Who is this magazine for?
The Utah Homeschooler magazine has been created for any and all homeschooling families in the state of Utah, although any one may read it. Feel free to share the link with family and friends.
How big will the magazine be?
The magazine's dimensions will be 8.5 x 11 inches. As for the number of pages, that a harder question to answer. We have big dreams and goals, but also realize that it might take a little while to grow that big.
The length of the magazine is largely dependent on your participation. The main purpose of this magazine is to celebrate and encourage the hard work and progress of homeschoolers, so please help and encourage your students to send in student spotlights, book reivews, and writing contest entries. The more student submissions we get, the larger the magazine can be. If we start getting "too many" submissions, we'll just publish more often!
Who can send in submissions?
Anyone who:
- is a homeschooling student, and
- lives in the state of Utah, and
- is between the ages of 5 and 18, and
- has not yet “graduated.”
Can non-homeschoolers send in submissions?
Unfortunately, no. One of the primary reasons we started this magazine is to provide homeschooling students and families with some of the positive peer associations that other students get in traditional classroom settings.
Who exactly is a “homeschooler” (ie, who exactly can send in submissions)?
This one is a little tricky to answer because homeschooling comes in so many shapes and sizes and looks different for every family and student. That being said, here are a few things to consider.
- If you, as a parent, manage your student’s education and the majority of that education happens inside the home, then we would consider that to be homeschooling.
- If you outsource the majority of your child’s education to paid teachers and your child spends most of their educational time away from home, then we would not consider that to be homeschooling.
- We would consider participating in parent-led co-ops to be part of homeschooling, but most microschools that we know of are more like private schools and probably would not qualify as "homeschooling."
- Taking local or online classes, extracurriculars, or even classes from your local public school can still be homeschooling, as can utilizing some charter schools or programs like Harmony, My Tech High, and Canyon Grove where students get together for a short time each week but the core subjects are the responsibility of parents to teach.
Ultimately, it comes down to this: Do you consider yourself a homeschooling family? If the answer is yes, you’re welcome to submit. If you have any questions about your student's eligibility, feel free to send an email to support@TheUtahHomeschooler.com.
How many times can a student submit Student Spotlights, Big Wins, or Book Reviews?
As many times as they want! If we consistently get more submissions than we can publish, we'll just start publishing more issues! We want every student to have the chance to be celebrated and inspired, and we’d love to be able to make this a monthly magazine!
If I enter the Writing Contest, can I still make other student submissions?
Yes! You may only submit one writing contest entry per issue, but we hope you will also send us student submissions as well.
What about my student's privacy?
For Student Spotlights, Big Wins, book reviews, and writing contest entries, only the student's first name and last initial will be included in the magazine. Last name and mailing address will not be included and are collected only so we can award prizes.
For articles written by teens or family spotlights, it is preferred that full names and cities be included, but only with the prior permission of the parents/guardians.
Is The Utah Homeschooler magazine political or religious?
No. The Utah Homeschooler magazine is religiously and politically neutral and will never publish outright political or religious content. However, we also recognize that religion and politics are an integral part of many homeschooling families and will therefore not reject student submissions or articles simply because they contain religious or political content. For example, a Big Win reading, "I played the piano in Seminary for people to sing along with," or a student submission about volunteering with a particular political organization may still be published, even though they contain "religious" or "political" content. We ask that readers be kind and understanding of the many varied views and opinions among the homeschooling community.