The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers
VaHomeschoolers.org
Your Resource. Your Voice. Your Association.
The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers
VaHomeschoolers.org
Your Resource. Your Voice. Your Association.
The bi-monthly VaHomeschoolers Newsletter is a quality publication containing news and views on matters of interest to Virginia homeschoolers, from proposed legislation to hot homeschool issues, to thought-provoking observations and sanity keepers.
"The VaHomeschoolers newsletter is like getting a burst of energy by mail. There are always articles that are informative and thought provoking, supportive and inspiring. I keep them on file to read again and again." -Alicia Knight
Comprised of homeschooling parents like you, VaHomeschoolers' Newsletter Committee works hard to provide you with an enjoyable, informative and useful publication. They are in touch with the needs, interests and concerns of the homeschooling community.
"I like hearing from different 'voices' and, as a novice, I appreciate the experience of homeschoolers who have 'been there." -Robin Saunders
The VaHomeschoolers Newsletter is a benefit of membership in VaHomeschoolers. You won't want to miss a single issue! To start receiving it as soon as possible, join VaHomeschoolers today!
"When I joined VaHomeschoolers I had no idea was also subscribing to such a high-quality publication! I tend to devour it the moment it arrives --it's extraordinarily well-written and densely packed with useful information and support." -Jenny Meyer
Topic Areas:
Columnists:
Current president Shay Seaborne writes about the crucial benefits offered by VHEA/VaHomeschoolers.
Shay writes about how browsing the newsletter archives gave her an even greater appreciation for the work done by the scores of volunteers who have come before, giving of their time, talents, and, often, their money, to help make Virginia a better place for homeschoolers.
Past president Will Shaw answers the question,"Why do we need two state organizations?"
Will warns homeschoolers to "don't get in a rut," and offers suggestions for avoiding the rut.
Will ruminates on whether homeschoolers are extremists.
Much Ado About Kindergarten, by Celeste Land
Offers a clear explanation of the legal options available during the kindergarten year.
VHEA/VaHomeschoolers Works Hard for You in the LegislatureHow your fully inclusive, member directed, volunteer driven state association looks out for your homeschool interests. VHEA [Now VaHomeschoolers] Visits Capitol Hill
VHEA is a statewide homeschooling organization, and normally confines its monitoring and lobbying efforts to Virginia legislation. However, in 2002, two federal bills were proposed in Congress that, if passed, would directly affect Virginia homeschoolers. VHEA's Will Shaw, Margaret Shaw, and Celeste Land visited Capitol Hill to discuss these bills with Congressional staffers. Working together with lawmakers in a friendly, non-confrontational manner, VHEA was able to address issues of direct interest to Virginia's diverse homeschooling community.
The Question of Umbrella Schools
Does the Code of Virginia permit "home-based private schools?"
Should You Homeschool Another Person's Child?
Interview with VHEA/VaHomeschoolers founder, Will Shaw.
The Religious Exemption: Past, Present, and Future
How and why the "RE" has been protected, and how homeschoolers can continue to protect it.
Answering the Child Protective Services Questions
"Am I likely to be a target of a CPS investigation, just because I'm homeschooling?"
What should I do if CPS comes knocking at my door?
What if someone reports that my toddler ran outside without clothing?
What if I spank my child in public?
A group of homeschoolers in Prince William County, VA decided to find answers to these questions. They invited Mr. Edwin Schuster, from the Virginia Child Protective Services, to speak with our group. Here is what we asked, and what he had to say.
Homeschool Tax Credits, Pro & Con
Sparked by then-recent tax credit legislation presented in the Virginia General Assembly, two homeschool parents argue for and against a homeschool tax credit. Milan Kobulnicky makes points for a tax credit, and Shay Seaborne relates why she is opposed.
Includes announcement of passage of VHEA's improvement to the Home Instruction statute, our succes in eliminating daytime curfews, obtaining part-time access, and stopping the hostile bill, SB650.
Eliminating Daytime Curfews: The unusual story behind the Headlines by Ellen Neal
The concept of preventing daytime curfews was quietly added later in the session to HB1064 in an unusual team effort by five delegates from opposite sides of the political spectrum and strangely, by some of the same legislators who earlier shot down VHEA's bill.
Includes reports on a bill that sought to exclude homeschool and private school students from public extracurricular programs, two bills that sought to restore to local governments the power to make curfew ordinances applicable to daytime hours, the liberalizing of General Educational Development (GED) testing for homeschoolers.
Bills included SB486, intended to improve the Home Instruction statute; partial enrollment, tax credits, driver education, and other bills, some of which were not homeschool bills per se, but were included because some parties represented them as homeschool bills.
Armed with computers, cell phones, pagers, and feet, VHEA's lobbyists successfully met a flurry of bills and the threat of dangerous amendments.
Tax Credits, SOLs, and More: Homeschooling Bills, General Assembly 2002
A summary of home-schooling legislative events in the 2002 General Assembly, as of February of that year.
Commonwealth Watch 2002 by Celeste Land
"Once again, legislators are debating the merits of educational tax credits for homeschoolers. Several legislators are trying to connect such tax credits to the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests, arguing that homeschoolers who take state funds should be held accountable to public school standards. Legislators and interest groups have drafted bills with the intention of benefiting homeschoolers, but without any constructive input from the homeschoolers or their representative organizations. Certain legislators and media reports are portraying homeschoolers as a potentially dangerous, monolithic interest group that must be held accountable for its acts."
High Drama at the General Assembly by Celeste Land
"Every winter, for a few short months of the year, I play a part in a reallife legal drama, filled with suspense, excitement, colorful characters, and constant surprises. The issues are always important and often controversial, and the stakes are frequently very high. The passions run deep, the plots run thick, and you never know until the very end of the show just how it will all end."
News From the General Assembly
Driver education. Community colleges. Tax credits and vouchers. Standards of Learning. Child Protective Services. Special high school diplomas. Stanford 9 testing. These are a few of the issues affecting homeschoolers discussed in this year's General Assembly. It has been an eventful session full of fast-breaking developments, impassioned debates in committee, and lots and lots of interesting bills to monitor.
Recap of the 2003 Virginia General Assembly, and beyond.
What to Expect When You're Expecting&The General Assembly Celeste Land made a few predictions about what to expect from the 2003 General Assembly from a homeschooling perspective.VHEA Legislative Report: Changes to Driver Education
Early in 2003, the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation to allow parents or guardians of homeschooled children to teach the behind-the-wheel portion of driver education training.
Commonwealth Watch: Update on the General Achievement Diploma Program
In 2003, the General Assembly approved legislation to allow students who have passed the General Education Development (GED) exam to receive special "general achievement diplomas" from the State of Virginiasome observers had wondered if the General Achievement Diploma (GAD) might provide a means for homeschooled teens in Virginia to receive an official high school diplomaHowever, [it would be] very difficult for most homeschoolers to fulfill the requirements for the GAD.
Legislative sessions are like snowflakes; no two sessions of the General Assembly are ever exactly alike. This year's General Assembly brought us many of the same issues, players, and questions as in previous years. Yet the session has been full of many surprises, especially from a homeschooling perspective.
General Assembly 2004: Good Guys and Bad Guys
Who are the real "bad guys" in homeschooling politics? VHEA has found that most bad homeschooling legislation and most bad homeschooling policies are crafted out of ignoranceAnother "bad guy" in homeschooling politics is fear... Finally, prejudice and stereotyping are all too common in homeschooling politics.
HB 675: When Homeschooling is Debated
The debate on this bill included some surprising arguments. Both sides used questionable statistics to bolster their claims, reflecting the fact that accurate, objective statistics on homeschoolers and homeschooling are few and far between.
What Else Happened in the General Assembly This Year?
Celeste Land's article summarizing the 2004 Virginia General Assembly, including PSAT's Part-Time Enrollment and Parental Leave.
Here Comes the General Assembly! by Celeste LandYes, its that time again. Virginias General Assembly officially begins its work in Richmond on January 12, 2005, but the groundwork is already well underway. Across the state, meetings are taking place, legislation is being drafted, and alliances are being struck.
When the School Division Asks Too Much by Shay Seaborne
Explains how some homeschoolers have empowered themselves and effectively handled requests for tables of contents of books or other items that are beyond the legal requirement in Virginia.
Will Shaw answers the question, "What happens if the local school division rejects the test, results of the test, or the portfolio?"
With a little support and encouragement from each other, homeschoolers can effectively respond to superintendents offices that overstep their bounds.
Learning about lawmaking can be fun, exciting and thought provoking with these resources from VaHomeschoolers's Government Affairs Committee Chair.
Quiz Yourself!, by Celeste LandFAQ's about homeschooling laws, lobbyists, and the General Assembly from your VaHomeschoolers Legislative Committee.
The Dark Side of Legislative Alerts, by Celeste Land
Is there a dark side to hundreds of homeschoolers calling their legislators to express their views on a particular bill? Why should homeschoolers be cautious about responding to legislative alerts?
Vulnerability of Virginia Homeschooling Laws and What You Can Do by Peg Watson
"Each winter the Virginia General Assembly convenes to consider changes to the Code of Virginia, thus creating a window of vulnerability for our state homeschooling lawsBecause the Virginia legislative process progresses very quickly, imminent detection of bills impacting homeschooling is necessaryEach year bills are discovered which are potentially dangerous to the homeschooling freedoms we currently hold."
Playing an Active, Constructive Role in Legislative Affairs, by Celeste Land
Explains how you can be a wise consumer of homeschooling legislative information, as well as how to educate your legislators about homeschooling.
How and Why Homeschoolers Should Be Involved in Local and State Politics
Celeste Land's summary of Delegate Rob Bell's presentation at the VHEA Conference & Curriculum Fair 2002.
Strategies for Building Effective Relationships With Politicians
Celeste Land's summary of Delegate Rob Bell's presentation at the 2002 VHEA Conference & Curriculum Fair
In Like a Lamb, Out Like a LionShay Seaborne's account of her first meeting with a candidate for State Senate. "I realized that, as an experienced homeschooler involved in the community, I was qualified to speak with a candidate, a Senator, or whomever — if I could just swallow my fear."
Homeschoolers Serve in the General Assembly
Homeschooler Georganna Mehfoud, then 16-years-old, wrote about her experience serving as an intern in a Delegate's office.
Paging for the 2000 House of Delegates
Tammy Ivins shares her experience as a teen page in the Virginia General Assembly.
When the Media Calls, YOU Can Answer
With the accelerating media interest in homeschooling, chances are increasing that you will receive a request to speak with a reporter for a magazine or newspaper article, a television or radio program...you could say "yes," and find yourself at the start of a new and educational experience. Includes tips on dealing with the media, and making media contact a learning experience.
Talking About Homeschooling With the Media
Discussing homeschooling with the media doesnt have to be a nightmare. It can be a positive and productive experience for both homeschoolers and reporters. Celeste Land offers ideas on how to handle some common concerns about media relations and homeschooling.
FAQ's About Homeschoolers' Access to Public Schools
Our Government Affairs Committee Chair answers all those questions that Virginia homeschoolers have about part-time access.
Ellen Neal's in-depth analysis of the practical side of homeschoolers' part-time enrollment in public schools.
The Part-Time Public Schooling That Didn't Happen
Will Shaw relates how his daughter, once partially-enrolled, was kicked out of school by a division superintendent that "declared that no homeschooled child would be allowed to participate in any class, activity, or program in his county, period," and how that made Will "angry, independent, and determined."
Part-Time Access for Loudoun County Homeschoolers, by Elizabeth McCullough
In early 2004, the Loudoun County School Board voted to allow homeschoolers in grades 7 through 12 to enroll in core curriculum high school classes on a part-time basis. One school board member's magnanimous view is that the division's "interest in this is predicated on the belief that education of children is our mission. And if there is space available and the student is qualified to take an advanced science, math or language class, we should be making that available to nonpublic school children."
Partial Enrollment for Prince William County by Shay SeaborneScroll to the lower half of the page to read how one county's partial enrollment policy went from "not until it's mandated" to "c'mon in!" due largely to actions taken by a handful of homeschoolparents in a local support group.
Assessing Your Child's Growth and Progress
Explains the variety of options available for meeting the "evidence of progress" requirement under the Virginia Home Instruction Statute.
Homeschool Evaluation and Testing Services
Lists sources of testing and evaluation services and includes descriptions, costs and contact information.
Pros and Cons of Testing and Assessments
Discusses the positive and negative points of each testing and assessment option.
Evaluating Our Homeschooled Children by Ginny Hunt
Testsdon't really tell us how our children are doing. So how do we know if they are "doing okay?"
The Little-Known History of VHEA (Now VaHomeschoolers)
Virginia Homeschool History Timeline:
Created from archival materials and interviews with our co-founder, Will Shaw.
VaHomeschoolers' Troy Elliott, often called "the Dave Barry of Homeschooling," sheds light and fun on homeschooling in The Dad Files.
A Font of Educational Guidance
Sometimes we all need cliffhanging experiences just to shake us out of complacency.
A Very Different Scene for Friendships
Recently a boy in our Monday homeschooling group commented to me rather casually that no one in this group had slammed his head into a wall yet.
As the homeschooling movement grows...it is inevitable that we will create our own fringe...Being dissidents, we will hopefully allow our minds to remain open to those who find some way to be different from those of us who are already different.
Gail's thoughts on the benefit of making home the hub of our lives.
I homeschool in great part to offer my kids a richer experience of life...Perhaps expertness will happen along the way, perhaps not.
When approached by someone who cannot under stand why I am homeschooling, I try to remember why they may not understand.
Gail considers the lessons offered by an unexpected change in the weather.
Gail relates the deeper homeschool lessons offered by hurricane Isabel.
In homeschooling, we can offer our kids time to really know themselves.
I tell my children that if they keep their eyes open and focus on the experience of learning within any situation, not only will they do a better job, but they will be paid, just because of participating.
We are doing our part to slowly, ever so slowly (think geological time, here) help people see what education can be, what makes learning fun, how life can be different.
:The Balancing Act: Homeschooling Children of Different Ages Concurrently
As homeschoolers, we are so lucky to be able to offer our kids a wide variety of social experiences. We can fill in the gaps of socialization that may have been missed.
Our lives are such that spring-cleaning may need to become a multi-dimensional event.
Gail shares her thoughts on the homeschool economy, both personal and as a market.
The Art of Homeschool Maintenance
I picture this homeschooling mother, with calmer children and/or more tolerance for waffles on the wall, creating the quality connections I long for.
If you care enough to homeschool, you're going to care a LOT about who is conducting extra-curricular activities for your children and what the philosophy is.
What I didn't know was how dramatically homeschooling would affect many of the assumptions and beliefs I held, including my beliefs about government.
You can help your family achieve a balance that keeps you from being strangled by vines in the pumpkin patch and prevents you from being bored to death by foundation plants.
Jeanne's 3 rules for homeschooling.
Of course, the year has its own rhythms. How long ago did I recognize that the winter holiday season was no time to try to get my family to be productive?
Some families choose not to avail themselves of too much of the smorgasbord of away-from-home activities, but many have a hard time resisting. Children can be greatly enriched by these opportunities, but it's up to parents to provide balance for the whole family.
Stereotypes of homeschooling, even positive ones, can come back to haunt us.
Testing the Homeschooling Waters
I've heard many people say they will test the homeschooling waters during the summer. That way, if it doesn't work, their kids can go back to school without missing a beat. The thing is, thats just not long enough especially if your kids have been in traditional school.
Having previously lived in a state that did not have an inclusive statewide homeschool organization, Jeanne expresses her thoughts about the difference such an organization can make.
Helping our children see, hear and feel the intensity of life may be a hedge against negative behaviors that bring their own form of sensuality, such as sexual activity or use of drugs and alcohol.
Jeanne relates the difference between living in Virginia, with an inclusive statewide homeschool organization, and Mississippi, which lacks one.
Elizabeth's thoughts on how homeschooling offers real life explorations.
Not only has homeschooling become visible, it is ceasing, for better or for worse, to be a countercultural movement and is slowly being absorbed by the mainstream culture.
"Its the question I was asking myself on September 12 (2001) as I headed reluctantly out the door to a meeting of our local homeschooling groups co-operative school. In a world where priorities had just been violently reordered in the space of a few hours, everything seemed to me to be divided into 'before' and 'after.' The book I had been reading? That was 'before.' Cleaning the house? That was something I did 'before.' Volunteer projects? 'Before.' Homeschooling was homeschooling also 'before'?"
Soothing the Homeschool Worries
Elizabeth's summary of Mary Griffith's presentation at the VHEA Homeschool Conference & Curriculum Fair 2002, in which the speaker explained that the two major worries of homeschoolers are fear of criticism from without...and fear of criticism from within, judgmental comments from or self-comparisons to other homeschoolers who are doing things differently from us.
John Dean, Epistemology, and Me
The reason I feel just a little sympathy with John Dean after all these years is because every August Im called upon to answer that same question on behalf of my two children: What do they know, and when did they know it?
Mary Alissa Wilson's homeschool field trips column has run in the VaHomeschoolers Newsletter for several years. Mary has published all of her columns on her own site. Dozens of reviews--the good and bad--of adventures for homeschoolers and others.
Taking Exception by Ann Cameron Siegal
There's a valid reason for certain rules, reasons that have nothing to do with reining in our freedoms as homeschoolers.
Jen Jablunovsky explains the significant differences between educating gifted children
in the public school system and homeschooling them.
Ann Cameron Siegal's article on how a kid-published newsletter came to the rescue.
Does Quitting Have to Be Final? by Susan McGlohn
What about quitting? Isnt that a bad thing? Wont it make children lazy, self-centered, and unfocused? Adults quit things all the time. We call it prioritizing. We drop one activity in order to focus on another.
Does Your School Sing- in Public? by Cathleen Ann Steg
Explores the options available for homeschoolers who are musically inclined.
After many years of dedicated service to the diverse homeschooling community in Virginia, Will Shaw retired from the Virginia Home Education Associations board of directors.
VaHomeschoolers member Mary Spinks wrote a pointed response to the "NEA 2000-2001 Resolutions B-68, Home Schooling."
Starting Your Own Homeschool E-Mail Discussion List
Experienced listowner Shay Seaborne offers tips on starting and moderating your own discussion list.
Toy Story by Celeste Land
A complete unit study on space exploration began with a toy!
Leaving Homeschool Behind in High School by Ann Cameron Siegal
Covers transfer provisions for homeschool to public school.
Virginia's Provisions for Transfer Students
Transfer Provisions from "Home Instruction in Virginia: Information for Parents," Virginia Board of Education, August 2002, p 4.
In this discussion between homeschool moms, Joanne Turner -who homeschooled her daughter through to college- offers advice and experience regarding creating transcripts and filing for scholarships.
Why I Volunteer for VHEA (Now VaHomeschoolers) by Shay Seaborne
Inaugural Conference a Resounding Success by Shay Seaborne
People wearing all manners of hairstyle and clothingfrom ethnic to conservative to casual to hipenjoyed a wide variety of workshops and vendors.
Mary Alissa Wilson's Happy Trails column reflects the warmth of VHEA's Homeschool Conference & Curriculum Fair 2004
Going Back in Time> by Ann Cameron Siegal
A growing number of young people are taking periodic breaks from modern comforts to experience first hand the patience and perseverance once needed just to survive from season to season
Spring Thaw: How Our Homeschooling Melted Into Unschooling by Susan McGlohn
We started off, like many homeschoolers do, with trepidation and insecurity, just positive that if we blew it we would mess up our kids for life.
Changing the World, One Family at a Time
Shay Seaborne's interview with Linda Dobson
Remembering VHEA's Founders by Shay Seaborne
Many people contributed to the early success of VHEA. We have compiled some brief profiles of several of these founders.
Homeschool Advocacy Through Community Service by Mary Alissa Wilson
Our family has always emphasized volunteering because, for us, it is the right thing to do. I see community service as an incredible opportunity to serve as advocates for homeschooling as well.
Walking the Walk: Conflict Resolution in the Homeschool by Susan McGlohn
Are homeschoolers missing out? Will our children grow up unable to resolve conflicts in their adult lives because we havent put them through a conflict resolution curriculum?
Confessions of a Homeschool Exclusionist by Shay Seaborne
While many of us have high expectations of the homeschooling community, it is not superior to the rest of the country...This led me to become a homeschool exclusionist. Includes the author's rules for operating in the homeschool community, and the suggestion that readers create their own rules.
Seven Tips for Making Homeschool Connections by Shay Seaborne
New homeschoolers, or those newly transplanted, can sometimes find it difficult to meet others. However, a few simple ideas may help.
Public Access Television and Homeschoolers, by Celeste Land
Public access offers a unique learning opportunity for homeschooling families. Training in television and radio production is available year round for interested adults and teens.
The Lessons of Volunteerism by Shay Seaborne
In my family, there is no clear distinction between volunteering and living; we work to help others, and for good causes, simply because we are able.
End-of-Year Celebrations, by Mary Passalacqua and Carol Wayner
Most homeschool support groups have August or September planning meetings. You might also care to consider organizing a closing tradition for the school year.
How Do I Start Homeschooling My Preschooler, by Susan McGlohn
Susan's list of activities and books to help parents of preschoolers see how much their children are already learning and doing to prepare themselves for more formal education in later years.
The Year According to VaEclectic, by Susan McGlohn
A co-moderator of a statewide homeschool e-mail list considers the cyclical nature of home education and enjoys "watching the seasons of the homeschool year unfold, marked by the questions asked on the VA Eclectic Homeschooling List."
Diversity by Will Shaw
Because homeschooling has been considered (even manipulated to be) a social, political, or religious movement, battle lines have been drawn. VHEA has helped erase some of those dividing lines, but every homeschooler and homeschool organization needs to work at promoting the common goodwhich necessitates including other homeschoolers.
Why I Volunteer for VHEA [Now VaHomeschoolers] by Shay Seaborne
Shay explains how she started volunteering out of selfish reasons.
The Certified Tutor Provision Demystified
The Code of Virginia states that one of the options for meeting the compulsory attendance law is for the child to be taught by a qualified and approved tutor. Learn what this means and how to qualify.
You may also want to read the text of Superintendent's Memo 121, in which it is clarified that a parent may qualify as a tutor under this provision.
VaHomeschoolers works hard to protect your homeschool freedom and empowers you by giving you the information that helps you homeschool with confidence. This is all a free service to you. But providing these services does cost money without which we could not maintain this site, cover our lobbyists' expenses while they work for you at the Virginia General Assembly, or produce and mail the VaHomeschoolers newsletter. Show how much you value the indispensable services VaHomeschoolers provides you--by joining or donating to VaHomeschoolers! If you are already a member, check out our give-back programs where purchases you normally make can earn money for VaHomeschoolers at no cost to you. When you join or donate to VaHomeschoolers, you are supporting the Old Dominion's only fully inclusive, member directed, and volunteer driven state homeschool association.
The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers is a non-profit public charity with 501(c)(3) status; your donation is tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.