Homeschool Friend

by Hannah Miller

 

How you can help Korean homeschoolers learn English.

 

 

Just a few months ago, CollegePlus! founder Brad Voeller launched Homeschool Friend (HF), an English tutoring program which connects American tutors to South Korean students. Many people are filling the need in this groundbreaking venture. Two such people are Kevin Miller and Veronica Eby.
Miller, who is 19 and a CollegePlus! grad, heard about HF through a CollegePlus! friend. “I was immediately interested,” he said, “because I already have a desire to minister in Korea, possibly through teaching. I had already been looking for a part time job to help pay for college. When I found out about HF, I knew that it was what God wanted me to do.”
Miller instructs his Korean students via the internet four times a week from his home in Maryland. Also a vital part of this program, Veronica Eby is Homeschool Friend’s Tutoring Manager. Her many jobs include curriculum development and interacting with parents and students.

 

Homeschool Friend’s History

Brad Voeller moved to South Korea four years ago to aid that nation’s budding homeschool movement. Initially, Brad conducted seminars as the movement gained momentum. Eby sees parallels between homeschooling in Korea now and where homeschooling was years ago in North America. “This is where the United States was when homeschooling was just beginning, wondering if it was going to work,” she said.
The South Koreans are using such curriculum as A Beka, Saxon, and Pathway books. However, most of the texts are in English, creating a great call for learning the language. “English is much in demand and homeschooling increased the need to learn English,” said Eby. Thus out of this necessity Homeschool Friend was born.

 

Changed Lives

Both Miller and Eby see HF as not only a job but a mission field. “You definitely need to look at it as a missionary opportunity, not a business,” noted Miller. Lesson by lesson, tutors not only expand their own and their students understanding of English but also build lasting relationships with Korean homeschoolers.
Eby has seen several Korean students blossom over time. “[At first] the children are shy and afraid. The tutor is encouraging and the students begin to open up,” she said. “You take an interest in them and they start to confide in you.” Together students and teachers encourage each other in their walks with the Lord. Praying with the students regarding things such as an upcoming test or their mom being pregnant is one of the job benefits for Miller. Knowing that his students’ parents are also praying for him is “definitely special,” he said.

 

Putting out the Call

“He [Jesus] told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’” (Luke 10:2, NIV). Experiencing rich success, HF has a demand for more able and willing workers. Right now “we have a huge need for [Christian] tutors,” Eby noted.
There are a few requirements for being a tutor. A stable grasp of the English language is necessary. Yet, Eby added, “you don’t have to understand everything.” Miller pointed out that tutors also need perseverance. “You definitely need to be a patient person. You need to speak slowly and can’t rush them [the students],” he said. Along with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and a respect for different cultures, prospective tutors are required to have access to high speed internet, a web camera, and a headset. Tutors will be paid hourly for the work. Classes last thirty minutes and consist of one to three students. Tutors may take as few or as many classes as desired. As Eby explained, Homeschool Friend is “like being paid to go on a missions trip.”
If you would like to find out how you can become a tutor with Homeschool Friend, just email her at

 

Hannah Miller is a CollegePlus! student from Orlando, FL and plans to graduate with a BA in Communications in the spring of 2008. Besides spending time with her family and studying for classes, Hannah enjoys updating her blog, reading classic literature, cooking and, of course, writing for Acceleration!

 

 

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