Joe:
Marsha Ransom is the mother of four children, two of whom have always been homeschooled. She serves as a homeschool resource for her local library and writes articles for Home Education Magazine, The Link: A Homeschool Newspaper, Women's International Net, and Homeschool Dad Magazine. She is the Michigan State liaison for NHEN (National Home Education Network). She serves on the planning committee for her local homeschooling cooperative, where she currently teaches creative writing.

Joe:
Marsha, thank you for stopping by to share with us here on the Zone. I really enjoyed reading your book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Homeschooling. How did you come to write this book and how is your book different from other books on homeschooling?

Prior to beginning homeschooling I had read many, many books on homeschooling,  most of which were written from a particular viewpoint or which shared a specific family's own personal experience.  While these were valuable to me, I kept thinking that it'd be nice to have a "homeschooling workshop" in a book, one that would help homeschoolers sort through the many options, make some beginning choices, and empower them to continue to grow and change with their children, while designing a homeschooling program that was just right for their family.   I feel that it's different from many other homeschool books because I try to simply put information at people's fingertips as well as encouraging them to get to know their children, understand their abilities and limitations, interests, and personalities as well as their family dynamics, and to use these things as tools when planning their homeschooling program.  I am not promoting one specific method of homeschooling, but encouraging parents to pick and choose what is best for them.

Developing Your Program

Marsha:
As I explain in several ways in The Complete Idiot's Guide to Homeschooling, I feel that each family should work together to develop a program that will meet the specific needs of each child in the family, while also considering the family schedule, other responsibilities the parents may have, and the budget limitations of the family.

Homeschooling on a Shoestring

Marsha:
Yes.

• My main recommendation to beginning homeschoolers whether they are on a tight budget or not, is to take full advantage of the services of the local library.
• Use the library to get a feel for your kid's interests (let them browse the non-fiction shelves and take out several books that just look interesting to them).
• Teach research skills by using the many materials available;  ask for a tour and explanation of these materials if you aren't familiar with them yourself.
• Learn to use the card catalog, whether it's available by cards or on computer.
• And avail yourself of interlibrary loan.

More about Marsha's Children

Joe:
We know a bit about Jacinta and her love of oceanography.

Marsha:
Oh, yes!
I'm always happy to talk about my kids!

• Ryan, 21, is finishing up his Associates in Applied Science (Automotive Technology) at Southwestern Michigan College in Dowagiac, MI while working as a non-certified automotive technology instructor at the Van Buren County Intermediate School District's Technology Center.   After working in industry as an automotive technician, he was approached about taking this instructional position.  He has enjoyed it so much that he plans to transfer to Western Michigan University this fall to obtain his vocational-ed certification.  He recently purchased a fixer-upper house in the town where he works, and has spent the last six months working on it in most of his spare moments.  He moved into his new home just two weeks ago.  Ryan's interests include computers (he's planning to put together a computer from a kit as soon as all the parts arrive by UPS), history (he's an avid reader), downhill skiing, playing paint ball, and boating.
• Aaron, 18, graduated from homeschool high school in Jan. 2000, having jump-started college by beginning to take dual-enrollment classes at Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, MI at the age of fourteen.  He's presently working full-time in the family business as an apprentice painter while taking night classes at LMC in Marketing and Management.  Undecided about what he wants to do for a career, Aaron is considering a variety of possibilities.  Aaron's been involved in helping his cousins and friends design and build an addition to their half-pipe, where he enjoys skateboarding.  He recently purchased a fairly new Jeep, which he enjoys driving and off-roading with.   He also enjoys snowboarding and wakeboarding.  Always a people person, Aaron can usually be found doing something with his friends or chatting with kids from across the US and Canada on AOL Messenger.
• Ervin, 14, was the first of our children to be homeschooled from the get-go. When we brought the two older boys home for school, Ervin had to adjust to sharing his time with me. Later that school year, he adapted again to the arrival of his baby sister by adoption from Korea.  Ervin was a later reader, but taught himself to add and subtract at four using a cast-off workbook which belonged to one of his older brothers and a calculator.  When he did learn to read at almost nine, he went from a pre-reader to reading adult level material within about six weeks.  I'm challenged to find him materials to read now at his interest level that are appropriate for his age.  Ervin wants to be a graphic designer and plans to attend a career camp at the Van Buren County Intermediate School District Technology Center this summer.  Presently he's teaching himself using a variety of materials, including Bryce 4.0 (a 3-D design program) and TurboCad (a Computer Aided Design program) on the computer.  One of his current projects is designing an addition for our home.  His future goals include taking the Commercial Arts program at the VBCISD Tech Center as soon as he's old enough.  His interests include snowboarding, canoeing, sailing, and wilderness survival.

Future Plans

Joe:
Thank you Marsha for taking your time  to share with us. I also wanted to thank Marsha for what is coming up next, a FREE excerpt from her book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Homeschooling. In this section she tells us a bit on how to set up a Homeschool Cooperative.

Starting a Homeschool Cooperative
Excerpted with the permission of the author from "The Idiot's Guide to Homeschooling" ©2001 by Marsha Ransom. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without the expressed written permission of the author

Faces of Home Education Profile
"Something fishy?"
A passion for oceanography

Marsha Ransom, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Homeschooling and is the mom of 4 homeschooled kids (2 graduated and 2 to go!). Her new book is a step-by-step manual written for the new and inexperienced homeschooler. She says, "My daughter Jacinta Ransom has an interest in oceans. She stenciled fish and sea life on the walls of her bedroom. We had been helping her find resources for studying the ocean for about a year and a half when she and I decided to redecorate her room. Want to see Jacinta's room?"

Meet the Author
"Easy Homeschooling Techniques"
by Lorraine Curry
hosted by Joe Spataro
interview & FREE excerpt for working parents
Lorraine Curry started EasyHomeschooling her own children in 1989, and began writing about the method in 1994. She has written for Practical Homeschooling, Homeschooling Today and published Tips & Topics – The East Homeschooling Journal for four years. In her interview here on the Zone, Lorraine will chat with us about the costs of homeschooling & how to save money, how working people can homeschool which she shares from her book, and the role of Christian teachings in homeschooling.

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