Author Linda Dobson’s New Parent At The Helm Blog Sure To Make Waves

Jan. 19, 2010 - PRLog -- After a mom homeschools her three kids, writes eight books on the topic, becomes a grandmother, then enters the non-profit world to build two programs, what does she do when she sees the school system that compelled her to homeschool her own children years ago appears to grow worse with each passing month?
   If that mom-turned-writer-and-advocate is Linda Dobson, author of The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child and The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas, you pin on your Grandma badge with pride and set the sails for full-time advocacy of educational freedom and parental responsibility. Step one is an information-packed blog, Parent at the Helm (www.parentatthehelm.com), for homeschooling, alternative educating, and other parents who see they need to take charge of their children’s learning experience.
   “While I was just away a few years,” says Grandma Linda, “the schools became even more prison-like, I saw children being suspended for inane reasons, and despite a plethora of scientific research on how human beings learn best, the system as a whole did not bend an inch to incorporate practices that actually help children learn, that allow them to retain the inclination to learn that we’re all born with.”
   With an economic crisis upon us and threatened to get worse, families need resources and guidance to take as much control over their own lives as possible. “I can’t help them install solar panels or pay their mortgages,” Grandma Linda continues, “but I can help them grab the wheel and give them the provisions they need to prepare their children – from home – for what lies ahead in their world. Simple and frugal living are also part of the equation.”
   “Linda Dobson is one of our strongest and most respected voices for homeschooling, our longest running Home Education Magazine columnist, and the author of many of homeschooling’s most beloved books,” says magazine publisher Helen Hegener. “The Parent at the Helm Blog is certain to be an exciting, encouraging, inspiring journey.”
   Regular blog features include “Grandma at the Helm,” Word for the Day, and This Day in History; “and you’d better believe,” Dobson adds, “we’re going to make some waves.”
   As she became home education’s most prolific author and vocal spokesperson, Grandma Linda emerged as a nationally respected conference keynote speaker. She has traveled the country, staying in touch with parental concerns and educational approaches across the U.S. and Canada. Formerly a short-term academic tutor for children, she also counsels parents of traditionally and homeschooled children, as she believes that parental involvement is essential to educational and life success and can occur no matter where a child learns.

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