Kids Discover Talks with Shelby Dersa

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your homeschooling journey?

I was once a young mom who was homeschooling my first child and working in the mental health field at the same time. As life changed and I had more children, I left my job to stay home and educate all of them. What I thought was the end of my own personal growth towards a career, turned out to be a new and very exciting beginning.

I didn’t plan on homeschooling, but 12 years ago, my daughter had just finished kindergarten and was struggling with learning differences. I pulled her out of school with the intention to put her back in after first grade once she was caught up.

Once I started homeschooling, we both fell in love with it, so we decided to proceed with second grade. Her difficulties with reading had started to improve, so I assumed everything would keep improving. However, when the second grade words were too hard for her to read or spell, I recognized the signs of dyslexia. 

Worried that I wasn’t the right person to help her, I talked to the director of special education at our school district. She said that our schools didn’t evaluate for dyslexia at the time, and even if she were to get a diagnosis elsewhere, they wouldn’t have professionals trained to help her or even the resources to do so. She also said that dyslexia is a medical issue, not a learning issue, which was very inaccurate. Luckily, the Michigan Dyslexia Institute was a half hour drive away. With the help of a specialized tutor who was trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading and also a curriculum that I bought and used at home that aligned with the same method, my daughter was reading at grade level by the end of fifth grade. 

My daughter continued to be homeschooled until graduating this past Spring. My two younger sons  have been homeschooled as well and will continue to be until they graduate. All of my kids have different learning needs and personalities of their own. I have been able to tailor each of their educations to fit them perfectly. 

Over the years, I used my passion and knowledge of homeschooling to encourage other moms to be brave enough to take the leap. With a large following on social media and three published books under my belt, homeschooling has been a large part of my life between my new career as a writer and also being the teacher to all of my children.

Do you remember how you first discovered Kids Discover growing up?

The first time I saw a Kid’s Discover magazine was in the waiting room at a doctor’s office. I was about 8 years old. I was immediately intrigued and ripped out the little slip at the back of the book that allowed you to request a subscription, then begged my mom to order them for me. 

Did you have a favorite issue as a kid? 

I specifically remember the Pioneer issue. I thought it was so interesting to see how people lived long ago. I thought to myself, “why didn’t we learn this stuff in school?” The funny thing is, we probably did, but it was probably not presented to me in a fun enough way for me to pay attention.

What role did Kids Discover play in your early education or love of learning?

 I did not love school, but I did love learning on my own. When a topic interested me, I’d study it at my desk in my room using books I picked up from the library. The Kids Discover magazines were a part of my self-led learning activities. My mom thought it was odd that I was not excited about learning at school, but that I’d come home and study on my own about topics that I didn’t even “have” to study. 

Now that you’re a parent, what made you return to Kids Discover for your own children?

I enjoyed learning about topics that interested me so much, that I wanted to provide the same opportunities for my old children. I wanted them to learn from many different resources as well, not just a typical text book.

How do you typically incorporate the magazines into your homeschool routine?

I find magazines that relate to the topics we will be discussing for history or science, or ones that cover topics that I know my kids have already taken an interest in. I like to have independent study time which involves the kids being able to study whatever they want during that time, and these are one of the resources I provide as an option to use.

What’s been your kids’ favorite topic or issue so far?

The Space issue which featured a tour of a black hole was one of my kids favorites. They seem to be the most intrigued by mysterious topics.

What do you think sets Kids Discover apart from other educational resources?

What sets these magazines apart are the bite sized chunks of fun information mixed in with activity ideas and little puzzles and other activities for children to do that are spread throughout them. Kids do enjoy learning if the approach is the right one, and I believe that Kids Discover has hit the nail on the head with the right approach. 

What advice would you give to other homeschooling families looking for engaging, high-quality learning materials?

My best advice is to not close yourself off from all of the learning resources that exist by only providing your kids with materials meant for homeschooling. Just because we are homeschool families, doesn’t mean we can’t utilize all of the wonderful educational resources that the world has to offer, such as the Kids Discover Magazines.