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Riding the Wave:
Surfing for Homeschooling Support
on the Internet
by Kelly Huckaby
Imagine being able to share your joys and frustrations with other
homeschooling parents whenever you have time. They are always available,
whenever you need them. You won't need to get a babysitter, and you won't
need to miss out on any family time. All you need to do is connect to the
Internet.
Seeking support
The term support can mean different things for different
homeschoolers. For some, support is found among those who share a common
belief system. For others, support comes from those using the same
curriculum. Yet most people will agree the best support is that which is
readily available.
When Tracy York, of Lyons, Ohio, decided to homeschool her five-year-old
son, she sought out a local group to join. She checked the phone book and
the Internet, but the closest she could find was a group in Toledo, 45
minutes away. Not only was this group too far away, it was also in a
different county.
"I wanted one in my own county so I could know how things were with our
superintendent," says York. "Being new to homeschooling, I did not feel
ready to start [a group of] my own." So, she wentback to the Internet and
found two e-mail lists: one for homeschoolers in her state and one for the
curriculum she chose to use. Vicki Surges, of Duluth, Minnesota, wasn't even
looking when she found her support base on the Web.
"Initially I went (to www.TheSwap.com) to buy and sell stuff. Then I realized how
much fun everyone was having," says this mother of six, who has three
children still at home. Although she belongs to a local co-op,she relies on
The Swap to fulfill her support needs. "I can 'see' The Swap every day. I
don't see my co-op members all the time. When I moved 2,100 miles, my Swap
friends were right there with me."
Choosing your style
Although there are differences between e-mail lists and bulletin boards
(see sidebar) one thing remains the same: convenience. Many families who use
the Internet feel they have a support group right in their home. Kay (not
her real name), a mother of two from Maryland, enjoys this immediacy.
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Bulletin Boards vs. E-mail Lists
Both bulletin boards and e-mail lists are effective ways for individuals to
give and get support. Here's a list of pros and cons to help you decide which
is right for you.
Bulletin boards
-- Web-based, so you won't have any extra
mail in your inbox.
-- Responses are grouped with original posts for easy
access of the whole conversation.
-- Need to stay on-line to read the messages.
-- You never know just how many people are lurking and reading your posts.
E-mail lists
-- Messages come to you -- you can read them off-line, at
your leisure.
-- Lists are usually set up so only members can post.
-- Busy lists generate a ton of e-mail.
-- Members answer at various times, causing
conversations to drag out over time.
Check out SmartGroups, Yahoo! Groups or H.E.L.M. On-line to find an
e-mail list, or visit curriculum sites and personal home pages to find a
bulletin board that meets your needs. You can also check search engines for
homeschool bulletin boards, forums and message boards.
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"You can ask a question when you think of it, not try to remember it until
your monthly support group meets." She likes being able to visit her
support group when she has time alone on the computer. "I can get to know
other women as individuals -- in real life our children are almost always
present," which affects conversations, says Kay.
While local support groups are limited in size by the number of
homeschoolers in the area, Internet groups can fluctuate in size from just a
few people to thousands. You can find groups dedicated to specific
curriculums (i.e., Weaver, Math-U-See, Learning Adventures, etc.) or for
specific geographical areas, like a state or county. Find a group and spend
some time reading the messages for a few weeks. If you can't seem to find
what you are looking for, you can always start your own group.
Starting a group
Hosting your own group is easier than you think, but don't expect it to
become active overnight. The u-weaver list that I own has been around for
four years, and there are close to 400 members onit. With an average of
25-plus posts each day, it's considered an active list. Another list I own
has only 40 members and it takes one month to get that many posts. Does this
mean that one list is more successful than the other? That depends on what
you are looking for.
Cindy Johns, who homeschools her two children near Lima, Ohio, decided to
start her own support group on the Internet when she was unable to join a
local group. Kaleidoscapes discussion forum was created in 1995, and
today it has more than 1,000 users on a daily basis. Johns enjoys the
camaraderie of her fellow homeschoolers, and credits the survival of
Kaleidoscapes to those who use the forum.
"What goes around comes around," says Johns. "And it's a warm,generous and
caring circle to be a part of."
Ronda Smith, a mother of six from New Bern, North Carolina, belongs to an
e-mail list of about 12 people that started out as a bulletin board group.
When problems arose with the bulletin board, they switched to sending
personal e-mails, with copies going to everyone on the list. They eventually
set up a group with a popular list service. "It does go down now and then,"
says Smith about the list service. "But (it) does not have the problems with
servers and congestion that boards do. It also has the definite advantage of
being more private and more access controllable."
Not everyone is able to be a list, or board, owner. Besides the time it
takes to get the word out about a group, there is the commitment it takes to
keep an eye on it. Spam (unwanted advertising) will need to be deleted from
boards, and Trolls (those people who post controversial topics just to cause
trouble) will need to be monitored or removed. "I used to take it too
personally when trolls posted at Kaleidoscapes," says Johns. She's learned
to ignore these attacks and promptly cleans the posts off the forum with the
help of her board monitors. This constant monitoring is time consuming, but
a necessary part of being a board or list owner.
Staying active
Whether you choose to get your support from a bulletin board community or
through an e-mail list, you'll need to keep a few things in mind. A support
group is made up of a variety of people and not everyone will share the same
views. Common courtesies, like not using all capital letters, staying
on-topic and respecting other peoples' opinions, are the backbone of any
on-line support group. If you are the owner of the list/board, try posting
weekly topics to get people involved in the discussion. Find other
lists/boards that are similar and ask the owner if you can post about your
group. If your list/board is an extension of a local group, write up a short
description for the group's newsletter. Contact the National Home Education
Network, the American Homeschool Association and Home
Education Magazine to be listed in their support group databases.
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If you have found a group that you wish to join, introduce yourself! For
lists, be sure to read the welcome letter that you'll receive upon joining.
For boards, check to see if there is a link to FAQ (frequently asked
questions) files, and take time to read them. Even if you don't feel
comfortable answering questions from other group members, you can still
offer support.
Share your enthusiasm with the other members, let them know
that you have the same questions and struggles, and offer any encouragement
that you can. Whether your Internet group is an extension of your local
group, a specialized e-mail list or a bulletin board for homeschoolers, it's
easier than ever to get the support you need. There's a whole new world of
support out there for you!
Links, information and more for you
 Homeschooling Resources
Visit our Homeschooling/Unschooling Message Board!
Directory of ages articles
Directory of all articles
About the author: Kelly Huckaby is The HOMEWriter. Her goal as a writer is to be an encouragement to mothers. She and her husband live in Wisconsin with
their five always-homeschooled children. You can find more of Kelly's
articles by visiting her HOMEWriter site http://unofficial.weaverpages.com/hwlist.html or by
contacting her HOMEWriter@Hotmail.com.
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