From Homeschool Student to Homeschool Mom

Apr. 20, 2026

[This article is adapted from a conversation on the California Homeschool Podcast between Angela Lasch and Betsy Pierce.]

What does it look like to grow up homeschooled, fall in love with the lifestyle, and then turn around and do it all over again for your own eight children? For Betsy Pierce, it looks a lot like grace, perseverance, stacks of books, and a whole lot of laps around the house.

Betsy was our very first guest on the California Homeschool Podcast, and her story is one we think will encourage and inspire you, whether you are just beginning to consider homeschooling or you are years into the journey.

It Started With Her Brothers

As a child, Betsy did not choose homeschooling. It chose her. Well, technically, her brothers chose it for the whole family.

When Betsy's older brother started school, her parents did what many Christian families do: they sacrificed to enroll him in a private Christian school. But he was an active little boy who simply could not sit still, and the traditional classroom was not a good fit. Her mom started researching alternatives and landed on homeschooling. By the time Betsy was five years old, the whole family was home, and they never looked back.

"My brothers were poster-child examples of ADHD," Betsy laughs. "There was no way they could have flourished in a traditional classroom."

Betsy, by her own admission, was the easy one. She was an independent reader who devoured books and thrived on self-directed learning. Her mom handed her stacks of literature and basically said, “Enjoy!" Her brothers, on the other hand, needed something different. Their school days included a few math problems followed by two laps around the house, projects through co-ops, and a lot of patience from their mom. And it worked. Those wild brothers, who started slow, learned to read late, and ran laps around their mom until well past high school, are today a mechanical engineer, a manager at the water district, and in a national field with high security clearance. Her sister is a skilled RN and Betsy, after graduating with a degree in mathematics, helps run multiple homeschooling ministries while raising her family. "I watched my mom be faithful with children that were hard to educate," Betsy says. "And that reinforced to me that these are our children and it is our job to see that they thrive."

Always Knowing She Would Homeschool

Betsy never questioned whether she would homeschool her own children someday. When she started dating her husband, Nathan Pierce of Family Protection Ministries, homeschooling was a non-negotiable on her list. As it turned out, Nathan had been homeschooled through high school and was already headed into homeschool advocacy as a career. They were on the same page from day one.

"We always knew that we wanted to raise our children in the faith," Betsy says. "We were convinced that this was not only the best plan for them, but God's calling for us."

That does not mean it has been easy. Betsy is quick to say that knowing homeschooling from the child's side did not prepare her for the parent's side. "I thought I knew more than I actually did when I got into it." But Nathan’s and Betsy’s shared conviction has carried them through the hard days, and even through those moments when they catch each other's eyes and jokingly ask, "Still living the dream? Yes!”

An Eclectic Approach That Actually Works

With eight children ranging from little ones to a graduate, Betsy describes her homeschool philosophy as eclectic: a mix of what works, what she can afford, and what fits the child in front of her.

She has leaned into literature and living history, an approach that echoes her own childhood. Books are everywhere in her home. Some of the readers her mother used with her brothers have been passed down to Betsy's children, with both of their names written inside. "There right in the front cover is a legacy for my children, and it excites and encourages them when new books come out.”  

She has also built her approach around one guiding principle she read in a book by Laurie Bluedorn: "Without character, you won't be able to teach anything else anyway." For Betsy, homeschooling is as much about shaping hearts as it is about covering curriculum.

Closer Together

One of the most powerful things Betsy shared was how homeschooling has strengthened her family relationships. When two of her teenagers were struggling to get along, they were paired as debate partners. It forced the whole family to address the tension rather than let it simmer.

"I can't brush conflict and tension under the rug," she says. "And because we had to address the issues, even when we’re tired and overwhelmed, we have seen so much growth and improvement. I’m very grateful to God for the friendships I see between my kids.  

She is also grateful she did not quit during the hard seasons. Her oldest daughter went through a difficult stretch in her early teens, and Betsy admits there were days she wanted to throw in the towel. She did not. And now, on the other side, she can see how God used that faithfulness.

"Homeschooling has forced us to deal with our flesh and our sin. My daughter knows I didn't give up on her, and God was (and is!) even more faithful than I am."

Come to Convention

Betsy has been attending the CHEA Convention since before she was even married, coming along while just engaged to Nathan. Now she is a speaker, sharing from her own experience on topics like teaching multiple ages, preschool without pressure, recordkeeping, homeschool philosophy, and guarding against burnout.

If you have been on the fence about attending, Betsy has simple advice: Come. Talk to people. Put your hands on curriculum. Find your community. "There's no way to do this as an island," she says. "You have to have support, and we all will encourage each other." 

And if you want to hear more from Betsy, come find her at the CHEA Convention this July.