Episode 150: International Homeschooling with Jenni Cassidy of Dumb Ox Learning
What You’ll Learn
Have you ever considered what homeschooling might look like in another country?
Here in the U.S., laws can vary dramatically from state to state, and so can opportunities for learning and enrichment. Can you imagine how that might look on an international scale?
Well, our guest, Jenni Cassidy can! She's a wife, mother to 7 (including 5 graduates), and she lives and homeschools her youngest two children in the UK! She's also the co-director of Dumb Ox Learning AND she's a consultant for Mother of Divine Grace!
Let's Give it a Go (01:00)
Jenni and her husband began in Scotland…they had their first four children in the Highlands. Then, they had the opportunity to travel to Garmin, Austria, when her husband studied with the International Theological Institute.
The plan was to go for two years, but they ended up staying for 12! Before moving to Austria, her oldest son had two years of school in Scotland. Since they were moving to Austria, and knew there were some American families there who homeschooled, they thought they’d try it! (It wasn’t really a thing in Scotland at that time).
Some of the American families in Austria used Mother of Divine Grace, and so Jenni and her husband decided to learn from them.
In the early years in Austria, there were about 25 families and 60 kids (in addition to the 100-200 Franciscan students as well). The environment was a gift for the kids!
Homeschooling in Austria (04:30)
Unfortunately, in Austria, the problems did come…and this is why Jenni and her family did leave in the end.
The first few years in Austria, it was ok. The homeschooling families would go to the American school and have their children tested (just your ordinary standardized test). The results would be forwarded to the local education department and they would say, “You’re not forbidden to homeschool." This worked for about 5 years.
Then, they suddenly decided the children would no longer be able to test in the American school, but must be tested in German, on roughly 9 different subjects, in the local schools. No exceptions were made. They fought it for a long time in the courts, but lost, began accruing fines, and left.
Homeschooling in the UK (06:35)
From Austria, Jenni’s family moved first to Northern Ireland for three years, and finally settled in England (where they’ve been for 6 years now).
If you’ve got children in school in the U.K., but then take them out of school, you may be subject to a home visit each year (which is usually very little trouble). If you’ve never had children in school in the U.K., they aren’t registered, and so home visits aren’t necessary.
In Florida, we have some sort of evaluation each year. This can be done through standardized testing, with a licensed teacher, or through an umbrella school.
Jenni thinks of the different states much like the countries in Europe. There are countries where homeschooling isn’t too bad, but in countries like Germany—where homeschooling is illegal—it can be a nightmare for families.
Traveling (09:25)
Jenni doesn’t consider her family to be, “traveling people,” although when they lived in Austria (which bordered 7 different countries), they DID travel. While in their little town in Austria, they didn’t even have a vehicle (they didn’t really need one, because they could walk everywhere).
Because they lived with so many Americans (who they grew to know and love), three of the oldest boys moved to the U.S. (and two married Americans). Actually, Jenni’s boys who live in the United States have not actually lived in the U.K.
For us Americans, living in different states is very comparable to living in different countries for Europeans. The differences are bigger (due to language and culture), but geographically, the distances are very similar.
Mother of Divine Grace (12:50)
The family happened upon Mother of Divine Grace because it was THE curriculum for the families in Austria, but it ended up being a good fit.
Jenni’s first consultant (with Mother of Divine Grace, when you enroll you’re assigned to a homeschooling mentor of sorts who helps you navigate the curriculum and supports you) was from Canada. Currently, Jenni’s consultant is Laura Berquist (author and creator of Mother of Divine Grace).
The homeschooling community in England is growing (and the members are closer geographically than here in the U.S.). There is a group of families (12-15) living in Jenni’s own area now (which is really big for there), and it’s very exciting.
In the U.S., it can be difficult to find other homeschol families with older children. For some reason, there are TONS of families with younger kids.
Our Q's (16:30)
The very first book Jenni read about homeschooling was, Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum by Laura Berquist, and in the beginning that’s what Jenni used for her family. The first section was her favorite. The other book was impactful was Homeward Bound by Kimberly Hahn.
One thing that’s special about Jenni’s homeschool family is how the older children have helped the younger kids. Another thing is how the family had the experience of living in different countries. Finally, it can be easy for you to compare your family to another family, but don’t discount your OWN family culture (which will be different than another’s, but that’s OK because your family is unique).
Dinner in a pinch for the Cassidy family is chickpea pasta. It can be made by chopping some onions, frying them with some chickpeas or white beans (drained), mashing them (about half-way), pouring in some vegetable stock (salt, pepper, and garlic), and pasta. The mashed chick peas make for a very creamy sauce, and it’s quick!
Another tip Jenni shared (learned from another mom), is that you should start your day at 3pm with the Divine Mercy Chaplet (or a shorter version), and you decide what you’ll have for dinner (and begin making it). This makes it much more likely that dinner will be on the table on time…and if your meal is on time…then it’s more likely that everything else (including bedtime and wake time) will happen on time as well.
The one thing Jenni does to set herself up for success is to pray. Even in Austria, Jenni and her husband had an agreement that she could walk away and pray with the Blessed Sacrament. Currently, they live in the house connected to their Parish church, and only have a door to walk through to be in the church. Also, the family has committed to saying the Rosary every day, and Jenni feels that has afforded them the grace needed to live the ‘hard’ that is large family homeschool life.
Jenni is currently learning high school religion with her last two homeschoolers. In the past, due to having so many other children, she didn’t have the opportunity to really dig into the material…but now, she is doing the Father Laux curriculum from TAN Books with her kids and some of their friends and she’s learned SO much!
More from Dumb Ox Learning (30:45)
There is another homeschool mom just like Jenni, a fellow mother of 7 and Mother of Divine Grace consultant, who Jenni met in Austria. They discovered that to continue with further education in the U.K., children need to do the exams that kids do in school (which homeschoolers really don’t want to do).
So, Helen (the co-owner of Dumb Ox Learning), discovered that if you have an American high school diploma and a combination of AP courses and/or SAT scores, you CAN be accepted into a university in the U.K. Many people are unaware of this!
Helen began teaching AP classes, and it just took off from there! Jenni takes care of the artistic side of the business, and Helen does some of the teaching (and they’ve recruited other teachers).
Starting in September (of what will be their second full year), Dumb Ox Learning will be offering 10 AP courses, they offer some GCSE’s, SAT prep courses, and enrichment courses (for supplements). All the teachers are Catholic (although the AP courses are secular).
They have christian enrichment courses, which include book clubs (The Dangerous Book for Boys being one) and read aloud classes (Anne of Green Gables is on this list).
Dumb Ox Learning includes a mix of both international teachers and students. Book clubs begin as young as 5 years old, and other classes go up from there. To learn more and see which classes will be offered this fall head to Dumb Ox Learning. Check out Dumb Ox Learning on Instagram.
More about Jenni Cassidy
Jenni Cassidy has homeschooled her seven children, in Austria and England, with five having graduated with a High School Diploma from Mother of Divine Grace School in California, USA.
Her three eldest children graduated from Christondom college, Virginia USA, Thomas More College, New Hampshire, and Thomas Aquinas College, California, all three withLiberal Arts Degrees. Her second eldest continued to do a second degree in Philosophy at the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome, and is currently studying for a Masters Degree in Theology, through Franciscan University of Steubenville at their Austrian campus.
Jenni resides currently, by the sea, in Norfolk, England with her Scottish husband and her three school aged children. She has two grandchildren and runs a home based health and wellness business along with homeschool consulting.
Finally, remember sweet mommas…
You are doing beautiful work!
