When the public school system tried to label her six-year-old son as “mentally handicapped” after just 10 days in first grade, Barbie Rivera knew something had to change. What began as a desperate attempt to protect her child from a broken system grew into a thriving micro-school and a mission to transform education for others. In this episode of The Homeschool How To Podcast, Barbie shares her inspiring journey—from first-time homeschool mom to author and advocate for educational reform rooted in early 20th-century teaching methods. 🔎 What you'll hear in this episode: How Barbie started homeschooling after her son was nearly medicated and mislabeled The moment she began charging tuition to teach neighborhood kids as a single mom Why she believes word definitions are the key to all learning How modern schools skip fundamentals and overwhelm students too early The transformation of a struggling student from first-grade to third-grade reading level in just six weeks How a grateful parent is helping her launch her school Barbie’s passion for vintage textbooks and classical teaching techniques Her emphasis on mastery, deep understanding, and life skills over test scores How her children learned to become young entrepreneurs through tutoring Her upcoming curriculum based on time-tested educational methods 📚 Explore more: Check out Barbie’s book, Enough is Enough: Exposing the Education System After Their Failed Attempt to Label and Drug My Son , available on Amazon. Visit barbierivera.com for resources, vintage-style curriculum, and more on her educational philosophy. 🎧 Episode Chapters 00:00 – Homeschool Journey Introduction 07:43 – Escaping Labels and Medication 14:16 – Creating a Micro-School at Home 26:48 – The Power of Understanding Word Definitions 38:11 – Traditional Education vs. Meaningful Learning 47:52 – Rebuilding Education From Historical Methods 53:14 – Raising Independent Critical Thinkers Check out The Homeschool How To Complete Starter Guide - Cheryl's eBook compiling everything she's learned from her interviews on The Homeschool How To Podcast. 👉 Enroll now for Excelsior Classes Fall 2025 — perfect for homeschoolers! 👉 15% off Tuttle Twins books with code Cheryl15 Support the show Instagram: TheHomeschoolHowToPodcast Facebook: The Homeschool How To Podcast
