Finding Your Homeschooling Tribe

Homeschooling allows you to meet incredible people, in real life, and digitally. The community tends to be quite generous and will share their experiences, resources, suggestions, etc. to help those just getting started. We come from many different backgrounds, belief systems, socioeconomic strata, political views and such, but we all march to the beat of a different drummer. To even consider homeschooling you have to be an "out of the box" thinker and it takes quite a bit of courage to take your child's entire education into your own hands.

I don't know how people homeschooled before the advent of the internet, social networks like Facebook, online forums (message boards), homeschool co-ops, and e-books, but I am grateful that they led the way. The blogs, books, free lesson plans, web sites, and link lists that other homeschooling parents have posted make it so much easier to homeschool on just about any budget. Park days, group physical education classes, and field trips organized by homeschooling groups or individual families mean that your child doesn't miss out on some of the best experiences that traditional schools offer. If there is a subject you aren't confident teaching, it's very likely that you can find a parent or teacher willing to exchange teaching time (you teach art to their children and they teach science to yours). With Skype (online video chat) you can have mentors from all over the country work with your kids in the comfort of your own home. Also ask friends and family members to include your kids in their hobbies. You would be amazed at the amount of math, science, writing, vocabulary and science kids can pick up (or develop an interest in) from fishing, model trains, going to a construction site, star gazing, etc. Think of friends and family that have cool occupations and interests, ask people what they majored in in college or have an affinity for, put a post on your FB wall asking that people post their hobbies, and you will find so many resources! People are willing to help if you ask.

I've found so many great friends lately through homeschooling and it's allowed me to learn so much in a short time. They've shared their experiences and allowed me to learn from their mistakes, borrow curricula to try out before we buy, and shared what worked for them if their kids have a similar learning style.

So join some Yahoo Groups (search for your city or state and homeschooling), check out "The Well Trained Mind" message boards even if you're an unschooler, go to SecularHomeschool.com and read questions others have asked or post your own, find other homeschoolers by joining the Facebook groups of homeschooling sites like Virginia Homeschoolers, check out blogs by people in your area, etc. 90% of the time your favorite resources will have a Facebook group where you can meet like minded people for support. You can even create a separate "homeschool identity" if you want to keep it separate from your personal FB page (try using a middle initial, leave out your maiden name, or use your first name and a description so you are only sharing what you choose to with people you don't know.

Don't be shy about sending a nice messasge introducing yourself along with a Friend Request (let them know where you saw their comments, i.e. "I saw you on the Virginia Homeschoolers board and it sounds like we have a lot in common..."). This will make your homeschooling experience so much easier and enjoyable.