October 1, 2025 – Will My Kids Teach Their Kids? 2nd-Gen Homeschooling

Alexandria Letkeman

A Kitchen Table Legacy

I was homeschooled growing up, and those years shaped my education, my future, and my heart. The kitchen table was my classroom, the world was my laboratory, and family was always at the center. When I look back, I don’t just remember math lessons or history dates. I remember us growing closer as a family, learning patience and perseverance, and the joy of learning being returned to me.

Even now, before I’ve started raising my own kids, I already know homeschooling is where I’m headed. It’s not a decision made out of fear or pressure, but out of gratitude. My parents gave me the gift of learning at home, and I can’t wait to pass that gift on. When my kids read aloud in the morning or chase curiosity through projects and adventures, I know I will see the same spark that was once nurtured in me.

Sometimes I wonder: Will my kids carry this even further? Will they one day sit at their own kitchen tables, teaching their children with the same mix of laughter, struggle, and joy? I really hope so. Because homeschooling has never just been about academics; it’s about legacy. It’s about relationships, about love, about knowledge taking root in the soil of family.

So, yes, I homeschool today with tomorrow in mind. My prayer is that the seeds I plant now will not only bloom in my children but in my grandchildren, too.

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About the author

Alexandria Letkeman began homeschooling with her family in middle school and has recently graduated with honors in 2020. Together with her husband, she has developed a passion for financial literacy, classical writing, and the freedom that homeschooling provides. In pursuit of those passions, she and her husband aim to continue the legacy of The HomeScholar and continue helping homeschool parents homeschool with confidence. One day, Alex plans to start a homesteading farm in Texas featuring mini cows.

Todd Wilson

Leave It to God

“Will my kids teach their kids?” How should I know? I’m no prophet. But I will say this: if your kids didn’t have fun in their homeschool because you were too stressed out, never smiled, and made them do school on the weekends, late nights, and on vacation, you shouldn’t be surprised if they don’t.

I mean, if your homeschool is a fun place to learn, with lots of great memories, and tons of free time to explore and learn, why wouldn’t they want to homeschool their own children?

I’m not sure if any of my children think there’s another way.

But I also know this: our children will eventually marry someone who was not raised in my home. They may not think the same way as we think . . . or have the same experiences my kids had.

That can be a little scary. But I also know this: God can be trusted . . . and I don’t have to sweat it. Neither do you. 🙂

So have a great day of homeschooling, smile a lot, and back off a little.

Be real,

Todd

P.S. Need to add some fun to your homeschooling week? Check out our Spin for Smiles Spinner. A special design spinner to help you bring some smiles to your homeschool. Check it out.

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About the author

Todd Wilson is a dad, granddad, writer, conference speaker, and former pastor. Todd’s humor and down to earth realness have made him a favorite speaker at homeschool conventions, retreats, and churches across the country. As founder of Familyman Ministries and the Smiling Homeschooler, his passion and mission are to remind dads and moms of what’s most important through weekly e-mails, podcasts (The Familyman Show & The Smiling Homeschooler), seminars, and books and products that encourage parents. Todd, and his wife Debbie, still homeschool two of their eight children (six have graduated with four married) in northern Indiana. You can read more at www.familymanweb.com.

Roger Smith

Gen2—Who Follows?

We long to have our children excel, and even surpass us. Yet, like we did, they may choose a path different than their parents’.

The Gen2 survey of ten thousand young adults revealed the number one predictor of having a faith similar to that of the parents was having a positive relationship with at least one parent. In other words, “Do you like one another?”

Find ways to laugh together, have fun, play, watch movies together and talk about them. Listen to your children—their goals, desires, dreams, and fears, so they feel your love.

Listening says more than talking.

So, learn to ask good questions. If your questions don’t get them talking, try some of mine. I have a list of one hundred open‑ended questions that usually prime the pump. They can be found in appendix A of my book, Parenting with Influence, that can be purchased at rogersmithmd.com. 

If you can’t afford the book, email me for a free copy of the list.

If your child smiles or laughs with you during “school,” they are more likely to homeschool their own. So, determine to have fun!

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About the author

Dr. Roger Smith is a family doctor in rural Louisiana, where he and his wife, Jan, raised four adventurous children who are all grown, making their own mark in the world. He speaks and writes on parenting issues and produces brief videos that can be found on Facebook @ParentingMattersNow.

Shanxi Omoniyi

Keeping the End Goal in Mind – Life After Graduation

I find it hilarious when people say, “You must find homeschooling easy since you were homeschooled in your childhood!” No, homeschooling isn’t automatically easy for me. It’s like saying, “You must find parenting easy since you were ‘parented’ in your childhood!”

However, my homeschooling experience definitely inspired me to want to homeschool my own children someday. I had been in a private-school setting when I was 5-6 years old and hated it. Once my parents decided to withdraw me to homeschool, I was ecstatic. The one-on-one attention, flexibility, and freedom to set my own educational pace, and more time to focus on extracurricular activities were just a few of the many benefits!

Even if homeschooling my children isn’t “easy,” it’s definitely been worth it. I get to care for their hearts, minds, and bodies in a holistic approach to education. We don’t isolate our kiddos—we homeschool in community with other families and friends. There are so many more opportunities to homeschool with others nowadays, compared to my generation. While it can feel overwhelming, I also appreciate having those options available.

I don’t know whether my kids will also choose to homeschool their kids (to the third generation and beyond!), but I hope so. Ultimately, I believe homeschooling is a choice all parents need to make for themselves. Isn’t that what homeschooling does best—cultivating lifelong learners who develop the maturity and character needed to make their own life choices?

Just as my parents have always been there for me even after I graduated from homeschooling, so I also hope to be there for my children when (God willing) they graduate from homeschooling— not so much as a teacher anymore, but as a mentor, cheerleader, and fellow sister in Christ!

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About the author

Shanxi Omoniyi is Midwest Parent Educators’ (MPE’s) online content director. A homeschool alumna who graduated with MPE, she now oversees the website and other online accounts, social media, and email marketing. She also directs her own digital marketing business. She is very grateful to have been homeschooled and now homeschools her own children!

Exploring generation-to-generation storytelling? The Art of Literature: Famous Short Stories bridges literary classics and creative projects and allows you to cultivate a love of stories in your kids so they might one day teach their own. They’ll learn to recognize the themes of famous short stories and explore how to express them through art projects. Check it out on SchoolhouseTeachers.com.