Jo Helen Murphy is Leading the Way in Texarkana USA

Jo Murphy is a stay-at-home mother of six. She comes from a family of educators and planned on a career in teaching from a young age. She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas. She became passionate about homeschooling when her firstborn began showing signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder. She now says that homeschooling is the opportunity to do what she loves the most with the people she loves the most. In 2014, Jo and her husband Brian began pursuing adoption through foster care.

In thirteen months, their family grew from three to six children. That which had been a relatively cush job morphed into madness. While maintaining her strong desire to keep autonomy over her students’ curriculum and development, she became more and more aware that she needed help.

She discovered University-Models for homeschooling families. This pattern of instruction allows families to pay a qualified instructor to teach individual courses, rather than tuition for an entire class load. Texarkana Regional Alliance of Christian Educators (TRACE) was born from this model. The teachers cover the tough elements of their class, assign homework, and give feedback. One teacher at TRACE has described the school as a scaffolding to support homeschooling. That is exactly what Jo wants.

This year, TRACE has 50 students. It offers 16 classes, including core subjects, World Languages, Choir, and Art. In time, Jo plans to offer enough classes to fill a high school transcript, as well as offering a selection of Sports. It is her hope that TRACE will help more families find success in their homeschooling journey.