Tip of the Week: Seek Out Social Support

Earlier this week I presented the second of five tips which I consider to be foundational to helping ensure your success as a home school parent.  That tip was, Have a Plan. The third tip is, access social support.

Back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, the government school system had yet to wake up to the fact that home schooling was not going to go away. Home schoolers sought out social support wherever they could find it. This mainly took the form of support groups for mentoring and encouragement. At one time, a single support group less than 20 miles from the Basic Skills campus boasted a membership of over 300 families.

Today it no longer exists. Why? For one, in those days home schooling was not even legal in some states while in others, like Oregon, it was.  But, in spite of the generous laws home schoolers operated under here in Oregon, many remained suspicious that the Department of Education was about to launch a new bill designed to strip them of their rights and force them back into the government school system. They felt continuously under siege so they banded together.  Social support was essential.

Even though today’s home school climate has changed dramatically nationwide, social support still plays a big role in insuring your success, in “staying the course.”  Finding positive, like-minded people where you can ask questions, get advice, share concerns, and simply be heard without being judged is still incredibly important.

Besides participating in a home school support group, co-op, or attending classes like the ones we offer at Basic Skills, there are other channels to access social support that weren’t available to us years ago.

You can…

• Access an online forum to ask questions.
• Join a Facebook group.
• Subscribe to various home school ezines.

Find and access social support, whether online or where you live. It will help you “stay the course.”

That’s the tip of the week!

Curt Bumcrot, MRE

Need help with a specific subject you don’t feel up to teaching? We’ve got a team of tutors, available in both group and private settings, who are ready to provide the instruction your student needs.