1KHO 760: Homeschooling All the Way Through | Rachel Kovac, Their Future is Shining Bright

Summary

Podcast Summary: The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Episode: 1KHO 760: Homeschooling All the Way Through | Rachel Kovac, Their Future is Shining Bright
Date: April 6, 2026
Host: Ginny Yurich (Jenny Erton)
Guest: Rachel Kovac

Overview

This episode centers on the complexities and rewards of homeschooling through high school, featuring author Rachel Kovac and her new book, Their Future Is Shining Bright. Host Ginny Yurich and Rachel discuss why families consider continuing home education through adolescence, practical guidance for navigating high school at home, and the unique opportunities—and challenges—of this countercultural path. Throughout, listeners are encouraged to reexamine assumptions about the “high school experience,” consider evolving educational resources, and embrace the profound impact homeschooling can have on family bonds and adolescent identity.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rachel’s Homeschooling Journey and Motivation

(03:14–08:03)

• Rachel’s entry into homeschooling wasn't planned—her son’s early experiences in conventional schooling led to increasing unease:
  • Dissatisfaction with rigid school rules and loss of play and nature time.
  • Emotional pressure on her son even in second grade: “His eyes filled with tears and he said, mom, this is just too much pressure. And he was only in second grade.” – Rachel (04:45)
• She admits initial fear and reluctance—yet calls it “one of the best decisions we've ever made.”
  • “If anyone’s listening and fear is holding them back, I would just say, don’t let fear hold you back... If you give it a try, you’ll know. If you don’t give it a try, you’ll never know.” – Rachel (05:45)
• Homeschooling through high school felt daunting due to a lack of resources, prompting Rachel to “chart her own course.”

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2. The Vulnerability and Importance of the Teen Years

(09:23–16:11)

• Adolescence is highlighted as a critically sensitive period for identity formation.
  • Dr. Lawrence Steinberg’s research: “In adolescence, the brain is actually, your experiences are stickier than they are in other times in life.” – Rachel (11:53)
• The risk of being “put in a box” by school systems (e.g., early tracking in math) can limit long-term self-perception and aspirations.
  • Rachel’s own “math redemption” is used as a personal example.
  • “When you start to put a child in a box like that, then that eliminates a lot of career choices.” – Rachel (14:32)
• Homeschooling allows for preservation of self-concept, flexibility, and incremental growth.

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3. What Rachel’s Book Offers

(17:33–20:29, 24:08–44:22)

• The book, Their Future Is Shining Bright, delivers practical resources including:
  • Year-by-year college-bound checklists.
  • Guidance on dual enrollment, apprenticeships, and career exploration.
  • An appendix of over 250 career paths not requiring a college degree.
  • Tools for crafting college essays, understanding scholarships, and application logistics.
• Pre-ordering the book grants access to exclusive audio content with experts on teens & screens, community-building, arts education, and dual enrollment.
  • “I’m thinking of this as like a symposium for the teen years.” – Rachel (18:01)
• Weekly email series with encouragement and tips beyond the book content.

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4. The New Landscape of Homeschooling in High School

(24:51–34:31)

• Homeschooling is no longer a “fringe” choice—there are currently 4 million homeschooled students in the US, rivaling or surpassing private school numbers in some states.
  • “It’s the fastest growing form of education. It’s growing seven times faster than private school enrollment.” – Rachel (25:09)
• The “high school experience” is a modern, not essential, construct—most adolescents in history did not participate in today’s high school model.
  • “It’s not even 100 years old that most students are attending high school.” – Rachel (25:54)
  • The high school day and its structure arose partly in response to child labor concerns—not necessarily optimal learning.

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5. Socialization, Community, and Teen Development

(35:28–44:22)

• Today’s homeschoolers have access to proms, homecomings, multiple graduation ceremonies, and a wealth of group activities.
  • “There would be an opportunity... to do three graduation ceremonies. In fact, our kids just crashed a different homecoming.” – Ginny (34:31–35:28)
• Adolescent sleep biology makes conventional schedules a poor fit; homeschooling allows time for rest and late-night connection.
  • “Teens naturally experience a shift in their sleep cycle during puberty. Melatonin is released later.” – Rachel (reading from book) (35:28)
• The unique opportunity of the “late night conversations” with teens is highlighted as a profound family advantage.

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6. Parental Role: From Teacher to Educational Coordinator

(36:34–41:45)

• Parents need not be experts in every subject; the role shifts to that of “educational director.”
  • Outsourcing or using co-ops for specialized subjects, e.g., advanced math and science.
  • “As parents, you can choose to teach the subjects if that’s your thing. But also, you can be more of an educational director...” – Rachel (37:07)
• Example: Rachel outsources science labs and some math, and highlights online resources like edX.
  • edX classes allow both parents and students to continue learning new skills at their own pace.

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7. Dual Enrollment, CLEP, and Non-College Options

(41:45–52:38)

• Rachel breaks down the mechanics, benefits, and nuances of dual enrollment (earning college and high school credit simultaneously), AP, and CLEP exams.
• Important detail: Dual enrollment credits do not make a student a “transfer student,” preserving access to scholarships as “first time in college.”
  • “You want to be considered a freshman. And Abel Gonzalez went into this in the audio that I have, it’s called first, it’s an acronym, first time in college." – Rachel (45:38)
• The book addresses the “college debt crisis” and presents alternatives—job shadowing, certifications, volunteering, entrepreneurship.
  • E.g., Rachel’s daughter’s “backyard flower farmer” trial, which highlighted the value of testing interests in real-world settings before pursuing them professionally.
  • “Just because something is my hobby doesn’t mean it’s something I should be doing as a job.” – Rachel (49:10)

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8. The Value of Time: Why Homeschooling Matters

(54:46–56:30)

• Homeschooling is framed as an act of reclaiming time with one’s children in an era of busyness.
  • “I was drawn to homeschooling in part because it felt like a way of gathering time.” – Rachel (quoted by Ginny) (57:39)
• Rachel reflects on how quickly childhood passes, and the deep family bonds and mutual growth forged by homeschooling.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On parental doubts:

  • “If anyone’s listening and fear is holding them back, I would just say, don’t let fear hold you back... If you give it a try, you’ll know. If you don’t give it a try, you’ll never know.” – Rachel (05:45)

• On teen development:

  • “In adolescence, the brain is actually, your experiences are stickier than they are in other times in life.” – Rachel (11:53)

• On labels in education:

  • “When you start to put a child in a box like that, then that eliminates a lot of career choices.” – Rachel (14:32)

• On the high school ‘rite of passage’:

  • “It’s not even 100 years old that most students are attending high school.” – Rachel (25:54)

• On sleep, biology, and connection:

  • “Teens naturally experience a shift in their sleep cycle during puberty. Melatonin is released later... This is when they want to come talk to you.” – Rachel (book excerpt and conversation) (35:28–35:50)

• On the essence of homeschooling:

  • “I was drawn to homeschooling in part because it felt like a way of gathering time.” – Rachel (as cited by Ginny) (57:39)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:14] – Rachel’s origin story in homeschooling
• [05:45] – Overcoming the fear of homeschooling
• [08:03] – Resource gap for high school homeschoolers
• [11:53] – Teen brains and the “stickiness” of experience
• [14:32] – Personal math and identity redemption
• [17:33] – What’s included in the book and preorder bonuses
• [24:51] – Homeschooling is not fringe anymore: national stats
• [25:54] – History and origins of the high school experience
• [29:07] – School day length and arbitrary structures
• [35:28] – Biology of adolescent sleep and family connection
• [37:07] – Parent as educational director
• [41:45] – Dual enrollment, CLEP, AP—explained
• [49:10] – Flower farming, trying careers in high school
• [54:46] – “Gathering time” and the value of homeschooling

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Conclusion: Encouragement and Next Steps

The conversation closes with Ginny’s deep endorsement of Rachel’s book, emphasizing its comprehensive, practical, and compassionate approach to homeschooling through high school. Rachel’s message is one of boldness and intentionality in “gathering time” with our children—even through the teenage years. Their Future Is Shining Bright is positioned as a pioneering resource, supportive of all paths—college-bound or otherwise.

For more:

• Visit RachelKovac.com (with a “C”) for preorder bonuses, email series, and resources.
• Their Future Is Shining Bright is available wherever books are sold and includes exclusive bonus audio with preorder.

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Original tone: Warm, candid, supportive—filled with personal stories, practical wisdom, and encouragement for families considering or continuing the home education journey.

Recommended for:
Parents considering homeschooling through high school, those seeking encouragement, practical resources, or inspiration for adolescent years spent outside the norm.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

We have had so many guests on this show talk about how powerful the outdoors can be for kids, especially kids with ADHD or different ways of learning and processing the world. And if you are raising a child with adhd, dyslexia, a language disorder, or really any kind of learning difference, I want to share a podcast that I think you'll really appreciate. It's called Everyone Gets a Juice Box. It's parents just being honest with each other in a really safe, welcoming space about the highs and lows of raising neurodivergent kids. And what I love about it is how real it is. There was one story about a mom who had this big career running a major podcast division, and she realized she hadn't been home to see her daughter before bed for weeks. And at the same time, she was starting to notice these little moments, like her daughter freezing up during a simple preschool performance and just having that gut feeling like something's different here. And then all the doubt that comes with that. Like other people saying, she seems fine. Well, you're sitting here thinking, but I'm her parent and I know her. This mom eventually stepped back in and reconnected and created little games together just to help her daughter communicate better. It's such a good reminder that connection doesn't have to be complicated, it just has to be intentional. So if that interests you, go check it out to listen. Search for Everyone Gets a Juice Box in your podcast app. That's Everyone Gets a Juice Box.

[Jenny Erton]

Welcome to the 1000 Hours Outside podcast. My name is Jenny Erton, the founder of 1000 Hours Outside. And my dear friend Rachel Kovac has returned and this time she has actual sound equipment. And so I'm so excited about you being here. I'm excited about your website, I'm excited about your new book. I'm excited about your substack and your pre order bonuses. Welcome.

[Rachel Kovac]

Thank you, Jenny.

[Jenny Erton]

Oh, this is the best. We were just together at Thanksgiving. I guess that wasn't that.

[Podcast Host]

That was like a little bit ago.

[Jenny Erton]

But it was a lot of fun. Except the house was a little bit too small. Other than that, I thought it was wonderful. But we're going to be talking about this brand new book that you have out that is so exceptionally important so people can pre order when they're listening to this. Pre orders really matter. We're going to be talking about the bonuses are that you give it that. But this is a book about homeschooling through high school and it's a huge deal because a lot of times people fall off during those years because they're overwhelmed. And you have written the most phenomenal comprehensive, I mean practical idea up on top of practical idea information about college essays, trade school. There's even like an appendix of 200 and something jobs that you 263 career paths that don't require a college degree. But if your kid is college bound, there's an appendix with a year by year checklist. It is a jaw dropping book with the amount of information that you get from it. It is called Their future is Shining Bright. Rachel, Congratulations, Jenny.

[Rachel Kovac]

Thank you. Thanks so much for having me today.

[Jenny Erton]

So this is about a guide to homeschooling in high school. But before we get to those years, can you take us back to your younger years with your oldest? In the story of deciding to homeschool, it wasn't really on your radar. But you say you sent him off, you know, like a lot of us do. It's like I'm just, oh, it's kindergarten time and you're kind of excited. But you felt that, you know, by the time he was in second grade it was kind of dulling things. So can you take us back to those early years? Now you've got, now he's in college. But those were pivotal years when you're really having to decide what to do. Yeah.

[Rachel Kovac]

So I was always interested in education since the time my eldest was just a baby and I was interested in alternative education. I was living in Madison, Wisconsin and I had some friends who had degrees in alternative education. And so until my son had completed kindergarten, he was enrolled in a learning through play school. So I was already of the mindset, better late than early. It's okay if they don't learn to read in preschool. We didn't do any worksheets in preschool. They spent a lot of time outside and in nature. But that school only went till kindergarten. And so from there we had to make a decision what to do next. I found a school that I felt like was most aligned. Okay, this is a story. My neighbor in our, in our school district. And I don't want to put down any schools. I'm just speaking to my, my experience. God bless teachers. So it's, this is not a us versus them kind of thing. But her kindergartner filled up an entire trash bin of worksheets. And that was just not what we were looking for for our experience for our child. But yeah, my son had a great year. In first grade, the teacher was of a similar mindset. But by second grade it was, they would lose recess A lot, because a kid would be talking. I came to have lunch with Jude, my son, on his birthday, and there was a red light on in the lunchroom and it meant no talking. And I couldn't talk to him. And they said, oh, the kids get too rowdy when they're talking at lunch and they don't eat and we have to keep them focused on this. And then after being in school all day, he'd come home with a stack of worksheets to do literally the amount of what someone might do if they're homeschooling in terms of schoolwork, dedicated schoolwork time, and one day after doing math fact practice that was timed, which we can talk about this later. But speed is not correlated with ability with math. Some of the best mathematicians are the slowest. Putting that time pressure on young kids can create a lot of math anxiety. But he looked at me and his eyes. I actually have goosebumps as I'm telling you this story. His eyes filled with tears and he said, mom, this is just too much pressure. And he was only in second grade.

[Jenny Erton]

Wow, so you are in a spot then where you have you. You use the phrase. There was an uneasy nudge that something was amiss and it kept building. This uneasiness. It's building. And you wrote, maybe you're experiencing it too. At what point when did the conversation shift to bringing him home?

[Rachel Kovac]

I never imagined that we would homeschool. Actually, I had a lot of fear about it. My aunts were first generation homeschoolers. So it's not that I didn't have exposure to it. I did, but I just didn't really think it was going to be for me. I still was in a more conventional mindset of how I thought things should unfold. But my husband had a potential job opportunity in London, and they said, well, our kids would have been in different schools. We had a large family. And so we thought, what if we homeschooled just temporarily, and if we did that, we could explore Europe for a while. It would be such a unique opportunity and we'll homeschool rather than get them into school. Well, that fell through. But I had done enough research that I had some confidence that I think I want to give this a try. And yet I was terrified. Yeah, I was completely terrified to start homeschooling. It has been the best decision, one of the best decisions we've ever made. So if anyone's listening and fear is holding them back, I would just say, don't let fear hold you back, because at least Give it a try. If it's not for you, it's okay. But if you give it a try, you'll know. If you don't give it a try, you'll never know.

[Jenny Erton]

It's true. It's true. I think one of the reasons people are scared to give it a try is they don't want their kid to fall behind. But to that, I would say tons of kids are behind. So, you know, in terms of, like, you know, if you sent them back, it's like they're not going to be the only one. If. If they are, if they even are. Everybody's coming in at different levels and everybody has different gaps in their learning. So I don't think you have to be afraid of that either. So here's what you wrote in this book. It's called Their Future is Shining Bright. There had been no shortage of voices offering advice and encouragement about homeschooling in grade school. So I was struck by the comparative absence of information surrounding the complex and defining adolescent years. In many ways, we were charting our own course and learning as we went. Can you talk about the moment when you started to think, okay, there's so many resources for the fourth graders and maybe even for the seventh graders, certainly for the kindergarteners, a lot for the preschoolers, but I really can't find anything for the high schoolers. Maybe I should make it?

[Rachel Kovac]

Yeah. You know, honestly, I think it's a bit of a redemption story, just being really vulnerable with you. I know you and I had talked about this, so you got to have a front row seat to the experience of. I heard a lot of stories about homeschooling. I went through. I gained confidence. I went through the high school years with a lot of confidence. But then it came time for my son to apply to college. He wanted to be a doctor. He still wants to be a doctor. And what we had heard about homeschooling and scholarships and things like that, like, colleges love homeschoolers. If your kid is really into their interests, they're going to get scholarships in spades. And all of that didn't really pan out as we were expected. I think our expectations were not in check. And then I. I never knew anything about things like dual enrollment, certification programs, apprenticeships, all the options that your kids can. The ways that your kids can explore potential career paths. What might be a good fit while they are still in high school also? Well, the dual enrollment thing is a whole nother topic, but I think it was. Now, my son got into a great college. He's at Texas A and M. It's a research institution. It's well ranked. Everything is fine. But I think there was just a huge gap in my expectations.

[Jenny Erton]

Yeah. And so what you've done is you set out to not only give a family vision, but also to help walk them through a time. Honestly, that is kind of tricky for every adolescent. I mean, I remember my own. It was like I had this guidance counselor. She had curly hair. I don't remember her name. She spent maybe like 16 minutes with me in all four years of my schooling. And it was like, well, you don't really get that much. Like, you don't get that much direction and wisdom. And so what an opportunity to have it be such a different experience. But you don't know what you don't know. And so this book is the guide. It's. It's the handhold for the parent who is wanting to continue to homeschool through high school. I think people want to, but then they shrink back in fear that they're not going to be able to offer enough. They're not going to be able to offer the high school experience in quotes, not maybe knowing or remembering that, like, their own experience was kind of lackluster. Like, I didn't get that much to help me with guidance. Can you talk about the period of adolescence in general? I mean, like, this is a really vulnerable time. And so for parents, it gives them a little bit of extra stick to it. Iveness, a little bit of extra encouragement to continue with homeschooling through high school, even though it's a little bit more of this feeling of uncharted waters. So the vulnerability of adolescents and why this is such a delicate time and why it might behoove a family and their kids to continue on with homeschooling through the end of 12th grade.

[Rachel Kovac]

Yeah, I think. I think that a lot of times we might see the preschool years as being very vulnerable, but honestly, I think it was okay that my first two kids went to a learning through play preschool. The stakes really aren't that high. It was. It was great. They had a wonderful experience there. And then maybe we think in high school this. Maybe we. Maybe we're worried that the stakes feel higher, that we might not be able to give our kids what they need. But honestly, I think the resources for high school now are just incredible. And they. Okay, Ginny. It's mind blowing if you think about even access to dual enrollment. And by that I mean apprenticeship programs, certifications, earning college credit in high school back in 2003, 300,000 students in the US had some form of dual enrollment in 2021-2022. It was 1.5 million. Now it's 2.5 million students.

[Jenny Erton]

Wow.

[Rachel Kovac]

That is changing the landscape. But I think also the teenagers are very vulnerable. Our kids, their identity is being shaped. I got deep into the research of, of a neuroscientist named Dr. Steinberg, Dr. Lawrence Steinberg, and he wrote about how in adolescence, the brain is actually, your experiences are stickier than they are in other times in life. And so what's said about you, the things, the words that are spoken over you, the impressions you have, they stick more than other times in our life. We don't have as much resilience in that time. And so it's a time where our kids, their perceptions about themselves are. They can be shaped in a really dramatic way in that season. And so we want them to be an environment that matches our values and matches their priorities and what the direction that we're looking for them to go.

[Jenny Erton]

Yeah, let's give an example of this, because I thought this was a fantastic example, and I think there's a lot of examples that someone could, if they really thought about it, like, what are my values? And does this current environment, does it align with my values? So, like, I would say that one of my values is that we don't put people in a box. And I think this happens a lot. Like, you end up in. I mean, I taught, so it was like, you're in the low track, the middle track, or the advanced track for math, you can't, you can't ever get out of it. It's like set by the time you're in seventh grade. And you cannot switch. No one ever switches out of their track. So like, I would say a value of mine is like, hey, you get to grow when you want to grow, you grow when you need to grow. Like, you know, you can push yourself. You can always change. If something becomes of interest to you later, you know, you can make a shift. So this would be an example, and I'm bringing this one up because brought it up in the book where this happened to you. This exact same thing happened to you in the adolescent years, beginning adolescent years. We get a bad grade in math and you're like, it shaped your choices, it shaped your self perception. And then through homeschooling, you know, you have this redemption story and college, your own, you know, your own education journey. You're like, you have this whole redemption story about how you really like it. So can you talk about that as an example, or maybe a different example, if there's one that comes to mind, of sending our kids at these pivotal ages into a full day of classes, a full day of interactions with people that may not align with some pretty core values that we have.

[Rachel Kovac]

Yeah. So I think math is a really common one, and a lot of people have baggage around math. I was told in sixth grade I got a D in math, so I was placed on the slow track. Interestingly, when kids are untracked, the research shows that lower achieving kids actually do better when they're not placed on the lower track. And higher achieving kids also do better, because higher achieving kids can sometimes have this pressure that they feel I need to do, like a perfectionistic mindset. So I don't want to take any risks with math because if I fail, that makes me look bad at something I'm supposed to be really naturally talented at. And so I think that that's a really interesting thing. But I was told I'm not a math person. And the thing is, when you start to put a child in a box like that, then that eliminates a lot of career choices. Because if you think I'm not good at math, well, that automatically means there are a whole lot of careers that you don't think that you can ever do. And so I think it's really important and it's a temptation for parents in general that we can say, this child is this. We see their strengths, and therefore maybe they're not this. It's easy for us to even do it as parents. So I think being mindful of that is so important because there's a lot on the line. And I know even when it comes to creativity, I was actually told my whole life I wasn't artistic either because I couldn't, or creative because I. I didn't do well at drawing in art class. So these little things that are spoken over us can really have a lasting impact in terms of the way we view ourselves, the paths that we pursue, what we think we're capable of.

[Jenny Erton]

Yeah. And I think it happens more than people realize. I mean, my time in the school was like, littered with kids who were completely turned off toward any type of math. You know, they'd already written themselves off, and it turned out that they were fine. They could totally do it. They were just missing small concepts and they'd had some, you know, teacher who was overwhelmed. Like, I almost wanted to say, jerky teacher. They probably weren't a jerk, but maybe they were overwhelmed, you know, or in the moment. Like they can't handle that capacity of kids. And so, you know, kids pick up on implicit body language. They pick up on so much. So that's why, you know, this, this time period in life matters quite a bit. I talked to earlier today, a meteorologist. He's on the Weather Channel. His name is Chris. And I was like, well, how does. I'm like, that's interesting. That sounds interesting. Like you're, you're storm chasing, you're going to see the solar eclipses. You love the weather. I'm like, lots of people love the weather. And he said we have to really be good at math and science. He had to go through calculus three, you know, so you can see that it's such a big point that you make that this can shape long term choices and long term self perception. So that's just one example of the vulnerability during those ages. So can you talk about this book now? We're in the pre order phase here, so in the pre order phase, this book comes with bonuses. What are the bonuses?

[Rachel Kovac]

Yeah, I'm so excited about the bonuses because we're going a little bit deeper into things that I wasn't able to cover in depth in the book itself. So I have four bonus conversations that we're doing. They're sort of like a podcast. It'll be an audio over three hours of content. I'm thinking of this as like a symposium for the teen years. So one is with Aaron Lochner, author of the Opt Out Family. And we're going to talk about teens and screens, social media technology in general, which I think is such an important conversation. And it's one that I didn't get into in the book. It was just beyond the scope of the book. So I'm really excited about that conversation. I'm having a conversation with my friend Elle, who has been wildly successful at four groups in California and all kinds of other interesting things too. She does special mom's nights, like a midsummer Eve night on the beach with her friends. They do family gatherings. And then now she's part of a new school. And so she just casts this beautiful vision of all that's possible with community. Going deep with your local community. And then I have another conversation with Leah Bowden, authority of Modern Ms. Mason. We talk about the humanities and the arts for all students, no matter what their path is. Just the power of the arts to bring healing and beauty to our lives. How beauty is for everyone. And also raising our children according to their individual way, not. Not according to a preconceived notion that we have of who they should be. And then the final One is with Dr. Abel Gonzalez. He runs the dual enrollment program for our city of 1.5 million and he talks all about how your child can earn dual credit, whether that's through apprenticeships, trade school certification programs or college credit. And we really go into a lot of detail on all of the options. So I'm so excited about that conversation too. Wow.

[Jenny Erton]

Okay, so can you tell people how can they access that if they buy the book now, if they pre order, which pre order is such a helpful thing for authors and also it ensures you get the book. So it's a win win because sometimes if too many people order it and it sells out, you have to wait for the reprint. And this is a pretty important topic because you want to know if your kid is getting closer to those years. You want to have an idea of what's to come. So if they pre order then they can come to your website? Is that what they're going to do?

[Rachel Kovac]

Yes. My website is www.rachelkovac K O V A C. A lot of people think it ends in a K but it's actually a c.com and beginning March 10th we will have the pre order bonuses available. And then I also am going to have an eight day series of emails to with some bonus content, some encouragement and things I learned along the way that isn't included in the book.

[Jenny Erton]

Which is pretty remarkable because there is a lot included in the book.

[Podcast Host]

I've been doing a bit of spring reset with my closet, trying to simplify things and focus on pieces that actually work. Not more clothes, just better ones. Things that are well made, easy to mix and match and that I don't have to think twice about. That's really why I love Quince. The quality is there, the fit is right, and the pricing feels really fair. Quince makes everyday staples with premium materials like 100 European linen, organic cotton and really soft comfortable denim. And many of their pieces start around $50. Their spring styles are especially great because they're lightweight and breathable but still look polished. You can throw something on and feel ready for the day. They also carry that same level of quality into their accessories. Their leather bags are made from 100% hand woven Italian leather and look far more expensive than they actually are. And I love that Quinn's works directly with ethical factories and skips the middleman. You're getting high quality pieces without paying inflated retail prices. I've been wearing their linen tops on repeat lately. The fabric surprised me it feels durable but still really comfortable and the price is honestly something I had to double check. Refresh your spring wardrobe with quince Go to quince.com outside for free shipping and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. Go to Q-U-I-N-E.com outside for free shipping and 360 five day returns. Quince.com outside Wayday is here and if you've been waiting for the right moment to refresh your home, this is it. From April 25th through the 27th, Wayfair is offering up to 80% off with fast and free shipping on everything, which is kind of unheard of. I've been slowly working on making our home feel lighter and more functional as we head into the warmer months. Our style is pretty simple, clean, cozy, a little bit modern, but still very lived in. We used Wayfair to update a few key spaces like some outdoor pieces to make our patio feel like a place we actually want to spend time, and a few functional upgrades inside that just made my daily life run smoother. What I love is how easy it is to find exactly what works for for your space. You can filter by size, style, budget, read through thousands of reviews and really feel confident in what you're choosing. And with Wayfair verified, you know those pieces have already been vetted for quality, which takes a lot of the guesswork out. Everything shipped quickly, the setup was straightforward and it just fit right into our home without over complicating things. Wayfair is the sale to shop the best deals in home. We're talking about 80% off with fast and free shipping on everything. Head to Wayfair.com April 25th through the 27th to shop Wayday. That's W-A-F-A-I-R.com Wayfair Every style, every Home this time of the year in homeschooling you can really feel the shift. You're looking ahead to spring goals, end of year milestones and making sure your kids feel confident in what they've learned. It's such a key window to reinforce those foundational skills before wrapping things up. And if you're thinking about assessments, whether that's something required or something something you've set for your family, having clarity on where your child stands can make all the difference. That's where a tool like IXL can be incredibly helpful. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that fits seamlessly into homeschooling. It offers interactive practice across math, language arts, science and social studies from Pre K through 12th grade. It personalizes learning for each child, keeps them engaged, and gives parents clear insight into progress. What really stands out is the real time feedback and progress tracking. Kids get immediate explanations when they miss something. And you can clearly see growth over time. What's solid, what needs reinforcement without guessing? It helps build real confidence heading into the finish line. Make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now and 1000 Hours Outside listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixl.com 1000hours. Visit ixl.com 1000hours to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.

[Jenny Erton]

There is a lot included in the book. I mean, it's so much robust information that you're not getting anywhere else to begin with. And then you're like, oh, there's that extra thing. Oh, you know, there's an extra of ideas. There was just one of ideas of different types of hobbies and things that your, your kids can do and learn and grow with, you know, working on their growth mindset and things. Okay, so let's talk about the high school experience. You give some statistics in the book. So some statistics about the current state of homeschooling. The book is called Their Future is Shining Bright. I did write the forward. Okay. So yay.

[Rachel Kovac]

Thank you, Jenny.

[Jenny Erton]

That was fun.

[Rachel Kovac]

That was amazing.

[Jenny Erton]

That was super fun. So you'll get a little bit of my writing in, in there as well. The current state of homeschooling.

[Podcast Host]

All right.

[Jenny Erton]

Is homeschooling still considered a fringe educational choice?

[Rachel Kovac]

Okay. No, it's not. And I have even learned even more about this recently. In my state of Texas, there are almost twice as many homeschoolers as there are students enrolled in private school.

[Jenny Erton]

Wow.

[Rachel Kovac]

Yes. So it's the fastest growing form of education. It's growing seven times faster than private school enrollment. In some states, it's rivaling the amount the number of students or surpassing the number of students who are enrolled in private school.

[Jenny Erton]

Wow. Okay, so this is not fringe. There are currently 4, 4 million students in the U.S. who are homeschooled. And in several states, almost 10%, 1 in 10 are being home educated. So this is not fringe. And as it grows, there's going to be more and more options for high school. So let's talk about the high school experience, you know, because this becomes the thing that people talk about. Well, what about, you know, I did this and I did that. And one of the things that you bring up in the book is that the History of high school as an institution is super new.

[Rachel Kovac]

Yes. Okay. I was surprised to learn that because I actually didn't know a lot about that until my kids kept getting this question, well, what about the high school experience? From actually, it was mostly adults. It really wasn't students their age. A lot of students their age would say, you're so lucky, you get to be homeschooled. But their parents were concerned and would say, but what about the high school experience? So then I got wondering, where did this whole idea come from that we have to do the high school experience? That it is this sort of rite of passage within the life of an adolescent. And I was so surprised to find it's not even 100 years old that most students are attending high school. And of course, there's a lot of benefits to students getting educated. I'm not trying to romanticize the past, not at all. But there are also things to consider that children, historically and teenagers have never been raised primarily around their peers, with their peers primarily being their. Their influence. And in the past, in human history, as kids have always been around peers. Yes, peers are important. We don't want to shun peers at all. But also multi generational situations. And so what is happening if our kids are only in a group of their peers? And the studies on that really don't bode very well because we see a lot of conformity that happens.

[Jenny Erton]

Yeah. Read hold on to Your Kids by Dr. Gordon Neufeld and it will change your whole life. I mean, we're not supposed to be primarily attached to peers. We're supposed to be attached to the adults that love us. And those are polar opposite. So if you attached your peers, you're going to be against your parents, you're going to be against the adults that love you, and it becomes a huge problem. The book explains that book explains all of that that I read recently. Like, I wish I would have read it when our kids were younger. I think it's so important. So let's add into this. Here's another thing. Rachel. I love that I didn't know this. I learned this from your book.

[Rachel Kovac]

Okay.

[Jenny Erton]

Okay.

[Podcast Host]

So not only.

[Jenny Erton]

This isn't even 100 years old. So all the things that people are like the high school experience, it's only been like a couple generations of people that have actually had it before then nobody had it.

[Rachel Kovac]

And very much geared toward national priorities, not necessarily what was best for individual students. I'm not saying that the entire system is completely flawed. I'm just saying, like, let's try to look at it objectively, there are pros and cons.

[Jenny Erton]

Yes. Okay, here's another thing. So part of the reason that this came about, right. So there was the national reasons, like the Horace Mann type who's like, you know, these parents are awful. We need to step in, and, you know, the state should take over, you know, the government should take over the raising of these kids. But there was another reason, and I've never heard of this or considered it, and I feel like it matters so much. So this is about the industrial revolution leading to child labor. So all of a sudden, they're using kids. Kids are smaller, they can get in between the machines, and kids are basically being exploited. And so one of the reasons for. And this is important to know, one of the reasons for compulsory school attendance was to protect kids from exploitation.

[Rachel Kovac]

Yes.

[Jenny Erton]

And we don't need that reason anymore.

[Rachel Kovac]

Exactly. And that was also what determined the school day, because they were afraid that students would get in trouble with idleness, and they didn't want them working in the factories. Child labor laws were not passing as people had hoped. And so what advocates did. The people advocating for children, they said, well, if children are in school, then they can't be working in factories, so we will make progress. Which is great. The stories. There was a photographer who captured what this life was like for children. And it's. The images are heartbreaking. When I got deep into studying that, it was a heartbreaking time in our history. So, yes, that was a primary reason was to prevent child labor, because if kids are in school, they can't be in factories.

[Jenny Erton]

Yes. And here's what's really interesting. I've talked to two different people. One is named Hera Estraff Morano. She is an editor at Psychology Today. And another is a woman who talks about using kids as content. And both of them use the phrase child labor, a new kind of child labor. So one is using your child as content for your business. So that's a new kind of child labor. And another is your kid as your sort of trophy that, you know, they're the honor roll. They're. They've done this, and they both use that phrase child labor. So it's interesting that really we're in a new era of protecting kids from a different type of child labor. You know, of the push, push, push. Hair was talking about the push, push, push for all this early academic work. All of these, you know, you have to go so far above and beyond for the sake of the feelings of the parent. So it's a. It's an interesting framework to look at what's going on with our kids and to understand that this is all relatively new prom. You know, people used to have great lives and they didn't have. Even though you're. It's all going to still be available for your kids because there's homeschool options for everything. But, you know, in 1911, people survived without having a yearbook.

[Rachel Kovac]

You know, I think, yeah, there's. That's a twofold question. So it's interesting to find out that the school day is somewhat arbitrary in terms of determining the length. Do students need to be in school that long? And I think what's really exciting about homeschooling in high school, with all the options out there, whether that's a co op, whether that's dual enrollment, your child can go for a few hours a day and get some interaction with other students, fill that need. But they don't have to go five days a week from 8 till 3pm

[Jenny Erton]

and then have homework.

[Rachel Kovac]

And then have homework. And determining that was arbitrary. It wasn't determined based on this is what's best for our child's learning. And in fact, I. I think a college model is amazing. Look at when our kids are in university, they're not in school all day. They don't go from eight till three anymore. You take a few classes, you study, you're involved in other things. It's just an interweaving of life and education, whereas before that it's not. And so I think that the options now in homeschooling are really amazing because you can get it taste for that college life where education is integrated into the life rather than being the life.

[Jenny Erton]

You know, I'm glad you brought that up because I do remember being floored when I got to college and had the dip. I was like, why is it that these kids who are growing, their bodies are growing have to spend. It's 40 hours a week. I mean, people try to say sometimes it's seven hours a day, but I always felt like it was not. It was like 40 hours of the week. It might be 35. And then if you take 15 credit hours, that's only 15 hours of time. Maybe you have a lab or something that's a little bit longer. I was like totally shocked because it's just so much more doable. You can have a life then. And so I think this relates to the part about the teenage adolescent biology in terms of their sleep. So this would be another reason to stick with what you're doing because high Schools often start around 7 or 7:15 in the morning.

[Rachel Kovac]

And I did write about that in the book too.

[Jenny Erton]

Yeah.

[Rachel Kovac]

That our kids are chronically sleep deprived because of the school schedule. They're getting up early, they're, they're naturally primed to stay up late at night. And their, their circadian rhythm is just pushed a bit later in the teen years. And so when kids are chronically under rested, which they can also be under arrested, staying up late, studying, doing all the things that are involved when they're in school all day and then come home with homework, that is linked to health issues, to mental health issues. It's linked to making risky choices. So it's really surprising. Also circling back to what you were saying with the explosion of homeschooling in the US Is the explosion of resources. And so for folks that are, that have a nostalgic memory of the high school experience, many, many communities now are doing prom, yearbook, like you said. They're doing graduation, graduation, cap and gown. They are doing it all. And so students no longer have to choose. It's not an either or decision. Are you finding that in your community?

[Jenny Erton]

Oh, yeah. There's everything. There's everything. In fact, our kids just crashed a different homecoming. That was the word they used. They sent a picture of one of our boys being lifted up and carried through a crowd of people. They're like, we're at this homecoming tonight. I was like, okay, great. Or prom or whatever it was. I'm like, yeah, there's so many opportunities. There's so many. In fact, there would be an opportunity. We had an opportunity to do three graduation ceremonies. Like, we're not going to, but, you know, there's just all of these different opportunities out there for them. I'm going to circle back to the sleep because if you're listening and you've got a fifth grader, let's say, and you're like, okay, we're getting close to middle school. We're, we're going to kind of start to think about these shifts that are going to happen in our homeschool life. I think something that you don't know when your kids are younger is that teens also, like when they stay up late, naturally. Right. The, the melatonin actually changes. You know, they're, they're up till 11. You wrote in the book. I'm actually going to read it.

[Rachel Kovac]

Okay.

[Jenny Erton]

Teens naturally experience a shift in their sleep cycle during puberty. Melatonin is released later. Like, there's nothing you can do to change this. Their melatonin is Released later in the evening, which means they often don't feel tired until after 11pm or later. Okay. This is when they want to come talk to you.

[Rachel Kovac]

Exactly. Yes.

[Jenny Erton]

And I was glad I read it because I was. Every single night I've got kids in my room from. From 11pm on, you know, talking about all their things. And it would. We would have lost so much relational capital if they would have had to go to bed then. Or earlier. Yeah, or earlier. And they would have to. Because I say this all the time. I'm like, my Bus came at 6:13, which is so stupid. But it was annoying to me because it was so specific. 6:13am yeah. And today kids actually have to, like, put on makeup. Someone might take a picture of them. Like, I didn't. I, like I wore. People will be like, this is the girl that wore the same clothes for five days in a row because they were just on my floor.

[Rachel Kovac]

I'm tired.

[Jenny Erton]

You know, all that homework. So the sleep is a. The sleep is a thing. All right, let's talk about this whole concept of being. Of not having to know how to do all the subjects. So a parent might think, oh, my goodness, I, you know, I struggle through advanced chemistry, I struggle through physics, I struggle through math. How am I possibly going to teach my kid trigonometry? Can you talk about the educator, educational coordinator role that you talk about in this book as opposed to being the sole arbiter. Arbit.

[Rachel Kovac]

Arbiter, yeah.

[Jenny Erton]

Of all the wisdom.

[Rachel Kovac]

Yeah. So I think a lot of people, if they're new to homeschooling or they haven't seen it practice, they have this idea of school at home. Like, they want to replicate the idea of the school in the home. So they envision a teacher, like the parent as teacher, the child at a desk with maybe worksheets and assignments. But really, I think thinking of a more of a college model is. Is more accurate. And as parents, you can choose to teach the subjects if that's your thing. But also you can be more of an educational director where you say, this is where I want my child to. This is what I want to teach myself. This is what I want to outsource. There are so many resources available to our kids nowadays. It's just wild. And so am. So I found that for myself. Even though I had my own math redemption story, I felt tension in my relationship with my kids when I taught them math. It was. I don't feel like I'm good at explaining math concepts. And it was a struggle. And so that was something that we did through an online program. I had my eldest kids did a program called Think. Well, it's more advanced. They were very well rounded and ready to go for, for college. One of my children, that program didn't work for her at all. And so we had to try something else. She needed something with a lot more practice. And, and so for her we found something else. Because you have options. You don't have to just take whatever is available like the scraps. You get to actually choose what is best for my specific child. So. And then there are all the resources available through things like edX where you can audit a college class or there's co ops if you want your kids to be in a classroom with other folks. I'm so grateful for the co ops are just such a blessing. So I don't want to teach science with labs. I don't feel like that's really my thing. I have a big family. I also was writing the book. I have things that I'm working on and so my kids can go and take a science lab. I love the humanities. I love reading aloud. So we do that every day. And, and so I can pour into the things that make me come alive and then outsource the things that might be a point of frustration between my children and I or that I just don't feel like I like. That would SAP my energy, you know?

[Jenny Erton]

Yeah, yeah. Talk to us about the EDX class that you took.

[Rachel Kovac]

Yeah. So I became obsessed with learning Italian. So I found a class on EDX through Wellesley College, which is an amazing liberal arts school. And I took Italian beginner, Italian intermediate, Italian. I'm enrolled in the advanced Italian class. But with the book, I haven't had time to finish to finish that. But there are just so many options for our kids that, that. Okay, so that is not dual credit you don't earn. You can get a certificate in some of these courses if you force for a small fee. Like $50 compared to. Think about what a class might be. I mean, that's an example. I don't know the exact figure, but that doesn't count for college credit. It's not the same as dual enrollment, but it's still a cool way for kids to explore interests and the possibilities are endless.

[Jenny Erton]

Well, and it could possibly be your high school class. I mean, it could exactly be that, you know, you're not going to get college credit. But $50, you know, in comparison to something like outschool, I mean, $50 is, is, is relatively inexpensive. I know everybody has their own different financial situations. But what I want to highlight that you do in this book, which is called Their Future is Shining Bright, is you go through all of the options and it's not boring. It's not boring, but you go through and you expect. Explain EDX and you talk about what you're doing it. There aren't college credits, but it's a huge opportunity and it's available to all. What if you're a mom or a dad who wants to learn something new? Well, now you've got a path to do that as well. And then you explain things like CLEP exams, which are also for any age. And you explain things like if you take an AP course and you fail miserably on the AP exam, you don't have to report that grading, but if you take dual enrollment, then that becomes part of your permanent record.

[Rachel Kovac]

Yeah.

[Jenny Erton]

Is that what they would say?

[Rachel Kovac]

Yeah.

[Jenny Erton]

So can you talk about just that you cover in this book like you really did your due diligence, Rachel.

[Rachel Kovac]

Oh, thank you.

[Jenny Erton]

And I know you cared about that deeply.

[Rachel Kovac]

I did, actually. So thank you. I think CLEP was really cool because if you want to teach a subject and let's say you're a parent who wants to go back and get a degree someday, like your kids are in high school and you're like, maybe they're going to be launching and maybe you want to go back to school, you can teach your child and they can get CLEP credit, which is college credit. It's not always accepted at every university, so always do your research. But it's not a class. All it is is a test. And if you pass the test, you get the college credit. But a parent can take it to an earn college credit, which is so cool. AP is for high schoolers. You do not have to report your score, but you can still count the class and say it's an AP class even if you don't submit the score. A lot of kids don't submit their scores, even in schools. That's very common. The pass rates often between 60 and 80%. So, yeah, it's really amazing to think about all these options and how exciting it is. I actually think homeschooling in high school is so exciting. I mean, what do you think?

[Jenny Erton]

It's the best.

[Rachel Kovac]

It's the best.

[Jenny Erton]

You just have so much time and they're at such a cool age. It's like, I don't know. It's like, why would you do all this work and then just flush it down the toilet? That's Awful. Anyway, so don't get mad at me for saying that I couldn't come up with a better analogy. Doesn't it feel like that? I even feel. Honestly, I feel like that at the very beginning. I always feel like that at the very beginning. It's like, what is so hard? What are so hard? Oh, gosh, Rachel, I don't even know. It's so hard when they're really little. Like when they're babies and toddlers and they're like, they're so volatile and they're crying all the time and you cut their sandwich in the wrong shape and their banana broke and you can't put the banana back together and, like, they're so upset. And then as soon as they hit that age of five, when they're, like, slightly easier and they're really, like, they're not as emotional, then we send them away. Why would we. Why would you do that? You know what I'm saying? Like, why. That doesn't make any sense to me. Like, even though, like, I don't know. So I feel similarly here. It's like you're going to put in all this work in, homeschool them all the way through, and then these are rewarding years. We've not had any, like, budding of heads with personalities that. Gordon Neufeld talks about it. You talk about it in your book, too, about peer orientation, you know, so, yeah, it's, like, great. And then everybody can go their own path. In fact, one of my kids stories is in your book.

[Rachel Kovac]

Yes, it is, I think, actually of several of your kids stories in my book.

[Jenny Erton]

I took a picture yesterday of the. Like, I only have it on digital form, and I send it to my mom. I was like, look who's in a book. So, yeah, I just. I think it's really special. So it's something to consider. And you hold the hand, like, all the way through and explain it all. So, like, another example of something that you explain because you don't want to get to the part where they're in 12th grade and you're like, oh, I didn't know. I wish I would have known that.

[Rachel Kovac]

Exactly. And that's what I felt like I was. So this book definitely feels like a redemption story, you know?

[Jenny Erton]

Yeah. So one of the things that you explain, which I wouldn't have understood, is that if your kid takes dual enrollment, which is college classes during high school, which there's a lot of opportunity, a lot of different ways that you can do that. Our kids have done a few of those. So they have college credit. And so I thought, well, you know, they might have one or two years of college credit under their belt by the time they're at the end of high school. And I don't think it's like super laborious. It I was surprised actually how. And obviously different colleges are going to be different. But that's a side point. The main point is that what you say in here is that they're still going into college and considered a freshman.

[Rachel Kovac]

Yes.

[Jenny Erton]

Or they're not.

[Rachel Kovac]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Jenny Erton]

They're not transfer students.

[Rachel Kovac]

Exactly. But it's good you want to be considered a freshman. And Abel Gonzalez went into this in the audio that I have, it's called first, it's an acronym, first time in college. They're eligible for more scholarships. But here's something to consider. Many students nowadays come in with dual enrollment. I think it's 35%. And so this is just commonplace now. Which means Jude went to college without really hardly any dual enrollment. Three credits. And he okay. When they're registering for classes, priority enrollment is given to kids with more credits to keep them on their on track. So he was deprioritized. He's had to take summer classes at least one, sometimes two. College isn't just a four year track anymore. You and I have talked about this before. College, 44% of kids finish in four years or less. But 65%, 66% don't. In fact, for some people it's five and a half years. And so if they're in an engineering track, a STEM track, in order to stay, in order to stay on track, oftentimes it will mean summer classes or another year in school taking, you know, that extra year, which costs time, which costs money. And so coming in with some of those credits can be really advantageous. And the cool thing about dual enrollment is it counts for both high school and college, thus the name. So if your child needs physics, they can take physics and earn high school credit for it goes on the transcript and also college credit for it. So it's like two birds with one stone.

[Jenny Erton]

And it's so much cheaper. And in some places you might be able to get it for free if it goes to your local school system. I know it's different in every state, but it's so much cheaper than taking it at the actual college often. So you have an Entire chapter. Chapter 10 is devoted to the ins and outs of college. You talk about how that, you know, you're still going to need the academic rigor. I told you know, I said earlier in the conversation that there's an appendix, appendix B. That if your child is college bound, which is kind of wild, like these are things you want to be talking about when they're in middle school, you know, not that your things are set in stone, but you start to talk about it because you have a freshman year or earlier checklist, then sophomore year, junior year, senior year, and an entire chapter that's devoted toward things like how do I do a college application essay? What about tests? What about scholarships? What about financial aid? What are evidence based tips for writing a strong college essay? So this is all in here. Do you have questions? You need to call the admissions after May 1st or during the summer months, you know, like there, even that. Even like when, when can you call? We called in September. You don't do that because then you're on hold for like five, four hours because everyone else has questions. So the specificity of what, what's going to happen, what's to come, what do I need to know is contained in this book. Then beyond college, you also talk about, or I guess not beyond college, but a different track that I know we didn't like using the word track. Right. So a different option besides college is job. So you go through all these other different options is basically what I'm trying to say. Job shadowing, volunteering, passion projects, certification programs. I would love if you talked about the backyard flower farmer trial run, because actually I think that's a job that a lot of people might be interested in.

[Rachel Kovac]

Yeah. Okay. So I just want to say I was so excited and felt so fortunate and blessed that a top tier college advisor who advises students that go to Yale and Harvard, and he knows everything, who charges thousands when he's working one on one, came beside me to help me like just to be an awesome person and to help the homeschooling community. Because he would see homeschoolers struggling or not having the right information. He came beside me to help me in that whole chapter he read. He spent hours reviewing it. Like literally hours per chapter. 10. Yeah, so that was amazing. And he gives tips like if you want your child to earn scholarships, have them apply in the top 25 where their scores are in the top 25% of like do a little bit of. I talk all about that in the book. And then I, like I told you the dual enrollment educator came beside me as well. But okay, so the book isn't though, just for college bound students. A lot of kids, college is not the right path for them. And I talk about the College debt crisis, which is such a thing, it's mind blowing. $1 trillion, half of which is undergrad debt. So what are. There are a lot of kids that don't want to do the college path, and I wanted to make sure they felt seen and knew their options. So the flower farming story is my daughter was interested in growing flowers and she thought it might be a fun job to try. And so she started all of these seedlings and we actually were certified by the Texas Department of Agriculture to sell them at farmers markets. We tried a pop up stand and it was not very successful. So we, we went all in and got the certification. But then she experienced like the rain and people not showing up and bringing a hundred seedlings and loading that them back into the car. And what she realized is just because something is my hobby doesn't mean that something I should be doing as a job. Even as a side, like a, you know, side job. She, it was just, it was taking the joy from the hobby from her. And it was, she wanted something that's more stable and more regular. There are people that have an entrepreneurial spirit and that's great, but not everyone does. And I think the point is that we want to allow our children to be who they were made to be. And high school can be a really fun time to start exploring some of those things. Like look at your daughter at her certification in exercise.

[Jenny Erton]

Yeah, yeah. She's a, she's a personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and she's working right now on getting her nutrition certification.

[Rachel Kovac]

I mean, that's incredible. Yeah. But they have a chance to test it out because a lot of times parents are not taking a. Or students are not given a comprehensive vision of what they should pursue in the future. A lot of kids go to college because they were good at a subject in school and they think, oh, I was good at English, I'll be an English major. Oh, I was good at math, so I should be an engineer. Without thinking, do I actually want to do that job? Does that fit the lifestyle that I want to live? What am I looking for in the future? And so when kids can start to test some of these things in high school, whether that's through job shadowing, through mentorship programs, internships, passion projects, it can start to help them discover where they want to go vocationally.

[Jenny Erton]

Yeah. And you have so many ideas in the book. So under internship ideas, huge long list of ideas. You know, under passion projects, lists of ideas, under job shadowing, ideas to explore the trades and healthcare, hospitality and Events, public service just goes on and on and on. And like I said earlier, there's an appendix that has over 250 career path options. And so the amount of information in this book. Book is phenomenal. It is worth its weight in gold, that's for sure. I love it. So you want to pick up your copy and if you do the advanced enrollment. That's not what I want to say. If you do a pre order, which is kind of like advanced enrollment.

[Rachel Kovac]

Yeah.

[Jenny Erton]

If you do the pre order, then you get these extra things, you know, extra bonuses. And then you can listen to the guy who's in charge of dual enrollment in Texas Able. Is that right?

[Podcast Host]

Did I say that right?

[Rachel Kovac]

Dr. Gonzalez.

[Jenny Erton]

Yeah, Dr. Gonzalez. And then also you talk to your friend Elle, who's really good about building community. That's something that we didn't get to talk about today, but we'll talk about in a later episode. This is a, I think that's a big part of it is how do we build community for high schoolers? And so Elle, she's part of the pre order bonus. You also talk about her in the book. And so you're just going to get a lot out of it. And then obviously everybody needs to know how to deal with screens, you know, so talking with Aaron Lochner and all, anytime you can hear Leah Bowden, you just, you want to hear that. So you guys can get your pre order bonuses and you just search for their future is shining bright. And you'll find the book. I'll put the link in the show notes. I want to wrap up with this phrase that you used, I thought was so deep. Use the phrase measuring time in motherhood and talking about. And I think it's so relatable if you have, if you have kids that are, you know, if they've hit, I think when they're nine, you're kind of like, oh my gosh, we're already halfway through. Through. You talked about how you measured the minutes and the, in the days and the hours. You know, when you have a toddler and then all of a sudden you look back and you're like, wait, wait, decades have gone by. So can you just talk about the time piece, the timepiece as a reason to home educate and in this case in particular, to home educate through high school.

[Rachel Kovac]

Yeah, I think I just thought about it. I actually was trying to do the math one day. If my kid, okay, if it's a typical child, is home for this amount of time every day and parents spend this amount of time together. I think I read somewhere it's 37 minutes of time that they have. But you know what? You'd have to fact check me. I'm not for sure on that. But it's surprisingly small. It's smaller than you would think that. But if I instead had the kids at home, how much more of their childhood would they get back? Being able to explore their own interests and how much more time would we get back as a family? Because the time does go so fast and it's hard. There's no. There's no way of getting around that. I love homeschooling. I think it's the education of a lifetime. I've learned so much. It's been a wonder. But it's not to say that it's always easy. And so sometimes it's. It's nice to think about it in terms of. We only have one. They only have one childhood, and we only have one childhood to. To spend with them. We only have. Do you know what I mean?

[Jenny Erton]

We only have one.

[Rachel Kovac]

We only get one childhood with each of our childhood. Good. Yeah.

[Jenny Erton]

One.

[Rachel Kovac]

Yeah. Yeah. I think I read that kids spend 90% of their time with you in the first 18 years. And so how do we want to invest in that? And it's. It's incredible to think about the bonds that can be developed. Like you're saying, the late night conversations, the adventures. It's just so worthwhile. It's so worthwhile. And now being on the other side and having two adult kids and we have the family group text and I just this morning we were texting because, okay, there was a family picture and it was a little bit awkward, but it's so fun. You, even if it's awkward, you have those moments forever.

[Jenny Erton]

Yeah. Yeah. I love it. And I've gone to spend time with your adult kids and they are just delightful. They are. They have a depth to them. They can talk to anyone. We did Thanksgiving together, like a friends giving, and your old, Your oldest daughter, like, carried the whole thing. I mean, she made almost the entire meal, you know, and it was like, I thought, gosh, you know, the confidence there was like, I mean, there was like a ton of us, like 30 people, you know, to have the confidence to step in, to be excited to do that. You know, it wasn't some, like, drudgery. Like, oh, I have to, you know, she was just like, delightful. Gosh, it's just wonderful. We're talking about who's dating who and

[Rachel Kovac]

like, you know, just great.

[Jenny Erton]

Like, the younger kids are building Legos. And everyone's together and it's just like this mixed age and watching sports and you can just see who's, you know, who, whose interests shine through. Like one of the kids was really pretty bad at Legos and then the sibling was like, come on, you know how to like redo it from the ground up. But you get to see like every one of us is individual. And this honors individuality. I want to end with my favorite line from the book.

[Rachel Kovac]

Book. Okay.

[Jenny Erton]

And everyone needs to go pre order. It's called the future is Shining Bright. And this will help there to be more content for you. So if you're one of the 4 million homeschoolers that's listening in or someone that is like we talked about at the very beginning, who is feeling an increasing uneasy nudge that something is amiss and you want to try something different, then these are the books that you want to buy because then these are the books that are going to, you know, continue to be in print. It really matters quite a bit. It. So you go get the book. It's called Their Future is Shining Bright. Here's my favorite line. I was drawn to homeschooling in part because it felt like a way of gathering time that made me emotional actually. Like, what a thing? Like you really can't gather time, right? Like, you know your time is gonna pass. But this really is a way to gather thousands and thousands of hours together. And, and Gordon Neufeld, Dr. Gordon Neufeld would say this is actually a critically important thing for our children to spend a good majority of their time around adults who love them, who are stable, who care about them, you know, who aren't gonna bully them on social media. Like it actually matters quite a bit.

[Rachel Kovac]

Oh my gosh, yes.

[Jenny Erton]

And so I love Rachel, this encouragement to stick with it. Stick with it. The high school years are going to be fantastic and you're going to walk these families through a resource like this does not exist. So this is your opportunity to get it from the ground level. And then obviously these incredible pre order bonuses. You also have a substack. People can find everything at your website. Rachel kovac.com with a C at the end. Rachel, thanks so much for being here.

[Rachel Kovac]

Jenny, thank you. Two Good Co Coffee creamers are made with farm fresh cream, real milk and contain 3 grams grams of sugar per serving. That's 40% less than the 5 grams per serving in leading traditional coffee creamers for a rich, delicious experience. Whether you enjoy your coffee hot, cold, bold or frothy. Two good coffee creamers. Make every sip a good one. Two good coffee creamers. Real goodness in every sip. Find them at your local Kroger in the creamer aisle.