Years ago, when my husband and I were considering home education for our first two daughters, we were excited, but also a bit uneasy. Knowing hardly any homeschoolers at the time, we wondered if our children would grow up lonesome, missing out on the seemingly irreplaceable social activities available through school. How many nights I agonized over these concerns, wishing for some reassurance!
Now, over a decade and many happy memories later, it seemed a good time to give some of that reassurance to other families. My prayer is that "Haystack Full of Needles: A Catholic Home Educator's Guide to Socialization" (coming soon from Hillside Education) will do just that, encouraging new homeschoolers while sharing ideas with the veterans.
Far from being a weakness of home education, socialization is its greatest strength--and joy! Among other things, the book will discuss a "Fatima Model" for gatherings, show how our St. Francis Nature Club was formed nine years ago, and tell the story of that full-length production of Shakespeare performed in the backyard. It will demonstrate how home education leads to life-long friends--not only for the children, but the parents as well--sharing numerous ideas for clubs and activities.
"Haystack" provides a hopeful and positive message, making it a good book to pass along to family and friends or anyone interested in knowing more about the social lives of Catholic homeschoolers. I am hoping it will go a long way toward answering the age old question, "But what about Socialization?"
Many thanks to my publisher, the incomparable Margot Davidson of Hillside. She has been a joy in every way and yet another friend met thanks to the blessing of home education.
If you have a moment, please say a prayer for this project as it nears completion. I would very much appreciate it!
But so much more important than that, please pray for a friend of mine who is having an important medical test done tomorrow.
Thank you very much!
