Until recently there were no homeschool regulations in Washington DC. That’s the ideal situation. When government regulates homeschooling it is a bid to exert control on something that’s a natural process that can be enacted between loving parents and their children.

The new regulations were developed with input from homeschoolers in that area. Parents must now submit a written intent document to let school districts know they plan to educate their children at home. They must also keep a portfolio of each child’s work and submit to school district reviews twice annually.

While I feel this is controlling, over-bearing excess of government involvement, it is much better than some of the regulations I’ve seen coming out of some of the states. Compared to weekly or even monthly supervision of charter school teachers, this looks like freedom. It’s all relative.

I’ll be happy on the day that the US government no longer involves itself in education in any way. We were brainwashed (in public schools) to believe we live in “the land of the free” but we have more laws and regulations than anywhere else on earth.

Source: Schools Roundup: Let’s Be Grownups Edition by Rachael Brown, published July 22, 2008 in DCist.

California education authorities are concerned about an ever-growing ‘drop-out’ rate. High school students are disappearing by the dozens. Where are they going? Could they be homeschooling independently?

A quote from the article by Nanette Asimov:

Did they leave the state? Join a homeschool? Die? The new system recognizes 29 kinds of student invisibility, 10 of which are logged as dropouts, including “expelled.”

One stunning fact they learned was that 53,600 students who claimed they were transferring to a new school never actually showed up.

Source: California high school dropout rate far higher than expected by Nanette Asimov for the San Francisco Chronicle, published Wednesday, July 16, 2008.

A homeschooling mother in Washington state came up with a unique and helpful idea that will benefit homeschoolers in her area, and hopefully, the rest of the homeschooling world. She wants to buy a Homeschool House for all independent homeschoolers in her area to use.

She wrote, “Homeschool students and families need non-school places to meet, have fun, learn, cook, and support each other. PLEASE help in this huge project! We need help from every homeschooling family around the world.”

To raise money she’s created a Squidoo lens, A Homeschooling Dream : Homeschool Houses for All Homeschoolers to Share, and asks homeschool families to purchase something from the links on that page. All proceeds will be donated toward the purchase of Homeschool Houses.

Today while I was at work in the restaurant downtown a young mother came to pick up a fajito for her husband. With her was her nearly-two-year-old daughter… an adorable blondie. We also had a pint-sized blondie on hand. My co-worker’s daughter at times has the run of the place, and at that moment she was looking for something to do. Would it be to get into the salad bar lids, or beg for olives, or explore the no-nos under the sink?

Her grandmother, who also works there, scooped her up and took her to the counter so the tiny people could see each other. Such a look of surprise and shock I’ve rarely seen on faces so young. Wide eyed, they examined each other wondering how it could be that another little tiny blonde girl existed. They were so accustomed to being tiny people in a world of great big people, they apparently didn’t know there were others just like them.

Homeschooling makes us feel like the tiny, unusual people in a world that accepts schooling as the norm. When we meet other homeschoolers, or find out an old friend is homeschooling, it is often a cause of joy and celebration.

As our movement grows, it will become more and more common to find homeschooling neighbors. And for this reason, we should understand that what we’re going through to secure homeschooling rights is a special honor and not likely to be repeated soon.

As people who want to see homeschooling expand, as a movement, there are many things we can do to connect with other parents who might be considering it, but aren’t quite sure how to proceed.

First and most importantly, you can connect with and join your state’s homeschooling organization(s). These groups are there to protect your legal right to homeschool your children. They often have excellent pamphlets or flyers that can be distributed to parents who are considering homeschooling. Take some with you wherever you go. If you see a bulletin board, post one. If you meet another young parent, offer the information.

You can get your own homeschooling business cards from Vistaprint. Use these anytime you meet someone you want to give your contact information to. On them, list reasons why homeschooling is your educational choice.

Create your own homeschooling posters and put them on bulletin boards at laundromats where parents are likely to have time to read them. Tell why parents choose to homeschool their children.

Print out news articles that are positive regarding homeschooling. Have them on hand to distribute or put on bulletin boards.

If you have extra homeschool magazines you’re willing to part with, leave them in the local laundromat or clinic or hospital waiting room.

Donate a homeschooling magazine subscription to your local library… or a book about homeschooling.

Have a party to show off educational books and toys. Invite both homeschoolers and non-homeschooling friends, and let them mingle.

Invite non-homeschooling friends to your homeschool park days so they can get to know your homeschooling friends and see what a diverse and fascinating group of people they are.

Offer to speak about homeschooling at parenting classes, family resource centers, or any kind of convention that might include parents.

Start a regular talk show broadcast about homeschooling. Contact your local cable station to see if they will help you set that up.

Start a website about some other area of interest to all parents… then introduce homeschooling concepts.

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper telling people about why homeschooling is important.

Ir you live in a small town your local independent newspaper is likely to want articles. Write one about homeschooling and submit it… it may be printed.

Whatever you decide to do, be sure it is known that you are proud of your homeschooling. Keep a list of things about homeschooling that work for you and your children so that if someone asks you how it is going, you have immediate recall of all the great things that make homeschooling the perfect solution for your family.

The more people who honor their children by educating them in the peace and love of their family home, the better it will be for all of us.

Many times I hear people saying that everyone should choose the solution right for their child… whether it be public school, private, or homeschooling. While that sounds great to me, I think the issue is deeper. Many people don’t know they are capable of homeschooling. Many don’t know how to legally pull their children out of the public education system. And many are mistaken about how effective homeschooling can be. These people need information that can be given to them by active homeschoolers.

If we truly believe homeschooling is good for kids, then it is up to us to spread the word. What you do today to tell other parents about homeschooling can save many children the trauma of having to adjust to public education during their early years.

Someone asked why I believe it is best to homeschool independently, without the assistance or oversight of government schooling. Here are a few of my heartfelt reactions to that question:

1. In the USA, public schooling is highly regulated by laws imposed by the federal and state governments. According to the Constitution of the United States, the federal bureaucracy should have no laws about education. (see Amendment 10) Yet the feds have created laws like “No Child Left Behind” that are imposed in exchange for federal funding. Of course the states like federal funding, so they accept the mandated laws.

Many people believe that there are parts of the “No Child Left Behind” law that are not truly beneficial to children. For example, part of it is that children have their names reported to Selective Services, so in case the draft is reinstated, the feds will have your child’s name. Nice? Now you see why they’re saying no child will be left behind? Of course public schools should have an opt-out option for parents, and when my daughter enrolled in a public school here in California, I saw the option and of course opted not to have her name reported to Selective Services. But if you’re receiving any kind of government funding or are in any way connected to a public school or charter school, do you know if your child’s name is being sent to the federal government for something that has nothing to do with education?

You gotta watch these government laws and regulations - they’re tricky, and intended to be that way by those who created them. They call the law mandating psychological testing for every American “The New Freedom Act”. Does the impending forced psychotropic medication make you feel freer? And they call the law mandating forced termination of parental rights if a child is kept in foster care for 15 months the “Adoptions and Safe Families Act”. Does that make your family safe if someone makes a false accusation against you? Lots of non-abusive families are being caught up in that scam. See Fight CPS. Likewise, “No Child Left Behind” is more about the dumbing down of educational values rather than the amazing uplifting of all poorly achieving public school children. It is about children passing standardized tests, not about making classrooms more enriching and creatively stimulating for learners.

2. Public school connected homeschoolers, including those enrolled in government funded charter schools, have lots of paperwork requirements. Instead of spending time having fun with the kids, parents are forced to jump through hoops by filling out paperwork and attending meetings where a public school funded educator supervises their homeschooling efforts. I think that’s ridiculous. Most parents who homeschool their children are savvy and concerned enough to know what they’re doing, and don’t need supervision. They need to spend their time creatively raising their children and giving them educational opportunities. I experienced this supervised type of homeschooling the first year I homeschooled my son, and it sure wasn’t for me. If you’re still putting up with this kind of oppression, and in return getting a few books to borrow and use, or a borrowed computer, or a few measly pieces of art paper for your kid to draw on, basically what you’re doing is selling out for some stuff that’s not worth all that much.

I don’t know about you, but part of why I wanted to homeschool was to have fun spending more time with my children. I really loved our time together, and we went places and did things together all the time. Once I was freed from the need to constantly fill out paperwork and meet with the school system representative, it was much more fun and less stressful for all of us.

3. Some charter school requirements are ridiculous, and they ruin the creativity and fun that homeschooling can provide. I noticed this when my son had a “homeschooling” friend who was enrolled in a charter school. The charter school insisted that this mother use a certain type of curriculum. I think it was Calvert. The mother had a stack of borrowed books including about ten paperbacks that she was supposed to get her twelve-year-old son to read. Both mother and son hated the curriculum, and nothing got done. The books didn’t get touched by the child.

I remember one of the books was The Diary of Anne Frank, which I have read and enjoyed, but this kid had no interest in it and the mother had no opportunity to be creative and assign something he’d be more likely to enjoy, such as “It’s Not About The Bike” by Lance Armstrong, which would have been perfect for him.

No, creativity was not encouraged, and the imposed expectations were high. The natural result was that this boy ended up being put back into public school by a very frustrated and disillusioned mother.

Anything that imposes any type of curriculum I truly believe is not intended to encourage happy homeschooling. As homeschoolers, we know that no one curriculum fills the needs of all children, or all parents. We root around a bit until we find something that works for us and makes the children happy. Every family is different. We need the freedom to be able to choose curriculum that suits our kids.

4. Government funded education is a form of welfare. I know if you’re getting any kind of government help for your homeschool educational endeavors, you probably don’t want to hear that. But it is true. You’re getting a hand-out. Even if that welfare payment consists merely of a few borrowed books or games, a computer, or access to a public school copy machine. Those of us who have discovered the freedom and joy of independent homeschooling pay for everything ourselves, from books purchased at the homeschool store, to karate lessons. Nothing is paid for by the government, so we’re not selling out, giving our time and peace of mind in exchange for a few goodies.

5. When government controls your homeschool, are you able to let your child learn what s/he wants to learn, at his or her own pace, or are there expectations you must fulfill? For example, here in California all fourth grade students in public schools must learn about California. All fifth grade students should study decimals, fractions, and percentages. There are grade level expectations for all the subjects normally taught in school. Are you being forced to meet someone else’s expectations, or are you forming your lessons according to the needs and interests of your child? How controlled are you?

There’s five concerns I have with the government’s control of homeschooling. I could come up with more. I welcome your comments on what I’ve just written, whether you agree, or not.