Families who are new to homeschooling can feel lost. In communities with little homeschool support or homeschooling resources, the decision to teach children from home can leave moms feeling like they've just walked off of the moon. Friends and neighbors might offer little or no support and family members might be just as confused.
Internet Homeschool Support
Welcome to the information age, where homeschool help is just a few clicks away. Popular parenting websites offer homeschool message boards where users can log on and communicate instantly with other homeschooling moms.
Unlike a chat room, where users must all log on at the same time in order to have conversations with each other, a message board, sometimes called a forum, runs several conversations in different "threads."
How to Use Homeschool Message Boards
When you first begin to use a homeschool forum, you will need to register your email address. Some boards might ask you to post an introduction. No one needs to know your kids' names, but ages sometimes help people make customized recommendations.
Once in, you will find several different categories of conversation. Examples of these might be “curriculum reviews,” “general chat,” "socialization," and “special needs.” Assuming that your purpose for visiting the board is to ask “Can I homeschool my son with Autism?” You’d clearly click on the “special needs” section and either search the forum for your answer, find a current discussion on the topic or ask the question yourself.
Message boards are an excellent resource for new homeschoolers because no matter what they're wondering, it's been wondered before. It is highly likely that the questions and concerns plaguing a would-be homeschooler are actually “new questions.” The beauty of this is that the other forum members are either wondering the same thing, or have crossed that bridge and are willing to share their advice.
Support Group for Homeschooling Moms
Homeschooling moms are very eager to share their successes with others. Finding what works in your home is such a joyful feeling that the desire to spread that joy is overwhelming. However, different solutions work in different families. Each homeschooling message board has its own personality and flavor that comes from the women (and men) contributing to the conversations.
If you don’t feel comfortable, if you often find yourself feeling defensive or upset with other members, find a group that supports your needs better. There are thousands of homeschool message boards to choose from. If you have a specific method of homeschooling that attracts you, you might want to search for a message board where other families who use that method congregate. For example, there are Charlotte Mason message boards, Abeka homeschool message boards, Sonlight message boards, and even atheist homeschool message boards.
If you haven’t participated in a homeschool message board, consider visiting to see if your homeschool help questions can be answered. Whether you have specific curriculum questions, need to brainstorm an issue or just want to make a friend who understands your situation; a homeschool message board might be your internet homeschool support group.
Resources
A list of popular homeschool message boards
Lisa Russell - Lisa Russell is a freelance writer and mom of six daughters. She blogs about their life at lisarussell.org
