Janie Gibson | Ep. 116

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About this Episode

How do you find your tribe as a homeschooling family? Zan Tyler is joined by veteran homeschool mom Janie Gibson, who shares her journey of creating opportunities for homeschool families, from starting a sports league and American Heritage Girls troop to launching successful co-ops. Drawing from decades of homeschooling experience, Janie and Zan discuss the importance of following your children’s passions while building meaningful connections with other families. Through stories of both successes and setbacks, Janie reveals how small steps of faithfulness—whether securing a football practice field full of red clay and ants or making that first phone call to start a theater program—can grow into vibrant communities that serve generations of homeschoolers. This conversation offers practical wisdom for growing strong homeschool communities, highlighting that you don’t need everything figured out to begin; you just need to take that first step of faith.

Meet My Guest

Janie Gibson–a follower of Christ, wife for 38 years to her husband Gene, mom to five, and grandmother to two– just wrapped up 24 years of homeschooling. She worked with homeschooling families in support group leadership for 15 years with Family Education for Christ in Savannah, GA, and co-founded Savannah’s Coastal Homeschool Athletic Association to benefit homeschooled high school athletes. Chartering both an American Heritage Girls troop and a Trail Life troop, she served on the AHG troop board as a unit leader. She enjoyed being a Development Associate for the 2021 documentary film Schoolhouse Rocked: The Homeschool Revolution. Having started two homeschool co-ops in the South Carolina Upstate, she still volunteers as the Director and a teacher for one. Janie and Gene are South Carolina Home Educators Association board members, the state-wide organization protecting homeschooling freedom laws and encouraging home educating families. Janie also serves on the advisory council for the National Alliance of Christian Home Education Leadership which equips leaders of Christian state organizations. Paddleboarding, cheering on her fellow Baylor Bears, strong cups of hot tea, and precious time with family are a few of her favorite things.

Mentioned in this Episode

• SCHEA (South Carolina Home Educators Association)
• American Heritage Girls
• Trail Life USA

Podcast Sponsor

At BJU Press Homeschool, we’re committed to providing children an education from a biblical worldview that is academically sound and challenges them to advance, think critically, and live like Christ. This type of education is not often possible in public schools because of the number of children taught in a classroom, a difference in worldview, and peer and societal pressure to conform. Homeschooling allows parents to instruct and disciple their children without daily fighting messages from an opposing worldview taught in the classroom. And with tuition costs and fees for private schooling or tutoring, homeschooling may be the only option for parents who are concerned for their children’s physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
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