General Articles: Network Support Systems for Parents that Homeschool Their Children
By Mimi Rothschild
It is not uncommon for the parent that homeschools their child to feel as if they are all alone in the endeavor. Although homeschooling children is a decision that is becoming increasingly popular, given the sorry state of public education systems, parents still feel like they are out in left field. So many students still attend public schools. Being one out of a select few that decide to homeschool a child make the parent feel as if they are ostracized from society. Or worse, the parent can begin to question their decision to homeschool their child.
Parents will find refuge in various homeschool networks created by other parents who have decided to homeschool their children. Such networks provide the support so desperately needed in the homeschooling community. With a network of people that share similar homeschooling experiences, parents will no longer feel as if they are the only ones in the community that have taken on the responsibility of homeschooling their children.
How do parents find homeschooling networks and support groups? There are several ways to locate other parents that have made the decision to homeschool. First, parents can visit their local church to see if other members of the church are homeschooling their children. If the parent fails to locate a support group in this manner, they can use the Internet to find like minded parents. Once a group is located, homeschooling parents will find the group invaluable. Parents that homeschool their children like to discuss their homeschooling methods and can provide other parents with homeschooling tips and advice.
All other things lacking, if a parent fails to find a support group they may want to start their own. Again, the Internet can be a good resource to the homeschooling parent as they can establish a homeschool network website and advertise the site through major search engines and the like. Or, parents can send out fliers in the community to find other parents who are in similar situations; grocery store bulletin boards, community bulletin boards, and even newspaper advertisements in the classified section are an excellent place to announce that a group is being started. Soon, parents that extend the effort to establish a network will find many other individuals who have decided to take the helm in terms of their children's education by homeschooling them.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, children's rights activist, author, and Founder and C.E.O. of online education company Learning by Grace, Inc. Rothschild and her husband of twenty-eight years reside in suburban Philadelphia with their eight children.
Feeling that “our current system of education has broken its promise,” Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. to provide families with Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children all over the world.
In addition to her twenty years of experience as a homeschool mother, Rothschild has written a number of books dealing with education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Home Education Websites Blog consists of helpful online content and activities for Christian homeschooling families.
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