Thanksgiving

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the day we set aside to show gratitude, I’ve put together a list of things we secular homeschoolers have to be thankful for. Feel free to let me know of any others you can think of.

1. The Internet.

Whether or not Al Gore invented it, the internet is a boon for secular homeschoolers in so many ways. It’s how we research curricula and homeschooling methods. It’s where we find information on box turtles, Napoleonic era warships, and anything else that happens to catch our children’s interest. It’s where we can get free math worksheets and out-of-print books. Most importantly, it’s where we can find and connect with other secular homeschoolers through blogs, and websites, and, if we’re lucky, find a local support group to build a community.

2. Curriculum Choices.

When I first started homeschooling 10 or so years ago, there were very few curricula to choose from. There was Calvert, there was Saxon, but not much more. The number of homeschool specific curricula available now is astounding. I’ve looked at 10 and tried 5 Latin programs alone!

3. Libraries.

Well, this one is not quite fair. Everybody should be thankful for public libraries. But homeschoolers in particular benefit from libraries because we read so many books. Think of all the extra money going out the door if we had to actually pay for everything we read! Libraries also have programs for children and teens, which can help them build community with others, not just other homeschoolers.

4. Homeschooling Support Groups.

As I’ve written before, I believe one of the keys to successful homeschooling is a support group. I’m lucky to have such a group where we can meet in person once a week or more, but I think that online groups might fill the bill for some people who are the lonely secular island in a sea of religious homeschoolers.

5. Religious Homeschoolers.

They are the reason we have the right to homeschool at all. In my experience getting secular homeschoolers organized together for a specific, finite purpose is kind of like herding cats (as my Dad would say). You can do it, eventually, but neither the herder or the cats are happy about it. This is where religious homeschoolers have been, so far, better than the rest of us. They’ve been organized and systematic in their advocacy for homeschooling. They’ve put together grassroots lobbying groups and legal defense organizations to focus solely on keeping homeschooling legal and as few laws regulating us as possible. We owe a great debt of gratitude to these groups.