. . . A Simpler Approach
    By Carol Moxley

The first steps on the Homeschooling Journey are tentative, exciting, and often quite scary. Having recently made the decision to homeschool, the homeschooling newbie's support needs are at their most acute and precarious stage. Unless new homeschoolers can link up with veterans who can - and will - share their experiences, they may end up blindly groping their way through the mountains of resources, searching for the voice of reason and reassurance that they cannot find in person.

For the most part, veteran homeschoolers are a helpful lot - willing to relate their own experiences, to loan resources, and to reach out to help others during those first shaky steps. Often, however, even the most helpful homeschooler can end up suffering burnout, and eventually flees at the first whiff of a new homeschooler. Countless hours spent on the telephone listening to stories of dissatisfaction with classroom settings; strings of field trips spent engaged in ticking off local resources; answering the exact same questions over and over again to a gallery of different faces - being helpful can be exhausting! So, how does one enjoy helping the new homeschooler acclimate while still preserving one's sanity? Here are a few time and energy-saving tips to consider.

Find Out What They Already Know

A lot of time and breath can be saved by asking a few simple questions:

• Are you familiar with the homeschooling laws in our state?
• Which homeschooling books have you already read?
• How old are your kids?
• Have you already been to a conference or convention?
• Do you have any friends or family who homeschool?
• Do you already have an idea about which approach you want to take?

Once you have an idea of their level of knowledge, you'll better know how to answer their questions.

Limit Your Phone Time

Many new homeschoolers are intensely focused on their reasons for choosing to homeschool. They want to share those reasons, their family's responses to those reasons, their own doubts and fears regarding their decisions, and so forth. They need someone to listen, and to validate that they are doing the right thing. If you can't spare time for a two-hour phone call, consider setting limits at the onset of a conversation. "I've got about 30 minutes before I need to get back to what I'm doing, so let's see what I can do to help you." When that time is up, bring it to the caller's attention and suggest further resources you feel will benefit them. Then invite them to attend a park day or other activity with your support group.

Answer Questions Before They're Asked

Help your support group put together a "Prospective Member Packet". Here are some things you might want to include:

• A reading list of homeschooling books and magazines
• A list of curriculum suppliers
• The names of local resources, including organizations and individuals that offer classes for homeschoolers
• Your support group's guidelines
• A sample copy of your newsletter
• Listings of other area support groups
• Home Education Magazine's FREE Homeschooling Information and Resource Guide

Keep in mind, copying and mailing this packet to new or prospective members can be costly. Consider adjusting first-year membership dues to cover these costs. Ask non-members who just want more information to send in the cost of the packet with the understanding that those funds will be applied to their dues should they decide to join.

Round Up the Newbies

Many new homeschoolers seem to have roughly the same questions, so why not set up a Homeschool Info Night in your area? With a bit of planning and publicity, these events can draw in a good-sized crowd. Rather than one at a time, questions can be answered for an entire room full of people in one fell swoop. By having several veteran members of the group help with this, it can be an easy, cost-effective, and fun way to reach a number of people.

Schedule more intimate out-reach for your new members. Consider offering a special potluck or play day specifically for them. Once or twice per year (October and March, perhaps?) is usually enough to get everyone together to focus on welcoming and acclimating new members. If you have a rapidly growing membership, consider scheduling these events more often. Use these as an occasion for all members to introduce themselves and tell about their children, their reason to homeschool, and the approach they use in their homeschooling. New members will welcome the opportunity to get to know your group's officers and learn more about how the group functions. And the established members will appreciate the chance to get familiar with the new faces. (By the way, this is also a great time to recruit volunteers!)

Share the Load

Set up a "Welcoming Committee" in your support group. Take turns contacting new members to welcome them and visit with them by phone. Don't forget to offer to meet them at one of your group's scheduled functions so you can introduce them to others.

For those new to homeschooling, but not necessarily members of your support group, the Welcoming Committee can still be incredibly valuable. Assign a different member of the committee to be "on call" for a given period (a month, for example) and refer all inquiries to them for that time period. During busy months, you might want to have two people available to talk with new homeschoolers.

Nothing says you are required to answer ALL the questions new homeschoolers have. When visiting with a new member at one of your support group's activities, look for opportunities to pass that person around. "Mary Smith might be a good person to answer that question. I'll introduce you to her." Once they're engaged in conversation, you can excuse yourself for a while. Check back with the new homeschooler later, introduce them to someone else, and then slip away again.

Be Prepared

It's inevitable; you're going to bump into someone, somewhere, who somehow recognizes that you homeschool, and they'll be full of questions. Here are a few ways to give a lot of answers in a very short amount of time:

• Keep a couple of copies of HEM's Homeschooling Information and Resource Guide in your purse or car. This is a great way to quickly and efficiently give them answers to many of the common questions.
• Keep business cards with contact information for your support group tucked in your wallet to offer to interested parties. If your support group doesn't have any business cards, suggest the group consider buying some inexpensive ones to distribute to members for this very purpose. Or make your own!
• Make up a few one-page flyers that you can print out and keep handy. Include a list of a few of your favorite homeschooling books, websites, email lists, and magazines. This is also a simple way to answer a few of the most common questions.
• Stay abreast of events in your area. Know when the next conference or info night is scheduled and refer folks to this source. Offer to meet them there if you're also planning to attend.
  
  

If time and energy are not an issue, by all means, spend as much time as possible with the new homeschooler. Helping someone attain sure footing on the path of homeschooling is never a waste of time!