Welcome to Our World!
by Amy Cortez, Editor - The Eclectic Telegraph

If you camp, you know the smell. The one that grabs your nose when you air out the tent and unpack those sleeping bags. If you stored your gear correctly, it's not mildew. No this smell is adventure. The campfire, the orange blossoms, the sea, the wonderful scents you encountered the last time you hit the trail.

At our house it starts with an idea from a book, a video, junk mail, a movie, a photo. It goes something like this. "Let's go to the Amazon." The look. "Well, how about a remote island that you can only get to by boat?" Google is our friend. I have a travel budget. I fund that pot early in the year, so if this sort of request comes early enough in the year, we may end up in the Amazon or Bora Bora. If this suggestion comes when the pot is almost empty, we may end up on a local lake. We have travelin' feet. It doesn't take much to get us on the road.

Many people who are not intimately familiar with homeschooling will always ask the question: "what about socialization?". If I can refrain from the snort and the sigh, I generally ask them what they mean by socialization and I generally get the response "you know, having your kid be with other kids and to be able to get along in society?". A sigh and then I give them the answer they want to reaffirm their decisions and choices. I give them the answers about extra-curricular activities and how many ways my kid gets exposed to other kids his age. If they still seem skeptical, I generally run the rails with something similar to what OldSage found this month. If I am dealing with a particularly smart bird asking the question, I'll give my standard answers. And if I am dealing with someone who is genuinely interested in homeshooling, or who I can tell is wise enough to "get it" (was that mean?) I tell them about our travels and let them draw their own conclusions about "socialization".

At the beginning of the year I look at what sort of topics we plan to explore during the school year, and then my student and I plan our “field trips”. We’ve had field trips for Art, World Culture, Foreign language, Science, Engineering, Geography and History. We even had a field trip once to learn how to do nothing .....

I got the travel bug when I got out of college. I sailed the East Coast, I traveled in the US. When I started working I took a job that involved travel and I ended up traveling to Europe, Northern Africa and the Pacific Rim. I hope that my student has the same wandering feet! He seems to! Many of the photographs you will find at our website come from our "socialization" umm.....travels.

There are plenty of people who make a living telling other people how to travel economically, OK, cheap. There are even more who will tell you how to spend a lot of money on travel. But it really gets down to how brave you really are. Do you need to insulate your experience with expensive amenities? Do snakes really bother you? Can you deal with a place that doesn't speak the language you do? There are degrees of bravery and with each adventure, you can chip away another fear. The most important question to ask yourself: Are you willing to be one of those who take fullest advantage of the beauty of homeschooling by actually going to the places that many school children only read about? If you answered "yes", then perhaps you aren't the armchair tourist you thought you were. You just need an idea and the will to go. The rest will fall into place, I guarantee it.

Some people would say that the answer to the “good guys/bad guys”question falls along political party lines. People in one party support homeschooling and are “good guys”; people in the other party oppose homeschooling, and are “bad guys.”However, VHEA has found supporters and opponents of homeschooling among both Democrats and Republicans.

So, who are the real “bad guys” in homeschooling politics?

VHEA has found that most bad homeschooling legislation and most bad homeschooling policies are crafted out of ignorance. Most legislators and policymakers, regardless of their political affiliation, know little about homeschooling. All too often, a legislator or policymaker genuinely has no idea that his or her bill could hurt or adversely affect homeschoolers.

Another “bad guy” in homeschooling politics is fear. Legislator and policy makers may create bad bills or policies because they are afraid of something and want to prevent it from happening in the homeschooling community or the community at large. Often these well-intentioned bills and policies create more problems than they solve.

Finally, prejudice and stereotyping are all too common in homeschooling politics. Legislators or policymakers may mistakenly assume that “all homeschoolers” think a certain way, act a certain way, or vote a certain way. We homeschoolers can be guilty of this as well, incorrectly assuming that “all legislators,” “all school officials,”“all Democrats,” or “all Republicans”think a certain way, act a certain way, or vote a certain way. This results in misunderstandings, miscommunications, and missed opportunities for both sides.

How do you fight against ignorance, fear, and prejudice? VHEA’s tools are education, communication and bridge-building. We educate and inform legislators and policymakers about homeschooling and homeschooling issues.

[Read on in PDF format]