Our Mission
Show Me Homeschool is here to help guide parents through the wilderness of home education by offering one on one coaching, group coaching, an informative podcast where they can find encouragement, resources, community and so much more.
Our Story
Hey there, we’re Joe and Erin McGhee and we’re the founders of Show Me Homeschool. We met and fell in love in the beautiful country of Scotland where we were participating in a non-denominational Christian discipleship school. A secondary focus of the school was hiking and exploration along the paths of the Celtic Christians who spread the gospel throughout the UK. Our love of God and sharing the Gospel, as well as hiking, has been passed down to our four children, who range in age from 6 to 18 years old.
We are entering our 12th year of homeschooling our children and have just graduated our eldest daughter this May. She is now a student at a discipleship school in Washington. We have two boys in high school, going into 9th and 11th grade, and our youngest daughter just completed Kindergarten. It’s safe to say, we’re going to be in the homeschool community for quite a while longer.
In the last twelve years, we have been volunteer board members for our state homeschool organization and Erin has volunteered with and held the position of President on the board of a local homeschool support group serving almost 300 families at the time. Erin led a weekly homeschool Wild Explorers hiking group for a couple of years where we built lasting friendships in our local homeschool community. Erin was also host of the “GOAT Homeschooling with Erin and Amanda” podcast with over 50 episodes and almost 10,000 downloads dedicated to serving the long-haul homeschoolers (those homeschooling longer than 5 years and planning on homeschooling through high school). Finally, Erin currently co-leads a homeschool support group of nearly 150 members within the county we reside in.
We are here to help you overcome the common pitfalls in faulty thinking about your ability to home educate your children. With the right mindset, sourcing appropriate tools for your specific homeschool that meet your family goals, and connecting with other home educators, you are on your way to success!
We have homeschooled through fostering, adoption, special needs, chronic illness, death, moving, and so much more. One of the biggest indicators of success in families sticking with home education through high school is the confidence level of the primary educator (usually mom) and the day-to-day support of the other parent (usually dad). Or in the case of single parenting, surrounding yourself with other like-minded homeschoolers and being encouraged to continue on by people in your community. Believing you are equipped to educate your children is the first hurdle to jump over. Once you understand that God has given you the responsibility and the ability to parent your unique children, you can start your homeschool journey with confidence.
We’re happy you’ve found us and hope you are blessed by this community we are creating!
What We Offer
Individual Coaching
Group Coaching
Show Me Homeschool Podcast
Homeschool Resources
Live Zoom Homeschool Workshops
In-Person Homeschool Workshops
Curriculum Reviews
Book Reviews
Field Trip Planning Guide
Community Building
Members-Only Community With Exclusive Content (coming soon)
Homeschool Conferences (coming soon)
Meet Erin
Growing up in a military family that moved frequently, I attended many public schools around the country. Many times, I would move to a new school and would either be so far ahead of the other kids academically or the quality of education was sub-par in the new place, it felt a waste of time to be in school all day. I was BORED in school. My plan was for my mom to homeschool me to finish out high school because, as I told her, “I can learn everything they teach me at school in two to three hours a day at home all by myself, then I would have more time to just read the books I want after my school work is done.” I guess you can say that I was an interest-led learner before I even knew it was a homeschool methodology.
After begging to be homeschooled, but to no avail, I decided to look into homeschooling my own hypothetical children one day. The last thing I wanted to do was stick my future kids in a building all day where they might be as bored as I was. I decided I would do everything within my power to make my future child’s growing up years magical. Motherhood, to me, is about cultivating our children’s curiosity about the world, the people in it, and cherishing the time you have with your child. Most importantly, as a Christian mother, my purpose is to introduce my children to God so that they can experience His love and grace and share that with others.
Upon finishing high school, I worked in a public school before and after school daycare program for several years. After seeing and hearing firsthand how the culture of public school was drastically changing from my own experience, my mind was set. There was no way I was going to leave my kid in a building for 12 hours a day, taught by a stranger with a worldview that may or may not contradict our own family culture, and not get to spend many hours a day with my child. I saw so many parents missing out on their children as they would drop off and pick up their kids after a ten to twelve hour time frame. They would rush off to fast food, sports, and the bedtime routine, only to start again the next day. I figured these parents got maybe a rushed hour or two a day with their children and I knew that lifestyle wasn’t for me.
Fast forward to our oldest son being ready for kindergarten, we just weren’t sure we could handle educating a whole child. We felt so insecure that we ended up enrolling him in the all day public school summer school program and quickly saw that was not the path we wanted to take. I mean, how much could we screw up our kid in one school year? We had to at least try homeschool. I knew only one other family that was homeschooling and they were about to move out of state! How could I homeschool my son if he didn’t have any peers?! What about socialization? I met with my friend before she moved and she told me that she, in fact, wasn’t the only homeschool mom in the area. There was a whole local support group that met monthly I could join.
I connected with the support group and the rest is history. Those monthly meetings where the veteran homeschool moms poured into us newbies led to the confidence I needed to begin our homeschool journey. Confidence that I wouldn’t have had without the community and friendships that I cherish to this day. The mentoring and encouragement are two things I credit to my ability to stick it out another year, and another, and another…
Over the last twelve years of homeschooling our kids, I’ve been volunteering in our local homeschool community. My experience ranges from planning field trips, to mom night out events, leading a local support group for a couple of years, starting co-ops, volunteering with our state homeschool organization, hosting a podcast dedicated to encouraging homeschool moms, one on one coaching, and speaking at homeschool events. The most frequent comment I hear from new homeschoolers or those thinking about pulling their child from public or private school is, “If I could just have someone SHOW ME what homeschooling looks like, that would make me feel better/more confident/like I knew what I was doing.” This is why Show Me Homeschool was created, in the Show-Me State of Missouri no less.
I have met hundreds of homeschool moms. The one thing we all have in common is how insecure we all were when we first got started and again when we go through major life changes that impact our homeschools. Encouraging and equipping homeschool moms has been something I’ve naturally done along the way because I know when a mom is CONFIDENT in her calling, she is at peace in her heart and in her home. I want to show you, You Can Homeschool!
I know when a mom is CONFIDENT in her calling, she is at peace in her heart and in her home. I want to show you, You Can Homeschool!
Meet Joe
I grew up in the middle of Wisconsin, in a small town, with my Christian parents and one, much older brother. From K thru 12, I attended the same public school district and was heavily involved in music and sports from middle school onward. For the most part, I had a pretty good experience in public school with a lot of good memories. While growing up, I have no memory of having ever met anyone in the homeschool community, and in contrast to Erin, never really thought about it much until we were preparing to have our first child.
At that time, Erin and I had discussed both her childhood desires of homeschooling as well as our growing concerns with the public school system. But it wasn’t until our oldest son was ready for kindergarten that Erin seriously approached me about homeschooling. I was obviously pretty ignorant on the subject and had a lot of the same questions that most people have: how would this look, can we do this legally and financially, can Erin actually do this day in and day out, what about socialization? It was all pretty foreign and it felt like a lonely place to be because we didn’t really know anyone in the homeschool community. After Erin had gotten in touch with a veteran homeschool mom and attended some local support group meetings, many of my questions had been answered and I saw a clear enough path forward to pull the trigger on homeschooling.
However, it was somewhat difficult to become the sole breadwinner and begin supporting my wife in unknown territory. Coming only from public school, there was a temptation to recreate and expect to see public school at home, with its desks, textbooks, worksheets, schedules, etc. This caused some conflict and admittedly overwhelmed my wife. When the inevitable bad days and issues cropped up, I would seek to just solve the problem as I saw fit, or simply say to Erin “OK, then maybe it’s time to put them in public school.” What my wife really needed was engaged support, for me to listen, and seek to understand.
Over time, I learned something really important: home education could not be compartmentalized and separated from other areas of life, that home education is a mindset, a lifestyle. With home education, both parents must be engaged nearly all the time, as times of character building and learning can and do take a thousand different forms throughout the whole day.
My wife and our homeschool began to blossom and flourish after I became more engaged and supportive. Making sure Erin got consistent support and encouragement from outside the home also helped in our success. However, throughout our years of homeschooling, it became apparent how lacking this same support and encouragement can be for some homeschooling moms, and especially dads. My hope is that Show Me Homeschool can help fill that void.
Throughout our years of homeschooling, it became apparent how lacking this same support and encouragement can be for some homeschooling moms, and especially dads. My hope is that Show Me Homeschool can help fill that void.
What We Believe
We believe anyone that desires to home educate their children CAN and can do so successfully all the way to high school graduation with the right support, encouragement, and resources. As a parent, you know your child better than anyone and have your child’s best interest in mind. You have, since the moment you knew you were expecting or adopting: sacrificed, prepared, researched, guided, and most importantly LOVED your child. Why let someone else take the reins when they turn five? Homeschooling can be a wonderful extension of parenting. Just like when you first brought your precious little one into your arms, you were nervous, excited, insecure, and full of anticipation. Those same feelings can describe how you feel when you make the choice to homeschool. We want to help clear a path for you through the wilderness of home education, journeying alongside you to encourage and support you, building a connection through our coaching, podcast, resources, and community.
Our coaching and support is guided by our Core Beliefs:
We are Bible-believing conservative Christians
With all the many voices on social media we know it’s hard to find a trusted Biblical Christian voice - even in the homeschool community. We want to create an online space where you can find solid, Biblical truth, encouragement, and like-minded community as you navigate home educating your children.
We believe parental rights and the right to homeschool are God-given
You were given a gift when you became a parent.
“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.” -Psalm 127:3
It’s OUR job and responsibility as parents to be good stewards of the gifts we are given by God, not the government’s or the local public school’s. Once you understand that God has given you the responsibility and the ability to parent and educate your unique children, you can believe that He will guide you through as you are called to home education. You don’t have to have a special degree to cultivate a rich environment of learning in your home. You just have to have the desire for educational excellence and the right tools to achieve your goals. And you don't need vast amounts of money to achieve this.
Homeschooling is a lifestyle and sacrifice, not a privilege
Ask any homeschooling family how they can afford homeschool curriculum and money for extra curricular activities and I bet you would hear them talk about what they aren’t spending money on. Most homeschool families live and thrive on one income. It’s all about priorities. If the priority is a line item on the budget for “homeschool expenses”, then you can find things like expensive vacations, new vehicles, or whatever else marked off. If you have a library card, an internet connection, and a local park or nature center, you are well on your way to a well rounded education. Homeschooling does not have to be expensive or unattainable for a single parent or family living on one income.