The National Alliance of Secular Homeschoolers
The first three years of our homeschooling journey were
spent with me vacillating between feeling uncomfortable and antagonistic. I tried to fit in for Punky’s sake. I wanted her to have friends and activities
and the only available avenue was to join the Christian groups where I was
uncomfortable. The longer I tried the
more antagonistic I became. Remember, I
am the inappropriate homeschooler so it wasn’t just my personal beliefs that I
was trying to squelch, but who *I* was, as a human being. The situation reached critical mass in the
Spring of 2012 after being asked to step
down as a teacher at the local co-op because I had been ‘exposed’ as teaching
my daughter it was okay that people were gay and having adjusted the wording to
the statement of faith I had been required to sign. With this final ‘nail’ in the coffin, we were
now out of options for both a social and educational homeschooling community.
It was fortuitous that a small secular homeschooling group
had been started, unbeknownst to me, during this time. It was a tremendous joy when I was contacted
about joining this group. I found my place! Not only were my views allowed, but my
personality was appreciated. Punky made
friends and we were both delighted. It
was because of this group that I found my footing again. I slowly started to deconstruct the wall I
had built and became more and more comfortable with being me. What a relief! It was during this time that the joke
started, as a result of the things I would say or views I would express, that I
was the inappropriate homeschooler!
Friends encouraged me to start a blog and viola! The Inappropriate Homeschooler started a blog
and then a facebook page.
The IH facebook page is what brought people to me and many
shared their stories with me. I was
expressing views and opinions that many seemed to share regarding the
isolation, rejection, and even hardships they experienced as secular
homechoolers in a predominately religious community. I was saddened to learn how many
homeschoolers were facing what I had faced, not only because they were secular,
but because of who they were as human beings.
They were gay, they were liberal, they were atheists, they were pagans,
they were peaceful parents, they were organic homesteaders, they were
unschoolers, traditional schoolers, cyber schoolers, they were REAL. They were not trying to be “Martha Stewart
Moms’ – everything done to perfection. I
was admitting to the world (ok, to the 5 people who initially read my blog)
that I was a secular homeschooler. I was
not a “Martha Stuart Mom”. I drank,
smoked, cursed, and was what the rest of the homeschooling community judged to
be inappropriate.
Thus the Inappropriate Homeschooler support group
began! It is hard to believe that it has
only been seven months since that group began.
In those seven months people have come and people have gone. People have found sanctuary, a safe haven,
and people have come together and supported one another on their life journey
that includes being secular homeschoolers.
The support groups does not meet everyone’s needs and my definition of
inappropriate is not everyone’s definition, but the 500+ members the group has
have created a haven.
It was in the group that the idea of The Inappropriate
Homeschooler hosting a homeschooling convention began. It started as a way for us to meet in real
life, to throw a huge Inappropriate Party and it evolved to discussing the need
for secular curriculum and wanting vendors and then workshops that were for
secular homeschoolers given by secular homeschoolers. Being inappropriate, I wanted a name for it
that was different. So, the Throng was
conceived!
Along the way, a blog post I had written a while back
talking about the need for a national organization for secular homeschoolers
became a topic. I had written that blog
post, and conceived of the name, as a result of a conversation in a secular fb
group of which I was once a member.
Unfortunately no forward movement happened with the idea in that group
with those folks but the idea was still swimming around in my mind and I shared
it with the IHers. It caught on quickly
and thoughts turned to how we could incorporate N.A.S.H. into the Throng.
The Inappropriate Homeschooler is proud to host the
Executive Planning Sessions for The National Alliance of Secular Homeschoolers
at the Throng in September in Atlanta,
GA. N.A.S.H is for all secular homeschoolers and
is a separate entity from The Inappropriate Homeschooler.
The National Alliance
of Secular Homeschoolers endeavors to unify secular homeschoolers to be a
strong, significantly influential force in the world of homeschooling and to
transform homeschooling for the 21st century and beyond.
In order to unite secular homeschoolers, a N.A.S.H.
membership will need to not only provide its membership with a great service,
but it must provide its membership with something more; a platform, a voice, in
the homeschooling community as a whole.
NASH needs to be unique. In the
world of secular homeschooling, challenges include not only being a minority
(secular) in a minority (homeschooling), but also being 'scattered'. The religious homeschooling community has
strength of numbers, but they also have a strength of purpose. Despite any denominational differences that
exist within the religious homeschooling community they unite and have power by
identifying with one label - religious.
The secular homeschooling community needs to be as united
under the one label 'secular'. In order
to accomplish that goal the term 'secular' needs to be broadly (to attract the
most members) yet clearly (providing a unified purpose) defined. N.A.S.H. can do just that. The first step in creating NASH is to clearly
define its mission and the very definition of 'secular' homeschooling is a
must.
During the Executive Planning Sessions for N.A.S.H. a
definition of secular homeschooling will be finalized along with the
organization’s mission statement, From
the Vision statement and Mission
State the organizations
goals will be outlined. These goals
could include:
- An interactive website
- Legal representation
- Home School Graduation
- Home School Identification Cards
- A Facebook linked closed group for all paying members
- An Annual National Secular Convention
- A Media Presence
- A Political and Social voice to influence and shape homeschooling.
~Mari B.
The National
Alliance of Secular Homeschoolers, hosted by The Inappropriate
Homeschooler, invites YOU to the Inaugural Conference of N.A.S.H.!! Are you a home-educating family, and feel like you just don’t fit in?
Are you looking for excellent resources, and an opportunity to socialize with
like-minded homeschoolers? Are you excited about being a secular homeschooler
and want to shout it from the rooftops? The Inappropriate Homeschoolers Throng
is THE PLACE TO BE! Come join us for awesome presentations, amazing resources
and vendors, and the most appropriate inappropriate socializing you could
possibly imagine! Come learn about how to incorporate gaming into your home
education repertoire, check out curriculum that is entirely secular, and laugh
and lunch with like-minded home educators? Need to bring the kids? NO PROBLEM!
Bring them along, too, and let them enjoy activities and sessions that pertain
to their interests. Harry Potter? Minecraft? We’ve got that!! And the best yet,
come get in on the ground floor for the launch of the National Alliance of
Secular Homeschoolers, an organization designed to support secular
homeschooling families like yours. Come be a part of this innovative new
project, and see for yourself how truly exciting inappropriately homeschooling
with NASH can be. We cannot wait to see you there!
I'm nearly speechless. But you know that's not possible. ;) Just amazing, Mari. You have often brought tears to my eyes with your words. I'm so excited about this whole endeavor, especially since you are the one at the helm. Rock on!!!
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