119: Stop Searching for a Homeschool Community & Start Building One
written by: Elan Page
Sometimes, as homeschool families, it can be difficult to find community. And as families of color, those challenges can be even more pronounced as we set out to find “our people” in the homeschool space (check out my previous piece if you’d like to learn more).
But here's what's also true: that gap is also an opportunity. Because some of the most powerful community spaces in the homeschool world right now were built by parents who got tired of searching and decided to create something instead.
Ashley Peek Gordon is one of those parents. She's a homeschool mom of three in San Antonio, Texas, the co-founder and president of For the Culture Homeschool, and the host of the Secular Homeschool Revolution Podcast.
What started as her personal search for a community has grown into a thriving ecosystem of over 250 families.
And Ashley’s story is equal parts practical blueprint and pure inspiration for anyone who's ever thought: “there has to be something better out there for my family”.
Her Path Into Homeschooling Wasn’t What She Planned
Homeschooling may not have been part of Ashley's original vision, but when her oldest daughter — who has a visual impairment — couldn't get what she needed at school, the path forward became clear.
A slant board. A light at her desk. A seat at the front of the classroom…her needs were simple. Unfortunately, in every environment from public to private to charter school - her daughter's most basic needs went unmet.
So eventually, Ashley was left with no choice: homeschooling was the answer.
What Culturally Affirming Education Looks Like in Practice
Even though Ashley hadn’t originally planned to go the homeschool route, she nonetheless created a clear vision for the learning environment she wanted for her family.
Having grown up in schools where she experienced racial bias firsthand, she knew she wanted to build something different. So her approach to culturally affirming education is intentional, and here are some of the ways she puts it into practice:
- Starting each day with affirmations that affirm who they are and what they're capable of.
- Studying books by authors of color that center characters of color and have storylines that highlight joy rather than trauma.
- Normalizing inclusive representation across identities as part of a full and beautiful world, not as footnote or side story.
- Using curricula that connects her kids’ passions to their learning, making “classic” literature land in a culturally relevant way.
When She Couldn't Find Community, She Built It
Once she had created a very vibrant, thriving learning environment for her kids, her next goal was finding likeminded homeschool families to join forces with.
But the search for homeschool community in San Antonio was hard.
Ashley walked into spaces, started conversations, and showed up consistently. But what she kept finding were microaggressions and not-so-subtle redirects toward other groups that might be a better "fit."
Eventually, enough was enough.
She found two other families who shared her values and her hunger for something different, and together they founded For the Culture Homeschool: a secular, inclusive, diverse co-op and community rooted in honoring Black, brown, and indigenous families.
As it turns out, it wasn’t that they were the only ones in San Antonio who were looking for an inclusive community; they just needed help finding one another. Now For the Culture serves 250+ active families, and it’s growing every year.
Inside the Homeschool Community She Created
For the Culture offers:
- Semester-based co-op classes that have covered the Harlem Renaissance, Intro to Ethnic Studies, and even a class on fascism in America where students drew real-time connections to the current political climate
- A microschool for 8th and 9th graders built around curriculum that centers Black, brown, and indigenous perspectives — including Fishtank Learning, OpenSciEd, and Woke History
- Nearly 70 field trips a year, giving families a low-commitment entry point into the community
- A Microsoft-funded entrepreneurship incubator where kids learn branding, marketing, and product development — and then take their work to a real pop-up market in downtown San Antonio
- Seasonal dances and community events that bring families together beyond the classroom
What began as Ashley and a handful of other families seeking connection has grown into a full education ecosystem - one that keeps expanding because it was built around what the community actually needs.
What Ashley's Story Teaches Us About Homeschooling
Ashley didn't set out to found a community of 250 families; she set out to find people who shared her values.
And when those people didn't exist in the spaces she was searching, she helped create the space herself.
If you’re searching for community and can’t seem to find the right fit, you don't necessarily have to start a full-fledged co-op or launch a microschool.
But Ashley's story is a powerful reminder that the education your child deserves might not already exist in a pre-packaged form waiting for you to find it. Sometimes you have to take what you know, what you value, and what your kid actually needs — and build something new.
Connect with Ashley:
If you're in the San Antonio area — or maybe you’re just looking for inspiration on what culturally affirming homeschool community can look like — Ashley's work is worth following.
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