Thursday, July 8, 2010

A homeschooling resource in your neighborhood

I read a great letter the other day from a homeschooling mother, and I have to say I was impressed with what she had to say about her community library.
She said as the mother of four children she relied heavily on her local library as an education resource, not only on the gracious supply of materials, but also on the knowledge and willingness of the staff.
When her children were little, the time at the library was a regular part of their day, especially the morning preschool hours where her young children developed a love of reading. Their early start helped all her children develop a meaningful relationship with their library.
Also, the library was a place to connect with other homeschooling families. It was where her children began close friendships and found common interests in reading materials and playing games. Now that they're older, they rely on the library for materials for classes and special projects. And there's no better place than the library for the homeschoolers to get together to work on their projects, research, or presentations.
This mother found the library staff willing to go above and beyond in their help to get her what she needed. The library became a valuable resource for supplementing her home school program. It also gave her children a place for their 4-H Club meetings and Cub Scout projects. Through her public library, her children have been able to accomplish tasks involving genealogy, civics, technology, and even community service.
My hat's off to this mother, Jenifer Womble, who wrote about her public library, the Roddenbery Memorial Library in Cairo, Georgia. She's not only used her library as a homeschool resource, but she's taught her children the value of a library, something they'll have for the rest of their
lives.
If you're a parent of homeschooled children, we would like to hear from you, giving us your comments about how you use the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library as a resource to supplement your homeschooling. Kind words are always appreciated, but if you have any concerns you'd like to share, we'd like to hear those also.
You can address your letter to Melody S. Jenkins, Director of MCCLS, P.O. Box 2828, Moultrie, GA 31776.
We hope to hear from you.
(Source: Library Advocate, June 2010, Roddenbery Memorial Library, Cairo, GA)

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