School Smarts: Explore Your Options with Confidence
Exploring School Choice
Equipping parents during their child’s academic years to bring learning to daily moments.
The Parenting IQ Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual resources to help you grow into the parent you want to be, visit www.christianparenting.org
On today’s episode…
How do you choose the right school path for your child? In this episode, Dr. Kelly Cagle unpacks the beauty and challenges of homeschooling, private school, and public school—and reminds parents that the true goal is raising lifelong learners, not just students. Tune in for practical insights to help you make the best decision for your family’s next season.
Insights
In this heartfelt episode of the Parenting IQ Podcast, Dr. Kelly Cagle shares a powerful message for parents considering their educational options for the upcoming school year. Whether you're exploring homeschooling, private school, or public education, the heart of the conversation is clear: parents are the loudest voice of influence in their child's life, no matter the academic environment.
Kelly draws from years of educational research and personal experience to unpack the pros and cons of each major schooling model, offering practical insights and reminders that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, the focus should remain on nurturing children to be curious, creative, confident lifelong learners—not just students who meet academic standards.
Key Lessons:
1. Parents Are the First and Most Important Teachers
True learning happens daily through real-life moments, not just inside classrooms. Whether it’s baking bread or managing real-world tasks, parents play a crucial role in shaping their children’s education beyond academics.
2. There’s Beauty and Challenge in Every School Option
Homeschooling allows flexibility, individualized learning, and deeper relationships—but demands significant time, energy, and mindset shifts from parents.
Private schooling offers strong academics and often a faith-based foundation, but can bring financial strain and occasional frustrations with school leadership decisions.
Public schooling provides robust resources and accessibility, especially for children with special needs, though it sometimes limits flexibility due to standardized testing and larger class sizes.
3. Curriculum Should Match Your Child and Season
Kelly emphasizes that homeschooling families should avoid investing heavily in curriculum before knowing their child’s learning style and their own teaching style. Start small, stay flexible, and adjust as you grow.
4. The Goal Is Raising Learners, Not Just Students
Students are told what to learn and when. Learners stay curious, take ownership of their growth, and think creatively. No matter where your child goes to school, the goal is to cultivate a learner’s mindset that will serve them for life.
5. Family Vision Matters
Kelly shares her own family’s vision statement centered on confidence, competence, and creativity. These values guide her parenting and educational decisions, reminding us that raising capable, bold, and imaginative kids starts with intentional choices at home.
Why This Episode Matters
Choosing a school model is not about finding perfection—it’s about finding the right fit for your family’s current season. With thoughtful reflection, intentional decision-making, and a commitment to lifelong learning, parents can set their children up for both academic and personal success.
🎧 Tune in now to hear how you can confidently choose your family's best educational path and build a thriving learning environment at home.
HEY THERE! I’M DR. CAGLE… DO YOU NEED HELP WITH CREATING GREAT HABITS???
Parenting is hard work. It requires tons of boundaries, daily consistency, so much awareness, as well as lots of patience, grace, wisdom, and filters. Combine that hefty list with all of life’s demands and others’ voice may become louder than yours in your child’s life, increasing their anxiety, fears, and doubts.
Healthy parenting is about seeing yourself as your child’s #1 teacher, saying the right words (or nothing at all) at the right time, and having the right tools to be intentional and impactful. Guessing your way through life, which is what most parents do, is a recipe for failure, but following the lead of someone who has two decades of research-based information and fully understands the demands of parenthood is a recipe for a full life— for you and your child.
With a PhD in education, I’m here to teach you how to use daily moments are learning opportunities so you raise confident and competent lifelong learners that thrive in an ever-changing world.
Additionally, I offer workshops and keynotes on various topics to parents, educators, students, and business leaders— because the need to understand, support, and empower learners is everywhere..
