Sunday, March 13, 2011

Hearing about other homeschoolers...

I love to hear about other homeschoolers and how they do things like set up their schedules, what programs they use, etc. I don't know why. We are happy with what we are using and how we are using it, so I don't know that me reading about other homeschooling families would really change a lot with us. But still... I find it interesting.

One of the best ways to read about others is by going to forums and online groups. Time4Learning has those and I find a lot of information there, but there are other forums and groups too. You can find homeschool websites with forums, and Yahoo / Google Groups are a good way to meet and hear from homeschoolers. You can find secular homeschooling groups, Christian homeschooling groups, Unschooling groups, Waldorf homeschooling groups...you get the picture. :)

Why do I like hearing about other homeschoolers? Sometimes it's the only way for me to know that I may not actually be failing my boys, lol. Finding out that another parent spends half their day staring at their 6 year old because he refuses to write ("why should I write when I can say what I need to say??") makes me feel much less alone. :D

It's not just about me being comfortable, or about behaviors. It's also about information. I have no idea how to homeschool a 7th grader. Why? Because my oldest is currently a 6th grader. I learn as I go. He's going to be doing more involved writing and language arts, starting to do algebra online; things that I have to learn (well technically re-learn since I was a 7th grader once, in a galaxy far, far away) as he learns.

The fact that I can ask questions and share experiences with a group of people who may be going through, or have already gone through, the same struggles is such a blessing!

4 comments:

Handwoven Dreams said...

Thanks for your comment on my blog and I TOTALLY agree with you about the interest in how others homeschool. I can't seem to get enough of that subject!

Unknown said...

Thank you, Handwoven Dreams!! :^)

Patti~~~ said...

Another great post-----hearing about, and from, other homeschoolers makes my world feel so much smaller and cozier!

Unknown said...

Thanks, Patti! I agree!! :)