| fellowship, support, & encourage each other |
| CHEC |
Christian Home Educators of Camden
FAQs - General >
What is required for membership?
How are membership fees used?
What does the Administrative Team do?
How are Administrative Team members selected?
Does CHEC offer seminars?
What about mentoring?
What is the history of CHEC?
How are membership fees used?
What does the Administrative Team do?
How are Administrative Team members selected?
Does CHEC offer seminars?
What about mentoring?
What is the history of CHEC?
1. What is required for membership?
Read the handbook. Fill out and sign the member form. Mail in the form
along with your dues to the address indicated on the form. That’s it! We
understand that each family has different needs and non-CHEC
obligations that are subject to change so we do not require members to
fulfill any other obligations. We believe you will receive the best support
through active participation.
2. How are membership fees used? The dues are used to defray
the following expenses: we print the directory, pay for the website, buy
paper goods and drinks for whole-group events, buy some of the
yearbook supplies, pay for other expenses for the whole-group events
(i.e. the square dance caller), pay for the CHEC certificates to be
printed and other expenses for Recognition Night.
3. What does the Administrative Team do? As a group, the
Administrative Team plans the annual events - this includes
coordinating dates, reserving venues, determining costs, planning set-
up/take-down, taking RSVP’s. The News Coordinator publishes the
website with the dates and times of CHEC and community events that
have been emailed to her. The loop is moderated by a couple of the
Administrative Team members - this means they send invitations to new
members, try to help members who are having email problems, remind
members of the loop guidelines, and check the “spam” folder
occasionally. The treasurer accepts member dues and pays for CHEC
expenses. One Administrative Team member accepts the membership
forms & collates the information into a directory as well as forwarding
email addresses to the loop moderators. Another Administrative Team
member is the contact person for the community - as “secretary” her
contact information is given out so we can receive information regarding
community events. Another Administrative Team member stores and
brings the gym equipment we use at Field Day every year & the paper
goods. They all field a LOT of questions about homeschooling. A/T
responsibilities may rotate among the team members.
4. How are Administrative Team members selected? When a need
is seen for a new Administrative Team member, the need is advertised
through the news coordinator and volunteers are requested. If we have
more than one volunteer, the A/T will prayerfully choose who they think
will best serve the need. In order to do this, the character, gifts, and
qualifications of the volunteers are taken into prayerful consideration.
Therefore, to be eligible for the Administrative Team a member needs to
have homeschooled as a member of CHEC for at least two years.
5. Does CHEC offer how-to seminars for new homeschoolers,
homeschooling high school, or (fill in the blank)? We do not
usually offer how-to seminars because they are done so well by the
statewide organizations, and made available by them several times a
year in Columbia. Members are free to plan one if they like!
We DO have the “Institute for Excellence in Writing” video seminar
available for member use. More information about the seminar can be
found at www.excellenceinwriting.com. If you are interested in viewing
the videos or planning a group event (it is a several-day seminar, with
some group activities), please contact Administrative Team member
Sharon Guinn .
6. What about mentoring?
Mentoring flows naturally out of the relationships formed in the small
group settings. Although it may never be called mentoring, the give and
take of questions and advice that occurs during our small group
meetings helps new and experienced homeschoolers alike. The yahoo
loop is another venue through which you can seek information and
advice. We do not have an official matching process as we believe our
members should be free to form relationships at their own discretion.
We publish children’s ages and curriculum choices to help our members
connect with others who may have experience they seek.
While we support and encourage mom - to - mom flow of support,
please remember that it is your school, and the choices that will be best
for your family must be made by your family. Asking a more experienced
homeschooler about her experience is a great way to help sift through
information you have already collected. It is, however, her experience. It
may not directly apply to your family. Each family and every child is
different. Research and prayer are your best options for direction.
7. What is the history of CHEC? We won’t go into an exhaustive play-
by-play of CHEC’s entire history, but here are the key points:
CHEC began in 1994 when a group of moms decided to meet in
someone’s living room to pray and support one another in their
homeschool journeys. After a year of being mainly a field trip group with
no one wanting to take on leadership, CHEC disbanded in 1995. Moms
then sought out other homeschool support in Columbia or had no
support at all. It was in 1996 when the decision was made to try a local
support group again. It only took that one year of NO LOCAL
SUPPORT for moms to realize it was vital to their homeschooling
journey. Moms were then more willing to start leading clubs, field trips,
etc. As more families in the area decided to homeschool and learned of
this network of supportive moms, the Christian Home Educators of
Camden became more organized as a group.
During the ensuing years the group tried several different ways of
organizing meetings and events. These were definitely years of
“growing pains”, and though the journey included bumps and
challenges, CHEC continued to grow. The leaders worked to find a
balance: “just enough” organization to facilitate mom-to-mom support
and group activities, while preserving the freedom our members needed
to become the homeschoolers God had called each of them to be.
We have found the formula that works for us here: a foundation
provided by our statements of faith and purpose and the Administrative
Team-led CHEC-wide events; small group support for and by moms; a
changing, flexible tapestry of enrichment for our children with member-
planned & -led co-ops, field trips, and social events. At our core, we are
still “just” a group of fellow moms, supporting one another in our
homeschool journeys through prayer and friendship. Why? So we can
fulfill “this high calling from God to strengthen our families, educate our
children, spread the Gospel, and live for His Glory.”
Read the handbook. Fill out and sign the member form. Mail in the form
along with your dues to the address indicated on the form. That’s it! We
understand that each family has different needs and non-CHEC
obligations that are subject to change so we do not require members to
fulfill any other obligations. We believe you will receive the best support
through active participation.
2. How are membership fees used? The dues are used to defray
the following expenses: we print the directory, pay for the website, buy
paper goods and drinks for whole-group events, buy some of the
yearbook supplies, pay for other expenses for the whole-group events
(i.e. the square dance caller), pay for the CHEC certificates to be
printed and other expenses for Recognition Night.
3. What does the Administrative Team do? As a group, the
Administrative Team plans the annual events - this includes
coordinating dates, reserving venues, determining costs, planning set-
up/take-down, taking RSVP’s. The News Coordinator publishes the
website with the dates and times of CHEC and community events that
have been emailed to her. The loop is moderated by a couple of the
Administrative Team members - this means they send invitations to new
members, try to help members who are having email problems, remind
members of the loop guidelines, and check the “spam” folder
occasionally. The treasurer accepts member dues and pays for CHEC
expenses. One Administrative Team member accepts the membership
forms & collates the information into a directory as well as forwarding
email addresses to the loop moderators. Another Administrative Team
member is the contact person for the community - as “secretary” her
contact information is given out so we can receive information regarding
community events. Another Administrative Team member stores and
brings the gym equipment we use at Field Day every year & the paper
goods. They all field a LOT of questions about homeschooling. A/T
responsibilities may rotate among the team members.
4. How are Administrative Team members selected? When a need
is seen for a new Administrative Team member, the need is advertised
through the news coordinator and volunteers are requested. If we have
more than one volunteer, the A/T will prayerfully choose who they think
will best serve the need. In order to do this, the character, gifts, and
qualifications of the volunteers are taken into prayerful consideration.
Therefore, to be eligible for the Administrative Team a member needs to
have homeschooled as a member of CHEC for at least two years.
5. Does CHEC offer how-to seminars for new homeschoolers,
homeschooling high school, or (fill in the blank)? We do not
usually offer how-to seminars because they are done so well by the
statewide organizations, and made available by them several times a
year in Columbia. Members are free to plan one if they like!
We DO have the “Institute for Excellence in Writing” video seminar
available for member use. More information about the seminar can be
found at www.excellenceinwriting.com. If you are interested in viewing
the videos or planning a group event (it is a several-day seminar, with
some group activities), please contact Administrative Team member
Sharon Guinn .
6. What about mentoring?
Mentoring flows naturally out of the relationships formed in the small
group settings. Although it may never be called mentoring, the give and
take of questions and advice that occurs during our small group
meetings helps new and experienced homeschoolers alike. The yahoo
loop is another venue through which you can seek information and
advice. We do not have an official matching process as we believe our
members should be free to form relationships at their own discretion.
We publish children’s ages and curriculum choices to help our members
connect with others who may have experience they seek.
While we support and encourage mom - to - mom flow of support,
please remember that it is your school, and the choices that will be best
for your family must be made by your family. Asking a more experienced
homeschooler about her experience is a great way to help sift through
information you have already collected. It is, however, her experience. It
may not directly apply to your family. Each family and every child is
different. Research and prayer are your best options for direction.
7. What is the history of CHEC? We won’t go into an exhaustive play-
by-play of CHEC’s entire history, but here are the key points:
CHEC began in 1994 when a group of moms decided to meet in
someone’s living room to pray and support one another in their
homeschool journeys. After a year of being mainly a field trip group with
no one wanting to take on leadership, CHEC disbanded in 1995. Moms
then sought out other homeschool support in Columbia or had no
support at all. It was in 1996 when the decision was made to try a local
support group again. It only took that one year of NO LOCAL
SUPPORT for moms to realize it was vital to their homeschooling
journey. Moms were then more willing to start leading clubs, field trips,
etc. As more families in the area decided to homeschool and learned of
this network of supportive moms, the Christian Home Educators of
Camden became more organized as a group.
During the ensuing years the group tried several different ways of
organizing meetings and events. These were definitely years of
“growing pains”, and though the journey included bumps and
challenges, CHEC continued to grow. The leaders worked to find a
balance: “just enough” organization to facilitate mom-to-mom support
and group activities, while preserving the freedom our members needed
to become the homeschoolers God had called each of them to be.
We have found the formula that works for us here: a foundation
provided by our statements of faith and purpose and the Administrative
Team-led CHEC-wide events; small group support for and by moms; a
changing, flexible tapestry of enrichment for our children with member-
planned & -led co-ops, field trips, and social events. At our core, we are
still “just” a group of fellow moms, supporting one another in our
homeschool journeys through prayer and friendship. Why? So we can
fulfill “this high calling from God to strengthen our families, educate our
children, spread the Gospel, and live for His Glory.”