Libraries and Home Schooling by Melissa

When my son was in second grade, I had the opportunity to homeschool him.  We found a great program where he attended school in a typical classroom setting 2 days a week.  The other 3 days, he was home with me.  I was considered his primary teacher with support from the school (the classroom teacher would provide specific guidance).  I truly enjoyed the year and a half that I was able to homeschool my son and I couldn’t have done it as successfully without the support of the public library.  I created lesson plans that tied language arts, social studies, and science lessons together.  I regularly sought out age-appropriate materials to supplement my lessons and I would get these materials from the public library, often taking advantage of the interlibrary loan system to get materials that were not on the shelf at my local public library.  My son and I enjoyed always having stacks of books that related to what he was learning in the core curriculum.  We had the ability to go off on tangents when we read about something that interested him.

Willingham cites a 2003 study by NCES which states that 80% of homeschoolers use the public library (61).  Her article also affirms my experience as a homeschool parent, stating that homeschool families develop close relationships with public librarians, make use of the interlibrary loan system, and frequently borrow media from the public library before purchasing it themselves (Willingham 61).  Libraries also provide programs and meeting spaces which homeschool families tend to take advantage of.  The number of homeschooled children in the United States was close to 4% in 2010 and the numbers are increasing every year (Johnson 86).  Developing relationships between the homeschool community and the public library is beneficial to both parties.  Libraries see an increase in circulation and library visits and homeschoolers can take advantage of all the resources the libraries have to offer.  Homeschool families often have limited budgets and the public library helps them to provide a great education while keeping costs low.

Works Cited

Johnson, Abby. "Youth Matters. Make Room For Homeschoolers." American Libraries 43.5/6 (2012): 86. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.

Willingham, Theresa. "Libraries And Homeschoolers." Knowledge Quest 37.1 (2008): 58-63. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.