Volunteering and Leadership

I recently attended a homeschool group leaders conference. It was a rainy day but the scenery was still just as beautiful as ever.  I gazed out of the window at the hazy but extremely peaceful landscape. The conference was held in historic Williamsburg, VA. It was nice to get away from the usual for a moment of spirit renewal and networking with other homeschool parents that manage homeschool groups.

I was actually blown away by the number of mothers and fathers that have committed themselves and their time to serving the homeschool community in this area.

I was especially blown away by the mothers of 3 year olds that have started homeschool groups. Those mothers have already made up their minds that homeschooling is going to be an integral part of their daily lives. Not only that, they are already giving back to the homeschool community by serving others in the community before their child is of formal school age. How awesome.

It energizes and fills me up to hear the stories of the old and the new families that serve in leadership positions in the homeschool community.

When I started our homeschool group, I admit that I was just looking for socialization for me and my children. I looked for like minded people that believed in our mission and wanted to grow together. As the families came together, I found myself in a leadership position.

As the homeschool movement grows, there are more and more people in need of  information on how to homeschool their children for success. They need to talk to real families that are presently homeschooling to see if homeschooling is a viable option and a good fit for their family. We need to give back to those families that are coming after us, through sharing our experiences, offering a shoulder to lean on and lending an ear to listen when times get tough.

Here is a bonus. When I started, I couldn’t see how starting a group could affecting my children but, what better way to raise leaders in this world than to lead by example. When the children see the parents actually assuming leadership roles or volunteering it opens up a world of possibilities for instilling a leadership mentality into your children.

Volunteering is also, a great way to meet new people and learn new skills. Volunteers are priceless and they give freely from the heart. So, I just want to leave you with a few words of advice.

1. Take the time to thank your coordinators. (They are busy, busy, busy homeschoolers also.)

2. Ask if there is anything you can help with days before the event starts.

3. If you are a member of a group, invest in it. (Time, donation, ideas)

4. By all means, show up on time and attend the events that you sign up for. (tsk, tsk)

5. Thank your sponsors. Homeschooling is not free. Nothing in life is free. Somebody incurs the cost. If you have not paid for it, then the cost has been passed on to some gracious person.

6. There is always something that has to be set up before hand or cleaned up afterwards. (Those are great teaching moments for your children.)