Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Mike Farris:
My guest today is columnist and homeschool mom Andrea McKenzie. Andrea, welcome to the show!

Andrea McKenzie:
Thanks for having me, Mike!

Mike:
Andrea, you often write about your homeschooling experience for Patch in Ledyard, Connecticut, a community-specific news site, and this is introducing the homeschool experience to lots of people for their first time. Why did you decide to write about homeschooling for Patch?

Andrea:
Well, we’ve homeschooled for six years in four different locations, and I’ve noticed that there is a great disconnect between the homeschooling community and the rest of the world. There are too many stereotypes on both sides of the aisle, and I want to bridge that gap, and I want to do it with humor. And humor just always disarms people.

In my column, I elaborate on the positive and the negative sides of the homeschooling lifestyle, in an attempt to open the eyes of people who’ve never been exposed to homeschoolers. But, I also do that in an effort to encourage my fellow warriors in the trenches.

The response has been overwhelming from both homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers alike. If I can’t convince people to join us—which is always my ulterior motive—at least I can help them in some way understand who we are, and I believe this is a vital time for homeschoolers to have positive public relations.

Mike:
Andrea, that is great. I’m Mike Farris.