Home Education Magazine

May-June 1998 - Columns

Older Kids - Cafi Cohen

Learning to Fish

In person, and via the web, telephone and snail mail, I probably talk to 50-100 homeschooling families each month. During these discussions, I repeatedly hear the same query:

Where can I find ____________ ? Fill in:

* An independent-study school for high-achieving teens

* Flying lessons

* Book with hands-on math units

* Driver's training

* Mentor for a future veterinarian

* Other teenagers

* Inexpensive microscopes

* Free, on-line Spanish course

* Grace Llewellyn's Homeschooling Camp for Teenagers

* Remedial Spelling Program

As a military family, we moved a lot when we were homeschooling. As a result, we all learned to find resources fast. I am also an information junkie and enjoy networking for other homeschoolers. But I can only do so much. My choice, often, is to give you a fish or teach you to fish. This article is an attempt to teach you to fish.

Why is networking important? Well, first, those of us with adult children are here to tell you that adolescence flies by. Your kids will be gone before you know it. Usually, to help your teenagers pursue their interests, you have days to weeks, occasionally months, to find appropriate resources. Waiting for wonderful educational opportunities to land on your doorstep is like anticipating the Publisher's Clearing House Prize Patrol: It might happen, but don't hold your breath.

Second, networking is important because good networkers usually find the best resources. Their networking activities typically yield several options. Linus Pauling had a point when he said, "The best way to get a good idea is to get lots of ideas."

Third, networking, in addition to creating a plethora of choices, saves money. Among the "lots of ideas" that they generate to satisfy a particular need, networkers often hit the educational equivalent of a two-for-one sale. By researching and increasing options, they enhance the likelihood of finding inexpensive and free resources.

The networking process also produces excellent evaluators, critical thinkers in educational parlance. With experience, good networkers filter worthwhile resources from the many options they discover. They develop their critical thinking skills, and so do their kids, almost by osmosis - which leads to the final point.

Good networkers raise good networkers. These parents know the importance of modeling and sharing these skills with their kids. Teenagers, especially, by observing and working with you, learn to locate their own educational resources. Networking allows older kids to assume responsibility for their own learning.

So, it is important to hone those networking skills. Let's address two areas: How To Look and Where To Look.

How To Look

* Rule One: Ask Everyone

Do you have questions similar to those above? If so, don't wait for the next homeschool support group meeting. Ask neighbors, family, friends, co-workers, and others. It is impossible to anticipate exactly who will direct you to free foreign language lessons or an opportunity to volunteer at a radio station.

If you are shy about this, remember that most people love the questions: "Could you give me some advice?" or "What's your opinion?" Do not ask for help or resources or time; ask for advice. Sometimes you will get both advice and help, resources, time!

* Rule Two: Go To The Source.

This is a real sticking point. I am constantly asked questions beginning with the phrase, "I heard that college X requires...," often followed by the phrase, "and therefore we decided to..." These people are making a decision about today's activities and a future college based on second-hand information. Not a good approach - especially in view of rapidly changing policies.

I always ask them, "Well, have you called the college and asked them about this?" Never rely exclusively on "what somebody told you." Yes, second-hand information from other homeschoolers can be invaluable, informing you of pitfalls and questions to ask. Eventually, though, if you have a question about the state university, ask the personnel at the college. If you need information about insurance and driver's training, call insurance companies and local drivers' training instructors. If you have a query about the PSAT or the SAT, call the test administrators. If you are unclear about aspects of your state homeschooling statute or regulations, read the original sources for yourself.

* Rule Three: Focus.

This may not apply to you unless you are an information junkie, like me. Without blinders, I am doomed to failure. On one hand, I enjoy gathering interesting homeschooling information from all quarters. On the other hand, sometimes I too closely resemble the tourist who stops at every attraction. Result? Tired feet and a blur of impressions - in other words, no result.

* Rule Four: Evaluate Your Sources When you obtain information about college admissions or standardized testing or curricula or community resources, ask yourself about the background of your source. Can you trust what that he tells you? Does he have the expertise to answer your question? Ask your source to justify his or her statements: "Why do you think/believe that?"

* Rule Five: Consider Alternatives.

When we moved to Denver and needed a sport for our 16-year-old son, we considered running (anyone can train for and run road races) and martial arts (provided by private studios). Finally, though, a local homeschooler pointed out a world class diving program just a stone's throw from our house. After checking out the program, Jeff joined the diving team, thoroughly enjoying it.

It was invaluable for his U. S. Air Force Academy application.

* Rule Six: Be Persistent.

Don't give up. If one avenue is blocked, explore another. We queried 10-15 veterinarians for a volunteer position for my daughter before we found one that said yes. Ross Perot says, "Most people give up just when they're about to achieve success, they give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown."

* Rule Seven: Follow-up Questions.

After you ask for advice, always ask:

Who else knows more about this? What books would you recommend? Can you tell me about another approach to this situation? What would you do?

* Rule Eight: Allow Your Kids To Learn These Skills. How?

Apply networking skills to any problem you have with curriculum selection, applying homeschooling approaches, finding community resources, and interpreting state laws and regulations. Then, work collaboratively with your teens on these information-gathering forays. Jointly evaluate the options your research generates. As your kids grow older, encourage them to assume more responsibility for research and evaluation.

Where To Look

* Your Community

The first part of Where To Look is the same as How To Look. Talk to people in your community - friends, relatives, neighbors - as well as other homeschoolers. Anyone can provide good information.

My son found a source of free flying lessons from another teenager. My daughter got her first paying job through the supervisor of her hospital volunteer program. We heard about my daughter's foreign exchange program through the friend of a friend.

There is an adage that says you are never more than five people away from any piece of information. How's that?

If you ask somebody for certain facts and he doesn't know, you then proceed to whomever the first person recommends. And so on. The adage assures us that information is never more than five people deep.

Write to well-known people. Is your teenager intrigued by the work of a well-known cartoonist, computer game designer, snowboarder, architect, scientist, chef, musician, athlete, writer? Is she interested in emulating that person, getting advice? Encourage your teenager to write and ask for that advice.

* Local library.

Too many make the mistake of perusing the computer card catalog, deciding what they want is not there, and walking out. Depending on the objective, your library research is incomplete unless you have: (1) perused the community resources; (2) chatted with the reference librarian; (3) asked about inter-library loan for any books or materials not in your local system; and (4) checked into the World Wide Web.

Almost all libraries have display tables, bulletin boards, and sometimes files devoted to community groups and resources. Some libraries even maintain a homeschooling file. At almost all libraries, you will find brochures from local parks and recreation departments, YMCA's, musical groups, team sports, and many hobbyists' groups. In larger communities, look for a free magazine detailing activities for kids of all ages.

Consult the reference/research librarian for information on apprenticeships, college at home, the GED, financial aid, and special programs like Space Camp or Talent Search. The reference librarian can also help you find excellent books, magazines, and videotapes on almost any topic. He may not know the exact information you seek, but he can get you one step closer to finding it by directing you to other libraries, government and private agencies, and so on.

To obtain materials not in your library's system, request an Inter-Library Loan form. For this short form, you will need the author and title of a book. At some libraries inter-library loan is free; others charge a nominal fee - fifty cents to a dollar is common. Typical waiting time is one to two weeks. Why more people don't use Inter-Library Loan to preview textbooks is beyond me. Wondering about English From the Roots Up or Saxon Algebra I, for example? If your local system does not have the text, just request it via Inter-Library Loan, and borrow it for a trial run.

Finally, more and more libraries are making computer World Wide Web access available to their patrons. The Web is such an efficient information gathering resource, learning to use it is essential. If your library provides Web access, not having a computer or modem (device for connecting a computer to the Web) is no excuse.

Find sites for used/inexpensive curriculum, homeschooling kids with learning disabilities, free on-line Russian lessons, pen-pals around the world, writing contests, and much more. If you learned to drive a car, you can easily learn to navigate the Web. With 15 minutes of instruction (5 minutes for kids!), most people are ready to begin researching.

* Schools.

Teachers at colleges and local public and private schools can be a wonderful source of information and referrals. Curious about good hands-on resources for science? What about that inexpensive microscope? Call a biology instructor at your local high school or college. Occasionally, you will run across someone who does not have time for you, but most of these people live to give advice and will be flattered by your questions.

Through universities, we have found piano teachers (call the music department), special summer programs for high schoolers (extension or high school program office), and access to foreign language clubs (French or Latin or Spanish department). Through high schools, we have located lab supplies (science department), college preparatory reading lists (English and history departments), SAT and ACT registration materials (counseling office), and volunteer program information (also at the counseling office).

* The World Wide Web

If you have a computer, but are not on-line, consider taking advantage of the free month offers of America Online, ATT World Net, or any of the other large internet service providers. If you do not have a computer, check with your library or even with a friend for Web access to help you research resources. I would gladly give occasional Web access to several homeschool friends - but no one has ever asked me!

On the Web, you will want to acquaint yourself with one or more search engines. Search engines are simply sites onto which you enter one or more search terms - much like using the subject index in a library card catalog.

For example, if you were looking for free instructional materials from NASA, you might try entering "NASA" as a search term or keyword. The challenge is to find search terms that are neither too broad (resulting in thousands of hits), nor too narrow (resulting in no hits).

My favorite search engines (this month) are InfoSeek http://www.infoseek.com and HotBot http://www.hotbot.com. If your kid is exploring the Web for the first time, have him enter a search term for a current interest. Examples are astronomy, skiing, wildlife, and so on.

If you prefer browsing to generating your own search terms, let me also direct you to three great sites: The Amazon Bookstore at http://www.amazon.com and The Homeschool Resource List at http://pages.prodigy.com/ct_homeschool/guide.html.

* Special Homeschooling Sources

Some homeschooling organizations and authors are particularly informative. They may not know the answer, but they can help you find who does. Here is my short list, together with examples of what they can provide.

American Homeschool Association http://www.homeedmag.com/AHA/aha.html is a free service organization supporting the continued growth of homeschooling by providing communications and networking for anyone interested in home education. They have resource files for all 50 states, a networking listserver, and an outstanding free email-only newsletter. Just email a request for information to AHA@homeedmag.com (Put "a1010" in subject field - no punctuation)

Holt Associates, 2269 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140-1226 (617-864-3100) http://www.holtgws.com publishes a subscriber's list (find teenage homeschoolers near you and families who have offered their home as a place to stay for traveling homeschoolers), pen-pal seekers, lists of helpful counselors, lawyers, and mentors.

The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn has chapters on hands-on community-based English, Math, Biology, Foreign Language, sports, history, and more. Each chapter also includes great reading list recommendations. The book is available at libraries (don't forget inter-library loan) or Lowry House, PO Box 1014, Eugene, OR 97440. Grace's Web page for her yearly Not-Back-To-School Camp for teenagers is http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7325

Home School Source Book by Donn Reed. The chapter on "Free or Almost Free Teaching and Learning Aids" alone is worth the cost of the book. Reed reviews all kinds of resources, not restricting himself to the usual homeschooling curricula, but instead concentrating on Real Books, tapes, materials from private and government agencies, and much more. Available from Brook Farm Books, PO Box 246-H, Bridgewater, ME 04735; email: bfbooks@nbnet.nb.ca

Leaders of State and Local Homeschooling Organizations can often help you find resources in your community. Be part of the information pipeline by joining local and state homeschooling support groups and by contributing when you find a good resource. Additionally, stay current by reading publications like Home Education Magazine.

That's it. Like other networkers, I will now ask for your advice and your help. What other suggestions do you have for finding resources? Please let me know: Cafi Cohen, 160 Cornerstone Lane, Arroyo Grande, California 93420 or email cafi@worldnet.att.net

Cafi Cohen of Arroyo Grande, California is the mother of two grown-up homeschoolers and the author of "And What About College?" (Holt, 1997). Contact her via email at cafi@worldnet.att.net. Her Web page is http://pages.prodigy.com/homeschool

© 1998 Cafi Cohen

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