Homeschooling Resources

Oklahoma is fortunate among the states in that our right to homeschool is guaranteed in our state constitution.  This might well reflect our frontier heritage when virtually everything had to be done at the homestead, from births to burials.

How many homeschoolers are there in the GSO? (Great State of Oklahoma).  Let's do some math.

At the 2009 OCHEC Convention there were 3500 attendees.  Assume most of them are adult female parents, that might represent about 2,000 families, +/-

Assume each of these 2,000 families homeschools an average of 3 kids, that's 6,000 students represented.

Assume that most homeschoolers do NOT go to the convention, due to the cost, the distance, or their philosophy.  Just for starters, assume that 10% of all homeschoolers in the state are represented.

That makes a total of 60,000 students in Oklahoma that are homeschooled!  To be realistic, let's further assume that all assumptions above are off by 50% - a realistic number of homeschooled children in Oklahoma is then somewhere between 30,000 (too low) and 120,000 (too high).

Folks, that's an incredible number of students.  Agree with it or not, that is a very strong political and economic force and it WILL exert an influence on the future.   This is something I would strongly encourage you to become familiar with.

Veg Source -This site has a series of discussion boards on every homeschooling topic imaginable,  from secular to faith-based, from those in an established community to military families.  A great place to start or a good place for the curious to find out about us.   www.vegsource.com/homeschool/

OCHEC - This is a consortium of faith-based homeschool education groups throughout the state.  The Christian lifestyle is their foundation; they also have a tremendous amount of of resources for beginning and experienced homeschoolers of all philosophies.  The state convention in the spring is huge and is professionally performed in all respects.  www.ochec.com

YAHOO Groups.  Search the groups and you will find there lots of groups here in Oklahoma.  Some are local, some are special interest.  Some of the larger groups are

OKhomeschooling  http://goups.yahoo.com/group/OKhomeschooling, which welcomes all philosophies

secular_homeschoolers_ok   http://groups.yahoo.com/grou/secular_homeschoolers_ok which is for all homeschoolers but posts are limited to non-religious subjects,

And there are many, many more - this will get you started. 

What about socialization?

First, very few homeschoolers do their schooling strictly in their own home.  Most belong to a number of groups where they share materials, time and educational expertise (like, I can teach science, can you do art?  let's get together).   In most homeschool families one parent makes this their full-time job.

As a result the socialization of many homeschoolers includes proms, organized athletics and many other events.    In addition the students develop greater experience dealing with a wide range of ages.  They also are able to avoid some strong negative influences that are rife in institutions.

As proof, most colleges (public and private) and now actively seeking out homeschoolers.  They have found that these students are motivated, self-disciplined and add greatly to the college community.

Is is expensive?

It can be, or not.  It's up to the parent.  There are many, many commercial programs and lessons that are available.  You lose the income from one parent who becomes the full-time teacher/manager.  Equipment and transportation become important and are costly.