32 Things Your Home School Leaders Do for You

Have you hugged your home school group leader this month? Do you know that most home school group leaders are servant-hearted volunteers who have a desire to encourage you and to help support your home school? Do you know that many of them must lean on their own families to help them get the job done, and there is often so much more going on behind the scenes that you may not realize? Did you know that long after you leave a field trip and well after the last class meeting of the week, your board of leaders is working faithfully to help your group thrive?

I took a poll from home school group leaders, whom I know personally from several groups, in order to find out what they do for their home school groups. Some things they expected when they volunteered, but other things took them by surprise!

Read on for a special glimpse of their inside thoughts and discover their passion for home school families:

Dear Home School Families,

We love to serve home schoolers in Texas, and we do so willingly. If you ever wanted to know what we do to help make our home school group a blessing to your family, these are the things we would share with you:

  1. We are praying constantly for our group and members.
  2. We are often the first to arrive and the last to leave every event.
  3. We may not know where we are needed most when we begin, but we show up, and we are always there when another board member or group member needs our help!
  4. We are preparing months in advance for every activity, class, or field trip.
  5. We attend meetings, on our own time, to facilitate planning and preparation.
  6. We are tasked with keeping our focus on what direction God wants to lead our group.
  7. We experience a different side of people than we do as fellow members.
  8. We are heartbroken when our members are hurting, leaving, or going through trials.
  9. We are blessed when we see students, parents, and other board members encouraging one another.
  10. We see Jesus in the eyes of every child in our group.
  11. We print more papers than any forest should have to endure.
  12. We answer each other when one of us forgets a password or how to update a website.
  13. We answer to members for every rule made and email sent (regardless of who sent it).
  14. We spend countless hours reading, writing, and answering emails.
  15. We take time from our families, school, and our homes for the good of our group.
  16. We employ our husbands to repair broken materials from our group, our wives to make phone calls to families, and our children to sort, collate, and staple group materials.
  17. We commission our family to volunteer at events and to promote our group.
  18. We answer to the facility for every area left differently than they expected.
  19. We answer to the others that use the facility at the same time as our group, for every child that is noisy in the hallway.
  20. We answer to the parents for everything every child hears, sees, or learns in a classroom.
  21. We answer to teachers when the best classroom isn’t available and when the tables they need are all being used in other classes.
  22. We are privileged to get to walk through life with some of the best families we could ever hope to meet!
  23. We have uncomfortable conversations with people.
  24. We take into consideration every child and family in the group when we make the class schedule.
  25. We compromise our wants and desires for what is best for most group members.
  26. We get to see the best and the worst of people.
  27. We get many opportunities to extend grace to, forgive, pray for, and bless our members.
  28. We get to show Jesus when it’s hard, and we do so even if we are hurting or offended.
  29. We get stopped countless times a day to answer questions.
  30. We have endless opportunities to help members deepen relationships with our Father and with each other.
  31. We get frustrated and burned out.
  32. We pray for the peace that surpasses understanding and that we will walk and not grow weary; run and not be faint.

All that we ask from you is that you pray for us, too, and that you please be understanding when we must make tough decisions!

Sincerely,

Your home school leaders and board members! [bctt tweet=”So thankful for the people who help me home school! #homeschool”]

Wow!  In reading these responses, I was touched. Sometimes, I do so many of these things and don’t even think about them. But as I read the responses from the board members, I kept seeing things and thinking, “Yes, I’ve done that . . . and I’ve done that too!”

Would you like a way to recognize the amazing leader in your home school group? Texas Home School Coalition (THSC) wants to recognize our faithful home school group leaders. Please nominate your leader for the 2016 Leader of the Year Award. Your leader could be awarded at both conventions: Arlington and The Woodlands.

Your group leaders can gain tremendous support to help them have Faith in the Trenches at their own portion of the convention, the Texas Leader’s Conference. You may consider giving them a gift and sending them to this event, which is specifically designed for them! The conference is held in Arlington and The Woodlands.

Special thanks to the board members of Grace Christian Educators, who helped supply me with many of these responses, and who have prayed for me daily. I feel these prayers, and I am eternally grateful for them!

Would you consider supporting Texas Home School Coalition as we continue Keeping Texas Families Free by becoming a member or making a donation? THSC advocates for home school families to help keep our state strong!