Greetings!

In this week's podcast, I talk with Dave Hoffman, who spent decades as a public school teacher and administrator before joining BYU Independent Study.

Meanwhile, all six of his own kids were mainly unschooled. They turned out just fine—better than fine, actually. 

Let's dive in.

THOUGHT: Mind the Gap
TREND: Be a Plane Full of Yes
TOOL: BYU Independent Study

Mind the Gap

Everyone worries about homeschool "gaps"—missing algebra, skipped geometry, incomplete transcripts. But Dave Hoffman, a former public school administrator who unschooled all six of his kids, noticed a different gap: schools teach kids to follow instructions, not solve problems.

His son wasn't great at textbook math. Today, he calculates laser-level excavation for a living—slopes, grades, elevation to the inch. Real-world problem-solving that actually matters.

Meanwhile, Dave manages adults who freeze when asked to strategize. "I can't get some of them to think past, 'What do you want me to do on this?'" They were trained to check boxes, not create solutions.

None of Dave's kids went to college. All six out-earn him. All are confident, independent problem-solvers. Turns out the gap that matters isn't algebra. It's initiative.

Watch the clip

A Plane Full of Yes

Dave fights rigid policies constantly at BYU. Yesterday, he broke the rules to give a 14-year-old foster child a scholarship for a university course they weren't technically eligible for. The kid was aging out of the system, convinced they weren't smart enough for college.

"If this kid can take one class, just one, and feel confident, maybe they'll change their life."

So he ignored the policy.

What gave him the inspiration? A Southwest Airlines napkin: "In a world full of no, we're a plane full of yes."

That's his motto now. There's always a fence, Dave says—and you have to ask, "Why is it here?" If the reasoning is weak, build a gate. Decades inside "Big Education" taught him which fences to ignore.

What if every parent approached learning this way? Default to yes. Question the arbitrary nos. Trust your instinct.

Read the full conversation

BYU Independent Study

BYU Independent Study, where Dave works, is one of the most popular curriculum options among OpenEd families.

What makes it work: You get university-backed curriculum without rigid schedules. Students can pick and choose courses that fit their needs, moving at their own pace. It's the best of both worlds—institutional credibility meets family autonomy.

The Math Program That Finally Clicked

If your kid says "I'm bad at math," try Teaching Textbooks before you believe them. Dave's son went from hating math to passing college algebra at 17—just by finding the right fit. You don't need to be a math expert. You need the right tool.