I believe in preserving and promoting homeschooling. I believe in elevating homeschooling to the best it can be. That’s why I started this blog in the first place. Home education is an excellence option we have for our children.
National School Choice Week is a celebration every year in the last week of January. It’s a non-partisan initiative to raise public awareness about educational options, while underscoring the need for even more opportunities. Schools, organizations and individuals can local events to celebrate their school of choice.
My SC Education is one of our local allies who advocate with us for homeschool rights. I’ve partnered with them to celebrate School Choice Week for several years now. We’re always looking for more homeschool groups and individuals to participate with us.
Here’s my reasons to motivate you and your group to get involved this time! Reasons for homeschoolers to participate in National School Choice Week.
1. It’s free to participate
I love free stuff, don’t you? Event kits include signs, stickers and other items to distribute. Plus you’ll get ideas to help plan your event or activity. Sign up for an event kit–which will be delivered to your door.
Much of the promotion is done online and thru social media. Plug in to the free publicity. Show some of the faces of homeschooling–and homeschool groups. You can also connect to other events in your area–maybe find a rally like My SC Education Rally.
2. It’s fun and kid-friendly
It’s lots of fun! Each year, the theme song has a choreographed dance routine for you to learn. Many groups rehearse it and submit their video performance.
Ok, I’m sooo *NOT* a dancer. I look more like a horse, clomping around. But, I can wave my scarf at the right time. If dance performance isn’t your thing either, you can do something else. There’s event ideas to help spark your creativity.
Just make it a celebration that we have the right to home education. One year, our group event was a march/hike with bikes and strollers. Another year, we hosted a roller skating party. This year, we’re having a lunch-time celebration at the weekly co-op meet-ups.
3. It feels like we’re “normal”
School Choice Week respects homeschooling as a normal option. We’re equivalent to any other educational option. That’s the point of bringing public awareness. We aren’t a bunch of weirdo extremists. We aren’t hermits who never socialize. We aren’t child abusers.
We are actually providing quality, individualized education.
Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states now. But, the battle for public opinion is where we have more work to do. One of the pioneers in South Carolina homeschooling has said that “normalization” means making homeschools as prevalent as private schools.
So are you ready to get involved–right now? Write out why you love your homeschool. Take a picture holding it and post it on social media #SCW or #SchoolChoice.
Join in the celebration of National School Choice Week!
Read more about Education Reformers You Should Know:
Profile of a South Carolina Graduate
Current Legislation 2023-2024
Tax Breaks, Funding and Homeschoolers, Oh My!
South Carolina Regions: A Glossary of Terms
About Kim Andrysczyk
This is so interesting! I never knew that there was even such a thing as National School Choice Week, and according to the website it’s “the world’s largest annual education-related celebration.” I school-choiced one of my kids into kindergarten in the next town over from us, because his brothers went to daycare there and it was easier to have them all in one place (the school bus stopped at the childcare place). But now I telecommute and all the kids are school aged. I admire people who home school and know several who do. I don’t think it’s not “normal” — it just wouldn’t work for me because I work full time. 🙂