Cathy Duffy is the author of multiple books, including 103 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. She is also the founder of the long-standing website Cathy Duffy Reviews.
My name is Jackie. I’m a homeschool mom and the founder of HomeSchool ThinkTank. I’ve had the opportunity to interview Cathy Duffy on two separate occasions. These interviews are full of information that every homeschool parent should know.
- Interview #1 with Cathy Duffy: In my first interesting HomeSchool ThinkTank interview with Cathy Duffy, you’ll get to know the woman behind the website.
- Interview #2 with Cathy Duffy: During my second interview with Cathy Duffy, we spoke at length about ideas that parents might consider before purchasing any homeschool curriculum.
Below, you’ll find videos, podcast episodes, and more information about Cathy Duffy’s books and website. Near the bottom of this page, you can access lists with links to books, websites, and other resources mentioned in our conversation. Whether you’re a new homeschooler or have been a part of the homeschooling community for years, you will discover inspiration in these interviews.
Cathy Duffy Interviews: Watch the Videos or Listen to the Podcast Episodes
Cathy Duffy is among the pioneer homeschooling parents in America. In our conversation, she shares some of her personal homeschool story and a wealth of knowledge and wisdom.
According to Cathy Duffy, “The things we [homeschooling parents] had to be concerned about were very different than now.”
Whether you watch the videos or listen to the podcast episodes, you’ll be fascinated by Cathy Duffy’s stories and learn more about the history of homeschooling and education.
Video Interview #1: Cathy Duffy on Homeschooling
Cathy Duffy: The Queen of Homeschool Curriculum
While Cathy Duffy is the queen of homeschooling curriculum, my first interview with Cathy is about more than textbooks. During our conversation, we talk about the broader topics of homeschooling, public school, the role of government in education, and parenting.
In this day and age, at least in the United States, we tend to take homeschooling for granted. However, not so long ago, parents weren’t sure if home schooling was legal. Home schooling wasn’t common, and most people didn’t know what it was.
In my first interview with Cathy Duffy, you’ll hear how Cathy learned that her kids were afraid they might go to jail because they were home schooling. During the 1980s, it was unclear whether homeschooling was legal or illegal.
Interview #1 with Cathy Duffy: The Woman Behind the Website
In My First Interview with Cathy Duffy, You’ll Learn…
- How Cathy and her children had to be very careful about what they said to people when they were out and about during school hours.
- About Cathy’s homeschooling journey during the 1980s.
- How her children did unit studies (before there were unit studies).
- Why Cathy’s kids thought they might go to jail!
- How pioneer homeschooling parents, like Zan and Joe Tyler, helped protect both homeschooling and parenting rights.
- The reason it was difficult to get curriculum and teacher’s guides.
- How from the beginning, Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and Christian Home Educators Association (CHEA) were focused on family rights. During the 1980s, many court battles were fought so parents could legally educate their children from home.
- About the risks parents took to home school their children.
- How schools were created so that government entities could control what children learned.
- Why homeschool freedom gets whittled away when homeschooled kids partake in publicly funded education programs.
- About the roots of her website, Cathy Duffy Reviews. Hint: it started before the internet.
In my first interview with Cathy Duffy, we discuss the book Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto. In my opinion, this is a book that every parent should read.
Stone vs Graham Supreme Court Case
Due to the 1980 Supreme Court Case, Stone vs Graham, many parents began home schooling their children. This Supreme Court case deemed that displaying The Ten Commandments in public schools was unconstitutional. As a result, many Christian parents across the United States began pulling their children out of school and home schooling them.
Homeschool vs Home School: Is Homeschooling One or Two Words?
In the 1980s, home school was spelled as two words. Today, homeschooling is a common word that is usually spelled as one word.
In My Conversation with Cathy Duffy, You’ll Also Hear About…
- How homeschooling is also about family restoration.
- Books homeschooling parents should read.
- How compulsory education laws were put in place to force those who didn’t conform to be like others.
- Why parents should embrace experiential education along with curriculum.
- How one of Cathy’s sons preferred to do math at night.
- The differences between school and education.
- About non-traditional online resources your kids might like.
- A conversation about the benefits of doing school in the morning vs later in the day.
- Why starting college early could be a mistake.
- How schools waste time.
- Co-creating learning goals with your kids.
Cathy Duffy Interview #2: How to Choose Homeschool Curriculum
Cathy Duffy on Organic Learning & Unit Studies
During our interview, I asked Cathy the following question.
“Based on your experiences teaching your own children and reviewing so much curriculum, what strategies and tips do you have for parents?
I’m not a good one for most people to emulate because I really cobble things together.
I made up a lot of things from scratch.
We created unit studies from the beginning. Before there were units studies published out there, we were making up unit studies.
One of the things I wanted to do when we first started homeschooling, and again, you know, the kids were just so worried about the whole thing.
I said, ‘Well, we can go to the beach in September when the other kids are in school,’ which we did.
And we lived close enough to the beach and I’d grown up near the beach. And that day, a school of dolphins swam by right off shore, which I had not seen before. They swam in close, just a whole big school of dolphins.
And so that raised some questions.
There were a lot of undestroyed seashells on the shore that day, which is unusual also. Usually they’re crumbs by the time they get on the shore here.
And so it just kind of dumped an oceans unit study in my lap because we had all these interesting questions from our day at the beach.
And I said, ‘Well, let’s go ahead and capitalize on that.’
So we got books from the library, read about Pagoo, the hermit crab, and some of these other things. We just had fun with it.
We learned about the ocean and about sea creatures and shells. It just kind of, it happened.
It happened very organically and we enjoyed learning that way. And so, we just continued to do that with a lot of other subjects.
I actually think that’s where the best learning comes in, is when it is more organic.
Cathy Duffy. This conversation has been slightly edited for readability.
Final Thoughts from Cathy Duffy
Near the end of our conversation, I asked Cathy this question.
“Are there any parting thoughts that you have, any real messages that you want my listeners, the people who are following HomeSchool ThinkTank to hear?”
“I think the best advice I would have is to trust yourself, rather than other people telling you what to do.
You know your kids, you care about them more than anyone else does.
So trust yourself, your instincts with what your children are telling you, what you’re reading, you know, as you’re observing them.
You’ll learn from that and you’ll figure out what’s best to do that way, much more so than what a school is telling you to do you.
Don’t be afraid to jump ship from somebody else’s plan.
This is what we really should be wanting for our children.
Not that they learn how to be consumers of learning, that’s spoon fed to them, but that they can know what they need to know, what they want to know, what they’re curious about.
They can go out and find that information. And of course it’s so much easier now than it was before to get information.”
Cathy Duffy. HomeSchool ThinkTank Parenting Podcast.
Join parents in more than 100 countries and listen to the HomeSchool ThinkTank Parenting Podcast.
103 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum: Book Review & Curriculum Chat with Cathy Duffy
In my second interview with Cathy Duffy, we discuss homeschooling curriculum. Watch this interview to understand factors you should consider before purchasing homeschool curricula for your kids. 103 Top Picks is a practical guide that will help you choose the best curriculum for your child.
Cathy Duffy Reviews & Books
Be sure to pick up Cathy Duffy’s book, 103 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. From elementary grades to high school, you’re sure to find curriculum that’s a good fit for your child’s learning style and grade level. Here’s how you can learn more about Cathy’s reviews.
- Cathy Duffy Reviews: Cathy’s website makes it easy to choose the right curriculum for your child.
- 101 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum: Many of Cathy’s top picks from this edition are still available today.
- 102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum: Cathy Duffy’s reviews are helpful to any homeschool parent.
- 103 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum: The new book is only available as an ebook from Cathy Duffy Reviews.
“Who gets to control what children learn controls the future.”
Cathy Duffy on the HomeSchool ThinkTank Parenting Podcast.
Podcast Episodes with Cathy Duffy
My first interview with Cathy Duffy is full of information and insight about homeschooling, parenting, and education. The second interview is about how to choose homeschool curriculum.
- Podcast Interview #1: Interview with Cathy Duffy: The Queen of Homeschool Curriculum.
- Podcast Interview #2: How to Choose Homeschool Curriculum with Cathy Duffy.
p.s. These podcast episodes are the same as the two videos on this page.
Helpful Homeschool Resources, Curriculum & Information
Whether you’re looking for a specific subject area or fun games or want to learn about different ways to homeschool your kids, we have you covered. Discover a helpful resource today.
- Unit Studies
- Science Curriculum
- Spelling Resources and Curriculum
- Handwriting Information and Curriculum
- Math Curriculum, Games, and Manipulatives
- Reading Resources
- History Podcasts and Curriculum
- Language Arts Curriculum
- Foreign Language: Learn French
- Geography Quizzes for Fun
- Charlotte Mason Homeschooling
- Understanding Classical Education
- Different Approaches to Homeschooling
- More Curriculum
Resources Mentioned in the Cathy Duffy Podcast & Video Interview
- Dumbing Us Down and more books by John Taylor Gatto
- Free to Learn by Peter Gray
- Teaching Textbooks
- Unit Studies
- Self-Directed Learning
Unit Studies and Books about the Ocean
- Unit Studies
- Pagoo the Hermit Crab by Holling C. Holling and Lucille Webster Holling
- More children’s books about hermit crabs.
- Dolphin books for kids.
- Books about the ocean.
More Articles, Videos, & Podcast Episodes for You
- Coaching for Homeschool Parents
- How Homeschoolers Make Friends
- Make Homeschooling Fun!
- Inspiration for Homeschool Moms
- Mindset Mondays for Homeschool Parents
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2018-2024+. HomeSchool ThinkTank, LLC. All Rights Reserved.