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By Stephanie Wharton-Lynch Founder and Director of The Social Homeschooler My natural curiosity and desire to learn were the driving force in pursuing something different for my own children’s education. I was the product of the public school system and gave no thought to doing anything differently for my children. But when we stepped onto the scene as my daughter entered kindergarten I realized just how different from our day to day life her world would be, how much of our time would be spent apart, and how little say she got in it all. I watched as her excitement and enthusiasm for learning was tucked away as she acquired the skills of fitting in and following rules. This was occurring simultaneously with my own revelation of love for learning in its pure form; stripped of its legalities with curiosity leading the pursuit of knowledge. And so, after two years in the public school system, we stepped away to embark on a more natural path of interest-lead learning. I knew my goal was to foster a love of learning that comes from easy pursuit of ideas and that I wanted my children to lead their own way. We created a family dynamic that allowed space to explore, lots of books at our fingertips, and we rekindled the relationship that our time apart had changed as we sat in conversation over anything and everything that was on our minds. We were making learning a part of our everyday life. As time went on we found ourselves in need of new inspiration and we would find it in the connections we made with friends and family. But these connections weren’t as easy to foster as we thought they would be. It became clear fairly quickly that there was a lack of space in our local area to gather intentionally; a safe space to learn and grow while pursuing friendships and connection. I knew that if we were going to thrive and if my children were to truly seek out the wealth of knowledge the world has to offer we need connection to people, both for our physical health and to spark curiosity. If there is one lesson I have learned from jumping into homeschooling it is that we cannot play a passive role in our children’s education. When we came up short of finding the community that fit our needs I set to work to create such a space. In the following years my family hosted nearly a hundred park dates, invited families into our home, counseled new homeschoolers jumping in on the journey, created space for families to serve the community, shared our love of reading through book clubs, and hosted holiday parties. Even though we were making connections and actively engaging in endeavors we valued, there was still something missing. The time put in wasn’t being shared amongst the participants, but was being shouldered by my family. The result was burnout. I knew something had to change and I knew I was surrounded by a group of families that could make it happen. I sat and shared my heart with a dozen homeschool mothers, ladies on the same path as me seeking a different kind of learning community for their families, and together we embarked on creating such a space. Starting with the value of connection as key to learning and growth, we created The Social Homeschooler to be a connection focused group that allows families to invite others alongside them in their passion pursuits: sharing skills, building friendships, embarking on adventures, and everyone joining in on learning and teaching; reciprocity bringing the balance we had lacked. The result of these efforts is the social co-op you are finding here today! Our hope is that you will find this to be a warm and welcoming space for your whole family to expand their opportunities to learn, a community to offer support on the journey, and a place where you are inspired to learn and pursue new goals. Facilitated by a board of volunteers, this space is for anyone looking to expand their homeschool opportunities and build relationships. We have laid out a flexible participation plan that ensures reciprocity in the efforts expended and the ability to enrich your homeschool without sacrificing the natural flow of learning within your home. Whether for a season or for the duration of your homeschool experience, we want to grow in community with you and support you in creating the exact homeschool experience that you and your children need to thrive! 
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