Taking our Thinking Outside of the Classroom and Into the World.
My name is Kristen and I am a happy homeschooling mother of three.
There was a time, not so long ago, that I had this preconceived notion that homeschooling families were- well, to put it bluntly, weird. Unsocialized. Even primitive, perhaps? Where and when I acquired this misconception I couldn’t say, but there it was.
So, when I found myself scouring the local educational landscape for my oldest daughter’s future options, I purposely kept pushing aside information on homeschooling. No, not for me, I assumed. I delved into the more mainstream options of public, private and charter schools. I attended open houses and poured over budget reports. I signed up for parent’s monthly newsletters to the schools that peaked further interest. I sat in on classes and studied the teachers, the interaction of the students, I even made note of the posters hanging on the walls. My options whittled down rapidly and I found myself downhearted.
Insert a chance meeting with two homeschooling families; families most social and not at all backwater. The children were not the weird wall-flowers I had envisioned. They were creative and independent and refreshingly outside-the-box. The families, close and tight-knit, but not overbearing or secluded. I spent more time with them, learned from them, watched them, and was the grateful recipient of a wide assortment of teaching books and materials and countless phone calls of advice and support. I networked and met many more homeschooling families and joined local groups and co-ops. I never imagined the homeschooling community being so large and blissfully diverse. I am constantly awed by the amount of support and the limitless teaching opportunities available to the truly dedicated parent. And now, after my initial hesitation, I am so very, very grateful that my family will be embarking on this road together.
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