021: Growing Up Roadschooled with Kelsey of Positively Delighted

Published by This Indulgent Life on June 18, 2019June 18, 2019

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Have you ever wondered how your kids would do in life if you took them out of school to homeschool them and travel fulltime? Kelsey, the author of Growing Up Roadschooled, shares the good and the difficulties of being homeschooled on the road as a teenager.

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While I mostly interview parents for the podcast, when I “met” Kelsey in a facebook group I knew I needed to get her perspective! So many parents wonder how they can make it work and how their kids will turn out. It’s this big unknown of how to make it all work. So that’s why I asked Kelsey on, she has so many unique perspectives as the kid who grew up being homeschooled. Not only that, but she was a pre-teen when she started, an age most families feel won’t work anymore, which makes this podcast extra special!

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Congrats to Kelsey on the launch of her new book!!! Officially released the day this podcast came out!

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Who is Kelsey of Positively Delighted & Growing Up Roadschooled?

growing up roadschooled music

Kelsey is a singer/songwriter, podcaster, digital nomad, Laughter Yoga Leader, and coloring page creator. She creates happiness resources and helps others achieve a positive mindset at PositivelyDelighted.com. Her passion for positivity and self-esteem began during her unique childhood growing up roadschooled in an RV from ages 11-17. She is a certified Canfield Success Trainer and Happy For No Reason Trainer and uses these programs to teach the habits of happiness. You can find her traveling the country and running her business on the road from her converted glamper CR-V.

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In This Interview With Kelsey We Cover:

Growing Up Roadschooled

When her dad’s job was moving to California full-time, her family knew it was time for a change. They had moved multiple times and never knew when they would need to move again, but what they did know is they didn’t want to be separated so much or to move a huge house again. So when the choice came down to an RV or a beach condo, Kelsey’s mom jumped at the chance to go tiny and have the chance to travel more.

The picture Kelsey describes in the podcast showcasing how self-conscious she was about her smile.

Accessing education in real life.

Soon after their house sold, Kelsey’s father suddenly had the opportunity to live in Paris for 6 weeks. And with nothing holding them back they started their traveling journey together in France. After that experience, they moved into their 5th wheel and began taking trips around the USA. Both experiences allowed Kelsey to see the world not just through textbooks, but in real life too.

It doesn’t mean she appreciated it at the time though. Kelsey reflects on how amazing the opportunities that she had were but also advises to give your child more a say in what the family is doing. That ownership is going to help them be more involved and appreciative of the experiences.

Sheila from Behind Everyday also speaks to her experience with being forced to appreciate trips as a kid and how she’s approached it as an adult.

What she would change if she were to roadschool again.

There are many lessons Kelsey learned from the experience of being a traveling homeschooler. From voicing how important having her own closed-off space was to realizing how much control she had over her own education. One of the biggest changes she would have made would have been her curriculum. She was using Abeka, and while she was grateful for the structure at first, it quickly became too overwhelming. It required 8 hours of classwork a day, more than even in traditional schooling, and with the traveling, she was often falling behind.

At a homeschooling conference, she learned about unschooling and it changed her life. She put together a proposal to her family, passed the SAT and GED and was accepted into college all so she could finally study subjects like forensics and mythology that she was interested in.

Learning Genetics as an unschooler

The bedroom Kelsey’s mom made for her in the 5th wheel. The privacy she desperately needed as a teenager.

Learning to find better friends.

So was she socially awkward going to college after growing up roadschooled? Nope. She threw herself into extracurricular activities and made lots of friends. One area she said she did struggle with was learning how to find true friends. She grew up roadschooling in a time before Fulltime Families and The Road Life Project and so didn’t have as much access to other kids her age. So she felt that she had to befriend anyone and everyone which became a problem for her. But truthfully, this is something most people, especially girls go through, so I think it’s less to do with being roadschooled and more to do with growing up.

graduating college as a roadschooler

The Mission of Positively Delighted

Positively Delighted stems from Kelsey’s passion for positive thinking. When Kelsey was 12 her mom brought home the movie, The Secret, and the idea of mindset and manifesting changed the course of Kelsey’s life.

After college Kelsey got a corporate job, a job many people dream of, but she felt lost and felt the pressure of society to stay in a job despite how miserable she was. It was through the transition of going from feeling broken and restricted to finding her inner roadschooled kid that she was able to realize a long forgotten dream of inspiring others.

Now she is certified by the same people she once looked up to from the film “The Secret”! Her goal is to help families, girls especially, learn how to feel confident and empowered. If you listen to the podcast, she has lots of great insight on how to do this and why!

Kelsey from Positively Delighted with her family