[Podcast #310] High Tide Homeschooling with a Teen

Brave Writer Podcast

Melissa Wiley takes the mic solo this week for a heartwarming look inside her current homeschool life with her youngest, sixteen-year-old Huck.

Drawing from her decades of experience as both author and homeschooling mother of six, Melissa walks listeners through a day in the life of their family’s “tidal homeschooling” rhythm—where structured “high tide” study meets creative “low tide” exploration. She shares how her son’s outdoor program, their history-and-literature studies, and rich family traditions—film club and nightly read-alouds—keep learning alive and joyful.

If you’ve ever wondered how homeschooling evolves through the teen years—or how to nurture curiosity and connection as your family grows—this episode offers both inspiration and practical insight. Melissa also touches on her creative work, finding balance as a writer and parent, and how rhythms of learning shift with each new life chapter.

Show Notes

As homeschooling parents, we come to recognize that family learning moves in tides. There are seasons of high energy—bursting with projects, discussions, and discovery—and quieter times when we drift, recharge, and let curiosity find its own way back to shore.

For Melissa Wiley, these rhythms are a source of peace rather than pressure. After years of homeschooling a bustling household, she now finds joy in the slower, one-on-one days with her son Huck. Their mornings start quietly, often with reading or reflection, before easing into studies of history, science, and literature. The rest of the day flows with creative play, outdoor adventures, and unhurried conversation. It’s homeschooling that breathes—steady, flexible, and deeply human.

Tidal Homeschooling and Daily Rhythms

Melissa describes this way of learning as tidal homeschooling: alternating between “high tide” periods of structure and “low tide” stretches of exploration. In practice, that might look like a week of focused writing lessons followed by days spent outdoors, tinkering, sketching, or diving deep into a new interest. It’s not about balance as much as trust—trusting that learning is always happening, even when it doesn’t look like school.

Connection, Creativity, and Family Culture

At the heart of Melissa’s homeschool life is connection. Whether it’s the family’s “film club,” her husband’s rock-and-roll history sessions, or daily read-alouds that spark lively debate, these shared rituals nurture both imagination and relationship. Learning isn’t a checklist; it’s a conversation that keeps evolving as her kids grow.

Melissa reminds us that education doesn’t end when the formal lessons do. It continues in laughter around the dinner table, in curiosity during a walk, in the stories that knit a family together. Homeschooling, at its best, is simply life—rich, rhythmic, and full of wonder.

Resources

Connect with Julie

Connect with Melissa

Produced by NOVA

Brave Writer Podcast

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