How Homeschooling My Kids Led To A New Book by Jessica Marie Baumgartner

I’ve been professionally writing for about as long as I’ve been homeschooling. With over a decade under my belt, it seems silly now that I didn’t plan to write about this parallel journey.  

It wasn’t planned. Then again neither was the writing. I sort of fell into publishing and that is nearly the exact same way I ended up becoming a homeschooling mother. The school district that my family lived in when my eldest reached preschool age lost its accreditation.  I didn’t know anyone who was homeschooling, but I had at least graduated preschool so I felt confident that I could teach my daughter her ABCs and 123s without issue.  

My daughter learned quickly. So quickly, in fact, that I had to keep scrambling for more work for her to do in order to meet state guidelines. Each year became a breeze. My writing progressed on a similar path. The more I worked and learned from my mistakes the better I got and the more opportunities I found. 

Then came the pandemic. Many children were forced into home education and I found myself answering neighbors’ questions and helping friends and family through the shock of it all. It was at this point that I realized I had so much information to offer that it would fill a book. By 2021 I was outlining and filling chapters.  

Defiance Press released my new work “Homeschooling on a Budget,” this month and I’m now teaching English at my local co-op. Being able to take control of my children’s education wasn’t part of the plan but it’s been a great joy in my household, just as writing and reporting has as well. 

Over the course of the past couple of years it has become my mission to empower parents and help them gain the confidence they need to homeschool. While this method is not for everyone, it is an alternative that suits varying families. For people like me, to parents of special needs children, and minority families seeking more focused studies: this option provides the freedom to make learning fun and ensure children succeed.