Do Homeschoolers Ever Really Retire? Part 1

Prompted by questions from my homeschooling author friends Cheryl Carter and Donna Spann, I have been pondering this question for over a week. Responding to my first post after a six month absence, in which I talk about the "end" of my homeschool journey, they asked me to explore two angles of homeschool "retirement":

Cheryl brought up the Lifestyle angle, and whether it is possible to retire from a way of life.  The question here became whether homeschooling was really only about "education" in the sense that most of us consider that concept, or whether even the word "homeschooling" carries within it the germ of many other ideas: political, theological, family values, freedom, independent thinking, close family relationships, imparting values, civic responsibility...right now I can't think of them all but I am sure there are others.

Donna mentioned the Titus 2 model of the -ahem- older women teaching the younger, and how this would have been so helpful for her at the beginning of her homeschool journey, and how it would smooth the way for new homeschool moms. The question became whether homeschooling moms and dads who are the repositories of a wealth of information about what it is REALLY like to homeschool should ever retire, or if they should continue to be active in the homeschool community in some sort of advisory capacity.

Both of these are very interesting questions - you can see why I have been mulling for a week! Over the last week have had an opportunity to go back and reread some of the older articles in this blog and remember how I felt at times in the past.

At the very least I have given up the idea of abandoning this blog. Going back into these old articles reminded me of just how much I love to write, and just how much I love writing about homeschooling.  I remembered our first homeschool conference in 2000 at Sandy Cove, where I met these ladies for the first time.

It was amazing to be in an environment where I didn't have to answer the questions,"Is that legal?" "Why do you do this?" "What about socialization?" "Are you one of those religious fanatics?" "But will your kids know how to get along with other kids?" There was an immediate sense of community, even family.  I know that idea is bandied about by every group nowadays - from internet marketing programs, to fans of sports teams, to my personal favorite - "Facebook family" - but there really was an immediate connection. It was a place where I didn't have to explain myself on any level.

Part of it may have been that so many of us at this conference were "pioneers" - not the REAL pioneers of the early 1980s, but the second wave, whose first year of homeschooling was in the late 80s or early 90s, who had a real sense of what it had cost to be a trailblazer, and remembered when it was not so easy to homeschool.

Part of it may have been that this particular conference is primarily Christian homeschoolers, and the instant connection was that bond that believers in Jesus Christ often experience that transcends every other difference they may have.  Probably the most special thing about this particular group is how Christians from every possible spot on the denominational and theological spectrum set aside our differences for a week and enjoy a time of fellowship like no other, as we focus on our shared love for Christ and our families, and our dedication to homeschooling.  This year will be our eleventh homeschool conference.

As homeschooling goes more mainstream, and more people that we once would not really have considered falling under the homeschool umbrella (like "K-12" online students, who I think are actually considered public school students) become part of the community, I wonder if this "family" feeling will continue into the next generation of homeschooling parents. How do we bridge the gap between the online charter school kids and the homeschool kids who live in the log house, bake their own bread with homegrown organic wheat and wear matching jumpers?

For me, and many of "my generation" of Christian homeschooling moms, homeschooling was really a mandate from God rather than a "choice". I wrote about that several times in earlier posts in earlier years, notably in "Except the Lord Build The House...". But homeschooling now for some families is more about convenience than sacrifice. This is not an indictment of those families, just an observation. I wrote about that a few years ago in a post called Outsourcing Meets Homeschooling.

What do you think? Nowadays there are as many flavors of homeschooling as there are homeschoolers. Is homeschooling a "lifestyle" for you? Or is it one of many acceptable choices? Do homeschoolers ever really retire?  I would love to have your comments!

Redeeming Email Forwards

After my last post,  I have been mulling the question posed to me by a couple of homeschool mom friends, which is "Do homeschoolers ever really retire?"  So quite a few days have passed, and I still really don't have a response clear in my mind.  So here is something else while we are waiting.

I get a boatload of email every day.  Since I have been marketing online for more than a decade, I am on many marketing mailing lists. 

Many. 

I also have about a dozen email addresses where I receive hundreds of pieces of marketing mail of various kinds. Most of this mail you would probably consider spam. Most of it actually is. But there is some that you probably would consider spam that is legitimate mail for me. One person's spam is another's bread and butter.

Then there are the 477 notifications from Google Buzz, messages from Facebook informing me that people have liked or commented on my link or activity, or that someone has suggested that I become a fan of [insert name of fan page], or invited me to [insert event], messages from Twitter that someone has followed me, messages from Qwitter that someone has unfollowed me, requests for contacts from Linked In, and newsletters relating to social media.

I also receive a variety of newletters about health and wellness, and a fair number of political newsletters and emails. I also subscribe to a number of things via RSS that download into my Outlook.

I thought it might be fun to share a sampling of what I receive.

From my Digg feed (which now numbers 1184 unread):

13 Great Nerd Movie Scores by Folks Other Than John Williams

John Williams is obviously the Greatest of All Time. Everyone knows it. But there are some new composers and some old vets who also deserve their share of recognition.


View article...

From my marketing mail:

No Sponsoring Required, Residual Income, Join Free Today!!!

Susan, Our Marketing Plan Gives You A Unique and Powerful Way To Passively Earn A Generous $363 Without Referring and Without Having To Pay Any Monthly Fees!!

Six Phone Prospecting Phrases That Could Be Costing You A Fortune

From My Political Email:

Prom Ruling Affirms ACLU Agenda
Executive Order just "cover" for Pro-Life Dems
NY Man Arrested, Jailed for Praying
Hope and Change - The Constitution 

On the personal side, probably about 1/4 of the mail I receive consists of forwards of various things. Some bring tears to my eyes, some make me laugh out loud, some inspire me, and some I don't even bother to open.



I thought this one was worth sharing as we move into Holy Week.

'Excuse me, Are you Jesus?'

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago.They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly-missed boarding.

ALL BUT ONE!!! He paused, took a deep breath , got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.

He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.

He was glad he did.

The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down he r cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her; no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?" She nodded through her tears.. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly."

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, "Mister...." He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?"

He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: "Are you Jesus?" Do people mistake you for Jesus? That's our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace.

If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.

You are the apple of His eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked up you and me on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.

Please share this, {IF you feel led to do so}. Sometimes we just take things for granted, when we really need to be sharing what we know....Thanks.

I am glad he stopped what He was doing and picked me up and paid in full for my damaged fruit. I had plenty. I can only hope that people catch a glimpse of Him in me as I go about my daily life. My goal is that one day people would "mistake me for Jesus."

Do people mistake you for Jesus?

Finishing the race

Well, it is finally happening.

Homeschool veterans from my era are retiring.

Not the original pioneers from the 70s and early 80s - the ones who fought for legalization and went to jail and paid hefty fines for the right to homeschool.

But the second wave - the mid to late 80s crowd who were still considered way out on the fringes of normal when we announced our decision to homeschool.

And we aren't talking about ones who were only called for a particular season. Or the quitters. Or the posers who shouldn't have been doing it in the first place.

These are the ones who poured out their lives, who have fought the good fight and finished the race.

My friend Katie is retiring from home schooling after 20 years.

She first heard of homeschooling in 1986 from her pastor when her family was young and they lived in Cleveland OH.

Then they moved to Baltimore, and in 1988, she attended a meeting with 7 other women who wanted to start a home school support group. From this inaugural meeting grew Christian Home Educators Network (CHEN, which became the first successful large homeschooling support and lobbying organization in Maryland.

On August 16, after 20 years and with 5 kids educated (One in Iraq, two in college, two in high school), Katie is leaving her chalk in the chalk tray and sitting down for a well deserved rest.

Congratulations, old friend, on a job well done.