Homeschooling Today (page 3)

Many homeschoolers find support and inspiration in local, "inclusive" support groups, open to anyone with an interest in homeschooling. Local support group members might hold regular park days and organize field trips, classes, or other activities. Some families have special interests and thus enjoy support groups that help them grow in a particular area. Today, homeschooling support groups also exist for people of various ethnic and religious groups. Single parents and parents of children with special needs will also find homeschooling groups willing to help them, as will those with varied educational philosophies—deschoolers, unschoolers, and those who favor more structured approaches.

Families make the decision to homeschool out of a strong commitment to their children. We may have removed our children from schools, unhappy that our children's needs and interests were not adequately met. Parents who view living and learning as a holistic process tend to proclaim, "We've homeschooled since birth!" Some of us make the decision to homeschool based on our desire to nurture strong family relationships. Some of us may be confident from the beginning that we can do better than public schools; others may be less confident, but willing to take the risk. Some homeschooling parents are themselves educators or former PTA leaders, but many successful homeschooling parents have no special credentials at all, other than a concern that their children be allowed to develop to their fullest potentials, in whatever forms those potentials might take.

Once they decide to homeschool, most families find that they have embarked upon a truly exciting and ultimately rewarding adventure. Like many other homeschooling parents, you yourself might have the sensation that life has slowed down, and that all of you in your family have more time to spend with one another. Not uncommonly, children who have attended school need to have some time to "deschool"; they undergo a transitional period in which they gradually discover their own rhythms and interests. At first, you might feel that your day needs structure. Drawing upon your own memories of school, you might try to hold school at home. However, as your family relaxes into the natural rhythm of life, you probably will learn to trust your children, and yourself, as you begin to recognize your children's natural aptitudes and curiosity. You might come to realize that children don't have to be rewarded to learn, for learning is, itself, rewarding. As you listen to your children and encourage them to pursue their interests, you might come to see that the boundaries between learning and not-learning are artificial.

Those of us who have contributed to this website have drawn upon our years of experience in homeschooling our own children, and in supporting others who homeschool. We hope that you will be able to glean from our experiences the information and suggestions that meet your own family's personal needs and goals, however unique that they might be. As you embark upon the homeschooling journey, we welcome you and extend to you our sincerest hope that this website will help guide you from chaos to confidence.