The Homeschool Advantage Podcast

The Middle School Blind Spot — Part 1 of a 3-Part Series

When Did We Stop Calling Them Up?

What if the problems we see in high school…
don’t begin in high school?

In this first episode of a three-part series, Bex Buzzie explores a difficult but necessary question:

When did we stop calling young adolescents up into responsibility?

We spend so much time talking about homelessness, crime, disengagement, and generational anxiety — but we rarely ask where the wiring began.

Part 1 begins at the cultural level — examining how blurred moral boundaries, lowered expectations, and diluted accountability send subtle messages to middle school students at the very moment their identity is forming.

Then we move into the classroom.

With over 20 years teaching high school and 6 years in middle school, Bex shares what she has seen firsthand:

• Students slowly disengaging long before they are labeled “at risk”
• Systems that unintentionally detach effort from outcome
• Adolescents who care deeply — but protect their dignity when expectations disappear
• The quiet erosion that happens when “kindness” replaces challenge

This episode is reflective.
It is personal.
It is developmental.
And it ends with a powerful reminder:

We didn’t lose a curriculum.
We lost a calling moment.

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In This Episode:

• Why belief becomes identity architecture
• How blurred definitions impact adolescent stability
• The hidden cost of low academic stakes in middle school
• Why “meaning is oxygen at thirteen”
• The lost rite of passage into responsibility
• What middle schoolers are actually asking from adults

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This Is Part 1 of a 3-Part Series

Part 2: The Brain Under Construction
We examine what is biologically happening between ages 11–14 and why accountability is developmental, not punitive.

Part 3: Who Owns the Blueprint?
A direct look at leadership, responsibility, and what must change moving forward.

Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the rest of this series.

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Keep This Podcast Free — Support the Work

If this episode resonated with you, there are simple ways to support this podcast while gaining practical value for your home or classroom.

This podcast is intentionally free so families and educators everywhere can access these conversations.

If you would like to support the work and continue learning, you can explore:

📘 Newton’s Protocol on Amazon — my book designed to help educators and families teach students the Laws of Motion using simple methods to help them learn how to critically think and engage with this concepts in meaningful and fun ways.

🍎 Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT)

If you’re an educator, my Teachers Pay Teachers store includes:

• NGSS-aligned science units
• Argumentation frameworks
• Middle school rigor resources
• Practical classroom tools designed to raise expectations, not lower them

These resources are built from real classroom experiences — not theory.

Every purchase helps keep this podcast free and independent.

And if you’ve ever benefited from an episode, your support truly matters.

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A Final Reflection

Middle school is not a waiting room.

It is a leverage point.

And if thirteen-year-olds are ready to rise…

Why did we stop inviting them to?

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🎧 Subscribe. Share. Reflect.

Because children are always watching.

And they notice.

It’s Not What Students Know — It’s How They Use It

Episode Title: It’s Not What Students Know — It’s How They Use It

The Newton Protocol Link

Students are memorizing more than ever — and understanding less.

In this episode of The Homeschool Advantage podcast, educator and instructional leader Bex Buzzie confronts a growing and uncomfortable reality in modern education: many students can perform academically without truly being able to read, comprehend, or apply what they’ve learned.

Drawing on U.S. literacy data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and firsthand classroom experience, this episode examines why literacy has quietly become the biggest barrier to critical thinking, problem-solving, and real-world learning.

This is not a conversation about programs or quick fixes.
It’s an examination of what happens when education prioritizes speed, compliance, and instant answers over reading comprehension, curiosity, and sense-making.

Inside this episode, Bex explores:

• Why literacy is the gateway skill that determines success in every subject

• How reading is a layered cognitive process — and where it’s breaking down

• The hidden cost of “microwave learning” and constant step-by-step instruction

• Why fear of being wrong is replacing curiosity in today’s students

• How memorization disguises comprehension gaps

• Why application and transfer — not recall — will differentiate students in the future

• How The Newton Protocol emerged as a response to a system moving too fast for understanding

In a world overflowing with information, the advantage is no longer knowing the answer.

It’s knowing what to do with it.

This episode is for parents, homeschool families, classroom teachers, and educational leaders who are ready to ask harder questions about literacy, learning, and what education is actually producing.

Because homeschooling isn’t a location.
It’s a posture.

What Changed When I Returned to the Classroom

It’s been two years since the last episode of The Homeschool Advantage, and a lot has changed.

In this season-opening episode, I reintroduce myself and reflect on how my understanding of education has evolved after returning to the classroom and pursuing a Master’s in Educational Leadership. I share why I still believe in homeschooling, while also recognizing that learning doesn’t belong to one model, location, or label.

This episode explores what it means to move beyond “either/or” thinking in education and instead focus on partnership, authority, and presence. We talk about structure, real-world learning, and why education works best when it becomes part of life—not something separate from it.

This season is about getting back to the basics.
Not making learning constantly entertaining or rigidly academic, but understanding it as a spectrum—one that requires curiosity, discipline, and meaning.

Create A Legacy Of Entrepreneurship And Time-Money Freedom For Generations To Come With Crissi Allen Founder And Executive Director Of HEART Academy

Intro 

Crissi Allen Founder and Executive Director of HEART Academy Christian Microschool in San Jose, California, and a Certified Holistic Health Coach. She finds it great joy helping parents capture the hearts of their children, helping parents find their children's God-given passions early in life, creating a heartfelt community, and partnering and empowering with hundreds of families.   

She has been a mom-entrepreneur for 20 years building businesses to benefit her community and her family. Crissi loves encouraging parents in helping them to create a legacy of entrepreneurship and time-money freedom for generations to come.  

 

Top three takeaways 

1. You can homeschool confidently with support from a community they feel comfortable with. It will not be easy but it will be worth it when your children become a light in a very dark world.  
2. How her Private School Satellite Program (PSP) in California can help you move forward in helping your child with learning challenges.      
3. How children with unique needs to develop and thrive according to their time schedule.  

 

Call to Action 

HEART Academy Christian Microschool Official Website 

 

What is Next! 

Thank you for supporting this show by listening and sharing with friends! If you like this podcast please rate and write a review of how this show has impacted or helped you!  

Great ratings will accelerate the show's visibility to the nation so others can learn more about homeschool and find quality curriculum and the potentially join the homeschool community thus change the face of education forever!!  

Who would have thought that we could change the education world with a click and a share! 

Also if you would like to hear more about any specific educational topic please email me at realedtalk@gmail.com I would love to support your families educational needs in all areas!!  

Bex Buzzie 

The Homeschool Advantage Podcast  

Equip Your Child With The Skills, Training, And Strategies With Norma Jean Maxwell Founder Of Time To Shine

Intro 

Norma Jean Maxwell, Founder of Time to Shine Teach & Coaching is an Orton Gillingham trained Reading, Spelling & Writing Specialist.  With over 20 years teaching experience, both within and outside the public school system, Norma Jean truly loves teaching children, particularly those with learning differences.  She is passionate about providing support for parents and educators in navigating the needs of children by equipping them with the skills, training and strategies to provide the greatest opportunity for children to succeed.  

She is the developer of the Ripple Effect Learning Method, a phonics-based, multi-sensory Reading, Spelling and Printing program for emergent learners - a complete and comprehensive literacy program that includes all the downloadable materials and video tutorials needed to teach all three of these important elements.  She also offers many other complete individual lesson plans and as well as free resources, all designed to make teaching fun and effective. 

 

 

Top three takeaways 

1. There's no such thing as a learning disability! There are only learning differences and ALL children can learn! 
2. The public education system isn't working for A LOT of kids.  
3.  If your child isn't learning, it is because they are not being taught in a way that makes sense to them. The onus is on the educator, not the child. 

 

Call to Action 

Time To Shine Teaching Official Website 

 

What is Next! 

Thank you for supporting this show by listening and sharing with friends! If you like this podcast please rate and write a review of how this show has impacted or helped you!  

Great ratings will accelerate the show's visibility to the nation so others can learn more about homeschool and find quality curriculum and the potentially join the homeschool community thus change the face of education forever!!  

Who would have thought that we could change the education world with a click and a share! 

Also if you would like to hear more about any specific educational topic please email me at realedtalk@gmail.com I would love to support your families educational needs in all areas!!  

 

Bex Buzzie 

The Homeschool Advantage Podcast  

 

Empowering Young Minds Through The Socratic Method With Michael Strong Founder And Chief Visionary Of The Socratic Experience

Intro 

Michael Strong Founder and Chief Visionary of The Socratic Experience, is one of the most experienced designers of innovative school programs in the United States. He is also the author of The Habit Of Thought: From Socratic Seminars To Socratic Practice and the Lead Author of Be The Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World's Problems.   

Students from Michael's schools have been admitted to Harvard, Stanford, Georgetown, Smith, Bard, Bennington, McGill, UT-Austin, University of Colorado, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Parsons School of Design, Quest, St. John and many dozens of other post-secondary institutions.   

  

Top three takeaways  

1. Intellectual dialogue can be a joyful, yet powerful, way to learn a wide range of material.  
2. Teens LOVE to discuss ideas together when their ideas are treated with respect!  
3. How students learn to analyze texts to provide evidence-based interpretations.  

 

Call to Action 

The Socratic Experience Official Website 

 

What is Next! 

Thank you for supporting this show by listening and sharing with friends! If you like this podcast please rate and write a review of how this show has impacted or helped you!  

Great ratings will accelerate the show's visibility to the nation so others can learn more about homeschool and find quality curriculum and the potentially join the homeschool community thus change the face of education forever!!  

Who would have thought that we could change the education world with a click and a share! 

Also if you would like to hear more about any specific educational topic please email me at realedtalk@gmail.com I would love to support your families educational needs in all areas!!  

Bex Buzzie 

The Homeschool Advantage Podcast  

 

Help Your Children Broaden Their Horizons Through Opportunities For Leadership With Josie Balkowski Founder of Online Scribblers

Intro 

Josie Balkowski is the Founder of Online Scribblers, an online writing program for students in Grades 3-12 of all skill levels. Josie is a blogger and writer who strives to bring writing education to the forefront of every student's learning and to engage their creativity to create proficient communicators of the future. 

 

Since 2012, Josie has been teaching writing both in person to homeschool pods and online through her online classroom. She created her own curriculum that is based on building skills one step at a time, valuing confidence building strategies to unlock the reluctant writer as well as supporting enthusiastic ones.  

 

Josie is a writer herself, having published two novels and is now working on a third. She aims to bring a love of writing to her students and to broaden their horizons through opportunities for leadership through Online Scribblers annual Literary Magazine and Newspaper Club.  

  

Top three takeaways 

1. Every child can be a great writer. 
2. it is never too early or too late to begin incorporating writing into their daily curriculum - and that building confidence is often the key to overcoming reluctance 
3. Online Scribblers is the place to find individual and personalized coaching to build writing skills. 

 

Call to Action 

Online Scribblers Official Website 

 

What is Next! 

Thank you for supporting this show by listening and sharing with friends! If you like this podcast please rate and write a review of how this show has impacted or helped you!  

Great ratings will accelerate the show's visibility to the nation so others can learn more about homeschool and find quality curriculum and the potentially join the homeschool community thus change the face of education forever!!  

Who would have thought that we could change the education world with a click and a share! 

Also if you would like to hear more about any specific educational topic please email me at realedtalk@gmail.com I would love to support your families educational needs in all areas!!  

Bex Buzzie 

The Homeschool Advantage Podcast  

 

Reading Will Help Your Child Be Successful For The Rest Of Their Lives With Yvette Boucher CEO Of Lil Learners Luv Learning

Intro 

Yvette Boucher CEO of Lil Learners Luv Learning, a certified kindergarten teacher for 20 years, and an experienced online teacher. She loves to teach little learners. Her passion is teaching children to read. Nothing excites Yvette more than to see a student's face light up as they start to read. Her teaching style includes music and movement along with a hands-on approach while incorporating all subjects. Her goal is to teach your child a love for learning and help set them up for success.  

 

 

Top three takeaways 

1. When a child can read, they can learn anything and it will help them be successful for the rest of their lives! 
2. It is so important for children to feel confident and successful as learners and readers.  
3. How she provides a variety of ways for children to learn with different learning styles. 

 

Call to Action 

Lil Learners Luv Learning Official Website  

 

What is Next! 

Thank you for supporting this show by listening and sharing with friends! If you like this podcast please rate and write a review of how this show has impacted or helped you!  

Great ratings will accelerate the show's visibility to the nation so others can learn more about homeschool and find quality curriculum and the potentially join the homeschool community thus change the face of education forever!!  

Who would have thought that we could change the education world with a click and a share! 

Also if you would like to hear more about any specific educational topic please email me at realedtalk@gmail.com I would love to support your families educational needs in all areas!!  

Bex Buzzie 

The Homeschool Advantage Podcast