This is a guest post from my friend, Jessica Hines. She is my right hand when it comes to organizing our homeschool support group. I'm impressed with her knack to take a project idea and fly. I asked her to write this post because she is really the glue of the entire group! If you aren't currently in a homeschool support group, I'd encourage you to join one today! I LOVE my sisters in Christ and fellow homeschool moms indescribably!
When I was called to homeschool, I didn't know a single other homeschooling parent. The preschool
playgroup I had organized was splitting up because the children were reaching school age. Suddenly, my boys and I found ourselves without a tribe. So, when an out of town friend introduced me via Facebook to a friend of hers who homeschooled in my area, I was stoked.
Not long after meeting this fellow homeschooler, I was asked by her to be a part of putting together a
homeschool support group for our area, since there wasn't one already. This was right up my alley. I
love to organize support groups (I’m looking at you, Playgroup), and it was really important to me to
create a tribe for myself and my sons.
Our little group has grown from 6 families to 25. This is exciting for me! It is so awesome to watch what I’ve worked so hard for come to fruition. I love our homeschool group. There is no doubt in my mind that I would be so confidently homeschooling nearly 4 years later without these people. I have learned so much from these other homeschooling parents. I’d be hard pressed to find someone
to listen to me talk about my plans for our school year calendar, our curricula, my own insecurities, or
our little triumphs outside of my group.
The common bond we all share is our desire to provide a personalized education to our children. It’s
funny, though, how that one little seed can blossom into a true friendship. Our group has many
different kinds of people and families. I personally have formed close friendships with several members.I can see that other members have done the same. One thing I've noticed when we’re all together, though, is that everyone seems to intermingle.
I guess I took this intermingling for granted. When I took part in a national homeschooling Facebook
group post about homeschool co-ops, I was surprised to hear stories of people in other areas saying
they left their group. Apparently, some groups become overly cliquish and gossipy to the point of
driving away new members. That is so sad to me. We truly have to guard our groups against such behavior and I believe that it starts with leadership. Our members are also very welcoming to new members. We love to grow and it shows.
It can be very hard to break into a new group, especially one that is long established. Even so, I encourage all new homeschoolers that I meet in my area to check us out. It is so hard to homeschool in a vacuum. We all need support! Being a homeschooling parent can be so hard and few outside of the homeschool world understand. I use my group as a way to refresh myself and let my kids experience friendships with kids of different ages and abilities. It is so awesome to say to my boys, “Come on, we have a park day with the group.” and see their excitement! I am so thankful for my tribe!
“Become friends with people who aren't your age. Hang out with people whose first language isn't the same as yours. Get to know someone who doesn't come from your social class. This is how you see the world. This is how you grow.” (Unknown)
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