Service to Homeschooling Families: Workshops for Library Staff in California

This winter, I will be doing a series of day-long workshops through Infopeople at libraries throughout California. “Service to Homeschooling Families” will be from 9:00am-4:30pm:

Thursday, December 4, 2008, San Francisco Public Library

Monday, January 12, 2009, Solano County Library, Fairfield

Wednesday, January 14, 2009, Buena Park Library District

Thursday, January 15, 2009, San Diego County Library Headquarters

Monday, March 9, 2009, Los Angeles Public Library

Wednesday, March 11, 2009, Santa Maria Public Library

Monday, April 6, 2009, San Jose, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library

Wednesday, April 8, 2009, Fresno Woodward Park Library

There is a $75 fee to take the workshop and registration is required. For more information, visit the Infopeople website or, as always, feel free to send me an email.

Presentation for Mid-Hudson Library System

Here are the slides I’ll be using for my presentation at the Mid-Hudson Library System, “Serving Homeschooling Families,” tomorrow, Thursday, May 1 from 10am-Noon:

Helping Homeschooling Families Presentation

A Good Start: The Less-than-$150 Homeschooling Collection

Many librarians I speak to tell me that they don’t have much money to devote to serving homeschoolers and feel overwhelmed trying to figure out where to start. With that in mind, I offer you my Less-than-$150 Homeschooling Collection. These are books that span a wide variety of homeschooling needs and should circulate and prove useful for a good number of years. Prices are retail and links are to Amazon, although most of the books are available from several other sources.

Bailey, Guy. The Ultimate Homeschool Physical Education Game Book. Camas, WA: Educators Press, 2003. ISBN: 978-0966972740 ($19.95).

Bauer, Susan Wise, and Jessie Wise. The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home. New York: WW Norton, 2004. ISBN: 978-0393059274 ($39.95).

Cohen, Cafi. Homeschoolers’ College Admissions Handbook: Preparing Your 12- to 18-Year-Old for a Smooth Transition. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2000. ISBN: 978-0761527541 ($17.95).

Duffy, Cathy. 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing the Right Curriculum and Approach for Your Child’s Learning Style. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2005. ISBN: 978-0805431384 ($21.99).

Field, Christine M. Homeschooling the Challenging Child: A Practical Guide. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2005. ISBN: 978-0805430783 ($14.99).

Gathercole, Rachel. The Well-Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling. Denver: Mapletree Publishing Company, 2007. ISBN: 978-1600651076 ($14.95).

Holt, John. How Children Learn. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 1995. ISBN: 978-0201484045 ($16.00).

Wittmann, Maureen. For the Love of Literature: Teaching Core Subjects with Literature. LaGrange, KY: Ecce Homo Press, 2007. ISBN: 978-0979760907 ($12.95).

Johnsburg Public Library District’s Homeschool Resource Center (HRC)

On my way back from the PLA Conference a few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be able to stop in Johnsburg, Illinois to visit one of the premier library homeschooling collections, Johnsburg Public Library District’s Homeschool Resource Center (HRC). Library Director Maria Zawacki and dedicated volunteer Kathy Wentz were kind enough to take a few hours to meet with me, show me around, and answer my questions. I profiled the HRC in Helping Homeschoolers in the Library, and I mention it in all my talks about homeschooling. Johnsburg is a small community; the library only serves about 12,000 people. Several years ago, Zawacki and Wentz (a homeschooling mother and science teacher) partnered to write a Library Services and Technology Act Grant, which they won, to turn one of the library’s study rooms into a center where anyone could find a wide variety of learning materials. Here are some photos of the HRC as it exists now. Today, the collection is heavily-used, and not just by homeschoolers. It is evidence of the success libraries can have when they think creatively and work collaboratively with the homeschooling community.

Over the next few weeks, I’m hoping to do an occasional series, “Tips from the HRC” to share some of what I learned on my visit. In the meantime, you can learn more about the HRC:

* “The Public Librarian’s Role in Serving the Homeschooled Student” by Johnsburg director Maria Zawacki in CBC Magazine

* “Homeschool Resource Center in a Public Library” by Johnsburg volunteer and homeschooling mother Kathy Wentz in Home Education Magazine

* “In a Class of Their Own” by Ann Slattery in School Library Journal

Homeschooling at the Annual New York Library Association Conference

I will be giving a presentation called “Helping Homeschoolers in the Library” at the 2007 NYLA Annual Conference on Friday, October 19 from 8:00-9:15am. I just got the date and time, so I thought I’d pass it along. It will be my first big presentation on homeschooling, so I’m really looking forward to it — and I’m hoping to see some of you there!

Homeschooling on the Road

Comics author Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics) and his family – wife Ivy and daughters Skye and Winter – are off on a year-long tour to promote his new book, Making Comics. The family is homeschooling the kids (6th and 8th grade) while on the road, and they’re doing some really fun things like podcasts and video interviews with comic artists they meet along the way. And the whole family’s blogging. So far it’s been fun to peek over their shoulders while they’re homeschooling, traveling, and meeting interesting people. I saw the McClouds when Scott was speaking here in Rochester at RIT, and I’d highly recommend taking in one of the family’s presentations if they come to your area. For their evolving schedule, visit the Making Comics 50 State Tour web site.