In the second half of Nathan’s interview with Mike Smith, they walk through the intense 2018 legislative fight sparked by an abuse case mischaracterized as a homeschool issue. Massive mobilization by homeschool families—thousands making phone calls, as well as over 3,000 showing up at the Capitol and 1,300 testifying—ultimately stopped these bills, one that was removed by the author and one that died because no committee member would even motion to vote on it.
Nathan and Mike reflect on God’s faithfulness, the growth of homeschooling, and the partnerships among FPM, HSLDA, and CHEA that have preserved homeschool freedom in California. Mike shares encouragement for new homeschool families, advice for persevering through hard seasons, and honors the legacy of his late wife Elizabeth, a longtime advocate, prayer warrior, and champion for homeschoolers.
“The partnership that exists between Family Protection Ministry, Christian Home Educators of California, and HSLDA is unlike any other. And I truly believe because of that partnership and God’s overriding blessing, you have the freedom you have in California today to be able to homeschool your children relatively free of government interference and oversight.” – Mike Smith
“Well, the reason that we homeschool is because we love our children and we want what’s best for them. That’s the foundation of what this is about. So if you come to the belief that the best thing you could do educationally and morally for your children is to homeschool them, God will bless you for that because you made the right decision. The majority of the people will not make that decision. Why? Because it’s hard. It’s hard to do. And so to do something really, really hard, you have to believe it’s the right thing to do. That’s the first decision you come to. It’s right. And then to continue to do it when it really gets hard is to be encouraged by the success that goes before you. And there are huge and tremendous successes of how children do their homeschool.” – Mike Smith
