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Why is this website designed with a Diner theme? When I think of a diner... I think of a small, pleasant place where friends can gather to share their joys and their concerns. It's a place to catch up on the latest news and discuss the events of the week. You can become a regular, or just grab a quick meal and move on. You can keep to yourself, or add your 2 cents to the conversations going on around you. You can meet some very interesting people in diners... people you might not ever meet in your daily life. Folks with wonderful stories to share, who are interested in your story, too. People who have, perhaps, been where you are, and remember what it was like. Diners promote a unique mix of diversity and community.... Diner patrons come from all walks of life, and leave the diner for different worlds, but, while they are there at the diner, they are part of the community. Homeschooling families are also a very diverse group, yet they are all part of the global homeschooling community. A Homeschool Diner...? Can you imagine how it would be to walk into a diner where all the patrons were homeschoolers, or interested in learning about homeschooling? What conversations might be going on in the booths? What sort of banter would you hear from the customers drinking coffee at the counter? How would the children be occupying themselves? What food would be on the menu? What "impulse items" might be for sale by the cash register? What notices would be tacked to the bulletin board? Most homeschool parents would LOVE to have a place like that -- where homeschoolers could meet, chat, and exchange ideas! My vision for this website... is to provide a free online resource that will help promote a sense of homeschool community -- there will never be subscription fees or charges for downloads. I also want to maintain an open atmosphere --one that welcomes all members of our diverse group and allows us to share our opinions and philosophies, but, without diminishing the validity of the choices that other parents have made or the homeschool approaches that they have taken to heart. After all, each homeschooling parent is doing what they feel is best for their own family. Though our reasons for homeschooling are as varied as the families in our community, what ties us together is that we have all chosen to pursue an alternative to the traditional public school education. Let's do what we can to help each other out along the way. What will you find at the Homeschool Diner...? I am providing a basic starting place for homeschool "newbies", as well as a place for seasoned homeschool veterans to discover new resources. I also want to provide helpful links to parents who are researching particular homeschool topics or issues. I'll strive to present information in an unbiased, well-organized format that will be useful to parents as they examine their homeschooling options, and will, hopefully, help parents feel confident about the choices they make. Along with providing reviews of great commercial homeschool products, I also want to provide links to as many free online resources as possible, so that the cost of curriculum is NEVER a reason that a family can't homeschool. What Do I Know? After nine years of homeschooling there are quite a few topics where I feel comfortable giving advice and making suggestions... but I certainly don't know everything and my views and experiences may not jive with yours, at all! So, I typically try to present several articles with different viewpoints on each topic. Some authors have written articles specifically for us, here, at the Diner. Other times I will send you to another website to read an article printed there... and, if you like what that person has to say, you may also enjoy exploring their website! So, you may find yourself virtually popping in and out of the Diner on your way to other exciting places... But don't worry -- we have an infinite number of booths and round "spinny" stools -- I'll save your favorite seat for you :-) I hope you'll enjoy yourself at the Homeschool Diner...! You'll have to make your own meal... and get your own beverage... and find something to occupy the children.... but I hope you'll find something helpful here. I'll be adding new material as I find time to post. So, whether you're looking for "deep thoughts" to inspire you, good leads to guide you in your research, or practical advice to help you make the best homeschool choices for your family...
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| Copyright 2005 Julie Shepherd Knapp |
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| The Homeschool Diner logo and all pages of this website are protected by copyright law. Copyright 2005-2012 by Julie Shepherd Knapp, unless otherwise noted. To request permission to republish, reprint, make multiple copies of, distribute, or post a particular article of julie's -- please contact : julie at HomeschoolDiner dot com (simply replace "at" with @ and "dot" with . ) |