The History of Fundy Home Educators Recently, it occurred to me that some of you might be interested in the history of home educating in the greater Saint John area. “Home schooling” is not such a new thing anymore, but not too many years ago, some very brave souls forged ahead into lands unknown…the world of home education. Leslie began teaching her two children back in 1990. She didn’t know of anyone else in the area doing so at the time. By 1991, there were several families meeting together informally for mutual support and encouragement. Field trips were planned. Christie, Barbara, Debbie, and Ruth were some of the mothers who joined Leslie. Pattie had begun to home school her oldest child, Rebekah, in 1989. She knew of no one else in the area who was doing the same, so it was a great relief when she accidentally bumped into Barbara and her daughter at a function unrelated to home schooling. Barbara had arrived in Saint John in July of 1993. She had already had contact with Leslie before moving. Barbara had been home schooling in the state of Washington for several years and brought invaluable information from a place well ahead of us in the area of home education. The year 1993 saw Diane S., Diane D. and Rose join the “unofficial” group. Barbara agreed to chair the meetings with Leslie assisting. There was a total of eight families at this point. Several members attended the conference in Portland, Maine in the spring of 1994. In the fall of that year, the group literally “exploded” to twenty-four families. Speaking with Leslie at one point, it was apparent that it had not been her ambition to find herself responsible for a whole crew of desperate new home schooling moms! Leslie and Barbara thankfully took us under their wings. I have no doubt that if they hadn’t, many of us would not have stuck it out. So on August 19, several families arrived at Meenan’s Cove Park under a somewhat cloudy sky, looking for the “balloons” that would help us find each other! I can still remember meeting Barbara for the first time and how patiently she tried to answer some of my many questions. And then there was Pattie chasing an unruly dog down the beach. She was “dog-sitting” and today does not remember this episode at all! Carolee also attended this meeting, but it was a year later before she took the plunge. Our first meeting of the year was held at Leslie’s in Quispamsis on September 6, followed by a meeting in Barbara’s huge living room in Kennebecasis Park, on September 29. This became our regular meeting place for several years. Many a soul was encouraged and many a tear was dried as we enjoyed the ambiance that the propane fireplace provided. Some of the field trips that were enjoyed that year included a train ride to Sussex where we took part in the Remembrance Day Parade as well as enjoyed visits to dairy and vegetable farms. We also had a day at Hampton Bible Camp where we cooked “doughboys” over an open fire and went horseback riding. That spring, a number of ladies went to Portland to take in Maine’s Home School Conference. Michael Farris of HSLDA in the states was the speaker. In September 1995, we had thirty families on our official list. We began to collect registration fees to help cover costs and it was felt that this growing “home school support group” should have a name. One name that was brought forth was “River Valley Christian Home Educators”. At some point during the year, it was decided that our name would be “Home Educators of Southern New Brunswick”. In October, a meeting was held to discuss the details of a Statement of Faith and Purpose. The group’s first play, Little Women - co-directed by Barbara and Mary, was produced at Christmas time. That fall, J.D. Irving supplied a tour bus and a large number of parents and children were taken to Sussex for the J. D. Irving Woodlands Tour. They even supplied everyone with a great boxed lunch. In the spring, a group of moms went again to the Portland Conference to hear Rob and Cyndy Shearer (authors of the Famous Men series of history unit study books), as well as Dr. Samuel Blumenfeld and George Sarris. As the number of home schoolers grew around the province, it was felt that we needed a more formal representation, especially when meeting with government officials. On June 22, 1996, a mini- conference was held at Rothesay Baptist Church with Dallas Miller, Senior Counsel and Executive Director of HSLDA, Canada, and David McMath, a lawyer from Fredericton. The Saint John group hosted this conference and people came from all over the province. A group of directors was elected and Home Educators of New Brunswick Ltd. was established. They have continued to hold a yearly conference in May. For many years, this was held in Rothesay and later, it moved to Sackville and most recently, Sussex. By September 1996, we had thirty-six members, a Statement of Faith and Purpose and an official name. That autumn saw a “change of command.” After several years of faithful leadership, Leslie and Barbara stepped aside to advisory positions and Carolee, and Marilyn assumed co-leadership for the next four years. In December 1997, under the direction of Pattie (and with lots of help from Judy and Joyce), twenty-eight kids (including two or three moms) joined voices and sang Christmas carols in Brunswick Square. Thanks to Don Mabee, they also went to the studio and were recorded for the radio. They performed in four- part harmony. Once again, April 1997 saw a vanload of ladies head off to the Maine Conference featuring Doug Phillips, Esq., and Jeff and Danielle Myers who co-wrote Of Knights and Fair Maidens. We continued our regular meetings at Barbara’s as this provided us with a very informal and homey setting. Fall 1997 saw our membership remain fairly stable at thirty-seven, but in autumn 1998, we jumped to fifty-five members. At an August 1998 meeting, it was decided to change the name of the group to Fundy Home Educators (FHE), as Home Educators of Southern New Brunswick was too close to the name of the provincial group – Home Educators of New Brunswick. It was probably in the fall of 1998 that we started meeting at Kings Valley Wesleyan Church, as we had finally outgrown the living room setting. Christie produced our first Resource Guide that year, to help “get the information out” in a more organized fashion. The first Friday Classes were held in the afternoons at Rothesay Baptist Church (October and November). Creative Writing, French, Gym, and Critical Thinking were some of the courses offered. Parent volunteers provided the teaching, as well as assistance and cleanup. September 1999 saw sixty-eight members sign up. The following June, the teens performed the drama “Mayhem in Mayville” at Kings Valley Wesleyan Church under the direction of Christie R. Many Fridays were spent building the set and rehearsing. The very capable Janice oversaw the set construction. The play was a huge success and fun for all who participated. Membership dropped to fifty-two in September 2000. This was mainly due to the formation of a new group in Sussex, Heritage Valley Home Educators. People from this area had been traveling the long distance to Quispamsis, so they were thrilled to have a group closer to home. Suzanne Day of Wise Choice Educational Services located in Ontario presented two evening seminars in November. Betty Lou F. assumed the leadership of Fundy Home Educators as a solo act that fall, due to difficulty finding willing leaders. She bravely took the position, knowing that she had a very supportive executive and that the Lord would provide her with a co-leader in His time. That person, it turned out, would be none other than Carol, who took up the slack in the autumn of 2001 when there were fifty-five people on the membership list. The monthly meetings moved to Stone Church in the city to provide a more central location. June 2001 saw the first graduation sponsored by Fundy Home Educators. Cara and Erin proudly received their diplomas from their parents at a lovely service held at Rothesay Baptist Church. Leslie returned to give the address to the graduates. Priscilla came on board as co-leader with Carol in June 2002. Meetings continued at Stone Church with forty-six members on the list as of October. I hope you have found this to be informative. It was quite enjoyable to look back at the notes from years gone by and to speak to people “from the past” to pull it together. Marilyn Update of co-leaders 2003-2004 Priscilla and Heather 2004-2005 Heather and Julie 2005-2006 Julie and Sarah 2006-2007 Julie and Sarah 2007-2008 Responsibilities shared by the executive (Julie held us together) 2008-2009 Betty Anne and Kathleen