Welcome to Season 4 Lesson 66

Cleverly Changing Podcast

Highlights From the Show
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Full Episode Transcript

Introduction
Hello, hello, everybody. We are super, super excited to join you and to connect with you because it has been a while. This is season four, and we have not recorded for a couple months. And we are just super excited that you are sticking with us. We are, you know on our homeschool journeys as moms and we can't wait to share with you what's new in our lives and what's new in our kids lives.

Elle
So, before we get started with today's podcast, I want us to introduce ourselves. For those of you who do not know us. We are two Black moms who homeschool. My name is Elle Cole. I am a mom of twin girls, I can't believe it, but they are now teenagers.

We started this podcast in 2019. I first started my blog cleverlychanging.com in 2010. So it has been a long journey. And we are happy to be able to give back to you in this sort of way. I homeschooled my girls for seven years. And I wanted to have an opportunity to pour into my community because sometimes when we go to co ops and homeschool groups, we don't always get to connect with people on an intimate level. And so with this podcast, we want to connect with you. We want to hear from you. We want you to know that we really care about you. And so that is what brings us here to season four.

Miriam, please let everybody know who you are, and tell them a little bit about your family.

Miriam
All right, well, I'm Miriam. I am the mother to four little people, two girls and two boys. My oldest is 14 and my youngest is 4.

Miriam
I also have been homeschooling for about five years. Wait, no, that doesn't make sense.
About five years, but it's been longer kind of. I don't really know how we start the timeline. You know, some people say I've been homeschooling since birth. Well, I mean, you know, life is learning. So I guess technically, everyone's been homeschooled at some point. But you know, I also am a writer and editor.

Miriam
I am a real life urban farmer. And I am just a lover of all things natural.

Miriam
When it comes to homeschooling, and sharing the things that I've learned, I really do hope that it's helpful, because I know when I first started, I was so scared and so unsure. And now things seem to be falling, you know, so easily into place. And even when things aren't going the way as I planned, which happens a lot.

Miriam
It's still okay, because you know, life is living and learning is learning and they're going to be fine. So.

Miriam
So hope is what we would like to also give to you all who are starting on this path that have been on the journey. For a while. Encouragement is always always a language of love.

Elle
Yes, it is definitely something that I feel like we do start from the very beginning with our kids. I know my girls, the very first things I bought for them were books. And so reading to them, showing them the word, then sounding out words, singing songs, you know, really just taking everything in and sharing with my kids was all a part of their learning experience. So if you are a parent who has not officially started homeschool, don't fret, you've already got the tools because you taught your kids so much before they went to a traditional school or before they were of school age, so definitely know that one of the things that both of us have learned is that we can do it and that our kids can learn from us and that's what we're trying to share with you.

Elle
So what can we expect coming up in season four, because I feel

Miriam
excited and you know, ready to charge forward and bring some cool things for our listeners. I'm so excited, I hope that you all really, really get a kick, and find all kinds of great things to help move you forward.

Miriam
Join us in the next coming months, as we share all these goodies, what have we got.

Elle
So I am super excited to share with you, we have some amazing guests coming up. So when we first started the podcast, it was really just us, we were sharing our experience, letting people get to know our family, because it wasn't just us, it was also our kids. It was the entire family sharing our experience. And so the second season, we really started to introduce guests. And it was great, because we got to hear from a variety of voices. That third season was more like if you're homeschooling and you're also trying to make money, then listen to us.

So now I think we are getting back to our roots, because right now the world is really trying to learn how to work alongside their kids. So even if you're not a homeschooler, at some point, this year, or in the years to come, your kids are probably going to be in your home while you are trying to work. And so these messages, tips, and the different things we share apply to those circumstances as well. It's not just people who are giving their kids a curriculum, grading the papers, and doing everything on their own. It's also for those who are remote learning now, even if your kid has other teachers, because even when you homeschool, a lot of times you're outsourcing some of those subjects. So sometimes there is a parent who can literally do it all and do everything and teach their kids every subject, but that's more rare. For the most part most homeschoolers are outsourcing something. And so we are going to tap into that, how are families making it work in a variety of ways.

We're going to be showing creativity, the highs and lows of homeschooling. One thing that we always try to do is be real, we're not trying to paint these rosy pictures of what a perfect homeschool is because perfection does not exist in any homes, ever.

It's just it's a concept that is not real. In reality, like there is no perfect family. And so what we have to always remember as homeschoolers is that our family dynamics are completely different. So while we may be sharing our tips, and the things that work for us, as individuals, and as a family, culture, or family unit, they may not work for you and your household. And that is completely fine because you can take certain things that do work and adapt them to your situation. And so that's what we're gonna be getting into. Is there anything you would add to that?

Miriam
No, I think you hit many nails right on the head. I'm totally okay with what you said. Awesome! So here's what we want from our listeners, because I feel like, you know, in that first season, we were hearing from our listeners, they were telling us their questions, and I really missed that part where they were really chiming in. And so we want to give them an opportunity to chime in again.

Elle
Can you kind of touch on that a little bit?

Miriam
Yes, we feel a little you know, put to the side because you guys aren't talking to us as much as you used to. And we missed those conversations. We miss the questions. We miss the interaction. And ...