“When you have kids, they're not a plan to be executed.”
Samantha Ponder is still working out the kinks as she embarks on her homeschooling era.
The 39-year-old former sportscaster, who was a regular on ESPN from 2011 to 2024, shares three kids — daughters Scout, 10, and Price, 6, and son Robinson, 8 — with former NFL quarterback Christian Ponder.
She revealed her decision to homeschool her children in an Instagram post on May 31.
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“I’m just a homeschool mom these days (lol that still sounds so weird) but wanted to check in and say hi and thanks for all the love and concern,” she wrote in the caption.
The post marked Samantha Ponder’s return to Instagram since being fired by ESPN in August 2024.
“Just here to tell ya God is faithful on the way up the mountain and on the way down. He sets one up and another down and disciplines those he loves,” she added in the caption.
“After 20 years of talking, it’s been a season of listening,” she concluded.
On June 11, Samantha Ponder took to Instagram to share an update on her homeschooling journey thus far.
“For everyone asking about our homeschool journey so far… let’s just say it’s been an adventure!” she wrote in the caption alongside a video collage of her and her three kids.
“Never thought I would do it but it has been the most special season,” she said of the experience.
In the video, the family can be seen touring various historic places and landmarks across the country — including the White House, Harvard, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Morgan Library & Museum.
“The city is our classroom!” the mother of three wrote in the caption.
She also revealed that she’s using a “Classical Christian” model when it comes to her kids’ education.
According to the Association of Classical Christian Schools, a “Classical Christian Education” (CCE) is one that “establishes a biblical worldview” and teaches kids the seven Christian virtues and Trivium.
Not only that, but the former “NFL Sunday Countdown” host is even using AI to help with the process.
“ChatGPT has actually been an incredible resource for planning and executing education in ways I never could have done on my own,” she wrote in the caption.
And while she said the transition hasn’t been “all smooth sailing,” she knows she made the right decision.
“I’m confident we will never regret this time learning and growing together,” she added.
Homeschooling is on the rise in the United States
Samantha Ponder’s decision to homeschool her children is one many parents are making today.
According to the Pew Research Center, roughly 3.4% of all K-12 students were homeschooled during the 2022-23 academic year — an increase from the 2.8% that were homeschooled pre-COVID 19.
And school safety is one of the biggest reasons why.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 83% of homeschooling parents are concerned about today’s school environment, including safety and peer pressure from other kids.
Other common reasons for homeschooling children include dissatisfaction with academic instruction, a preference to provide moral instruction and a desire to emphasize family life together.
In an interview with Teepee Joy, blogger Amy Roberts argued that homeschooling children not only benefits the kids but also the parents.
“I have learned infinitely more than I did during my own school years, and I am grateful for the opportunity to share these moments of education, observation, discovery and wonderment with my kids,” she said.
Other homeschooling parents alluded to the freedom they have over their child’s curriculum and the opportunity they have to help their child enjoy the learning process.
But it all comes down to the parent’s involvement.
“If the Mom (or primary homeschooling parent) is on top of it and involved, homeschooling will surpass all other educational systems because of her passion,” a former teacher told Teepee Joy.
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“If Mom is lackadaisical, her children will suffer and their education will show it,” the teacher added.
