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Hey there! My name is Jessica (Jesse) Schnellbacher. I’ve been homeschooling since my boys started 1st grade. I was one of those moms who heard about homeschooling, but I had enjoyed an amazing public school experience. That experience left me very prepared for pursuing the Bachelors in Biology I eventually obtained from Truman State University. When my children came to be, not only did I not want to deprive my kids of a similar experience, I also just didn’t think I was cut out to homeschool, so I thought to myself- nope, never, not going to be me, I just can’t. Spoiler Alert- I did (and still am.) My mother in law had operated her own Montessori school for over two decades by the time I had my boys, and when the Army moved us to Washington state, there were many Montessori schools to choose from in the Tacoma area. We found one we loved, and my boys each went there for 2-3 years. That experience served them so well, and they learned so much, that by the time they were old enough to enroll in the public school, I realized it wasn’t going to work for them. I had now lived in enough places (Washington was our third duty station) to understand that not all public schools were created equal. The school my kids would have attended was struggling. I realized that if I enrolled them in the school we were zoned for, they would be bored to tears, repeating so much of what they’d already learned, and having to completely shift how they approached a school day, since Montessori learning is heavily child-directed. In addition, it was becoming more and more clear just how many moves our family had in our future, and how unstable their school experience might be if we had to enroll in a new district every couple of years. So I did what I was *never* going to do and took the homeschooling plunge. I’ve learned a lot, and my kids have learned even more. We’ve gone through our growing pains, our de-schooling and mental-block removal phases. I laugh now remembering how I chose to homeschool to give them a different experience, yet still tried to emulate ‘circle time’ with my single first grader and his stuffed animals. Cute, but yikes. Now I’m homeschooling a high schooler, another thing I was *never* going to do, and there are new growing pains, new mental-blocks to remove, but thankfully, we have no regrets. I’m able to allow my children to seek out the knowledge they want, while tailoring their learning experience to ensure they obtain the lessons they need to grow into healthy, mature, responsible adults, keeping what works and grows them, and letting go of what doesn’t. As a part of The Social Homeschooler, I’ve been so thankful to see my kiddos develop connections and relationships, and experience things I’d struggle to provide them on my own. In addition, I’ve been blessed to make my own connections, and to have the opportunity to serve the co-op and its members so they can have the same opportunities.
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Hi! My name is Arlee Kilbourn and I serve on the board for The Social Homeschooler. I’ve enjoyed being a part of Recess and The Social Homeschooler for the last year as it really helped my family feel connected after moving to Tonganoxie, Kansas from the seacoast of New Hampshire where we had lived for the previous ten years. Although I will be the first to admit that homeschooling was never part of my plan - we’ve been at it for 3 years now and I can’t imagine ever giving it up. I love the freedom homeschooling affords us to work, travel, school and balance the other pieces of life in whatever schedule works best for our family. All three of my children have dietary allergies or an autoimmune condition that we manage primarily through a specific diet - so I’m in my kitchen for a good amount of time every day and as you can imagine, it can be very isolating. Knowing we can go to Recess on any Friday has been so great for my kids to make friends and widen their social circle, but it’s been essential for me to make connections and build friendships with other moms that I wouldn’t otherwise have because we don’t have the food and lifestyle flexibility that other families enjoy. My eldest started his school journey in a local Waldorf school and in the last few years as we moved across the country and the world changed dramatically, we decided keeping our kids at home was the best path for our family. I learned that I’m passionate about Waldorf education, which includes a lot of art, literature and a love for nature - so that is something that still inspires our homeschool because it breathes life and beauty into our daily work, both for myself and my children. We’re also participating in the 1000 Hours Outside challenge this year, so if you love to be outdoors we’d love to make plans to play - if there’s water involved, even better - my kids will be entertained by a creek for hours! Recess and any other park dates are such great opportunities for our kids to work out what they are learning at home and figure out their personalities and how to build real friendships - we are so grateful for this group!
Hola! I’m Carolin Jensen. Originally from Peru, Spanish is my first language and I speak both Spanish and English fluently. We are a military family and we have been in Leavenworth for the past 2 years. The first year here we joined the Recess group, what a wonderful community! I love the freedom to let the kids play each Friday, to meet new moms, and to have meaningful conversations. I have 4 kids; 3 daughters and a son, and this is our 11th year homeschooling. It has been a ride! When my oldest daughter was 2 she wanted to read, so I taught her how to read, write and do basic math. She wanted to learn, she was always craving learning, and she learned fast. By 3 she was reading books all by herself and when she turned 4 I did what everyone did and put her in school, but it was not a good fit. She was bored and did not thrive in the school environment. I found a good friend that introduced me to homeschooling and together with my husband we decided to embark on the journey. It has brought us closer as a family and taught us what learning is truly about. Now I look back and see the beautiful memories and the hard learning moments we did together and it is clear that homeschooling truly is part of our family culture. Being part of The Social Homeschooler has been great, we don’t have to have just a designated day to create a community, in fact we have plenty of opportunities, I love how flexible it is, and that we can join or create an activity any day.I love that my kids have plenty of time to pursue their interests and passions, to enjoy having a garden, and to connect with nature. I hope to see my kids learning and growing in confidence as they keep participating in the activities. I hope to share with other families the flexibility and the value The Social homeschooler brings, and to help facilitate more opportunities for our children to learn, to grow and to develop their talents.
By, Stephanie Wharton-Lynch
Often when you are searching out homeschool co-ops you have a list of questions about the program, the materials used, the dynamics of the group, and the requirements for participating, but it isn’t very often people ask about the why behind the group. Because of the unique dynamic of The Social Homeschooler we think that the why behind the format is as important as the rest! To understand the heart of the group creates appreciation for the part each member plays and allows you to benefit the most from what is being offered. Why a Board? There are many practical reasons for having a board versus a single director/leader, one of which being the simple fact that many hands make light work! Sharing the load of running a homeschool co-op frees up more time for the board members so that they can partake in the fruits of their labors at the many offered events. Another reason The Social Homeschooler is run by a board is because we believe in the importance of ownership in our families’ educations, the benefits of diversity, and in the value of input from many voices as we continue to evolve the community to meet the needs of its members. Each board member brings to the table their own unique perspectives, talents, and ideas that help create a space that truly serves the community to the best of its ability. The Social Homeschooler being run by a board also serves a very straight forward purpose and that is the ability to transfer ownership of the group as families grow and move beyond homeschool years. The necessity for this co-op was the driving force behind its coming to be, but we don’t want everyone to have to do the undertaking of building a co-op from the ground up! It is no small task and we want to ensure that if there is a desire for this space to thrive beyond our homeschooling years that it is set for success in doing so. How Does it Work? Board officers are voted into position by the current year's co-op members after submitting their names for the ballot. Board director is voted in place by current year’s board members after submitting their name and interviewing for the role. After voting takes place, newly elected board members come together to discuss the roles and tasks they would like to learn and how they would like to contribute to the board. This board is broken down into the following roles: Officer 1, Operations Liaison Officer 2, New member Liaison Officer 3, Events Liaison Director These board members work together to act in the interest of the co-op with things like overseeing the day to day operations, keeping the handbook and guidelines up to date and aligned with the goals and values of the community, hosting Community Conversation events and Recess dates, recruiting new members, facilitating community wide events, and visioncast for the future years of the co-op. These members are active co-op participants whose families participate in attending and hosting events as members and meet the same criteria for membership. Their participation lends itself to the additional role they have in acting as the voice of the broader group in all decision making. The Social Homeschool board meets together a minimum of six times a year, but often many more times than that in order to make all the magic happen for the upcoming year. Once a quarter the board hosts a town hall meeting to invite members to join in the conversation about what is happening and the ways The Social Homeschooler would like to serve the community and its members. The meeting minutes from board meetings are available upon request, as The Social Homeschooler values transparency in its operations. Who Fills These Roles? There have been a handful of hardworking and passionate members who have taken these roles over the course of the first year and a half of The Social Homeschooler Co-op! Follow along over the next few weeks as each of our board members takes the time to introduce themselves. We are confident you will enjoy them and the efforts they put into making The Social Homeschooler a great place for our families to connect! |
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February 2025
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