could not attend the 1998 FPEA Florida Homeschool Convention and gave us their room,” the St. Petersburg resident explains. That summer, as Linda’s son was about to start … read more

Starting Early

Lori Stephens could not stop her children from learning. Seven years ago, their oldest daughter was 5 and, because of her birthday, missed the cutoff to start kindergarten in Florida. “We could not imagine holding her back another year to start school,” the Clermont resident recalls. “She seemed … read more

A Different Calling

Brandy Brockhausen taught middle school for 11 years, but after meeting a homeschooling family in her church, she sensed a different calling. “I loved teaching,” the Melbourne resident remembers, “but I continually felt like I was missing out on time with my children. It was like they … read more