A Steady Hand Through Every Move

Through almost two decades, Yanira and Douglas Hernández have packed up their homeschool five times—thrice in California, once in Texas, and once in Virginia. Each move brought new laws, new communities, and new concerns about how to continue homeschooling with support and peace of mind.

Through it all, one thing remained constant: the support they’ve found in HSLDA. “Anytime I felt terrified about the rules or whether I was doing it right, HSLDA was there,” Yanira said. “They gave me peace.”

Finding courage in California

Yanira and Douglas Hernández’s oldest son, Dougie, began school by attending kindergarten in 2006 at a Christian school in Downey, California. The family loved it.

But after the family moved to Lancaster, California due to Douglas’s job as a pastor serving the Hispanic community, they had to switch Dougie to a public school for 1st grade. The first three months were rough for the family—Dougie came home crying every day.

“This is too much,” Yanira recalled thinking. She volunteered to help in class for three hours to understand more of Dougie’s experience. After only an hour of being there, she knew something had to change. “I went to the bathroom, called my husband, and told him, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to do it, but we’re going to homeschool.’”

She described the experience in the classroom as chaotic, and she felt she could provide a better education to her child at home, where her son felt safe and at peace. A couple of her friends were homeschooling, and they encouraged her to try it out as an alternative for Dougie.   

“I was terrified the school would do something if I withdrew Dougie in order to homeschool,” she said. “But I felt at peace when I found HSLDA online.” So, before pulling Dougie out, Yanira reached out to HSLDA. “They counseled me through the process.”

Yanira was also able to find a homeschool group called Desert Christian Schools Home Education Program through HSLDA’s website.

This new community and the sense of peace that HSLDA brought Yanira and Douglas became anchors as they adjusted to their new status as a homeschooling family, welcomed their second child Nicolás, and moved twice more.

When the family moved to Culver City, California, in 2010, they continued homeschooling, even though there were not as many homeschooling families in the area as in Lancaster.

Yanira’s HSLDA membership cards throughout the years, copies of the HSLDA magazine, and an encouraging letter she received from our Membership department. 

One time, Yanira took a 10-year-old Dougie to an optometrist appointment. They met an older man who was also there for an appointment. He was impressed with how well-rounded Dougie was, carrying on a 20-minute conversation with him. According to Yanira, the man told Dougie, “You are very intelligent. I know it’s due to our district schools.”

“Dougie immediately said in a soft voice, ‘I’m homeschooled,’ and the man looked at me with a surprised face,” Yanira said. “Then he said, ‘Your parents are teaching you very well.’”

Then in 2014, they moved again. This time, their new home was in Orange County, California, where their third child, Abigail, was born.

In a moment of financial hardship, Yanira decided to use the district’s curriculum in their homeschool to save money, but it just didn’t fit her children’s learning needs. Through HSLDA, she was able to connect with a homeschool group called Bethel Baptist Academy that helped her find used curriculum that better fit Dougie’s needs.

But not everything was the way Yanira imagined. With financial struggles and uncertainty looming, she frequently felt discouraged. She said receiving and reading HSLDA’s Court Report magazines helped her keep going. “Reading so many inspiring stories motivated me to keep pressing on to teach our kids, especially through difficult times,” she said.

To this day, she also keeps an HSLDA card she received from our Membership department that acknowledged homeschooling is hard, motivated her to keep moving forward, and invited her to reach out if she ever needed our help.

A card from HSLDA with a warm and inspiring message that Yanira received years ago. 

“I kept that card with me all these years,” she said. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for us,” she said.

A new chapter in Texas

When the Hernández family later moved to Houston in 2015, they initially thought they might not need to continue homeschooling.

“‘Texas district schools are good,’ I thought,” Yanira said. “But when I get there, I’m like ‘oh, no.’” She found a gap in the quality of education, so she decided to continue homeschooling.

In contrast to her experience in California, Texas surprised her with how widespread and welcoming the homeschool culture was. “It was incredible,” she said. “Your neighbor homeschools.”

“I went to HSLDA’s website,” she said, “and God opened the doors.” She found the Tomball Classes for Homeschoolers co-op, where she was able to drop Nicolás off so he wouldn’t fall behind in his studies. “He had a beautiful experience,” she said.

This was especially helpful after Douglas suffered an adverse vaccine reaction, and he had to spend countless days at the hospital. Yanira stayed with him to help care for him.

During their time in Texas, Dougie and Nicolás got involved in their church’s youth choir, worship bands, and Hispanic outreach events. Dougie played the guitar and Nicolás the drums.

“We’ve served the Hispanic community for most of our lives,” Yanira said. While she and Douglas were raised in the United States and speak English more than Spanish, they are of Hispanic descent and hold a special place in their heart for the Hispanic community.

That affection extends to music and art as well.

“In our homeschool, my husband has been the music teacher,” Yanira said. He began teaching Dougie to play the guitar at age 7, and Nicolás the drums at age 6. And Abigail is now learning to play piano at the age of 12. (She also did so well at ballet that she jumped two levels up when she first started, Yanira added.) 

Nicolás, Abigail, and Dougie (left to right). 

“We’re definitely an artistically inclined family,” Dougie once told Yanira.

During their time in Houston, Dougie took dual-credit courses at Lone Star Community College. Now 25 years old, he is a professional soccer coach for the Houston Futsal Club, where he loves his job, the staff, and the kids he coaches.

Starting fresh in Virginia

This past summer, the Hernández family moved again, this time to Winchester, Virginia, for Douglas to start a Spanish-language ministry. Yanira quickly began researching the state’s homeschool requirements. “HSLDA helped me fill out the form [to homeschool],” she said, grateful once again for the clarity and confidence she found online.

She plans to continue homeschooling Abby. As for Nicolás, he’s 17 and just started a new job as a cashier. “He feels so confident, and he says it’s because of homeschooling,” Yanira said. He also belongs to a homeschool co-op called Students Are Inspired Learners (SAIL), where he takes finance, government and economics, and laboratory classes.  

Yanira and Douglas have also connected with other families in their new church. “This is such a blessing, what HSLDA does for us,” she said. “They have been there for me since the beginning of my homeschool journey. Humbly, I tell you, I’ve been grateful.”

Recently, the family was able to stop by HSLDA’s headquarters in Purcellville, Virginia.

Douglas, Yanira, Abigail, and Nicolás (left to right) at HSLDA’s entrance. 

HSLDA’s help is not the only thing Yanira’s thankful for—her husband’s support throughout the years is something she cherishes deeply.

“He has been our number one supporter from the beginning of our homeschool journey,” she said. “Our kids and I are grateful to the Lord for his heart, for everything he has done and still continues to do.”