Since late November last year, I have been keeping track of the states that people are in while visiting my blog. It's a fun diversion, among other things. Keen observers and those naturally good at math will be able to spot that I lack a couple of states out of the 50 United States (and I also included DC at the bottom in it's own class. I will likely include American Samoa, the US Virgin Islands, the Northern Marianas, etc. if they ever do show up to the party...)

These two truants--whoops, this is a homeschooling blog. I shouldn't say the T-word, as in T officer--these two absentees--nope, just as bad. Um...the two states that are missing from the collection--that still sounds bad...oh well--two are missing. Wyoming, just to my north is still pretty busy sweeping up after a theater in Cheyenne screened Brokeback Mountain and was burnt to the ground by the sheep ranching industry. Ah, they're a wild and wooly bunch. Still, with under half a million residents (working out to 5 people per square mile), there has to be at least 11 homeschooling families...which would work out to be about 14% of the state's population. I can't understand WY they haven't dropped by.

North Dakota, on the other hand, I can understand why they haven't checked in. The state gave its residents a set of hoops that would daunt the most earnest of otters. For example, in order to teach a child in their own home a parent must...


I don't know about you, but I don't have a teaching certificate. This, along with other hoops, has deprived many North Dakotans from even considering home education for their children. All these rules sound so good to those "pro-education" legislators and so cumbersome to parents who want the best for their children.

There are people in your state who want to enact similar legislation for your homeschool. Give your state legislators and governors reason to vote down bills like this by supporting your state organizations - click here to find yours. If you don't, your efforts to actually educate your child will seem like a piece of cake compared to your efforts to satisfy your new duties to the state laws.

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