Austin Area Homeschoolers is a network of families who homeschool or are seriously exploring the possibility of homeschooling in Austin, Texas.  We are an inclusive group composed of individuals who are willing to share their homeschooling experiences.  Each person speaks only to his or her individual experience.  We respect each family's educational choices. We do not charge dues, and there are no special requirements for homeschoolers to participate. 

In addition, we do not specifically endorse or promote the views of individuals, groups, or organizations whose names may be shared as resources; such references are for your information and investigation only.

AAH-ANNOUNCE

ONLY announcements of general interest to homeschoolers.  No questions or discussions.

Subscribers will find the calendar, files, links, photos, past announcements and polls for all the lists. 

Replies go back to the original sender.

AAH-DISCUSS

Hosts homeschooling discussions AND general discussions.  NOTE:  Discussions are NOT ALWAYS related to homeschooling. 

Replies go to the list. 

AAH-HELPING

Hosts homeschooling ONLY discussions.  NOTE:  Discussions are ALWAYS related to parents homeschooling their own children.  Replies go to the list. AAH-Helping is a safe place for people who wish to teach their own children to share ways to do it and where they can avoid people recommending schools or people to do it for them. It is a safe refuge, where people can share with others who are successfully teaching their own school-age children. 

NEW LIST:
AAH-HIGH-SCHOOL

• Hosts homeschool discussion about homeschooling your high school aged child.

The Austin Area Homeschoolers' announcement and both discussions lists were created for AAH participants (and others interested in possibly homeschooling in the Austin area) to share ideas and information, trade stories, recommend resources, ask advice, offer support, discuss educational philosophy, announce impromptu gatherings, etc. 

Before you can become a subscriber to any AAH list you must follow these instructions:

1.  Read the rules below and list descriptions on this page.

2.  Send an introduction letter to aah-subscriptions-owner@yahoogroups.com

Your introduction letter MUST include the following and it is easiest if you will simply copy the questions and answer right beside each question in your email.: 

A. Your REAL name (First and Last):
B. Your phone number in case we have questions about your introduction:
C. Why you would like to be on the AAH list:
D. State that you have read and agree to abide by the list rules at http://AustinAreaHomeschoolers.com/:
E. The AGES of your child / children who you are currently homeschooling:
F. The AGES of the child / children you are planning to homeschool shortly:
F. Do you live in the Austin area:
G. How many hours per week does your homeschooled child attend classes where you are not the teacher:
H. If you know a current AAH subscriber, please name them here:
I. The email address you wish to use on the AAH list (Note it must match the email you are using to send this email):

We appologize if this seems like a lot, in the past we've been the target of advertisers, and this process has helped reduce that. 

4.  Sometimes emails get lost!  If you haven't heard from us, please don't assume you were rejected.  If you haven't heard from us, email again, and please check your return email address and phone number to make sure they are correct. 

5.  Reply to the invitations of the lists you'd like to join.  Invitations expire after 7 days.

Once you are a subscriber to AAH-announce AND have a Yahoo ID and password, you will be able to access the files, links, archived messages, and calendar area of the AAH-Announce list. 

We recommend you read the files on the AAH-announce list first, then post your questions to the either the discussion list or the helping list. These files serve as our Subscriber-created Website.

After you've been added to the list, we request you post a simple introduction to the announce list.

Policies & Participation Guidelines

I have learned silence from the talkative, tolerance from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers.            -- Kahil Gibran

These are the general policies and participation guidelines which govern the AAH mailing lists.  In addition, each individual list has its own Welcome File containing the posting guidelines specific to that list.  Please note that each of our mailing lists exists for a specific purpose and has a specific structure. 

We hope that you will find our community to be one that is helpful, supportive, and provides information that is worth your time and effort. 

Guidelines for Participation

Moving parts in rubbing contact require lubrication to avoid excessive wear. Honorifics and formal politeness provide lubrication where people rub together.

Often the very young, the untraveled, the naive, the unsophisticated deplore these formalities as "empty," "meaningless," or "dishonest," and scorn to use them. 

No matter how pure their motives, they thereby throw sand into machinery that does not work too well at best.

          --Robert Heinlein in "The Notebooks of Lazarus Long" 

   1.  Be polite.  Our mailing lists are open to homeschooling (or those considering homeschooling) individuals who would like to participate in a civilized community where courtesy is the rule of the day. We are an artificially polite society and request that each member practice self restraint and personally maintain a high level of courtesy, forbearance and charity towards the other members of our community both on and off list.

  2.  Flaming is not a part of our culture.

  3.  Don't start arguments.

  4.   Discussing how your religion or philosophies affect you or your family is OK.  Discussing anyone else's religion or philosophies is not OK. 

 5.  If the list owner or moderators asks to take further discussion to private eMail or to another list, then do so. 

  6.  While discussion is a normal part of day-to-day discourse and healthy social interaction our mailing lists are not general purpose chat-rooms.  Please do not use them as such.  If your message was meant for only one person or just a few and it doesn't benefit the group, don't send it to the group.

  7.  Restrict your "me too" and private replies to PRIVATE eMail. Do not send them to the list.

  8.  Be as clear as possible in your subject line.

  9.  If you did not write the message, then do not post it without first asking the approval of the author and the list owner.   Note:  Homeschool related announcements are almost always approved for posting.  eMail list owner at aah-announce-owner @ yahoogroups.com (no spaces) 

  10.  If you post third-party information cite the reference for the book,  journal article, or website it came from.  Our mailing lists are not venues for passing along folklore as fact.

  11.  Don't hassle the list administrators. Our list administrators are volunteers whose families and jobs are their primary responsibilities. 

  12.   Do not post the same messages to more than one AAH-list.  All subscribers on DISCUSS and HELPING are required to be on ANNOUNCE.

  13.   Only offer suggestions or comments about the running of the AAH YahooGroups lists to the suggestion list at aah-suggestions@yahoogroups.com, but not to any other list or privately. 

To control spam you must join the suggestion list to be able to post to it.  Subscribers to the AAH-announce list are allowed to subscribe. 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aah-suggestions/

If you send your comments or suggestions to the list owner or moderators, you are agreeing that we may forward them to the lists. 

   15.  If you are a homeschooler with a homeschooling child over 5 years of age, and you want to make a personal recommendation of a homeschool friendly event, service, tutor, group, etc. do so in the files and then announce it on the list. 

If you wish to add to the files or add and event to the calendar area of the list, please follow the instructions listed in this file at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aah-announce/files/AAH-subscribers-web/.

Be polite.  You are not to use the list as a venue for unlimited advertising.  If we feel you are doing so or we receive complaints, you will be asked to limit your posts, or you will be put on moderation and we will limit them for you.  (Additional info about advertising.)

  17.  A Yahoo ID is required.

All list subscribers must have a Yahoo ID. We don't care what information you give Yahoo.  That is at your discretion. 

Without a Yahoo ID and password: 
1. You can't get into the files or calendar areas. 
2. You can't change your email address.
3. You can't reset your mail if your mail is bouncing.
Therefore we require all subscribers to have a Yahoo ID and password.

Breaking list rules may result in your posts being moderated or suspension or revocation of your posting privileges.

Policies

Democracy is based on the assumption that a million men are wiser than one man. How's that again? I missed something. 

Autocracy is based on the assumption that one man is wiser than a million men. Let's play that over again, too. Who decides?

          -- from "The Notebooks of Lazarus Long" by Robert Heinlein. 

At YahooGroups, setting and enforcing posting guidelines and mailing list policies is left up to the discretion of the individual list owner(s). 

Our posting guidelines may make the AAH mailing lists a warm and accepting community where individuals can bring their questions and concerns.

The posting guidelines cannot cover every possible situation or unacceptable behavior. In the event that there is a disagreement with regards to what the guidelines state, intend, or otherwise cover, the decision of the list owner is final. Individuals who consistently refuse to abide by the decisions of the list owners, harass the list administrators, or otherwise cause disruptions in the community after being asked to abide by the posting guidelines may have their posting privileges suspended or revoked.  In extreme cases, the list owner may remove a subscriber from any or all of our mailing lists. 

Additional information regarding our policies: 

A.  Our mailing lists are governed by the acceptable use policies of YahooGroups.

B.  Participation is a privilege not a right.

C.  Each list owner is responsible for and has authority over his or her mailing list(s).  If you don't like how the mailing list is being run, you are welcome to start new mailing list with yourself as list owner.  You may post one announcement of your new group and invite our current subscribers to join your group. 

D.  YahooGroups does not involve themselves in the internal politics of mailing lists hosted at their site.

E.  Posting someone's private eMail to any of our mailing lists, either in whole or in part, with the intent or apparent intent to embarrass or otherwise cause harm is grounds for immediate removal from all AAH mailing lists.

F.  Posting inappropriate material, including but not limited to profanity, racial slurs, invasions of privacy, slander or libelous remarks, and/or sexually explicit wording or information is grounds for immediate removal from all AAH mailing lists.  We have students who are on the lists.