Zan02: Thank you all for joining us. My name is Tauna Meyer. I am here with Zan Tyler, and we are so excited that Zan is going to be joining us here in Oregon for some fantastic events coming up soon. On August 28th, she'll be here for a Moms' Night where we'll have some great encouragement and fun dessert, chance to fellowship with other homeschool moms from around the state. And even some prizes. And then on August 29th, she and her husband Joe will also be joining us for a leadership luncheon, which is a wonderful time to just get encouraged and equipped for all the work that you do in supporting homeschoolers here in our state. So Zan, thank you so much for joining us. I wanted to spend some time over the next few podcasts just talking with you a little bit so people can get to know you. Can you just start out by telling us a little bit about yourself?
Lighthouse: Sure. Joe and I started homeschooling in 1984. we had two boys at the time, and in nineteen eighty-four, we didn't know anyone who homeschooled. And so we thought that would just be it was not something we were looking to do. We got forced into it. we thought we would only homeschool for a year if you had told me that we would homeschool for 21 years and then be involved in the homeschool. movement and community for the rest of our adult lives. I would have never believed it. But we really believe that homeschooling is such a powerful way to raise children and we want to encourage you in that. We think homeschool freedom's important. so we spent eight years working in either the court or the legislature in South Carolina to get a good law passed when we first started. I served as our state president of our state organization for 10 years. And since then I've worked with three different Christian publishers. just so that I I can have my hand in providing resources that continue to to encourage homeschooling parents. So I want to say to you, what you're doing is so important. Be encouraged. Don't give up and and be continue to be parts of community like the OCEANetwork that will encourage you in what you're doing and give you staying power. It's the the stakes are really high and what you're doing is really important.
Zan02: So you started homeschooling when it looked very different than it does today, right? So what first led your family to homeschool and what was that like?
Lighthouse: Well, we knew nobody in the world who was homeschooling and I will never forget those days of having no friends and no support, which has really driven what I do now in the homeschooling community. We had a son, I I mean, my son was brilliant. He just wasn't reading in kindergarten and he was the only student. So a friend of mine in education said, just Zan have him tested, holding back a year. It's a great thing to do for little boys. So we did that and the school district said, Yes, you can hold him back. And then in July of that same year they said, We changed our mind, you can't. And public schools were filled and I knew I wasn't putting Ty in the first grade. And so we, I my Bible study partner at the time, she and her husband were getting masters to go on the mission field in Kenya. And she said, Zan, I taught in public schools. I'm gonna homeschool that. And when she said that word homeschool, I thought This is the weirdest, craziest, wackiest thing I have ever seen. There's that scene in the Star Wars movie where they're all in the trash compactor, the four protagonists and and the walls start closing in. That's kind of how I felt the first time I heard the word homeschooling. Like I would never do that to myself and I would never do that to my kids. And but that's because I had no vision. And I had nobody speaking into my life. So I read a book that she gave me Homegrown Kids, which sort of set a small vision in me for homeschooling. And I thought, can education really be like this? So we decided, well, we'll homeschool. We can't hold Ty back. We can't put him in first grade. My friend who was an associate superintendent in the school district said the school had gotten lenient with that type of thing. The school district come to find out they had approved one person to homeschool in the history of the district for one year and she was a certified teacher. There had been two things in college I said I would never do. One was teach and the other was have kids. And so here I am, totally out of my own bailiwick, not knowing what to do in the educational realm. And so we said, well then we'll home school. And we had to hire an attorney to find out what the law was. The school district nor the state board would tell us that. Then the school board turned us down. And we were on our way to appeal to the State Department of Education and they we we were assured they would turn us down and we would end up in court. So in the middle of that process, I just went to see the state superintendent of education who happened to be a friend of my mother. He had observed her classroom when he was getting his PhD. And when I went, he said, he said, Zan I called him. He said, Come on down, honey, I'll clear my calendar. This was a friend. And so when I explained all this to him, I thought he was going to say, Zan, you're a mom who loves her kids. Let's see how I can help you. Instead, he said, if you continue down this trail of or journey of homeschooling, I'll have you put in jail for truancy. So
Zan02: Wow.
Lighthouse: so homeschooling did look very, very different in those days. It was not cool, it was not accepted. I mean, people really prosecuted and persecuted for homeschooling. But but the essence of it was the same. It gave you that ability to be with your children and provide an education that fit them. And so, you know, we
Zan02: Hm.
Lighthouse: we started and we continued for twenty one years.
Zan02: Wow, that's amazing. So what are some of the things that you believed about homeschooling when you started that you understand differently now, you know, looking back?
Lighthouse: Right. Well the first thing was I just thought it was the craziest thing I'd ever heard and and I kept thinking, What about the children? What about socialization? Is it legal? All the questions that everybody else had. But the other thing I didn't understand fully was the beauty of the flexibility that homeschooling gives not only a parent but a child. I mean, I wish I'd known then who cares how old a child is when they first start reading. It doesn't matter. Now, you know, if you have a child that's having difficulties and you suspect learning disabilities or special needs or they're neurodivergent or whatever, then by all means have it checked out. But, you know, a lot of it is just giving the time, child the the child time to mature to tackle the next task at hand. The other thing I didn't understand was just the power of relationship and the power of having time together. And You know, I just had no grid for homeschooling. I'd been in public school, I'd gone to college, it was a private college, but it was institutional education. I had no grid for it. So it's when you start homeschooling, it's with a lot of fear and trepidation, and then you begin to find these gemstones on the journey that make it so rich. I just can't imagine educating my kids any other way.
Zan02: Mm-hmm. Yeah. And so you've been homeschooling for or you were homeschooling for you said twenty one years. Is that right?
Lighthouse: Mm. So the kids all went from kindergarten through high school.
Zan02: Mm-hmm. And so you've watched the homeschool movement change, you know, a lot over the years. What are
Lighthouse: Yes.
Zan02: just I'm sure there's a a ton that you could share about that, but what are just a few things that you've noticed, whether for good or for bad, that you've noticed in the homeschool community as far as change?
Lighthouse: Well, one of the greatest changes is just the freedom we have now.
Zan02: Hm.
Lighthouse: You know, the eighties and nineties were really devoted to homeschool freedom. And let me just encourage you to continue to be engaged with your state organization, which for you in Oregon is the OCEANetwork. Because homeschooling freedom is under attack now like it hasn't been. In 20 years, 25 years, I would say. So just make sure you remain part of the OCEANetwork so you can find out what's going on in the Freedom Front in Oregon. but I would say the freedom is the greatest change, and homeschool freedom has been a journey. it's taken a couple of decades, but it's really a gift to us that we need to continue to steward. I would say the other thing is just how powerful community is in homeschooling. I had no community when I started. And so I think seeing the way community has grown through your state organizations, through co ops or local support groups, you know, you don't have to do this alone. You shouldn't do this alone. And I would say that's another way we've seen it change. Just the number of resources. that are available to parents now, there are almost zero resources available to us. So be thankful for the resources and the research that has been done. Joe and I were talking about this. We just had no role models to look to and we didn't have any statistics like this is how homeschoolers have done for the last four decades. And so it's really powerful to have families you can look to, mentor moms you can talk to And just seeing the success of homeschool students, I think that's really powerful. when I started, I was so worried about well, I didn't ha I had no notion then that I would homeschool through high school, but you know, when when we started homeschooling, people asked me three or four questions. What about socialization? Is it legal? What about the prom? What about PE? And what about physics? you know, it was I don't know why PE was such a big deal, but the prom in physics definitely were. And you know, I would just say, Well, there are four and six, so give me a few years on those questions.
Zan02: Yeah.
Lighthouse: But you know, so is so the landscape has grown and matured. I would say, sometimes we lose sight a little bit of just the power of the relationship in the home as there's so many things available to homeschooling moms and dads now. I think we just always want to be careful to nurture that bond with our children and their love for Christ.
Zan02: So when you look at homeschooling today, what makes you most hopeful about the next generation of homeschool families?
Lighthouse: so now we have eight grandchildren and they range in age from three to thirty. And I would just say watching them. they love the Lord, they're h healthy and wholesome and have a great grasp of life. We're still so involved in the homeschooling community with the co-op we started back in the nineties, with the state organization we started and we're still on the board and just speaking across the country, seeing these moms and dads interact with their kids. You know, at the heart of homeschooling are parents who love their children. And so as long as that's the case, that really gives me hope. Now, do we have some things on the horizon we need to watch? Absolutely. But I think the heart of the homeschooling mom is always for her child.
Zan02: Well, thank you so much, Zan, for all of that. Thank you so much for joining us. Everybody, if you have not yet registered for these events coming up, please do. Zan is just a delight and a joy and such an encouragement. Again, we are meeting August 28th for a fantastic Moms' Night to get encouraged. And then on August 29th for a leader luncheon, where we're also going to be talking about some of the updates on homeschool freedom that Zan was talking about and on some things that Ocean Network has planned. for this upcoming legislative session. So don't miss that. I'll leave you the links in the show notes. Make sure you join us for that. And we are going to come back for the next podcast and hear more from Zan.
Lighthouse: Sure. Joe and I started homeschooling in 1984. we had two boys at the time, and in nineteen eighty-four, we didn't know anyone who homeschooled. And so we thought that would just be it was not something we were looking to do. We got forced into it. we thought we would only homeschool for a year if you had told me that we would homeschool for 21 years and then be involved in the homeschool. movement and community for the rest of our adult lives. I would have never believed it. But we really believe that homeschooling is such a powerful way to raise children and we want to encourage you in that. We think homeschool freedom's important. so we spent eight years working in either the court or the legislature in South Carolina to get a good law passed when we first started. I served as our state president of our state organization for 10 years. And since then I've worked with three different Christian publishers. just so that I I can have my hand in providing resources that continue to to encourage homeschooling parents. So I want to say to you, what you're doing is so important. Be encouraged. Don't give up and and be continue to be parts of community like the OCEANetwork that will encourage you in what you're doing and give you staying power. It's the the stakes are really high and what you're doing is really important.
Zan02: So you started homeschooling when it looked very different than it does today, right? So what first led your family to homeschool and what was that like?
Lighthouse: Well, we knew nobody in the world who was homeschooling and I will never forget those days of having no friends and no support, which has really driven what I do now in the homeschooling community. We had a son, I I mean, my son was brilliant. He just wasn't reading in kindergarten and he was the only student. So a friend of mine in education said, just Zan have him tested, holding back a year. It's a great thing to do for little boys. So we did that and the school district said, Yes, you can hold him back. And then in July of that same year they said, We changed our mind, you can't. And public schools were filled and I knew I wasn't putting Ty in the first grade. And so we, I my Bible study partner at the time, she and her husband were getting masters to go on the mission field in Kenya. And she said, Zan, I taught in public schools. I'm gonna homeschool that. And when she said that word homeschool, I thought This is the weirdest, craziest, wackiest thing I have ever seen. There's that scene in the Star Wars movie where they're all in the trash compactor, the four protagonists and and the walls start closing in. That's kind of how I felt the first time I heard the word homeschooling. Like I would never do that to myself and I would never do that to my kids. And but that's because I had no vision. And I had nobody speaking into my life. So I read a book that she gave me Homegrown Kids, which sort of set a small vision in me for homeschooling. And I thought, can education really be like this? So we decided, well, we'll homeschool. We can't hold Ty back. We can't put him in first grade. My friend who was an associate superintendent in the school district said the school had gotten lenient with that type of thing. The school district come to find out they had approved one person to homeschool in the history of the district for one year and she was a certified teacher. There had been two things in college I said I would never do. One was teach and the other was have kids. And so here I am, totally out of my own bailiwick, not knowing what to do in the educational realm. And so we said, well then we'll home school. And we had to hire an attorney to find out what the law was. The school district nor the state board would tell us that. Then the school board turned us down. And we were on our way to appeal to the State Department of Education and they we we were assured they would turn us down and we would end up in court. So in the middle of that process, I just went to see the state superintendent of education who happened to be a friend of my mother. He had observed her classroom when he was getting his PhD. And when I went, he said, he said, Zan I called him. He said, Come on down, honey, I'll clear my calendar. This was a friend. And so when I explained all this to him, I thought he was going to say, Zan, you're a mom who loves her kids. Let's see how I can help you. Instead, he said, if you continue down this trail of or journey of homeschooling, I'll have you put in jail for truancy. So
Zan02: Wow.
Lighthouse: so homeschooling did look very, very different in those days. It was not cool, it was not accepted. I mean, people really prosecuted and persecuted for homeschooling. But but the essence of it was the same. It gave you that ability to be with your children and provide an education that fit them. And so, you know, we
Zan02: Hm.
Lighthouse: we started and we continued for twenty one years.
Zan02: Wow, that's amazing. So what are some of the things that you believed about homeschooling when you started that you understand differently now, you know, looking back?
Lighthouse: Right. Well the first thing was I just thought it was the craziest thing I'd ever heard and and I kept thinking, What about the children? What about socialization? Is it legal? All the questions that everybody else had. But the other thing I didn't understand fully was the beauty of the flexibility that homeschooling gives not only a parent but a child. I mean, I wish I'd known then who cares how old a child is when they first start reading. It doesn't matter. Now, you know, if you have a child that's having difficulties and you suspect learning disabilities or special needs or they're neurodivergent or whatever, then by all means have it checked out. But, you know, a lot of it is just giving the time, child the the child time to mature to tackle the next task at hand. The other thing I didn't understand was just the power of relationship and the power of having time together. And You know, I just had no grid for homeschooling. I'd been in public school, I'd gone to college, it was a private college, but it was institutional education. I had no grid for it. So it's when you start homeschooling, it's with a lot of fear and trepidation, and then you begin to find these gemstones on the journey that make it so rich. I just can't imagine educating my kids any other way.
Zan02: Mm-hmm. Yeah. And so you've been homeschooling for or you were homeschooling for you said twenty one years. Is that right?
Lighthouse: Mm. So the kids all went from kindergarten through high school.
Zan02: Mm-hmm. And so you've watched the homeschool movement change, you know, a lot over the years. What are
Lighthouse: Yes.
Zan02: just I'm sure there's a a ton that you could share about that, but what are just a few things that you've noticed, whether for good or for bad, that you've noticed in the homeschool community as far as change?
Lighthouse: Well, one of the greatest changes is just the freedom we have now.
Zan02: Hm.
Lighthouse: You know, the eighties and nineties were really devoted to homeschool freedom. And let me just encourage you to continue to be engaged with your state organization, which for you in Oregon is the OCEANetwork. Because homeschooling freedom is under attack now like it hasn't been. In 20 years, 25 years, I would say. So just make sure you remain part of the OCEANetwork so you can find out what's going on in the Freedom Front in Oregon. but I would say the freedom is the greatest change, and homeschool freedom has been a journey. it's taken a couple of decades, but it's really a gift to us that we need to continue to steward. I would say the other thing is just how powerful community is in homeschooling. I had no community when I started. And so I think seeing the way community has grown through your state organizations, through co ops or local support groups, you know, you don't have to do this alone. You shouldn't do this alone. And I would say that's another way we've seen it change. Just the number of resources. that are available to parents now, there are almost zero resources available to us. So be thankful for the resources and the research that has been done. Joe and I were talking about this. We just had no role models to look to and we didn't have any statistics like this is how homeschoolers have done for the last four decades. And so it's really powerful to have families you can look to, mentor moms you can talk to And just seeing the success of homeschool students, I think that's really powerful. when I started, I was so worried about well, I didn't ha I had no notion then that I would homeschool through high school, but you know, when when we started homeschooling, people asked me three or four questions. What about socialization? Is it legal? What about the prom? What about PE? And what about physics? you know, it was I don't know why PE was such a big deal, but the prom in physics definitely were. And you know, I would just say, Well, there are four and six, so give me a few years on those questions.
Zan02: Yeah.
Lighthouse: But you know, so is so the landscape has grown and matured. I would say, sometimes we lose sight a little bit of just the power of the relationship in the home as there's so many things available to homeschooling moms and dads now. I think we just always want to be careful to nurture that bond with our children and their love for Christ.
Zan02: So when you look at homeschooling today, what makes you most hopeful about the next generation of homeschool families?
Lighthouse: so now we have eight grandchildren and they range in age from three to thirty. And I would just say watching them. they love the Lord, they're h healthy and wholesome and have a great grasp of life. We're still so involved in the homeschooling community with the co-op we started back in the nineties, with the state organization we started and we're still on the board and just speaking across the country, seeing these moms and dads interact with their kids. You know, at the heart of homeschooling are parents who love their children. And so as long as that's the case, that really gives me hope. Now, do we have some things on the horizon we need to watch? Absolutely. But I think the heart of the homeschooling mom is always for her child.
Zan02: Well, thank you so much, Zan, for all of that. Thank you so much for joining us. Everybody, if you have not yet registered for these events coming up, please do. Zan is just a delight and a joy and such an encouragement. Again, we are meeting August 28th for a fantastic Moms' Night to get encouraged. And then on August 29th for a leader luncheon, where we're also going to be talking about some of the updates on homeschool freedom that Zan was talking about and on some things that Ocean Network has planned. for this upcoming legislative session. So don't miss that. I'll leave you the links in the show notes. Make sure you join us for that. And we are going to come back for the next podcast and hear more from Zan.
