PowerHouse Homeschooling

The common denominator to any successful education is that parents be involved in it. This usually means there is some level of teaching happening in the home, the car, and the store. Instruction and learning happens all the time and everywhere, not just in a desk at a school between 8:00 am and 3:30 pm. Homeschooling parents realize this, and parents whose children are successful in public or private school realize this as well.

So even if you don’t currently teach your children full time at home, you can still find lots of resources and information to enrich your child’s education. If you do homeschool full time, it is our desire that the time you spend on our website will save you time and money, and encourage and empower you as a home educator.

Think of a neighborhood full of houses. Now imagine that all of them homeschool. Picture parents and children gathering across their backyard fences to talk about their homes, families, schooling and their lives. Sharing ideas, resources, information. That is what PowerHouse Homeschooling ™ is all about. It is an online neighborhood of families who homeschool in the South/Central Texas region.

We are an inclusive community, serving all individuals who are interesting in learning more about homeschooling or who are already homeschooling. Our purpose is not to debate the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling, individual educational choices, politics, or religious views. There are plenty of other homeschooling forums and blogs for those interested in such issues. If you have landed on this website, we’ll assume you have already chosen to homeschool or are thinking about the possibility. As a homeschooling parent who has met hundreds of other homeschooling parents, it becomes quite obvious that no two families, motivations, or situations are the same. Your reasons for choosing to home educate are your own. Regardless if why, when, or how you made the decision, we’re here to help. Our goal is to equip, encourage and empower home educators by meeting two basic needs: connection and information. We are not a co-op, we are a clearinghouse of information and a place to network online in order to find who and what you need in the San Antonio, Texas region.

We recognize that relationships and connections result in more resources and knowledge to make informed choices for your family’s education. We hope to be a place you can save time, money, and energy by utilizing the information provided here to educate, encourage and empower you….giving you more time to do the things you do best: educate your children, spend time with your family, and enjoy your life.

My Personal Homeschooling Story:

This video best represents why I chose to homeschool. Sir Ken Robinson says (and draws!) it much better than I ever could. As I mentioned before, everyone decides to educate at home for different reasons. Powerhouse was designed with all of these motivations and needs in mind – not just serving the majority or even the minority – but a place anyone and everyone can glean support and information.

I am a single mom who currently homeschools. When I began homeschooling my son in third grade, I found two things in the homeschooling industry consistently lacking organization: community and information. What snippets I could find was spread so thin it proved difficult to gather, sift through and decide what applied to me. I wanted it all in one place. And, I wanted it to be relevant to where I lived.

INFORMATION

In terms of information, I found many homeschoolers I knew didn’t have the answers for which I was looking, before or after I began homeschooling. Almost seven years later, Powerhouse Homeschooling was created to be those answers for you. It’s everything I was looking for when I began thinking about homeschooling, but couldn’t find in one place. I had to create it as I went, and now I want to share it with you. It is a work in progress, since I am still homeschooling and still learning as I go.

CONNECTION

A feeling of disconnection from many homeschoolers (both parents and children) was another motivation for creating the PowerHouse Neighborhood. In the future, Powerhouse Homeschooling will have online forums where mothers can connect with other moms in their local area to talk about anything from that  latest HEB recipe to hearing about the new exhibit at the local museum and if it’s worth going to. Because as we all know, homeschooling is not simply a part of our lives, it is a way of life. It touches all other areas of our lives.

I wanted to create an online neighborhood for women to meet on a level that is comfortable for them. My desire is to see mothers who homeschool have their own place to refresh, refocus, and recharge. Not simply an email list or yahoo group where interaction is limited, but a virtual homeschooling community where you can get to know the views, backgrounds and ideas of other families and groups BEFORE taking the time to join them in their homeschooling activities.

Our “power grid” is the South/Central Texas region – from San Antonio up I-35 to Austin and everything in between…all those great little towns like Selma, Cibolo, Schertz, New Braunfels, Seguin, and those nestled in the Hill Country like Sattler, Wimberly, Boerne and others.

I live, work and play in the South Texas region – so we visit the same places you do. We will feature and discuss real-time events, entertainment, and destinations all on a local level. But we also hope, no matter where you live, or even if you have children in public or private school, that you’ll find some useful information here to empower and enrich your life of teaching at home.

Welcome to the Neighborhood!