About Me

Hi! I'm Cindy Englan (formerly Cindy Stanley), your hostess here at Rocky Mountain Education Connection. You're likely wondering who the heck I am. I understand completely. Me, I always like to know who I'm dealing with on a website. I don't like anonymous; there's just too much garbage floating around the internet these days. So, here we go ..... me, in nutshell (well, the nut part is right, anyway) .....

   I am a reformed Public School you-rah-rah Cheerleader Mom. After 6 years of having my kids in school, I pulled them out in the spring of 1993 . . . . . at their request. Yep, you heard right. I was getting frustrated with ps, but it wasn't my idea to homeschool. It was my oldest son's idea. He was 11 years old, an "A" student, in the gifted and talented program, and completely fed up with being bored, ignored and/or made to feel like an outsider beause he was smart. One October morning, he stopped me on the sidewalk and told me he wanted me to start homeschooling him. (You want me to do what?) Needless to say, I was speechless. The child then proceeded to convince his 6yo brother that homeschooling was the best thing since sliced pickles. They ganged up on me, no doubt about it. Funny how things turn out, though. I researched for 4 months, and the more I learned, the more excited I got. I ended up becoming the biggest homeschooling advocate of us all. Having kids is amazing. They teach you so much more than you teach them.

Anyway, by the following summer (1994), I found myself volunteering for, and trying to save, our inclusive statewide organization, CHEA (Colorado Home Educators' Association). But, two years and much experience later, I'd pretty much figured out that such a thing just wasn't gonna happen. So I, and another energetic volunteer, Valerie Berg, founded Rocky Mountain Education Connection. It didn't matter the amount of work, sweat or labor involved -- we were determined to create a viable, inclusive, welcoming place where every parent could find solid homeschooling info that didn't come from a religious or political viewpoint. And starting out with $500 and just one volunteer to help us, we managed it! Unfortunately, less than a year later, Valerie had to bow out because of family and work obligations. But, being full of energy (and here's that slightly nuts part), I soldiered on alone. Over the years, I've published a 32-page bimonthly statewide newsletter and sponsored seminars on topical subjects such as "Homeschooling: The Teen Years", and "Can a Christian be an Unschooler?"

In August, 1998, I also coordinated Colorado's first, all-inclusive homeschool conference: Homeschooling for Everyone. Held at Loretto Heights University in Denver, our welcoming attitude attracted speakers from just about every homeschooling 'genre'; David and Micki Colfax, who'd homeschooled their 4 sons on a remote California ranch and then bemusedly listened to the worldwide gasp of wonderment as 3 of them were later accepted into Harvard University; Cafi Cohen, renowned speaker and author of several bestselling books on homeschooling teens into college; Ruth Beechick, a well-known Christian homeschool author and presenter; Peggy Webb, an unschooling veteran who runs the international private school for unschoolers, West River Academy; Monte Swan, a naturalist, entrepreneur and homeschool author who gave inspirational talks to homeschooling dads. Our vendors also ran the gamut from Christians to Muslims to Atheists, offering structured curriculum, unit studies, games, manipulatives and fun unschooling goodies. We had musicians and singers who wandered among us, quietly entertaining as we shopped while our children played at our feet. When we tired of being inside, we had miles of lush, green grass on which to stain our tushies, as we romped or just lazed around. What a wonderful day. What an amazing success.

On the side, I also owned a couple of online mailing lists, EHCO in Colorado and The Unschooling List ("UL" for short), an international private discussion list for unschoolers across the world. I inadvertantly helped found the UL, although I will admit it certainly wasn't my idea. Heck, I was too green to have many ideas back then, let alone techie ones. Nopers, we can thank Diane Solbach for the birth of the UL, which was the very first All-Unschooling Discussion List on the internet. Me, I just happened to be there, and I inherited it sort of by default. (It's one of those stories I keep saying I'll write up one of these days.)

In between, I also hosted monthly 3-hour-long seminars entitled The Rookie Workshops for New Homeschoolers. They're full of facts, resources, wit, wisdom . . . . and humor. Which is why I didn't give 'em some sedate or serious name. Homeschooling is work, true, but it's probably the most fun you'll ever have with your kids. If you don't think so, methinks you're going about this the wrong way. Hang around me awhile. Peruse this website. Join one of those great mailing lists I mention. Run, find a local support group. Read the books I recommend. Hang in there. We'll relax you one way or another.

Geez, reading back on all that, I sure seemed to have a lot of energy in those days, didn't I? Wow. Where did it all go?

And now, ladies and gents, back to your regularly scheduled programming . . . .