Creating the Homeschooling Community You Crave

Creating the Homeschooling Community You Crave ~
Written by Amber O’Neal Johnston from Heritage Mom

I’ve experienced so many ups and downs throughout our home education journey, it’s impossible to count them all. I know I’m not alone! Most of the trials and joys of homeschooling are ones we share in common.

Still some issues each of us face are unique, and at times may lead us to create what our family needs. Here’s our family’s story of doing exactly that:

Creating the Homeschooling Community You Crave

As an African American homeschooling family, one major hurdle we’ve faced is the lack of representation in the broader homeschool community.

The face of home education in America has traditionally been derived from who presents at/attends large homeschooling conferences, who writes for and reads popular home education publications, blogs, and social media accounts, and who authors mainstream books appealing to homeschooling parents.

Historically, these spaces have been relatively homogenous, as Black homeschoolers and others have struggled to be recognized as experts and included in opportunities to share, learn, and grow.

Sadly this has led some potential Black homeschoolers to feel dissuaded from teaching their children at home. It has also left many who take the plunge feeling disconnected.

The lack of culturally representative curricula is also a challenge. Though availability is slowly increasing, things like literature guides covering books featuring Black characters and history or science lessons that include the contributions of Black people are difficult to come by.

When books and lessons do mention Black Americans, they often focus solely on trials and oppression rather than expressions of Black joy: family bonds, community ties, cultural arts, and everyday friendships.

The tragedies of enslavement, the struggle for civil rights, and the difficulties of impoverished urban life are crucial areas for students to explore, but focusing on these alone can negatively impact both hearts and minds.

Black kids enjoy reading adventures, mysteries, coming-of-age novels, fantasies, historical fiction, biographies, and compelling nonfiction books as much as other children. The lack of convenient resources to help parents navigate these stories when they pursue them independently is a roadblock for those lacking the time or experience to develop lessons from scratch.

I’ve tried to help in this area by sharing African American book recommendations and easy-to-follow Black history lesson plans on my website, and others like Stories of Color are doing the same. But the homeschooling community still has a long way to go.

Another common challenge of homeschooling Black children is the lack of diversity in many communities. While some young people can navigate being the only Black child in their local support group, co-op, or extracurricular activities, it can be difficult for most, particularly as they get older.

In many areas, parents have seen an unmet need for homeschooling spaces where their Black children feel included, accepted, and known.

In major metropolitan markets, long-standing diverse groups often exist, but for some Black parents, meeting this need requires working with others to create a new environment. This was certainly the case for us.

In 2016, I launched a local homeschool support group to help families with Black children (not all the parents are Black) easily find a community of other homeschoolers with whom to learn and socialize.

Our group meets regularly for enrichment activities, service projects, field trips, nature-based activities, family events, educational road trips, parent webinars, moms’ or dads’ nights out, and more. The group is member-led, so activities are determined based on the needs and desires of the group, with each family having opportunities to plan events.

Our children still participate in plenty of other programming across our area, so the group is not meant to be a road to separation but another tool for successfully helping Black families homeschool.

This community, initially born out of disappointment with what was available, has now blossomed into one of the most joyful aspects of our homeschooling journey.

Of course, belonging is something families of all backgrounds crave. So whether your children are looking for friends with similar cultural experiences, differing abilities, or simply peers who enjoy the same activities (nature walks, board games, book clubs, sports, etc.), creating the community your family craves may be a perfect first step to fulfilling your family’s unmet need.

What you offer will likely be an answered prayer for other families, making the effort more fruitful and worthwhile.

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your type needs most!