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.
When I began volunteering for The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers ten years ago, I simply wanted to spread the word about the most effective statewide homeschool organization in Virginia. The day I invited a board member to speak to my local support group, I had no idea how involved I would become, or what I would receive in return for what I could give.
Aside from gaining the sense of "giving back" and doing the satisfying work of protecting homeschooling for a decade, volunteering for VaHomeschoolers helped me become the person I am today. Being involved with my state homeschool organization gave me support for making my unusual educational decision, helped me become effective in dealing with authorities, put me in contact with a tremendous network of people who have enriched my life in a wide variety of ways, and served to sharpen my skills and bring me new and marketable capabilities.
Volunteering for VaHomeschoolers helped me to immerse myself in the homeschool community, which caused me to be surrounded by people who also made this and other unusual decisions. These people provided support, made me feel less peculiar, helped me find ways to articulate my reasons and feel less defensive, and learn how to handle negative reactions more effectively. I have had the immense satisfaction of "paying forward" what they gave, and helping new homeschoolers gain confidence has been one of my prime pleasures.
Many of my friends and dear friends are those I met through my volunteer work with VaHomeschoolers. They come from a variety of backgrounds and use varying homeschool methods, and I cannot imagine having homeschooled without their enriching presence.
From my earliest interactions with VaHomeschoolers, I was encouraged to read the Home Instruction statute, to study it until I had a full understanding of it. Doing so gave me confidence to homeschool within the law and trust that all would be well.
When the school division sent a letter asking for more than the legal requirement, I had the confidence to write a calm, effective reply, the "show me" letter that says "I have read the Home Instruction statute and do not see where it says I must [insert school division's expectation], however, if you can provide the wording of the law that shows I must, I will happily comply." It has been extremely gratifying to watch this concept of questioning authority spread to the point that, when someone on an email list writes a panicked post about being asked for more than the legal requirement, several voices chime in with the suggestion to calmly respond with a "show me" letter.
Volunteering for VaHomeschoolers helped me learn how to stick up for myself, and to handle problems myself. This increased myconfidence in dealing with other issues that arose, such as friends, family, and professionals who questioned homeschooling, including my local school division after it adopted the onerous "approval before removal" regulation. Having previously worked with the school board on other policy changes, working with board members to resolve this issue was a natural progression, and one that gave my children, other homeschoolers, and me a real life civic education.
Homeschooling is a nonpartisan activity, and through advocating for it, I connected with people of a variety of political persuasions, which increased bi-partisan support for homeschooling in Virginia. Working at local, county, and state levels, I learned that when people of good intention work together, positive, mutually satisfying changes are achieved.
Volunteering for VaHomeschoolers, I discovered my talent for organization building and creating community, for connecting people and ideas that make good things happen. Contacts that I made as a homeschool activist led me to other rewarding endeavors. Having read newspaper articles about and been impressed by my work with the school division, the chairperson of the new local Sea Scout committee asked me to become the skipper for the unit. He gave me about a week and a half to pull in enough interested youth to charter the group, and when I sent notice to the homeschool community, our quota was more than met. The result was good for the Sea Scout unit, and good for the homeschoolers that now belong to it.
As a writer and editor for theVaHomeschoolers Newsletter and website, I honed my writing skills, utilized popular office software, and learned desktop publishing. Through creating and coordinating the Beginning Homeschooling seminars and helping with conferences, I learned about event hosting, and recruiting and organizing volunteers. Becoming the organization’s first PR Committee Chairperson, I obtained a firsthand education in effective publicity, learning how to write press releases, cultivate media contacts, speak well when representing the group, and develop strategies that more than doubled membership and tripled e-newsletter subscriptions in one year.
Becoming a registered lobbyist was a natural outgrowth of my interest in promoting VaHomeschoolers; talking to legislators about the organization became just as easy as speaking to anyone else about it. This ability resulted in my obtaining a patron for a VaHomeschoolers bill on my first active day as registered lobbyist.
When I suddenly found myself the default web administrator for VaHomeschoolers several years ago, I knew very little about the seemingly daunting task. While this posed a stiff challenge, I ended up learning HTML coding, how to upload files, create forms and manipulate graphics. I was able to then use those skills for some paid work on political campaign sites, including that of a dear friend who ran for House of Delegates.
When I returned to the paid workforce, everything I did for VaHomeschoolers translated so well into my résumé that my employer excitedly offered a significantly higher salary and markedly greater benefits than usually extended to those starting work in the position I accepted. This was a very happy surprise for someone who had been out of the employment realm for over a decade and a half.
I don't know who I would be today if I had not volunteered for The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers, but I am very much aware that the people and experiences I met through volunteering have strongly influenced my development as a parent, as a professional, and as a human being relating to other human beings. I believe this "unpaid" work actually paid me back in numerous ways, by offering me the opportunity to find and create my own place in the homeschool community, through providing contact with people who became great friends and supporters, by improving my ability to stand up for myself in the face of authority, and in giving me the chance to cultivate job skills and community contacts that are leading me into the next phase of my life.
You don't have to spend ten years of your life working for an organization to reap priceless rewards. There is no need to be a jack-of-all-trades, or to take on more than could fit comfortably in your life. Start with a small thing, like writing a single newsletter article, committing to a specific "parent-sized" task, or helping with a particular short-term project. See how it feels, while keeping your eyes open to the possibilities and goodies that come your way because of your involvement. If you like it, look for other ways you can become involved. Or, if you are someone who enjoys the scale of a bigger job or more professional responsibilities, offer to take on a volunteer position with broader scope. Use your talents, enjoy your connections, and find out where the volunteer life can take you. Bon voyage!
Shay Seaborne filed her first Notice of Intent to homeschool in Virginia in 1995. She loves living and learning with her two daughters, who are turning out well despite being raised far from the mainstream. Shay writes, cycles, and sails whenever she has the chance. She wore many "hats" over the years for VaHomeschoolers and is a charter member of the VaHomeschoolers Legacy Circle.
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.