Around the Block ... Around the World: A Network By and For Homeschoolers

Information, support and enlightenment: the Internet, at its best, offers these to homeschoolers. NHEN was formed because homeschoolers across the nation discovered that the Internet could be a powerful tool in helping families who homeschool connect with each other; that it could be used to encourage the media to present a more realistic and balanced picture of homeschoolers and their lives; and that, through thoughtful and powerful messages, it could both break through barriers and create community. And although NHEN exists beyond the boundaries of the computer, it was through online communities that it came to life as an organization and it is as an online community that it shares its most compelling messages - the individual voices of homeschoolers.

Homeschoolers are a diverse lot. Scroll through these pages for even a brief period of time and you will find information from a variety of perspectives. Families from a wide variety of backgrounds share their successes and their difficulties. You'll discover that homeschoolers have lots of opinions and ideas and that they speak with a great many different voices. No proverbial melting pot here, but a rich and savory stew with just enough spice to make this a very interesting community!

Our goal, at NHEN, is to provide a place for all those voices to be heard and for them to find support and encouragement, to celebrate all our varied selves, and to work through the sometimes-thorny issues that make online communication such an interesting process. We also challenge our media guests to listen closely, and with an open mind, to these homeschoolers, and to reflect back to the greater community the complex nature of homeschooling.

We trust in the ability of homeschoolers to search out information and to come to their own decisions about issues, resources and creating exciting and appropriate learning environments for their children. These pages provide a starting point to do just that. No "experts" here, just homeschoolers helping other homeschoolers.

This site is a dynamic and ever-changing work in progress so please, join us today, but don't forget to check back regularly!

"We get together on the basis of our similarities; we grow differences." Virginia Satir