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WINTER 2017
HOMESCHOOL IOWA 5
I
I wandered through the groups of homeschooling families
to an open spot on my picnic blanket. It was the local home-
school support group picnic, and I was feeling a bit over-
whelmed with the unfamiliar faces surrounding me and the re-
peated request from my children for assistance with their plates
of food.
Then she sat down with a sigh of relief: one of the pioneers of
the homeschoolingmovement. Quickly I finished cuttingmy tod-
dler’s meatball and scooted towards her chair, eager for a chance
to talk. Several nearby moms and I talked with the Pioneer about
homeschooling life, principles, and methods.
The more questions we asked, the more wisdom and insight
poured from the Pioneer to the eager moms beside her. Some of
the moms didn’t know who she was and were surprised to learn
that the Pioneer had not only written fundamental books about
homeschooling, but had been homeschooling before it was le-
gal. She is one of the reasons we have the ability to homeschool
– someone who fought hard for freedom and won.
When the Pioneer learned I served on the Homeschool Iowa
board, she inquired, after, how we were doing. I updated her on
the organization’s current work and challenges. And there was a
long pause.
“People need to support their state homeschool organiza-
tions,” she said, with a firm conviction in her voice. “For-profit
conventions and companies aren’t the ones protecting our free-
dom to homeschool. The state homeschool organizations are the
ones on the front lines. State organizations are the watchdogs of
homeschooling freedom!”
It’s true. For 25 years now, Homeschool Iowa has been tirelessly
working to promote and protect homeschooling freedoms in the
Iowa legislature. Homeschool Iowa is the trusted source in Iowa
for accurate information on homeschooling laws and options
and are constantly working to assist families whose freedoms are
threatened. The Pioneer knew and understood the difficult work
and encouragedme to press on, even with the toddlers clutching
at my knees. I was encouraged.
The evening passed and, finally, the Pioneer turned to her lov-
ing daughter, who has just started homeschooling her own son,
and said: “I’m ready to go.”
The Pioneer put her hand through her daughter’s arm, and she,
in turn, took her son’s hand. They walked away, three generations
of homeschooling, arm in arm, hand in hand.
“She is a Giant,”I whispered to the mothers next to me. The Pio-
neer’s stature was small and her step slowed by recent illness, but
everyone knew I was not speaking of height, but of heart and of
a life well lived. “
Elizabeth Bailey is a second generation homeschooler who
serves on the NICHE board with her tall, dark, and handsome
husband, Joe. She works as a stay at home mother to her four
children and in the past has worked as a short-order cook,
academic coach, and librarian. Elizabeth has a B.A. in Social
Sciences from Thomas Edison State College.
On the Shoulders of Giants
BY ELIZABETH BAILEY