About Mandy

Hello! My name is Mandy and I am the creator and facilitator of the HRVU group. Just wanted to do a brief introduction in case anyone was curious who was behind this website.

I met my husband at the library. I am a mother of two. My daughter is 2 1/2 years old and my son is 5 months old (at time of writing, August 2020). I started this website as a way to think ahead to my kids' educations. I care for them full-time now, but in a past life I worked in nonprofit organizations.

I hold a Master of Science degree in Education, with a concentration in English. I graduated with my NYS Teacher Certification with the ambition of becoming an elementary school teacher; however, after research and reflection, I have become even more disillusioned with public education. When I discovered the concept of Unschooling, it initially felt too unstructured and radical compared to a typical public school education. But I quickly learned that one can be educated without attending school, and one who attends school is not necessarily getting a quality education.

Unschooled students are typically successful as adults and, more importantly, happy -- and that, of course, is what I hope for my kids. After realizing there was no support group for this increasingly popular style of home education, I decided to start HRVU in hopes of connecting with like-minded families.

I enjoy gardening, herbalism, art, libraries, camping, the simple pleasures of life, and the wonderful and diverse offerings of the Hudson Valley. I live in the Town of Poughkeepsie with my family. I plan to use the "UNnouncements" section of the website to post anything relevant to HRVU