Click here to jump into a homeschooling time warp

[Tutor]

See what the pioneers of homeschooling had to go through.

This article popped up in my Google alerts today, and I found it fascinating. It's from the January/ February 1984 edition of Mother Earth News magazine. The main article is only 1.5 pages, so don't let the links for the 5 pages intimidate you. :)

Here's the article:
So You Want To Home-School (http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/1984-01-01/What-To-Consider-When-Home-School.aspx)

[Amy in Orlando]

That was really fascinating, Tutor. The part where he talks about going underground and "hiding" your children was kind of creepy. It really is pretty easy for all of us, isn't it?

[HappyGrace]

Amazing what the "early" homeschoolers (after ps was introduced, anyway-all original residents of this country were "hs'ers"!) had to go through. I never for a minute forget what a privilege it is to live in a country where I am free to hs my dc. I pray every day (and would encourage others to as well, if you don't) that God would protect our homeschooling freedoms and bless hs'ing families.

[Ellie]

I read all his books, and several copies of his newsletter, when I was trying to decide whether or not to homeschool.

But he was very naive if he thought that many school districts would happily work with homeschooling parents.

[abbeyej]

Thanks! That article came out just before I turned 6 (dd's age now!), so I must have been halfway through my K year of home schooling. :)

Honestly, the biggest difference I see between then and now isn't so much the laws or even the fact that so many more people home school, it's the internet! The comments on looking up laws at your library -- yikes! Man, I can read any statute from any state in a matter of minutes without leaving the couch! And, of course, when I moved across the country, I found a whole network of other home schoolers instantly. I can research curriculum, and small publishers can reach niche markets... I have more curricular choice than my mother even dreamed of (even when she was teaching my baby sister, who is 12 years younger than I)...

Sitting at the table or the couch doing work, not all that much has changed from when I was the kid to now, when I'm the mom. (The mean, mean, irritable mom, lol.) But other things... wow...

[Colleen]

Honestly, the biggest difference I see between then and now isn't so much the laws or even the fact that so many more people home school, it's the internet!

Resources are of course wa-a-a-ay more numerous now than they were then. But as far as laws, etc were concerned, none of that was particularly intimidating when my sister began homeschooling her children 20+ years ago.

[readwithem]

That was really fascinating, Tutor. The part where he talks about going underground and "hiding" your children was kind of creepy. It really is pretty easy for all of us, isn't it?

My thoughts exactly.

[Virginia Dawn]

When I started 15 years ago, I knew a couple of families "flying under the radar." They had been homeschooling for many years and even though the atmosphere was vastly improved, they didn't want to appear to suddenly be homeschooling a bunch of children who had never even been acknowledged to the system.

[mrscopterdoc]

That was really interesting! Thank goodness for HSLDA and internet!!

[mcconnellboys]

I enjoyed this, thanks!

"It is the interest, ingenuity, and activity of the learner, not the teacher, that is primarily responsible for creating learning."

And it's nice to have reinforcement of this idea that I hold in my mind, as well,

Regena