Independence Day
Dateline: June 26, 2006
By Ann Zeise
"Independence Day" has a double meaning for homeschoolers.
Not only is it a day to celebrate our country's independence
from tyranny, but also our own family's liberation into homeschooling.
So when you get out with your friends, family, and neighbors,
make a toast to your own independence and freedom telling what
it means to you.
Here are some things we celebrate:
Our Declaration of Independence.
This may be your Letter of Intent or similar announcement that
you gave to your school district or state to let them know your
kids would no longer be in school.
Remembering how scared you were to tell
your parents, your children's grandparents, that you would
be homeschooling. And now, together, celebrating all the effort
the whole extended family has put into the kids' education.
Severing the economic ties to the "free," but constraining
ties to public education.
Finding new allies and friends in the homeschool
community that helped strengthened our resolve and ability
to homeschool.
Forging new paths into the wilderness as we found our own,
eclectic way of homeschooling
each individual child.
Establishing more flexible laws
regarding homeschooling in our states and in our nations.
Creating our own fun
curriculums, and even establishing home businesses to share
these ideas and products with others. A decade ago it was hard
to find and buy educational materials. Now there are many free and commercial
products designed with homeschool families in mind.
We are grateful to all the writers
of "How to Homeschool" books and the publishers
of homeschool magazines who give us so many great ideas,
and keep us going with their inspiring words.
Delighting in the many diverse communities that have joined
the homeschool movement in the last years. What had been a decade
ago a form of education for hippies, religious fanatics, and
those with severe health problems or living in remote areas,
is now a viable alternative for just about everyone!
And here's to our friends
all over the globe who delight us with tales of how they
homeschool in many lands. Some are like fireworks, brightening
the sky for miles, carrying the torch to make changes in government
regulations. Others are none-the-less sparklers, close and personal,
warm and neighborly, who wage the right to homeschool battle
just within their families and neighborhoods.
Here's to the colleges
and universities who have come to welcome homeschooled teens
with open arms, making exceptions to their homemade transcripts
and wild experiences.
So when you wave your flags of freedom, remember those
who rebelled in the early days, and who keep on fighting
to retain your rights to homeschool. This is a grassroots rebellion,
and the rebels look like suburban, urban, and rural moms and
dads, some rich and some poor. Few ever thought they'd ever be
part of a revolution, a revolution to change the face of Education.
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