Leader Highlight: Angela
Angela Pilcher
Unite Founder and President of the Board
How did you begin homeschooling?
In the fall of 2015, my oldest son was only 4, but already super eager to read and begin more intentional learning. I had always wanted to homeschool, but my husband who is from England was unsure (since he was unfamiliar with it.) So instead of going to preschool for his 4-year-old year, we kept him home and I just played with words and numbers. By the time we got to February, when enrollment opened for PS, my husband could see that what we were doing was working. His math and reading skills were far beyond those of any kindergarten student and he would have been bored. So, we kept going. Over the years, my husband has become a great advocate for the benefits and loves flexibility and that we can teach our children based on our beliefs and interests.
What is your favorite part of homeschooling?
Family Relationship & Community. Our family values time together and building relationships with people who have common values and interests. That our boys can play and work through their differences quickly is invaluable.
One of the values I hope to teach to my children is service. I do this by modeling (and encouraging them to join me) within the events and opportunities we offer through Unite. My hope is that they can see that serving people is fun and worthwhile.
As the founder of Unite Homeschool Support Network we all have you to thank for this beautiful community. Can you tell us more about the history? What did the early days look like and how have things changed?
In 2015 when we started homeschooling, I joined a local group through Meetup.com. After a little while the group leaders decided to move it over to Facebook. In 2017, the group began organizing a PE program, and shortly after, the leadership decided they were going separate ways. As a primary PE leader and Facebook Administrator, I was left holding the group's remains.
For 3 years I fostered relationships, continued the PE program, and enjoyed amazing friendships we developed through those experiences. In late 2019 I began to hear from the Lord that I needed to consider moving off Facebook but had no idea where to start or how to proceed. I was considering all the conversations, events (which needed to be private – no creepers allowed!) and how to organize resources. I was also increasingly frustrated with Facebook manipulation, suppression and even harassment during 2020 about in person, outdoor events. I wanted a safe place, with no censorship and no algorithms that we own.
In January of 2021 I found the platform we use today and began inviting people to join the network. I was pleased that our platform answered all the needs and was still affordable! In 2021 we began as North GA Homeschool, but as I began to catch the Lord’s vision, He said it should not be so specific. I began looking for website domains and reserved a few that I thought could work. Then I gave the membership a vote. Everyone agreed “Unite Homeschool” was the perfect name. It communicated the vision of bringing homeschool families together.
Over the next year, I began taking steps to become a nonprofit organization. I formed a board of directors, wrote policies and guidelines, purchased insurance, and made the appropriate applications.
What is your vision for the future of Unite?
The key vision is that homeschool families become connected with resources and community. This does not need me to happen! I believe that as we grow more leadership in other areas will continue to emerge. As an organization, we want to help with marketing, financial accountability and event management coming alongside them as mentors and coaches. I am in no way an expert, but with our mentors and board members assisting, our leadership is valuable.
One of the guidelines of our board of directors is that nobody remains in position for too long. With that in mind, we are always looking for additional people to join the board and take the reins of various aspects of the business. Seasons change and people get burnt out. We want to keep the motivation high by having new leaders join in as they catch the vision and get excited! If this is something people want to learn more about, they should check out our leadership page: Unite Homeschool Leadership — Unite Homeschool Support Network
As homeschoolers it is important to remember that we are more than “just homeschool moms” – what is something fun that tells us a little more about yourself?
Prior to becoming “just a homeschool mom” I was an army Russian linguist, a corporate project manager and consultant and enjoyed traveling both for business and recreation. It is incredible how God used all the skills I learned in the prior seasons to better equip me for what he wanted me to do in this season.
Is there anything else our members might like to know?
There is PLENTY of room at the table for ideas. Anyone can post resources or events, and we encourage you to! Find your local group and plan something fun. The more you meet up with others, the richer your family's homeschool experience will be!