"To Innovate Does Not Mean to Expand, It Means to Simplify"
Southwest Home Educators Association (SHEA) is a multi-state organization formed for the benefit of providing positive and inclusive social and academic opportunities to home-educated students and their families. The member states consist of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.
We believe that every child should have the opportunity to learn as much as they desire, at their own pace, and in a nurturing and encouraging environment. In addition, we believe that children should be able to choose their social situations, based upon their family values and individual interests, and not ever be forced into social situations that are undesirable or make them feel uncomfortable.
To encourage positive socialization, SHEA will strive to keep families in their member states updated with a variety of calendared options to choose from by appointing Area Leaders to assist in implementing them. Such activities may include opportunities for field trips, workshops, cooperative classes, sports training, academic competition, regular park and library days, and more. Area Leaders will work with existing groups, especially those that are struggling to get members to participate, and help to provide inclusive activities.
Lots of ideas are being developed to offer more to students – especially those in middle and high school. We offer a Virtual Student Body - or VSB, where students can learn leadership skills and participate in community awareness projects. Home-educated students should be able to participate in community service clubs and organizations, particularly those that offer scholarship grants, so we are working hard to make that happen. In addition, student members of the VSB can lobby their own student body government to resolve issues that home educated students face.
SHEA's sports program is like none other currently offered to home educators. Every child should have the opportunity to learn how to play a variety of sports, without the pressure of feeling like they must compete, or they are not "good enough" to be on a team. Our training program will help students focus on learning the sport, with less emphasis on competition. Area Leaders will be able to coordinate a variety of sports and physical education programs that have been developed by SHEA specifically for home educated students. You don't have to be a professional or have years of experience to play, just get out there and learn. Our leaders will encourage peer development, so that those who do have more experience can help with the teaching (just another way for kids to learn service). This is an excellent program, and is available through Area Leaders. If it is the parent's desire that the child compete in a sport they are excelling at, the Area Leader or the SHEA Regional office will assist the family in locating an AAU team.
Field trips for home educators should be academically-oriented as well as fun for the whole family. In addition to regional field trips such as the annual Not Back to School Days at Disneyland, the Tall Ships expedition to Catalina Island, and the Family Retreat; SHEA will offer a host of local field trips that are coordinated through Area Leaders. You do not have to be a member of SHEA to attend our field trips - they are designed to maximize your networking opportunities so all home educators are invited. Fundraising opportunities will be available soon for those who otherwise could not afford to attend these trips. We do not want anyone to miss out on the opportunity to build lifelong memories!
Area Leaders are a key factor to building a strong, regional alliance. SHEA offers training to individuals who are inclusive and willing to learn innovative techniques which encourage growth, and are anxious to advocate home education by example. Some of these will be leaders of an existing home educators group, and others will be joining us with their years of experience in leadership from other arenas to open up new groups. Everyone will bring unique talents to the organization, which will increase the amount of resources available to home educators. If you are a group leader struggling to get your members to participate, SHEA can help you.
Additionally, we hope to provide home educators with resources, tips, and updates to make your job more manageable. From curriculum resources to free downloadable lessons, legal updates to uplifting discussion forums, to our online magazine that is currently in development, we hope that you will find everything you need here. Remember that social activities are about choices, and as a strong regional organization, SHEA can provide more choices for your family!
If you have any questions or want to leave feedback, please do not hesitate to contact us at: feedback@sw-home-edu.com
From the Director:
"I just wanted to say how thrilling it is to be able to bring this organization and its programs to you. Although the idea of serving home educators has been on my mind for several years, it wasn't until the summer of 2007 that the strong promptings took over and we finally made it a reality.
I love every minute of this journey. After spending most of my oldest daughter's life as a working mother, there was barely enough time to be dedicated to my family. But there has always been a strong desire to serve others. Five years ago, after she graduated from high school, my husband and I received very strong promptings that I needed to go home and teach our younger two children. It was tough the first 2 years, very little socialization and the shift in finances was unnerving. Since that decision, we have been blessed for our patience. We knew that we were being prepared for something really important - and the promptings are strong once again, this is it! All those years as a working mother in various positions have definitely prepared me for what I am doing right now - serving home educators - serving YOU!
SHEA was formed from discussions among a group of friends. As we sat around at the park, watching our kids get older by the minute, our minds reflected to the days of our youth. We recalled making great friends, honoring wonderful teachers, attending super field trips, participating in P.E., and joining clubs that interested us. We remembered leadership classes such as speech and debate, and student council and recognize these as a valuable resources rarely available to home educated kids. Our discussions led to the atrocities that now go on in public schools, and how we really don't want our kids to be a part of the social aspects of everything that can go wrong. Today, the pressures are much worse than when we were young - from teachers who can't be trusted with students, to students who can't trust anyone, it's all bad enough. However, the worst atrocity in the public schools today - second to the moral decline of course - is the decline in academic opportunities. We all agreed that we have spent way too much time sitting around waiting for something really great to happen.
My friends are wonderful women, with a deep passion for service and love of family. They just tend to sit on the fence when it comes to starting something new. I'm an innovative, get-things-done kind of person. So out came my notepad, and discussions began to be centered around what we could do to bring some of the good things we missed to home educated kids and their families. Subsequently, all of the programs that are currently being brought forth in the SHEA organization stem from those casual discussions among friends.
There is much more involved to running SHEA than just an investment of time and energy, it takes a bit of financial investment as well. From the cost of the website, advertising, legal fees, insurance, computer supplies, training supplies for leaders, plug-in modules to give you more benefits, it can quickly add up. I have faith that in the end everything will work out and good things will come of this. In case anyone is wondering, I am not looking to get rich off of home educators. However, an appropriate fee needs to be charged for the membership, and every single day people pay fees to attend classes and workshops through other organizations. No teacher should have to absorb the cost of supplies or facility rental fees alone. We assist those who teach SHEA-sponsored classes to keep them from getting stuck with out of pocket expenses, so they can bring you good things.
The program ideas that are currently being offered through SHEA are most definitely modeled after programs that my friends and I loved as kids - however, the goal is to make them BETTER and adapt them to the unique needs of the home education community - without all the red tape. We welcome not only traditional homeschoolers, but those in cyber schools - because we know that the cyber schools are still public schools and have not prioritized social opportunities for students. This is a new and innovative world we live in today - home education is the key to perfecting the leaders of tomorrow. That compels me to keep pushing forward. But I can't do it alone.
My friends still give me lots of advice - I often refer to them as my "advisory board", but really they are just great people with great advice. What I'd really like to hear is your ideas! What kinds of things do you wish were available to home educated kids? What about you, as a parent - is there something missing? You can be confident that when you become part of SHEA, you join a family-oriented organization that values each and every one of its members. We will try our absolute best to bring you the things you want the most - and leave out all the yucky stuff that you don't want to see every day.
I want you to know that you can reach me any time for questions or concerns - or even just to get a little boost of confidence if you are having a bad day. We all have bad days, but we can't let adversity get the best of us. I have to admit, I don't always get that right the first time! When we can recognize it as adversity getting the best of us, we can move on. When we try to do it all by ourselves and succomb to the pressures of adversity, we suffer. Don't let yourself suffer. Trying to portray home education as a positive alternative to a negative world can sometimes make your head spin. With SHEA, you have a support network of leaders who will do their absolute best to assist you or lead you to the person who can help you the most. Contact me anytime, or feel free to contact any of your District or Area leaders - you can find their information through the state-specific page (located in the navigator bar).
Have a great day - and I hope to meet all of you someday soon!
LEGAL INFORMATION: Southwest Home Educators Assoc is a 501(c)3 tax exempt charitable organization. Here is how our tax exemption status works: Because of our need for sports practice insurance, we decided to join the AAU as an affiliate subordinate. The Amateur Athletic Union has the group 501(c)3 determination letter from the IRS, and their exemption number is 1155. As an affiliated organization, Southwest Home Educators Assoc is recognized as tax exempt under the Amateur Athletic Union of the U.S. Inc.'s group determination ruling through the time period ending August 31, 2008 and has the option to renew it's affiliation with the AAU each year. Southwest Home Educators Assoc carries their own EIN number with the IRS and verification may be performed by contacting the IRS at 877-829-5500, and asking them if Southwest Home Educators Assoc is a 501(c)3 organization.
NOTE: When you call the IRS, do not ask for Southwest Home Educators Association - the IRS apparently does not have room in their system to spell out the word Association. Ask for Southwest Home Educators Assoc
You can also call the AAU, aausports.org, and ask if we are registered with them.
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