In Their Words now covers all voices in education, not just the stories of homeschool alumni. Below is the original introduction to the Homeschool Voices project.
About the project
Homeschool Alumni: In Their Words is a project designed to share the wisdom and advice of former homeschool students with current homeschoolers and those considering homeschooling.
While there are lots of 'homeschooling resources' out there, there is almost nothing from the perspective of the students/graduates themselves. Virtually all of the information out there is from homeschooling moms. While this information is both beneficial and helpful, parents also want to hear different and honest perspectives from the students/graduates themselves.
The vision of the In Their Words project is to create a library of perspectives, to celebrate the voices of diversity, and to influence the next generations.
Additionally, the project seeks to expose real experiences from homeschoolers - the excellent, the good, the bad, and the ugly. We will not censor.
Here's how you can participate
As a college graduate who homeschooled K-12, I am extremely excited to reach out to my fellow homeschool alumni with the chance to participate. I truly believe that other alums will recognize the same value and benefit that I see in this project.
In Their Words is actively gathering 'informal' interviews from a wide range of individuals who were homeschooled. The information participants share will be reviewed and published to help new homeschoolers and families that are considering homeschooling. I'm excited to be launching and hosting this project for free through Homeschool Base.
As a homeschooler myself, I loved the experience and I would do it over again in a heartbeat. Nevertheless, I also have homeschooled friends who wish they could have done things differently. Unfortunately, this positive and negative feedback, advice, and criticism are rarely ever shared. Many families that are potentially considering homeschooling are desperate to hear from 'real' homeschoolers. Did they turn out all right? Are they successful? What did they enjoy the most? Etc.
This is the core of In Their Words. We have compiled a large list of questions asked by prospective homeschooling parents looking for answers. This project is a response to these questions. In Their Words is looking for homeschoolers from a multitude of backgrounds who are willing to share their stories and in turn answer some of these questions.
Interviews
For many reasons, interviews cannot be conducted in-person. On the positive side, this allows volunteers to answer the questions at their own pace.
The list of interview questions was designed to be extensive and in-depth. Interested participants will be emailed this list of questions. If volunteers are not comfortable answering a question, or if the volunteer cannot remember any details, no problem - just leave it blank. When the responses are submitted, there is a good chance I will ask for clarification on something. And, if one aspect of your story is particularly interesting, I will probably ask you one or two additional questions about it over email.
If you can't imagine typing responses to the questions, you can make a voice recording of your answers to each question. This is requested instead of a phone interview for 2 reasons. First, this way we can transcribe every word with 100% accuracy. Secondly, it's more flexible (and relaxed) for the participant in case they do not wish to answer all of the interview questions in one setting.
If you do not know how to make, save, and send a voice recording here are a few guides: Voice memos on iPhone and WikiHow article and Verizon's guide for smartphone voice recording.
Interested participants can direct any questions to my email or through the Homeschool Base contact form. If you are willing to participate, please send an email to intheirwords[@]homeschoolbase[.]com. I'll send you the questions directly. If you have completed your interview, you may submit it using this form.
Share this info with your homeschooled friends!
We're still looking for volunteers! Please share this page on social media, your blog, or directly with anyone you know who has an interesting homeschool background.
Deadlines
Project In Their Words is an ongoing project. There is no 'ultimate' deadline because we will continue to submissions indefinitely.
Privacy, Terms, & Disclaimer
Your privacy is of the utmost importance. If you wish to remain unnamed, we will 100% respect your privacy and only share the details that you explicitly say are okay. On the other hand, some people will actually love the publicity and will enjoy sharing the finished product on their Facebook, etc. The In Their Words project agreement is located here.
