Linda Dobson, creator of Parent at the Helm, is on a mission to disrupt government education by empowering parents to provide children with “Education 2.0.”

Liberty Ladies

A homeschool mom turned grandma turned full-time advocate for intellectually freeing children from the confines of government (public) schooling, Linda Dobson welcomes aboard homeschoolers, after-schoolers, teachers, parents whose kids are special needs, gifted, unmotivated, bored, and/or stressed, parents whose kids rock their world, and/or parents who intuit they’re the only ones with the necessary knowledge and love to chart their own course to life as family, living in freedom to enjoy the voyage of family life. She shares the helm of life with Sailor Dude, about whom I am certain you will learn more – stay tuned!

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Linda Dobson and family began their homeschooling journey in 1985. They were having so much fun together that she wanted to share news of this educational approach with as many other families as possible. She co-founded a local homeschooling support group that now offers support and learning activities to a growing membership. She helped found and for the first two years served as coordinator of the New York (State) Home Educators’ Network. Upon creation of the National Home Education Network (NHEN) in 1999 she served as its first public relations advisor as a media contact providing reporters, journalists, and researchers with background information and interviews. She was also Homeschool.com’s early years’ advisor.

Linda’s articles have appeared in dozens of magazines, including Good Housekeeping, but her favorite stint was as Home Education Magazine news reporter and analyst for almost a decade. She still regularly contributes a commentary column, “Notes from the Road Less Traveled,” and is acting columns editor. She has authored eight books, and contributed essays and forewords to many more. She has enjoyed diversity in writing, from a children’s column for an Atlanta-based alternative newspaper to mail order copy, as well as consulting and market studies for companies such as Barnes&Noble.com and Grolier’s. Linda is experienced with the media having provided scores of interviews for radio talk shows, feature stories, including German Public Radio, and publications including The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, Reader’s Digest, Better Homes & Gardens, and “Live Online” for the Washington Post.

As she became home education’s most prolific author and vocal spokesperson, Linda emerged as a nationally respected conference keynote speaker. She has traveled the country, staying in touch with parental concerns and educational approaches across the U.S. and Canada. Formerly a short-term academic tutor for children, she also counseled  parents of traditionally schooled children, as she believes that parental involvement is essential to educational success and can occur no matter where a child learns. She was also an online course instructor for Barnes & Noble University.

Believing that modern homeschooling’s rich history lives within those who have completed the journey, Linda began the Homeschool Crones Café at ning.com and invited all her old friends to hang out there.

Life isn’t all work, fortunately! She moved to be close to Florida’s Gulf coast and has started a non-profit volunteer program and a non-profit economic revitalization corporation. She’s a fanatical – if lousy – golfer, an avid Beatles fan, and grandmother of three beautiful girls, including a set of twins. She is also engaged to the most wonderful man in the world.

PUBLICATION

• The Art of Education: Reclaiming Your Family, Community and Self (Home Education Press, 1995; revised Holt Associates, 1997)

• The Homeschooling Book of Answers: The 88 Most Important Questions Answered by Homeschooling’s Most Respected Voices (Prima Publishing, 1998, revised 2002)

• Also published in Japan with the same title.

• Homeschooling the Early Years: Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 3- to 8-Year-Old Child (Prima Publishing, 1999)

• Homeschoolers’ Success Stories: 15 Adults and 12 Young People Share the Impact That Homeschooling Has Made on Their Lives (Prima Publishing, 2000)

• The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child: Your Complete Guide to Getting Off to the Right Start (Prima Publishing, 2001)

• The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas: 500+ Fun and Creative Learning Activities for Kids Ages 3-12 (Prima Publishing, 2002)

• What the Rest of Us Can Learn From Homeschooling: How A+ Parents Can Give Their Traditionally Schooled Kids the Academic Edge (Three Rivers Press/Random House, 2003)

• The Learning Coach Approach: Inspire, Encourage, and Guide Your Child toward Greater Success in School and in Life (Running Press, 2005)

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