A panel of veteran homeschoolers shares their experiences of finding or creating a supportive learning community.
As anyone who has tried it can attest, it takes a village to homeschool a child. In this session, four homeschooling parents share the ups and downs of finding or creating community to support their homeschooling journey.
Panelists: Kristen Robson, Heather Hall, Anna Hunter, & Lisa Wilcox
Anna Hunter is a sheep farmer and entrepreneur living in south-eastern Manitoba with her spouse and two sons aged 8 & 10. Anna is passionate about alternative schooling and started a free school in Halifax in 2003 – 2006. Anna and her family moved here in 2015 from Vancouver and have been unschooling for the last decade. Anna and her boys became fast friends with other families in a loosely organized group called Earth Explorers – a group of homeschooling families in Winnipeg who meet on a regular basis to share their homeschooling and life-learning journeys. In 2017 the group began organizing the Earth Explorers Market – a one-day market for homeschooling youth and entrepreneurs to sell their hand-crafted items and/or services. It has been a great adventure and beautiful example of supporting youth entrepreneurs.
With a background and a degree in design, Lisa Wilcox began the adventure into homeschooling with no “credentials” in 2007 after pulling her daughter out of public school as a result of a challenging year in grade 3. With a daughter who needed full time support and a toddler in tow, she stepped into the unknown alone, feeling overwhelmed and unqualified. Exploring different curriculum and styles of homeschooling took some time to find a groove of what worked for the family…and would change from year to year and season of family life. It didn’t take long to fall in love with why people choose to homeschool despite the challenges (including the extra challenges of having a child with special needs). The home school lifestyle fit well with their out of the box creative family and the attachment parenting style her family had always adopted. Lisa has used a blend of unschooling, formal curriculum, Selfdesign and faith based materials and activities which includes outsourcing teachers where needed. After her daughter re-entered the school system in her teens, Lisa enjoyed the alone time with her son however homeschooling one child has it’s pros and cons. She has not been afraid to pull her daughter out of school temporarily as needed if it was in her daughter’s best interest. Embracing the flexibility of “schooling” anytime and anywhere all year round, sometimes relaxed and other times with gusto, has given a freedom that Lisa feels is a gift and a decision she will never regret.
Heather Hall is a mother of four who homeschooled from 2008 until 2019, while also working as a bookkeeper and consultant. All her children entered the public school system by grades 6 or 7. She was a founding member of the Winnipeg Freeskool group, which grew out of a need for more community, a broader social group and a bigger range of adult knowledge. It led to many formative and lifelong friendships. And the (initially) unintended goal of a childcare network allowing members much more freedom to pursue work and schooling outside of the home. While the group dissolved in the past few years, many relationships from that project among both adults and children continue to thrive.
Kristen Robson is a family therapist living in the West End, Winnipeg with her 2 children, aged 13 and 10. Kristen was one of the founding members of the Family Food Group in 2008, and a participant in the Winnipeg Freeskool in its various iterations from 2012 until its dissolution in 2019, when the majority of its members integrated into the public school system. Kristen’s homeschooling approach was fuelled by an interest in building relationships with homeschooling families and engaging with the wider community. Although her children are no longer homeschooling, the strong ties of connection and spirit of mutual aid are ongoing, and have had a lasting impact on her family.