#130: Labeled “Mentally Handicapped” After 10 Days: This Mom Said No to Drugs and Built a School Instead

The Homeschool How To

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When the public school system tried to label her six-year-old son as “mentally handicapped” after just 10 days in first grade, Barbie Rivera knew something had to change. What began as a desperate attempt to protect her child from a broken system grew into a thriving micro-school and a mission to transform education for others.

In this episode of The Homeschool How To Podcast, Barbie shares her inspiring journey—from first-time homeschool mom to author and advocate for educational reform rooted in early 20th-century teaching methods.

🔎 What you'll hear in this episode:

How Barbie started homeschooling after her son was nearly medicated and mislabeled
The moment she began charging tuition to teach neighborhood kids as a single mom
Why she believes word definitions are the key to all learning
How modern schools skip fundamentals and overwhelm students too early
The transformation of a struggling student from first-grade to third-grade reading level in just six weeks
How a grateful parent is helping her launch her school
Barbie’s passion for vintage textbooks and classical teaching techniques
Her emphasis on mastery, deep understanding, and life skills over test scores
How her children learned to become young entrepreneurs through tutoring
Her upcoming curriculum based on time-tested educational methods

📚 Explore more:
Check out Barbie’s book, Enough is Enough: Exposing the Education System After Their Failed Attempt to Label and Drug My Son, available on Amazon.
Visit barbierivera.com for resources, vintage-style curriculum, and more on her educational philosophy.

🎧 Episode Chapters
00:00 – Homeschool Journey Introduction
07:43 – Escaping Labels and Medication
14:16 – Creating a Micro-School at Home
26:48 – The Power of Understanding Word Definitions
38:11 – Traditional Education vs. Meaningful Learning
47:52 – Rebuilding Education From Historical Methods
53:14 – Raising Independent Critical Thinkers

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Chapters

1. Homeschool Journey Introduction (00:00:00)

2. Escaping Labels and Medication (00:07:43)

3. Creating a Micro-School at Home (00:14:16)

4. The Power of Understanding Word Definitions (00:26:48)

5. Traditional Education vs Meaningful Learning (00:38:11)

6. Rebuilding Education From Historical Methods (00:47:52)

7. Raising Independent Critical Thinkers (00:53:14)

143 episodes

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