Author Biographies

Rachel Gathercole was born in Zaragoza, Spain. She spent roughly half of her childhood in a small Kansas town and the other half in the fast-paced metropolis of Miami, Florida. A cheerful, intellectual child, she was educated in some of America's best public schools where she aspired to be a writer, never suspecting that "homeschooling parent" was another option lurking in her future.

Years later, with a diploma from the New World School of the Arts, a Bachelor of Arts with distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and three beautiful homeschooled children, Rachel has become a respected voice in the fields of homeschooling and parenting. In addition to having homeschooled her own children for ten years, she has written numerous articles which have appeared in various homeschooling, parenting, and other publications, including cover story features in Mothering, Life Learning, and other magazines. She has contributed to anthologies such as Loving Mama: Essays on Natural Parenting and Motherhood, edited by Tiffany Palisi, and Life Learning: Lessons From the Educational Frontier, edited by Wendy Priesnitz. She has researched homeschooling, parenting, and children in depth, served as a co-leader of her local home educators' association, taught writing classes to homeschoolers for several years, and interviewed hundreds of homeschooling parents and children across North America. Her education and experience have made her a popular conference speaker on homeschooling and parenting topics.

Today, Rachel is thrilled to have discovered that "homeschooling mother" was not only an option, but a challenging, rewarding path that lay alongside all of her other aspirations, trumping them even as it has helped fulfill them. She believes that caring for children is the most beautiful, important, and fulfilling thing a grown person can do. "Every morning I wake up feeling I've won the lottery," she says. "I am very grateful for the life I have, and I want to help others find their winning lottery ticket, too. That's what keeps me writing." Rachel also enjoys dancing, watching movies, talking with friends, listening to music, and singing along.