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Socialization: Understanding Grassroots Action - A Call To Arms For Home School
By Mimi Rothschild

Without grassroots action, home school wouldn't even legally exist in this country today. Without continued action on the grassroots level, home schools are in constant danger of being limited severely by new laws and regulations.

You may be thinking, "Home school already has me running around town trying to squeeze 27 hours into every day. How am I going to find time for politics?" It's much easier than you think. In fact, there are some home school grassroots opportunities that can be done from home. Others can be incorporated into lessons on politics, government, economics, and the electoral process. There's nothing better than hands-on learning to impress upon your home school students the importance of being involved in the community, voting, and effecting change in the world around them.

In order to gain favorable results in the state legislature, Congress, and your local school board, you have to vote for candidates who are pro home school. This is hardly one of the major issues on any given ticket. So how do you find out exactly where any particular candidate stands on protecting home school rights? Ask them.

Few legislators and other elected officials begin a campaign with the idea of protecting home school rights in mind. In fact, most were educated conventionally, so the idea of home school is not only foreign to them but smacks of “anti-education” because tax money supports public education. This means that it's up to the home school families to acquaint officials or potential officials with the basic tenets of home school. They must put a few friendly faces to the cause, along with a little support to get out the vote on their behalf.

Here are a few tips for convincing your local officials to vote on behalf of home school the next time a proposition or bill comes across the table that affects us:

• Remember that these officials want to hear from you. You're doing them a favor by letting them know that a segment of the voting population has an interest in home school and that that interest can translate into votes for them. They want to help people but they have to keep their jobs to do it. Keeping their job means getting votes. Getting votes means being on the side of the people who are in the booth.
• Leave your long list of impressive research about the benefits of home school at home. Instead, show them that those who home school are normal people with high integrity and a dedication to bettering their lives, the lives of their children, and the community in general. Show them that you will put a good face on their campaign.
• Emotion appeals to politicians. It is an issue that can be won on likeability alone.
• The facts and statistics? Have them available if asked for them. But this is only if asked.
• Invite the officials you're targeting to home school meetings, support groups, and into your homes. Create a relationship that will be remembered once you get them into office and push them to vote to support home school.

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling mother, writer, children's rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of home education company Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of 28 years reside with their 8 children right outside Philadelphia, PA.

  Rothschild launched Learning By Grace, Inc. because she believed that our nation's public school system has failed parents and students. Learning By Grace, Inc. offers online education through a multimedia-rich curriculum to PreK-12 children across the country and throughout the world.

  An accomplished author, Rothschild has written books regarding education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Homeschooling News Café Blog consists of the most current and relevant education news.

  Electronic reproduction of this article is permitted if content is published unchanged, appropriate credit is given, and the article title links to corresponding article webpage.