Join With Community

Feel out of place sometimes because your family does homeschool differently?

Good. You are set apart for a better way.

Join us in With Community, where homeschool moms slow down and do less so they can enjoy learning with their kids.

Doors are closed now, but you can join the waitlist and you'll be the first to know when doors re-open.

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Imagine this...

What would it be like to lay out an intentional path for your kids without overthinking it?

What would be possible for your kids when you break free from your own perfectionism?

What would it be like to feel like you're not alone?

I know why you worry about falling behind or doing enough.

Chances are, you grew up in public school like me - I even taught in it for five years. And even if you don't have personal experience in a school setting, we are engulfed in school culture.

The world tells us we matter when we go faster, do more, and know a lot of stuff.

But in the Kingdom of Heaven, worthiness is found in the opposite of those things.

I had to learn this the hard way...

I loved going fast and doing more.

I'm Laura Swain, a former teacher turned homeschool mom of four.

I'm also a former perfectionist, people pleaser, and workaholic.

I used to believe that the more I did, the more I mattered. This meant I packed my family's schedule and never stopped running. Sometimes I'd look around and feel guilty about how fast time was going and how quickly my kids were growing up. But I didn't think I could do anything about it...

My life came to a screeching halt when God led me into what I call my "couch season." I spent about three years on the couch with little kids and unexpected physical limitations.

I felt like a complete failure because I couldn't do any of the homeschool stuff I had envisioned. I was utterly depleted.

I rocked my twin infants in the middle of the night, weeping in silent prayer: God, I know you see me. I know you're able. Why won't you give me what I need?

I couldn't see it at the time, but God was giving me exactly what I needed. It wasn't more sleep, more energy, or more obedient kids.

God taught me to be satisfied in Him, not my achievements. He taught me to trust His leading and plan, not my own. He opened my eyes to miraculous beauty that had always been there...but was invisible to me when I was moving so fast.

And the only way I learned these things was because I had slowed down.

That slowness made me humble, grateful, and more present with my kids. I stopped scrolling social media, wishing I had someone else's homeschool life. Instead, I marveled at the beauty of my real, actual, right-now life.

When I was on that couch, I learned something awesome about my kids, too:

They are born learners.

This changed my homeschool perspective forever...

And it can change yours, too.

Homeschooling the Born Learner Way will change your life today...

When you slow down, you'll be filled with contentment.

You won't have to rely on nostalgia 20 years in the future to appreciate what you have right now. You won't get to the end of your homeschool journey only to be filled with regret that you didn't soak up the fleeting moments with your kids. Instead, you'll connect with your kids and see the beauty of your real, actual, right-now life.

When you do less, you'll prevent burnout.

Instead of cramming in every good homeschool idea, you can choose only the best ideas for your family in this season. You'll confidently use curriculum as a resource instead of seeing it as your rescuer. This will help you prevent burnout, prioritize connection, and have a more peaceful home.

When you reflect, you'll notice their growth that used to be invisible.

You won't have to rely on a standardized test to see if your kids are learning. Slowing down means you can reflect more often, instead of just at the end of the year. When you do, you'll see that they are growing because that is what God created them to do.

When you celebrate wins, your kids will learn to persevere.

Instead of waiting to appreciate hard work at the finish line, you can celebrate all the micro-wins that are getting your kids one step closer to it. This means they'll enjoy the learning journey instead of dreading it. They'll take pride in quality work instead of blowing through tasks because they have to. Your kids won't freak out about mistakes because they understand how perseverance causes the growth they've gotten used to celebrating.

When you recalibrate your homeschool, you'll kick perfectionism to the curb.

Most mamas think that having to change something in their homeschool means they're doing it wrong. But tweaking resources and routines will always be a natural part of growth - and growth is a good thing! Knowing this will make the changes you make more realistic, timely, and peaceful. You won't feel guilty for not finishing a workbook when it isn't serving your child. And you'll find it's easier to discern whether something hard is worth persevering through, or a symptom that you need to stop and rest.

But that's not all...

Homeschooling the Born Learner Way will change your family for generations.

God will multiply your everyday obedience to create a legacy that outlives you.

When you resist attaching your worth to your achievement, your kids will grow up knowing how to do that, too.

When you practice good stewardship by caring for yourself, your kids will become adults who care for themselves, too.

When you lean on God's wisdom instead of your own understanding, your kids will rely on the Lord as they parent their own children.

Those grandchildren of yours will grow up knowing they have dignity and worth as God's image-bearers, not because they have someone else's approval.

Your great-grandchildren will understand that God has perfectly equipped them for the hard and holy work He's called them to do.

And it keeps on going.

Mama, you are teaching your children a better way! And the impact you have is immeasurable.

The world may try to convince you that your slowness is lazy or your small acts of service don't matter.

I can't think of anything more important.

Do you want to enjoy homeschooling while you build a legacy with your kids?

The answer isn't

more.

The answer is

with.

Homeschool moms like you are blazing a better trail for their families...together.

JOIN THE WAITLIST

MELISSA

I joined With Community my second year homeschooling and Laura has helped me feel seen and understood. Something I desperately needed.

SUSAN

I’ve found a healthier balance between my and my children’s needs. I know that With Community has helped me stay focused on my top priorities: what really matters.

JEANETTE

Thanks to With Community, I feel more confident when backing up our decision to homeschool our children to the community at large.

JESSICA

The community is rich with wisdom and encouragement and other moms who do or have felt exactly like you do in this season. Laura and community have helped me so much.

So what is With Community?

If you're breaking the homeschool mold, you belong here.

With Community is a membership where outside-the-box homeschool moms find encouragement, training, and ongoing support.

It's made up of homeschool moms who don't exactly fit into the unschooling world, or classical world, or Charlotte Mason world.

They pull from different approaches and use only what works for their families in this season.

They leverage this community to resist the powerful pull of School Culture so they can truly enjoy the homeschool they have, even when things get tough.

Does this sound like you, or who you want to become?

JOIN THE WAITLIST

With Community members get some good stuff.

When you join With Community you get access to...

Monthly Connection Calls

Once a month we'll hop on Zoom to get to know each other. When you stay connected you'll remember that you're not alone. I know you will just love the mamas in our group!

Practical Training

All our membership training is bite-sized so it's easy for you to watch while you wash dishes or weed your garden. The videos are 5-8 minutes long and combine homeschool mindset with practical action you can take. Plus, as a member you get to steer the monthly topics so they are relevant to where you are in your homeschool journey.

Private Facebook Group

You don't have to ask questions in a free homeschool group with thousands of strangers. Our private group is cosy. When With Community members post questions, wins, or anything else on their minds, they get responses from other mamas who know them and truly care about their flourishing.

The Quarterly Compass

With Community mamas know that it's helpful to reflect more often than once a year. That's why we have The Quarterly Compass every 90 days. We hop on Zoom with an exclusive membership workbook and complete it together. When you regularly reflect on wins and clarify goals you will be amazed at the progress you make!

The Born Learner Way

The Born Learner Way is a path that helps you with your homeschool mindset, beliefs, and habits. You'll go further, faster, when you follow it alongside other members on the same journey.

Keep reading to learn more about each phase of The Born Learner Way (and see if you can identify the phase you might begin if you join us!).

Move forward one step at a time.

The Born Learner Way

The Born Learner Way is a map to guide you as you create a homeschool path that's right for your family in this season. As we move through the year I'll connect our trainings to the phases of The Born Learner Way. This will help you choose what kind of mindset and habit growth would be best for you right now.

PHASE ONE

SLOW DOWN

There's no such thing as behind. Can you imagine the freedom of not having to try to catch up to the rest of the world? In phase one I'll help you establish habits of rest, pacing, and explain what it means to be a born learner created in the image of God.

The next phase will help you figure out what to do (and what not to do) so you can sustain this slowness.

PHASE TWO

DO LESS

I'll bust the myth that there is a curriculum, approach, or hack that will save your homeschool. These things are resources, not your rescue. In this phase I'll also teach you how to name your season so you can subtract stuff from your life and move it to your Someday List.

The next phase will show you how to find out if the resources you pick are working.

PHASE THREE

REFLECT

You don't have to rely on a standardized test to know if your children are learning. When you build rhythms of reflection into your homeschool year, you will see growth that used to be invisible. With Community members get short workbooks to help them set monthly intentions and complete The Quarterly Compass. That way you'll get clear about your goals and notice wins you want to celebrate.

The next phase will help you see the importance of those celebrations!

PHASE FOUR

CELEBRATE

Don't pass by the Lord's provision! When you pause to celebrate growth (even stuff that seems small) you remember His faithfulness and worship Him for it. The more you celebrate, the better you get at seeing the growth that's always there. That fills you with gratitude and builds resilience in you and your kids.

The next phase will help you know how to respond to things that aren't going well.

PHASE FIVE

RECALIBRATE

If you're like me, you can be hard on yourself when you notice something needs to change in your homeschool. But here's the truth: you're not supposed to know yet! When you notice a need, that is the perfect time to address it. In phase five you'll also learn how to gradually release responsibility with your kids and detach your worth from homeschool outcomes. You don't have to avoid change, or swing dramatically from a rigid schedule to no schedule at all. Making small tweaks as you go will help your homeschool endure any tough season.

In With Community, we spend time on topics that matter most to you right now.

Power-packed training helps you live like a born learner.

Just like I encourage you to pick what matters most to your family in each season, I do the same in With Community. Each month we spend time on a topic that matters to you. Members influence what the monthly themes are! These are some examples of training you'll find in the With Community members' hub.

All this is possible for you.

When you encounter setbacks or uncertainty, do you freeze?

I know what it's like to battle perfectionism. I've been fighting it my entire life. But when I slowed down and did less, I discovered my kids are born learners...and I am, too!

This victory is possible for you. I see threads pop up in homeschool groups where well-meaning homeschool vets say "Oh, I am 30 years in and I still worry if I'm doing enough! It just means you love your kids!"

That is baloney. You can love your kids without anxiety and shame.

Doing less can feel scary at first.

School culture tells us that we can fix all our problems with more curriculum, more activities, even more testing. How freeing that the opposite is true!

Just like dripping water can erode an enormous boulder, cynics and critics around you may erode your confidence.

But that criticism can't touch you if you're surrounded by a community that's committed to doing things differently.

Slow down and you'll savor this season.

Do less and you'll find contentment.

Reflect and you'll see growth.

Celebrate and you'll persevere.

Recalibrate and you'll experience momentum.

And when you do these things alongside other mamas who are doing the same...

You'll be strengthened to keep moving steady on, no matter what the rest of the world is doing.

When you are connected with a strong community, you will worry less, make more progress, and enjoy the time you have with your kids before it's over.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is this a secular membership?

No. While our focus isn't on faith, I am a believer and love following Jesus...I also believe that the Holy Spirit He's given me is the only source of strength and grace I have. We have a mix of Christians and non-Christians in With Community.

Is With Community just for unschoolers?

Nope! You are welcome no matter what approach you choose to homeschool your kids. Many of us like to pull from a variety of approaches.

What if I change my mind about With?

If you decide you'd like to leave within 14 days of joining, you get your money back! If you're a monthly member, you can cancel anytime. Annual members who decide to cancel after the first 14 days will keep access to the membership for the rest of the year, then have no payments taken thereafter.

I'm not sure I have time for this...

Homeschool parents are busy people! And our core value in With: do less with confidence. I will share specific tips with you about how to get the most of the membership, how to build connection into your regular rhythm, and how to bounce back away from us members toward your own people as you apply what you've learned. This is definitely not designed to take up a lot of your time or energy.

JOIN THE WAITLIST