If You Can Read This, You Might Have Been Homeschooled

This slogan, sassy as it might be, is a popular one on homeschool t-shirts and bumper stickers. It speaks volumes of the attitude and importance these families give to schooling their children at home. It also shows that they can be an opinionated lot. I'm not passing judgment, because I happen to be one of those homeschoolers with a lot to say.

I'm not sure why homeschoolers have so much to say. Maybe it is because we are continually in "learning mode." We are always learning...and it doesn't stop at 3:00, either. Maybe it is because we are so enthusiastic about getting to watch firsthand as our children become the people they are going to be. There just isn't anything more exciting than watching your son or daughter develop their individual personality. Or maybe it is because we never get a word in edgewise. The flies on the wall in our house had to buy earplugs.

Whatever the reason, we are a wordy lot.

But thankfully, there is a tremendous outlet for all those words....blogging! So far, I am finding enough verbiage to fill SIX blogs, and I still haven't run out of things to say. But I'm not the only one. Homeschool blogging is a niche that is growing daily, and now includes entire social networking sites devoted to it. Homeschoolblogger.com is a host site specifically for homeschool bloggers. Homeschoolblogbuzz is a great homeschool blog registry site where you can see the most recent homeschool blog posts across the net. And there are some wonderful homeschool blog carnivals taking place on a continual basis.

Homeschoolers blog about an incredible variety of things. Of course, many of them talk about what is going on in their homeschool and with their children. Others offer up advice and resources they think will be helpful to other homeschoolers. Some homeschool bloggers closely follow the politics of homeschooling and report news of laws and controversies related to a family's right to school at home. There are also homeschoolers dealing with unique homeschooling issues, such as teaching special needs children, or handling families who are entirely unsupportive of their choice to homeschool.

One of the most wonderful thing about homeschool blogging is the community. Sometimes homeschoolers can feel a bit marginalized, even in a homeschool-friendly area. But similar-minded homeschoolers have a way of finding each other across the blogosphere, and connecting in a powerful way. I have found some great new friends as a result of my homeschool blog - - ones I might have never gotten to know if I had just read their messages on a forum or mailing list. Blogging breaks down barriers and allows you to truly feel acquainted with your fellow bloggers.

If you are a homeschooler who has been thinking about writing a blog, but didn't know where to begin, I'd like to suggest a terrific course for newbies, taught by none other than moi! Blogging 101 is an eight-week online teacher-led class. That means there is someone holding your hand every step of the way from creating and designing your blog, to learning about blogging safety, to writing quality content, to building your readership. I thoroughly enjoy teaching this course designed to light the blogging fires underneath you. So sign up today, and get started blogging!

Come on..you know you have something to say!