Hello!

I hope your school year is going smoothly!

Homeschool Excursions has been operating since August 2004, and since it's beginning, I have received many inquiries as to why I started this organization. I guess people are especially inquisitive when they learn that I don't have any kids of my own yet. Well, here's my story...

I grew up in Marietta and went to Emory University. It was apparent to me upon graduation that I wanted to be an educator, but I was not sure in which field or with what age group I wanted to work. So, I moved to Vermont. I worked any interesting job that came my way to be sure that education was really what I wanted to do. I think it's important to get as much experience as possible before making any decisions, and that was my intention in moving north. I worked for Ben and Jerry's, at an amazing vegetarian restaurant, for a regional park district maintaining their parks along the Winooski River, and for a ski resort. I enjoyed everything I did, but I knew that education was still my field of choice. So, I moved back to Georgia and substituted full time to reconfirm this career decision.

While working in the public schools, I realized that staying inside all day was not for me. I give the teachers a lot of credit for their hard work, but I knew that I needed variety in my day-to-day. Most public school teachers do the best they can; it's really difficult to have thirty kids in a classroom with diverse learning levels and styles. While living in Vermont, the idea of working with homeschooled students was introduced. This idea kept turning and growing in my mind, so I finally decided that the time had come to stop thinking and talking and to start doing!

I am a firm believer in hands-on experiential learning; I saw organizing activities for homeschoolers as the perfect opportunity to offer exciting and interesting programs. Plus, it gives me a chance to hang out and have fun with kids all day! (Generally, I prefer kids to adults... they're fascinating!)

What else do I do? Here's a glimpse:

It is still my goal to develop Homeschool Excursions into a mostly self-sufficient and sustainable learning center. I hope to acquire land in the coming years to build a campus. But I am not going to do the building, you are! Kids will learn alternative building techniques (straw bale, adobe, etc), and then they'll actually build structures beginning with the foundation. These will then be used as cabins for future campers. We'll have an organic garden, a grey water system, power generation, and more, all for the kids to learn with. The possibilities are endless!!

Well, that's a summarized version of my story. I hope it answers some questions, and don't hesitate to contact me if you want to know more.

Have a fantastic day today!

Vered Kleinberger (Director/Program Coordinator)