My Homeschool Journey

Hello! I'm Courtney, homeschool mom of two energetic awe-inspiring kiddos. I thought it was time for an introduction.

My life and career path has been very non-linear. My early career was in the theater, including a prestigious playwriting fellowship and theater education in schools. I paid the bills as a substitute teacher and a children's entertainer. Then, I shifted gears to pursue a master of architecture in sustainable urban planning. I spent several years teaching hands-on design workshops in urban planning all over the country. After that, I managed an eco-district, where I brought together community members to work on sustainability goals. I educated the public about environmental issues and engaged in an equity and social justice planning process. It was meaningful work but very high pressure.

I found myself homeschooling in a moment of crisis when my bright curious son started having trouble at school. My son and I BOTH have ADHD and it was clear I needed a unique approach. I researched pedagogy and analyzed scores of curricula. I was interested in Charlotte Mason's ideas but wanted something secular. I knew we needed hands-on active science and nature learning because my son loves it.

I tried many great options, but I wished for something more. I was tired of stumbling on harmful racism in literature (cough, Little House on the Prairie) and questionable environmental practices treated as "the way things are." I wanted to create something that embraced our values, rather than editing things that did not. I wanted a curriculum that integrated environmental stewardship, global consciousness, and social justice into the study of science, history, literature, art...everything that interested my son and me. I called my company NorthStar because these are the values that guide our learning.

My degree had given me a specialized education in science, especially physics and environmental sciences. I used this knowledge a lot to vet the books and media we used (oh the errors I've found!) and realized this might help others.

We were having success with child-led learning, but waiting weeks to get materials for an experiment or finally pick up the book from the library felt scattered. So I took my knowledge of user experience and participatory design to develop a PROCESS for engaging my child in his own learning journey. I called my company NorthStar Educational Explorations because of this emphasis on child-led exploration. In our studies, children are given choices, they explore first, they design experiments, they are encouraged to follow interesting topics that come up, and they reflect back on what they've learned based on what was important TO THEM.

Teaching, learning, and exploring with my kids is a huge privilege and the BEST part of my day. I hope that I can inspire you in your children's learning journey!

Want to join us? Check out one of our exploration guides! Our first guide digs deep into the many facets of soil science. They are unit studies, but so much more. Until the end of September use code NOTBACKTOSCHOOL to get anything in the store for 50% off.