Naming Your Homeschool

Did you know that in some states in the USA, it is required by law to give a name to your homeschool? Homeschools in these states are considered non-accredited private schools and therefore parents must come up with a name. We have plenty of mandates here in New York State, but this is not one of them.

When I learned that other states require you to name your homeschool, I latched onto this idea. As someone who was educated in a typical public school setting, Unschooling is somewhat outside of my comfort zone. It feels very unstructured and kind of "out there." If an outsider observed an Unschooled child, they might (incorrectly) think they aren't even receiving an education at all. I'm sure I will feel that way sometimes, too. I have concerns about neglecting crucial subject matter by allowing them to direct their own educations. There will be times when I will feel pressure from outsiders to fall into line with a compulsory and coercive schooling style. That's why I like the idea of naming our homeschool. It is a sort of symbolic gesture to both myself and my children that says, "yes, we are in fact educating our children." It makes it feel more official. And it might give my kids a sense of belonging and "normalcy." Not to mention, if you don't feel like getting into a conversation with somebody about your reasons for choosing Unschooling -- you can just tell them your child attends XYZ School!

The hard part is coming up with a creative name that suits your unique situation, while simultaneously sounding professional enough to be taken seriously. Here is a great article from The Homeschool Mom with some food for thought when trying to come up with a name for yours - and maybe some implications that you haven't thought of yet (such as putting the name of your homeschool on transcripts and college applications down the road).

Another fun thing you can do once you have settled on your school's name - make student and teacher ID cards, or even create a school logo. This can come in handy for store discounts, museum benefits, and so on.

We love that our house is on a wooded lot with a creek running through the backyard and I also love the concept of Forest Schools -- so I will be including natural elements in our homeschool name. To Be Determined! Good luck choosing your homeschool name!

[Again just to be clear: Naming your homeschool is NOT REQUIRED in New York State so don't worry about this if you don't want to!]