What do you get when you have four homeschool moms with a combined 150 years of homeschool experience, 26 homeschooled children between them, and a God-led desire to continue serving the homeschool community, even after graduating all of their own? For Margie Abbitt, Pat Wesolowski, Marta Weaver, and Lani Carey, the answer is Titus 2 Academy, a new Tennessee State approved umbrella school.
Before launching Titus 2 Academy, the four women partnered two years ago and started the Homeschool Counseling Team with a goal of “setting families free to homeschool.” Some of the services they offer include academic counseling, transcript preparation, record keeping, and more.
“We ran into issues with colleges when parents submitted a transcript from the Homeschool Counseling Team while being enrolled in a different umbrella school. Parents in Tennessee were either enrolled with another umbrella school (paying their fees and ours for counseling) or registering with the board of education to avoid paying for both,” said Lani. “Colleges required the transcript to come from the school the student was officially registered with, but in some cases the only records were with us.”
The original plan was only to run the Homeschool Counseling Team and serve homeschool families providing personalized counseling guidance.
“We decided to start our own umbrella school because many of our moms in the Homeschool Counseling Team began asking us to consider it, something we honestly had not planned on,” said Lani, who shared prayer was behind the decision to consider the idea as well as choosing a name for the school. “I began praying about it last year, and one night I said, ‘God, if we are supposed to start our own school, you have to give me the name tonight! and He did: Titus 2 Academy. I immediately remembered how many moms had said we were like Titus 2 women: older, wiser women teaching the younger.”
When Lani joined the Homeschool Counseling Team in 2024, she brought with her over 21 years of experience as an academic counselor with HomeLife Academy (HLA), another umbrella school. She currently fills the role as principal of Titus 2 Academy and credits her years with HLA as a great foundation for the position.
“My many years with HLA prepared me in countless ways for this role as principal of an umbrella school. I will always be grateful to David Parkerson for asking me to serve as HLA’s high school counselor in 2003, when the school was just beginning,” said Lani. “I did everything from helping parents register to sending final transcripts to colleges. I also gained invaluable experience counseling parents and students around the world in every situation imaginable. I’ve had the privilege of seeing ‘the end of the story’ for many families and assuring new ones that we will help them succeed!”
Margie, Marta, and Pat also bring years of homeschool counseling experience and have counseled thousands of students and families.
“Over the years, we have learned what works, what doesn’t, how to find successful solutions, and, most importantly, how to listen to parents (and sometimes students) and calm their fears with steady reassurance. We’ve learned how to connect deeply with families as we laugh with them, cry with them, and pray with them,” said Lani. “In our individual homeschooling journeys, which began in the 1980s and early 1990s, we started co-ops and support groups and later tutorials, led workshops, sought out mentors, and passed on that wisdom to others.”
Lani went on to share her vision for Titus 2 Academy, which she describes as a family’s real school—one they can identify with, connect with, and be involved in. As their counselors, they want to be personally known to the students they serve and not just names on paper or a website.
“Over the past two years with the Homeschool Counseling Team, it has been incredibly freeing to help parents build transcripts the way they wanted, based on how their student was learning. We allowed complete flexibility because we were not a school and had no rules limiting what could count as a course. Instead, we helped families create the best transcript for each individual student, no matter how ‘out of the box’ it seemed,” said Lani, who noted the Homeschool Counseling Team will continue serving families that do not need a cover school. “Titus 2 Academy will operate the same way; helping parents choose the best curriculum, course of study, and resources, and building transcripts that truly reflect each student’s strengths, abilities, and passions.”
Big goals lie ahead for Titus 2 Academy as it enters its first academic year. The school is a nonprofit associated with its charity, Words of Wisdom Family Ministry. Plans are to introduce families to veteran, pioneering homeschool moms who shaped the early days of homeschooling. Those stories will be shared through a monthly newsletter, books, podcasts, and social media, giving attention to their legacies they believe are fading.
“God has placed it on our hearts to honor them. A portion of enrollment funds, donations, and Legacy Series book sales will provide scholarships to one or more graduating homeschool students in each honored mom’s city or county. Our first honoree is Mary Hood, known for teaching and writing about Relaxed Homeschooling,” said Lani. “My goal is for our school to help parents return to the heart of homeschooling, where the focus is on the family, not the tools of education. We hope to be a beacon of hope and joy to veteran families who want to finish well and to new families who are overwhelmed by curriculum choices. Ultimately, our goal as the four counselors of Titus 2 Academy is to help families and their students achieve their dreams. Their success is our success, and the more families we can support, the more we feel our God‑given abilities are being used well.”
