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  Joe:
Welcome Linda, to our "Meet the Author Series" and our guest, Linda
Dobson. She is the author of The Art
of Education and The Homeschooling
Book of Answers, Homeschooling: The Early Years,
The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child
and is one of America's best known homeschooling writers and speakers. She began
homeschooling in 1985 and has been Homeschooling Magazine news editor and columnist since
1992. Thank you Linda for appearing here and I hope you enjoy your cyber-stay here. Thanks
again for providing us with a FREE excerpt of
your book. (also see her second interview on the Zone)
Linda, how did you come to write this book?
 Linda:
Thank you, Joe. The idea for the book came when I was in th midst of a summer
spent speaking and giving workshops at homeschooling coferences. I met new friends and
caught up with business and personal relationships with old friends, all of whom are some
of the most interesting, educationally well-informed people I know. Not everyone can get
to these conferences, I thought. So I thought of a book that had the most important and
frequently asked questions about homeschooling answered by a few dozen or so of the most
dedicated, most practiced, most knowledgeable, most commonsensical voices on
homeschooling.
Joe:
As the news editor of Home Education magazine since 1992, you have seen many changes in
the home education movement. What change would you consider to be the most significant. Linda
There are a growing number of programs for homeschoolers that are part of the
government school system. This is a significant change because it's blurring the lines
between homeschooling and government schooling and at the same time causing a lot of
controversy within the homeschooling movement as a whole because they present us with a
two-edged sword. On one side, the programs are probably providing enough resources and
support to help additional families leave the educational status quo and turn to a form of
homeschooling which should help many more children receive a more valuable education. Mom
always said "half a loaf of bread is better than none." <g>
On the other side, government schools aren't offering these programs out of a deep sense
of altruism and sharing. Many government school homeschooling programs were
created when the schools took a look at the growing number of students they were losing to
homeschooling. Lost students mean lost revenue. By encouraging homeschoolers to
use their programs, these schools can keep up their enrollment numbers and continue
receiving federal and state funding based on attendance. By taking the funds, these
programs, and therefore those families using them, remain beholden to whatever rules are
attached to the funds which, in the bigger picture, erode some of the freedoms of choice,
resources, and approaches so vital to homeschooling's existence and success.
Joe:
How can the average person find out about these programs and where they are available
locally where they live?
Should they be afraid of inciting local authorities when they contact them, or do you
think local authorities will be more receptive these days (with the rise in popularity in
home schooling)?
Linda:
Folks can watch the newspaper for ads or community announcements, ask at the
library, watch for notices on community bulletin boards, talk with friends and neighbors,
or even look in the phone book in metropolitan areas. But, this is the type of information
that local homeschool support groups
do best. Support group members are all gathering this type of information and pooling it,
so by tapping into (and helping!) the group, it's like having additional eyes watching for
the same things you're watching for. You also reap the benefit of experience from those
who may have already participated and get a good assessment of various programs.
I don't think any homeschooler should live in fear
of "inciting local authorities", I just don't think the local
authorities have information as good or as thorough as most homeschool support groups -
they're busy running their system! There are still authorities who do very little to help
homeschoolers seeking information, and others who bend over backwards to be as helpful as
possible. Again, I'd highly recommend contact with the local support group as the
best place to check for accurate, up-to-date information on the local climate.
Joe:
Do you think that tragedies like the one in Littleton will accelerate the rate of
acceptance of homeschooling in mainstream society?
Linda:
Tragedies have already accelerated *interest*, according to a major Associated
Press article on this topic which was widely distributed across the country, and support
group leaders from widely scattered geographic areas have reported an increase in
telephone inquiries from frightened parents.
Interest is not the same thing as acceptance,
though.
I'd like to think that increased acceptance will automatically follow this
interest, but the idea that government schools are "the one right way" to
educate is deeply imbedded in our culture and, very unfortunately, our politics. In other
words, I don't think homeschool advocates are out of a "job" quite yet, and need
to keep up the fantastic work they do spreading news of the benefits of homeschooling just
as diligently as they always have.
Joe:
In terms of your approach to homeschooling, what influences have had the most impact on
you and why?
Linda:
When I began homeschooling there wasn't a whole lot to read about it! Because of
this I read everything I could find which gave me an introduction to many approaches and
philosophies. While I remember a couple of books made homeschooling sound overwhelming and
difficult, the rest that were available helped me see the potential for our children. I
did what I think many homeschoolers wind up doing - I took what sounded good for our
family and left the rest.
Joe:
I would like to thank you Linda for sharing a bit of your book with
us here today and I hope that the folks get a chance to read a copy of your book to see
some of the "greats" in the homeschooling movement answering your 88 questions.
Here we have but one....
Read the FREE excerpt:
Question 77:
How do I know if I am cut out for homeschooling?
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Kick 'N' Crawl Playhouse
 FREE Child
Development Ideas
FREE Craft Ideas
FREE Kids Recipes
FREE Coloring
Pages
Faces of Home Education Profile
Igniting a Career
by Linda Dobson
My son, Chuck, was 14 years-old when our neighbor and friend started an Explorer Scout
Post with the local volunteer fire department where he was a member. What I didn't realize
right away was how seeds that would blossom into a career were being planted at the same
time. I sometimes wonder what he would be doing today if homeschooling hadn't allowed him
the time to pursue his interest so thoroughly. Then I hear a fire call. I know he is
serving his community, an important lesson from his homeschooling days, and making a
living doing what he loves.
Find out more
 
Interview & FREE Excerpt
 
Homeschooling 101
Home
Schooling: Is it for you?
more Homeschooling Videos
Homeschooling: The Middle Years:
Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the
8- To 12-Year Old Child
by Shari Henry
Interview & FREE Excerpt
Parents and educators often view a child's middle years as the 'magical'
years--when innate talents and abilities really begin to flourish. They have reached the
stage where they understand the fundamentals of most subjects and are still excited to
learn more. Homeschooling: The Middle Years helps parents make the most of their
children's crucial middle years by providing exciting ideas and activities that cultivate
each child's individual interests. |
