I’m honored to kick off this Homeschool Series with the mama who encouraged and inspired me to explore homeschooling.
Meet my dear friend, Raquel Cusi. She is a mompreneur with big ideas, a craft enthusiast, blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, mom of four, and still so much more.
Raquel is known by many as The Stronghold Mom, a name she carries well for her personal blog and it’s fitting since her family gym is called, The Stronghold with three locations in San Diego and all four of her kids training and competing.
In this series we’re featuring moms and families who homeschool and are willing to share their wisdom, lessons and philosophies in hopes to inspire and support you whether you’re a seasoned homeschooling family, or just wanting to learn more about how it all works.
Here’s what Raquel had to say!
Tell us about yourself and your family. How many kids do you have/homeschool? I was born and raised in San Diego, and grew up in North County San Diego for 23 years, and now have been in Point Loma for almost 11. I have 4 kids that I homeschool and they are 9, 7, 5 and 2.
Why did you decide to homeschool? I knew early on when my son was young that I wanted to do homeschool based on the flexibility and schedule. Owning a business comes with a lot of challenges and travel and I knew in the future, schooling would play into that. Now that my oldest is almost 10, I still remember those years I was thinking about it when he was just a baby.
I knew early on when my son was young that I wanted to do homeschool based on the flexibility and schedule.
What’s your homeschool philosophy, and how did you decide on it? I think I have an eclectic philosophy when it comes to homeschooling, as it seems to change every year and as my kids get older. Currently we have adopted an unschooling/gameschooling philosophy as we experienced some extreme changes in our family and business where conventional homeschooling methods don’t always work.
Check out this video to see a day in the life of Raquel as featured in the Passion Planner series, People of Infinite Possibilities.
What’s your homeschool schedule like? This also varies day to day. The beginning of the week is fairly structured as we have Jiu Jitsu, Art and sewing and Enrichment classes such as Engineering, Spanish and Chess. Math, Reading and Writing and other subjects are usually scattered throughout the day around our gym schedule, along with roadschooling which usually includes listening to audiobooks in the car or working on things like Spelling!
How do you setup your “classroom” at home? Or how does your family work best? Do you have a strict routine, do you go with the flow? I have a homeschool room at our Martial Arts studio and at home, the kids tend to navigate to the kitchen table or the floor. Right now we have been in a “go with the flow” mode!
What do you love most about homeschooling? I love the flexibility and being able to make my own schedule – which are 2 of the main reasons why I chose to homeschool. I used to be such a planner but due to “life just happening,” I’ve learned to be more spontaneous, which makes life way less stressful and more fun!
What do you love the least about homeschooling? The stigma of homeschooling and myths that still need to be debunked: like kids not being socialized, being home all day, etc, not being prepared for the “real world” and college, to name others.
What are some of your favorite homeschooling resources? Facebook groups and Homeschool Mom veterans!
Have you ever thought of going back to a traditional/public school? Why or why not? Yes and no. On the days that are really stressful, I tend to talk about “how easy” it would be to put them in public school. I feel my family’s life is definitely unique though as our lifestyle really does cater to a homeschooling environment.
Homeschooling is so widespread especially in San Diego that I’m not too worried for them “missing out” on things. Also considering my personality, I could always create programs in order for them to still be able to experience traditional schooling.
What advice can you give to someone who’s considering homeschooling their kids?
Find a community and supportive veterans to be by your side. Homeschooling is hard and I still consider myself a newbie especially as I get into new phases with my kids.
Connect more with Raquel Cusi on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
So what do you think? Did Raquel’s answers resonate with you, or intrigue you? Leave a comment below, we’d love to hear your thoughts.
If you’re interested in being featured in our series, email us at angela.quisumbing@gmail.com.
Very cool story/interview, a bit 50/50 on homeschooling just because of the social aspect of school, but seems like they’ve got a great handle of things – solid curriculum plus they can even fit in some BJJ! Pretty great option for busy entrepreneurs always on the go!