Along with home educating our children, many of us also run businesses that support our families. If your business has been fortunate enough to be deemed essential, it is permitted to remain open during this pandemic. Regardless, that does not mean the customers are still coming. Shopping at the businesses of fellow homeschoolers is a way you can support others in our community during this time of uncertainty.

Businesses, homeschool run to big corporations, are already experiencing financial challenges. Many are having to make difficult decisions from laying off staff all the way to considering closing their doors temporarily or even permanently.

Homeschoolers have businesses that offer many different services. Are you a homeschool family that owns a business? We would like to include your business in the homeschool directory, so people can find your business and shop your store. Businesses offering online services or that ship products are ones many homeschool families can use now.

If you own a brick and mortar store, do direct sales, teach classes, create a product, are an author, or have any other form of legitimate business, please add your business to the directory. A listing in the directory is free. The only requirements to be listed is the business must be owned by a homeschool family and is based in Tennessee.

Although the directory is specifically for businesses of homeschoolers, we encourage you (if you are able) to shop from other small businesses in your area (and nationwide). The little bit you spend can make a difference in the survival of a business. Don’t discount the power of your dollar!

Shop the Homeschool Business Directory.
Add your business to the directory.

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©2020 Homeschool Roster. Article by Jennifer Smeltser. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the publisher http://www.homeschoolroster.com/.

Don’t miss the required TN Promise team meetings for homeschool applicants!

tnAchieves is seeking mentors for the TN Promise class of 2020. There are 1,200 spaces that still need to be filled. This is your chance to not only give back to the community, but also make a positive impact in the life of a teenager. Becoming a mentor is easy and tnAchieves needs you!

Every county in Tennessee is assigned mentors to work alongside graduating high school seniors who have applied for the TN Promise scholarship. Mentors are volunteers who are 21 years or older and include adult professionals, retirees, homeschool parents, stay-at-home moms, just any adult who wants to help. A college degree is not required.

As a mentor, you will be assigned five to 10 high school seniors in the county where you live or choose to volunteer in a county where there is more of a need. You may even choose a preferred high school or to work with homeschool students. There are several counties that have filled their mentor need 100 percent and others that still need volunteers.

Mentors attend a one-hour training and volunteer 10 to 15 hours a year with students. Depending on the number of students you mentor, that can average around one hour a month. Mentors attend a team meeting with students one to two times a year for to learn how to one hour each and are available otherwise only if a student has questions. Questions can be answered by e-mail, text or however you and your student decide to communicate. No experience is needed and the time commitment is low.

Apply today to be a mentor. A background check will be completed on all applicants. If you have more questions, get them answered.

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©2019 Homeschool Roster. Article by Jennifer Smeltser. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the publisher http://www.homeschoolroster.com/.

The clock is ticking towards the last day to complete the TN Promise scholarship application for students entering college in the fall of 2020. November 1 at 11:59 p.m. are the date and time deadlines. Has your graduating high school senior completed the application? If not, get it done!

The TN Promise scholarship (last-dollar scholarship) provides students with free tuition to attend more than 40 community and technical colleges, and some four-year institutions that offer associates degrees in Tennessee. Thousands of students have taken advantage of this opportunity of “free college” since the scholarship was introduced for the fall class of 2015.

My Child Isn’t Going to College!

If you have a child with plans other than college, still complete the application. Applying does not obligate a student to attend college, but does ensure they do not miss the opportunity for free tuition if they later change their mind and want to attend. College is expensive. Don’t leave money on the table.

Eligibility requirements to apply for the scholarship are the following:

• TN resident
• A student graduating from an eligible homeschool, high school or has earned a GED/HISET (prior to their 19th birthday).
• Complete the TN Promise application by Friday, November 1, 2019.

Eligibility requirements to receive the scholarship are the following:

• Attend mandatory team meetings (usually two).
• Complete and report eight community service hours by Wednesday, July 1, 2020.
• Complete the FAFSA application by Saturday, February 1, 2020.

Apply now for the TN Promise.

Do You Need Help?

Online: Live Chat
Telephone: Call (800) 342-1663
E-mail: write now

College Campus Tours

If college or attending a trade school is a plan for your high school student, join Homeschool Roster on one of its Discovering Your Destiny college campus tours. There are tours planned to several schools in West Tennessee that include Christian Brothers University, Freed-Hardeman University, Jackson State Community College, Lane College, Rhodes College, Southwest Tennessee Community College, TCAT-Jackson and the University of Memphis.

Join the Homeschool Roster – Get Out of the House group for college campus tour updates and to learn about other field trips and events for homeschoolers.

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©2019 Homeschool Roster. Article by Jennifer Smeltser. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the publisher http://www.homeschoolroster.com/.

On Tuesday, September 24, Jeff Rubin and his wife, Norma, will celebrate National Punctuation Day (NPD), which is an event they created more than 10 years ago. You may wonder why they would create such an event, and the logical explanation is because “Punctuation counts. A misplaced comma can alter the meaning of a message.”

As homeschoolers, we do understand the importance of punctuation and it’s proper use. There is nothing worse than reading a sentence with punctuation gone haywire.

How many of you just cringed while reading the previous paragraph? Believe me; it was just as difficult for me to write as it was for you to read.

Let us try that again.

As homeschoolers, we do understand the importance of punctuation and its proper use. Is that better?


The Rubins, also known as Mr. and Mrs. Punctuation, have gone all out for this event by even creating an official dish, Punctuation Meat Loaf. To further highlight the importance of punctuation, Mr. and Mrs. Punctuation take the fun to schools making guest appearances in classrooms and assemblies sharing through their program Punctuation Playtime. The 45-minute program is geared toward children in first through sixth grades and makes an otherwise boring subject fun and entertaining, and has been a great way to promote literacy in children.

I must admit I never realized brackets [ ] or { } were punctuation marks. I just never thought about it, because I do not use them often unless I am using them for personal work to make notes. They are neat looking symbols on my keyboard that I thought I should use for something. Instead of using them, I have been using the dash – when I should have been using brackets and using a comma , when I should have been using a dash – . Oh my goodness! What did they teach me in that school?

Along with the correct usage for brackets, the Rubins include an explanation of the proper use of 13 of the 14 commonly used punctuation marks. In fact, all of the symbols have a specific purpose. Are you using them correctly?

What are you teaching your children in school about punctuation? Jeff has quite a few valuable resources that may be helpful with teaching punctuation to your children as well as offering a quick refresher for you. If you need a refresher before the annual day of celebration, visit the National Punctuation Day website and brush up on a few punctuation marks, write a few sentences and make the teacher in you proud.

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©2019 Homeschool Roster. Article by Jennifer Smeltser. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the publisher http://www.homeschoolroster.com/.