Our mission is to encourage families who are considering or engaged in home education by providing information and resources, advocating for home education freedoms, and building connections for support and communication.
WTHEA is one of seven chapters in a state-wide, Christian, non-profit, volunteer-based organization called Tennessee Home Education Association.
THEA was formed in 1984 for the purpose of preserving and defending the rights of parents to direct the education of their children and to provide a statewide network of support, encouragement, and assistance to homeschooling families. THEA accomplishes these goals through a unified, organized network of volunteer home schooling parents and others supportive of parental rights.
By dividing the state into seven geographical areas to establish chapters and having THEA members elect Area Coordinators/Board Members, we have developed a unified, representative state voice while building strong support for homeschoolers at the local chapter level.
WTHEA serves 18 counties in West Tennessee: Benton, Carrol, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, McNairy, Obion, Weakley and parts of Fayette & Tipton Counties.
One of our main goals is keeping the public informed about legislation that will directly affect homeschooling and parental rights. We have a lobbyist who sits in on all open legislative sessions and education committee meetings to stay on top of bills that are coming up and lets us know who to contact expressing our support or dislike of the coming legislation. We want homeschoolers to have the same opportunities offered to students in other types of schools.
We also focus on assisting homeschooling families any way we can. We have hosted events such as Spelling Bees, Kindergarten and High School Graduations, Fall Kick-Off picnics, Used Book & Curriculum Sales, Jr./Sr. High Dances, and Workshops to assist families in the education of their children. We also provide support and information where we can, often locating resources, classes and tutors as needed. We try to bring homeschoolers together for support by referring people to local support groups.
