By Betsy Pierce
If you are unable to attend events or visit offices at the Capitol in person, there are still many things you can do to advocate for private home education!
Pray: God’s most powerful tool is one that even His weakest children can wield. Pray at home, pray with others. During a 2018 legislative hearing, three thousand homeschoolers and allies rallied at the capitol. My husband—Nathan Pierce—spent weeks working on the legislation for the bill, and that day was a fifteen-hour workday for him. The homeschoolers spent seven hours standing in line to give testimony. I had six children, including a preschooler and a toddler, and wasn’t able to participate at the capitol that day. Instead, some friends and I met at the park and prayed while our children played (you know, the kind of mom praying where you have one eye open.).
God worked mightily that day.
Babysit for each other: Sometimes, your children or your family’s needs are such that it’s not a good time for you to go visit an office together. But could you babysit another family’s youngsters so they can go? In the future you can swap roles, they babysit, and you visit an office. Just think of it as a co-op for visiting offices!
Contribute financially: California is a big state, and for many people the capitol is several hours away. It may very well be an overnight visit for many, which isn’t always possible. Can your group contribute towards sending your leader or a chosen member to represent homeschoolers at the capitol? It is powerful to be able to have someone say, “I represent ten, twenty, fifty, or a hundred homeschooling families. We have a hundred children in our group. This is what we want and don’t want from our government.” Can you organize a fundraiser or gather donations from your group to enable someone to go? It is no different than sending out missionaries. Some go. Some send. Can you help send?
Write a letter: Can you write a letter? Can you help others write a letter? Can you get together with other moms and help each other? Many people are nervous about writing, but one letter is considered representative of 1,000 voters in a particular district! If you are nervous about writing, then learn the topic with your children. As homeschoolers, learning together is what we do! FPM and CHEA have samples on their websites you can modify, or you can watch the section from the IEW level B continuation course on letter writing. If you need companions, this could be a mom’s night out topic: Learning to write!
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