Homeschool Support: An Interview with Vicki Stormoen

If you've been considering homeschooling but have been concerned your kids might "miss out" on something formative, don't miss today's episode! Join Dr. Lisa Dunne for this interview as two lifelong homeschooling moms share their experience and their resources for the homeschool community. If you're in southern California, you'll be inspired by the tremendous amount of support and activities available for your children. If you're outside our region, you'll get ideas for groups you can start in your own city.  

Homeschooling works. You can do it; we can help! Start your own PK to 7th grade homeschool support center at www.AcademicRescueMission.com, or join us for dual-enrollment classes anywhere in the US at www.CVCU.us/dualenroll. Your homeschooler can take high school classes once and count them twice, for both high school AND college. Join the new breed of homeschoolers who are finishing college during high school. CVCU is debt-free, mentor-driven, Bible-based education for your 8th to 12th grader. 

K to 12 Rescue Mission: https://www.academicrescuemission.com  

Christian Community College: https://www.veritascc.us

CVCU degree programs: https://www.cvcu.us

Book Dr. Lisa to speak: https://www.DrLisaDunne.com

@DrLisaDunne

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hi, I'm Dr. Lisa Dunn, and thanks for joining me here today on the Communication Architect. Each week, we'll share content that will empower you to grow your personal leadership capacity through the development of communication competencies that build emotional health and relational resilience. We'll unpack some practical applications of interpersonal, intrapersonal, family, and organizational communication. And we'll connect with stories of transformation that will inspire you to achieve personal and social change. Now, let's build the scaffolding you need to become a communication architect. Hello everyone and welcome to the show. I'm Dr. Lisa Dunn, a lifelong homeschooling parent, author, and president of Chula Vista Christian University, a Bible-based university that centers on mentor-driven, debt-free higher education. Education is formation. Why would we send a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, into a pagan system of education? Parents, your kids don't have to go woke or broke to earn their college degree. Join us for transformative education that's not yoked to a woke government system. Visit us at cbcu.us to see how we are taking back education for the next generation. Pastors, we can help you arm your congregation against secular indoctrination. Just click the Start and Academy tab so we can help you launch your church-based homeschool outreach in just four weeks anywhere in the United States. For those preschool parent-directed options all the way through eighth grade, go to Academic Rescue Mission.com. You'll find a support academy there, or we'll help you start one of your own. And if your eighth to eleventh grader is ready for more academic challenges, join us for our new Christian Community College dual enrollment program. Your high schooler can take college courses once and count them twice for both high school and college. You'll get highly affordable classes in a safe, supportive, in-person environment that you can transfer to a Christian university. Join a campus at Veritascc.us or start one of your own. And of course, our flagship program, Chula Vista Christian University. Starting in 10th grade, students can take a full load of college courses in our in-person, debt-free faith-based model. Just go to cbcu.us slash apply to learn more. Find all of our books, blogs, and resources online at cbcu.us. That's Chula Vista Christian University. I am so excited about today's guest before the show. Today we were just remarking that we see each other at conferences all the time, and we keep saying we're going to have her on the show. And finally, we made it happen. Our guest today has been privately homeschooling since 1994. She and her husband Ron have been blessed with nine children and ten grandchildren. Eight of her kids have graduated from the local PSP we're going to talk about today. They've been homeschooled from kindergarten to 12th grade. She's homeschooling her remaining child through Heritage Christian School, where she serves as the school's principal. Now you know who she is. Vicki also teaches homeschool literature and writing classes and is a former class school conversations tutor. We've had Lee Bortons on the show, so you all know her. She's passionate about vision, the vision of private Christian homeschooling as a means to raise a godly generation for the glory of God. Vicky, it is so great to have you on the show today. Thanks for joining us.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

Oh, thank you, Lisa. It's so good to finally be here.

SPEAKER_00 3:14

Tell us a little bit about your walk, your life, your faith journeys. How did you get to where you are?

SPEAKER_01 3:20

Well, I was raised in a Christian home. So I can never remember a time when I didn't know the Lord. Though definitely my understanding of Him and my understanding of my own personal sin and my personal need for a savior grew over time. And I was very blessed to be in very good churches growing up with some great teaching. And when I was in junior high, um I developed a mad crush on my Sunday school teacher, who is 10 years my senior. Many, many, many, many years later, uh we started dating and we finally did get married in 1989. So we've been married for 37 years now. Um, and he has just been a rock and a mentor in my spiritual journey, absolutely for sure. Um, we've had nine children, as you mentioned, over the next 18 years, and we've been homeschooling all of them for the past 32 years, and we'll be graduating our last one next month.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

Ah, so incredible. And that last one to go, it's such a bittersweet moment. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

Yes, it is.

SPEAKER_00 4:23

But like other mamas in that situation, I know you know some of the things we'll talk about today is what do we do? How do we keep pouring into the community? I was married in 1990, so we are just a year apart in that. I I thought we were pretty close there. When you when you first heard about homeschooling, now had you seen other people or what was because in that era it wasn't as common as it is today. No, what kind of got you started?

SPEAKER_01 4:45

Well, um, we weren't we had homeschoolers in our church, and um we weren't going to do that. Um our firstborn had a December birthday, and so the private school that we were planning to send her to wouldn't take her at four going turning five, um, even though we really felt she was ready. So we knew people at church who homeschooled, so we just kind of talked to them and we decided we'd kind of play school for a year at home and set her up for a good year the following year at this um local private school that we were planning to send her to. But in that first year, we just fell in love with the vision and the process of homeschooling. And so we decided, well, let's just try it one more year. Um, and then okay, we'll try it one more year. And oh well, now we have two kids in. We'll just try it one more year with two and see how that goes. And I don't know, here we are 32 years later.

SPEAKER_00 5:35

I love it. It's that bait and switch. Just gonna try it. We're just gonna try it. The Lord had other plans. I love it. And when you think back about just all the moments, because it's just so precious, all the moments we have together with our kids. What are some of your standout favorite memories as a homeschool mom?

SPEAKER_01 5:51

My it's interesting. My I would say my favorite memories, um, I would not have been able to identify them at the time. Um, you know, you just you're in it and you're feeling behind and rushed and frazzled, and oh no, all of a sudden we're 20 lessons behind in science. What are we gonna do? But as I look back, some of my favorite memories were of rainy days with several kids on my bed, all of us in our PJs, catching up on reading or science or history or something that we were doing as a multi-grade subject, and just having a great time together, learning whatever it is we were catching up on, taking turns reading, enjoying being together, and just learning something together in such an intimate, comfortable way. And then the conversations that just naturally come from that. Um, those are those are my favorite memories. And I, like I said, I would not have been able to identify them as such at the time.

SPEAKER_00 6:48

That's so powerful. And it's hard for moms on the other side of the fence who are looking into thinking about homeschooling to imagine some of these kinds of moments, but it it's doing life together. It's the Deuteronomy 66 model that we're we're talking about the word as we go about our life, as we're baking and learning things in the kitchen and and really life skills. And it is one of the significant differences I've seen in working with thousands of kids across the last 20 years is that we do we do see that life skill orientation, that ability to connect across the generations because of uh, you know, the number one factor for socioecademic success is an involved parent. And so I just love I love the fruit of that, and I love that it maybe in the moment wasn't an identifiable memory, but looking back is so precious. What about curricula? There are so many great parents ask us all the time, oh, what's the what how do we choose the best one for us? Do you have one that really stood out to you, or did you pick and choose and kind of run with an eclectic model?

SPEAKER_01 7:40

I I was a hundred percent eclectic. I mean, when I first started, I was a hundred percent traditional because when you're just starting out, you don't you know you're just so scared you're gonna mess up. And so um just went the traditional route. But then, you know, once I kind of got past that hurdle, I love curriculum. My favorite part of homeschooling, I have to say, was the yearly planning and figuring out what was new, what was on the market, what was everyone talking about, what must I try so that I can have my own opinion of it. So I was I changed and we changed up things constantly. And then I was, you know, making specific decisions for my specific child. So not like all nine of them didn't learn at the same pace and didn't have the same strengths or the same weaknesses. And so of necessity, I had to make some changes in that regard as well. So I was always just jumping around um using different things. I don't know that I could identify a favorite. I have a lot of things that I use that I like, but um, I don't know that I could say that was my absolute favorite.

SPEAKER_00 8:39

Well, and it's the beauty of the individual the individualized approach of homeschooling to specifically pick something that meets the learning style and the individual preferences of our kiddos. I I just love that so much. When you look at the fruit in your own home, the fruit and the lives of the families that you're working with, what are some standouts for you in terms of harvest, fruit, um, great, um, just a great seed that's been planted and and flourished?

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Well, I guess for me personally, I always joke about this. I don't know that I had any education until I became a homeschool pop. I was a straight-A student, I was an honor student, but honestly, I feel like I learned. I was learning with my kids. Like I learned so much. And so I did have a few years of private school personally, but mostly I was public public school educated. So that right there was a whole different thing. I was not, I didn't grow up learning that every single thing we learn, every single subject that we learn has its roots in God and can be pointed back to God. And I just I didn't have that. So being able to go through that, because we always used Christian curriculum and and and having that emphasis with my kids and always being sure that, you know, even if we were reading a secular, you know, classic literature, we were always analyzing the characters of, you know, biblically, what does the Bible have to say about how this character responded and how did they act biblically or unbiblically? We were just always looking at it through the lens of scripture. And um I grew a lot as a Christian, just relearning things, but from a biblical worldview. And then just having my kids be able to see that their faith wasn't just relevant for a couple hours on Sunday, it was relevant to every single thing we were doing all week long. Um, and just having them have that awareness was was just a beautiful thing to see.

SPEAKER_00 10:38

It's so beautiful, and it and it's such a great foundation. And now, you know, that our kids are older, and yours are older as well now. So looking at how they see the world through the lens of scripture, how they make decisions when their friends ask them, what should I do? That their first, their first filter is the word of God. And that's because you've trained them up in that. And so I love that. And that's I think one of the highlights for me is seeing this, seeing kids who are who've been trained up, reliterally trained up, and they think through the biblical worldview. It's so powerful. In a generation where kids have no connection, they've lost the anchor of truth, they're just drifting for our kids to be able to bring them to the Lord is just so beautiful. Well, I know you have we have some similarities with our organizations. Um, at CVCU, we have 31 churches that we represent. I suspect you probably even have worked with a lot more at Heritage, but I'd love to just share a little bit for you to share a little bit about the history. Um, it's a popular name in San Diego County, but I think a lot of people aren't aware of the history and the the work that Heritage has done in the community. Um, tell us a little bit about more about how you're serving the homeschool community, a little bit about the history.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

Okay. Well, Heritage Christian School started um in 1988, so we're going way back. Um and it was started by a homeschooling family who just joined with a few of their friends who were also homeschooling and formed APSP, which is a private school satellite program, which is basically just an umbrella program, uh umbrella school for private Christian homeschoolers. Um, I think when they launched, there was something like, you know, between their families, there was something like maybe 15-ish students in the whole thing. Some significant growth happened around 1994, which was also the year that um I joined. And with that growth just came more and more opportunities of things that they could offer. So things like, you know, co-op class days were always a staple of heritage. And at the very beginning, even with, you know, 15-ish students, they families would get together and and do some classes together. But when it started to grow and more and more families were joining, things like extracurricular clubs and sports started forming. Events started happening more intentionally and regularly. And so now, fast forward, now we're serving over 350 families representing over 670 students. And so we're able to offer an array of services to privately homeschooled families that include classes, both drop-off and co-op style, sports, performing arts, academic clubs, special interest clubs, formals, camps, socials, graduation, field trips, and then, of course, all the administrative resources for parents, including the transcripts and diploma, but curriculum counseling, academic advising, high school helps, college prep, all that kind of stuff. And all of it is presented, taught, coached, and offered from a biblical worldview.

SPEAKER_00 13:23

I love this. And obviously, having parallel paths with us not knowing you when we first started in Sacramento 20 years ago, it's just such an amazing observation to see God's hand at work across the nation that these have sprouted up independent of one another just at God's doing. And I, you know, a lot of homeschool moms obviously they'll ask you, I'm sure, as well. They ask me, you know, well, what are my kids going to miss out on things? And when you hear the collective offerings across San Diego County, we have so many options for parents. There's really no excuse for um kids to have to be alone. And and and I tell moms all the time, you know, when we look at human development, my PhD is human development, we need times of reflection and connection. We need times, kids, kids need time with their parents. That is an absolute given scientifically and scripturally. But having some time, a limited amount of time, in their social environment helps them to benchmark. So it helps them to see that there are people that are better than them at things and people that are not as good at them. And it puts them in a right mindset and it breaks off narcissism. And so it's so powerful, you know, thinking about the biblical worldview and then being around other kids that really sharpens them. It's really an iron sharpens iron experience. What would you say is the most rewarding part of your job?

SPEAKER_01 14:33

I think those new families you're talking about, it's it's helping families who come in who are brand new to homeschooling. Um, they're scared. No, that's not even they're they are terrified by the thought of it. Right. They come into my office sometimes in tears and and convinced at the on at right at the up front that they're not going to be able to do this. And then watching that same family, watching them and their kids blossom as they begin to deschool and immerse themselves into the homeschooling community and the homeschooling way of life, and seeing them a year or two later in a completely transformed frame of mind. Not only education, but their own family dynamics and their own family goals. It's just that is definitely the most rewarding part of my job.

SPEAKER_00 15:18

Education is transformation. Absolutely. What's one of the biggest hurdles that you face to get to where you are?

SPEAKER_01 15:24

Uh well, COVID was a little bit of a setback. Um, you know, COVID was a thing for sure, and it was kind of a mixed blessing. But outside of that, for us personally, I think the two biggest things that impact us and hurdles um in in what we're dealing with. One is the California exodus. Um and two, I would say charter schools. Yeah. And more because um I think there's been such a dilution of what homeschooling is and what it can be, because that word no longer means what it meant in 1994. It just has a whole different meaning now. Um and so it's sometimes hard to talk to someone who thinks they are homeschooling or thinks they understand homeschooling when it means and uh and their understanding of it is so different from mine.

SPEAKER_00 16:12

Right. And and the charter moms that we work with are so stressed out because the government puts on them regulations that are not what homeschooling is all about, forbids them to teach from a Christian worldview, from the hours of nine to five, they can teach Jesus, but only if he's equal to all other gods. And so we have these conversations often, and I love seeing mamas realize that they they can break free from that, really break free from the system and get out of Egypt. And if you're listening in and you're a mama and you've kind of started homeschooling in the charter, you're probably feeling that stress right now because it does feel like someone's over your shoulder, breathing down your neck, and that is really what's happening. And so you you have the the right to privately homeschool. And Vicky's organization, my organization, we're here, just like many others, Chia are here to help you really break free. So do reach out in the unlikely event, Vicky, that you ever happen to get a day off to yourself. How would you spend it?

SPEAKER_01 17:04

Uh well, I would say my two pastimes, my downtime, my veg time, my refresh time, I'm either reading or I'm doing a jigsaw puzzle. Those are my two things. Um, and then I also have to say, and then this is why I don't think I could ever leave San Diego or join the California Exodus. Um, I love the beach and the bay. Like it just it fills me up. Going down there and just sitting or walking, but just being by water um is very refreshing for me.

SPEAKER_00 17:34

100%. I could never live landlocked again. Couldn't happen. Yes. Who are some of the voices that inspire your thinking? Who are the people that you listen to? Who are the who are the authors, who are the leaders, leaders of thought that you that you follow and read?

SPEAKER_01 17:50

Well, again, I started in the early 90s, so I am definitely old school. And um, even now, I will pick up something that was inspiring to me back then. So voices like Bodie Bacum, Raymond Moore, uh, Michael Ferris, and his wife Vicki Ferris. I think I've read her book 30 times at least. Um, Sally Clarkson is another one that I just I love everything she's ever written. So um those are those are the people I grew up with in terms of homeschooling and the ones that I go back to when I need that shot in the arm.

SPEAKER_00 18:20

That's so fantastic. Great recommendations. We work with a lot of churches that have not, you know, passed the baton well and now they're they're looking around and their nurseries are empty and their kids' church is empty and their youth, young adults is empty. How they're wishing they'd invested into the younger generation and now they want to do something. How can the homeschool support a group model? How can it help these churches reach families in their community?

SPEAKER_01 18:46

The thing about homeschooling is it's different. Um, and and when I say that, I'm more focused on private homeschooling at this point because uh it just again, it just means something different. And public homeschooling has become a little more mainstream. But if you put yourself in a private Christian homeschooling environment, it's just different. It's counter-culture in many ways, and that's a good thing. As private Christian homeschoolers, we're okay being different, we're okay being counter-culture culture, and I think that's where the churches in the execution of their youth groups and their children's ministries have lost a little focus. We aren't trying to look like the world. We aren't trying to blend in, we aren't trying to be politically correct. This isn't our home. We're supposed to look different, we're supposed to behave different, we're supposed to live like we don't belong here because we don't. And we are not of this world. And we need to teach our kids at a very young age and show our kids at a very young age that it's okay to let that show. It's okay to stand out and be different. It's okay to not live like everyone else, it's okay to not dress like everyone else. It's okay to not listen to what everyone else is listening to, it's okay to not watch what everyone else is watching. Intentionally imparting that kind of message to our kids from the churches, from the youngest of ages, and super importantly in the junior and senior high years is just so vital because the kids, the more the older they get, the more they want to be like everyone else and not stand out. But if they grow up in a system where they're taught that that as Christians, that's our calling. We we're aliens here. We are just pilgrims passing through. To give them that vision very young, I think is I think it would be transformative in their um adult years as they launch out.

SPEAKER_00 20:36

Yeah, and I I think that I mean the core it really of what you're talking about there is that sense of identity. And that's the marker that I see that's so different from the homeschoolers that I know and that I've studied, that they have a strong sense of identity in Jesus and that it's not as rockable as the, you know, that there's an attack on identity in the public sphere. When I talk about pastors, I I also share with them about segregation. When we see, you know, churches segregate children at all ages, the culture separates from preschool to to to grandparents, you know, everybody is separated, and then we wonder why people can't get along or connect. And so um helping them understand that connective piece of that homeschooling is going to bring to their community. When you think about um moms who have now graduated, their last homeschooler, what are some ways that you encourage them to continue? The Bible says the gifts and call of ear of God are irrevocable. How do we, how do you continue, help them continue to give back? There's purpose in our life if we still have breath breath in our lungs, right? So how do what do you what do you tell them?

SPEAKER_01 21:34

Well, if I would say to mo to parents graduating out, if you have the ability to be selective about your time, I would first look to your church. And the reason I say this is often as homeschool moms volunteering in the church has taken a back seat because of the amount of time and the volunteer commitments that the private homeschooling life demands. And now that you're past that, see where you can serve in your church and minister to that next generation. With the perspective of a homeschooling mom now that that's behind you. If homeschooling is still your passion and you're sad that it's over, not everyone is, but if you're really sad that it's over, look into ways to serve the private homeschool community. Speaking as someone who runs a private homeschooling organization, we could always use more volunteer help. But even expand your horizons. Look to see how you can be involved in the private homeschooling movement on a state level, even a national level. Not to mention, of course, there's a myriad of vital Christian ministries, maybe not specific to homeschooling, but definitely that coincide with our vision all around San Diego. And I'm sure that any of them would love to receive an inquiry about volunteer opportunities. But see where God can use you in this next season of your life. Where can he use you in this new season?

SPEAKER_00 22:55

That's so good. And I think the volunteering in church is so powerful because obviously when people see our kids and they'll ask, you know, what's different about your kids? How did you get that fruit? Um, and they want to emulate that behavior. That's really the role model, that's the mentorship that we need in the church. So I I am that response. We want to encourage people to get involved in the church. Well, Vicky, this has been so incredible having you on the show today. Um, tell us more about where listen listeners can learn about heritage.

SPEAKER_01 23:25

Um the website is the best place, hcsd.org. That stands for Heritage Christian School San Diego. So hcsd.org. Um we have a podcast that you can get from there that talks a lot about homeschooling, the practical nuts and bolts, as well as some good kind of the more overreaching um vision and goals of a homeschooling family. Um we have youth curriculum fairs coming up. We host a Christian college fair in the fall. There's a lot of things that you can come and drop by and take a look at. I mean, graduation for us is coming up in June, and I I often tell people who are scared that somehow their kids gonna be missing out on something if they homeschool. I say, just come to a heritage graduation. That's all I'm gonna say, because it is just an amazing testament, um, showing you that not only are they not gonna miss out on something, what they're gonna get instead is often better.

SPEAKER_00 24:18

Fantastic. Vicki, thank you so much for your tremendous work today and everything you're doing in San Diego County. God bless you. Thank you. Friends, education is formation. Who's teaching the children and what are they being taught? One of the amazing offshoots we see in the Tula Vista Christian University model is not just the academic support, but also whole student development that comes from having Christian worldviewed mentors speaking into the lives of your children. Our children need relational, emotional, and spiritual fortitude to thrive. Pastors, I'm calling on you. Go to academicrescue mission.com. Let's open up our church doors. Let's bring in the next generation. If your kids are in public school right now, we have a new program. We want to help you bring them Christian content. We want to tell you all about this work that we're doing. Fill out the contact form at Veritascc.us to join us for an upcoming parent meeting. And for our full university degree programs, go to cvcu.us. That's Chula Vista Christian University. Again, I'm Dr. Lisa Dunn. Thanks again for joining me on today's show. I'll be back next week with more tips and tools of the trade. We'll see you then. Thanks again for joining us here on the Communication Architect. If you have questions about today's episode or if there are topics you'd like to see us address, send your comments via Instagram to at Dr. Lisa Dunn or via email to contact at drlusadunn.com. That's D-R-L-I-S-A-D-U-M-E-M.com. And remember, strategic communication will help you build greater emotional health and relational resilience. So don't miss the next episode. I'm Dr. Lisa Dunn, and I look forward to talking with you next time right here on the Communication Architect.