Introduction to Homeschooling
The Whys & Hows of Homeschooling
As many as 2.5 million children nationwide (with a projected increase
of 15-20% per year) learn at home in kitchens converted to classrooms,
according to The Wall Street Journal. That makes homeschooling the
fastest growing educational alternative in the country today.
Families homeschool their children for a variety of reasons. Many have
basic educational philosophies or religious beliefs that are inconsistent
with public and private schooling. Others begin homeschooling to rescue
their children from the de-socialization taking place on school campuses
-- to prevent exposure to drugs, gangs, and risky social behavior.
Families also choose homeschooling to achieve academic excellence by
custom-tailoring a curriculum suited to their child's interests, learning
styles, and needs. Most students, including those labeled "learning
disabled flourish in the one-on-one environment of a homeschool.
Indeed, the latest nationwide study of religious and secular homeschooled
students support the claim of homeschooling proponents that home education
is more successful than public education. Dr. Brian Ray, president of The
National Home Education Research Institute in Salem, Oregon, reports in
his recent study that homeschooled students scored, on the average, in
the 80th to 87th percentiles on standardized academic achievement tests.
The national average for public schooled children is the 50th percentile.
The successful, documented track record of homeschoolers is one reason that
college admissions panels have adapted their application process for the
home educated. Homeschoolers have been accepted at major universities and
colleges including Harvard, Yale, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Stanford University, all of the University of California campuses, and
even the U.S. Military Academies.
How do homeschooling parents go about teaching their children at home? There
is no one right way to homeschool and no one-size-fits-all mindset. Many
agree that developing a personal educational philosophy is a good way to
start. Homeschooling advocate, Jackie Orsi, a former Trustee with the
California Homeschool Network, elaborated on this idea, "There needs
to be a parental vision of the kind of whole person you hope to raise,
someone who is not merely knowledgeable but also productive, civil,
generous, creative, responsible, self-assured, wise, and ultimately,
lovable. That's a parent's complete task, of which schooling the child
is just a rather minor part of the whole. Once a philosophy is developed
it guides the parent in choosing from a variety of methods:
Some homeschoolers recreate traditional schooling at home, complete with
textbooks and recess.
Others attend Home Study Programs through public school districts. Teachers
help parents develop a course of study for their children and supply
resource materials. The parent executes the plan at home (like a teacher's
aid) and reports back to the school district monthly.
Charter Schools offer Home Study Programs providing curriculum development
and teaching assistance. Some provide families $1000 per student in
educational credit toward the purchase of consumable educational materials.
Homeschoolers may also become members of private school Independent
Study Programs. These programs vary but generally supply record keeping,
guidance, support, and curriculum counseling.
A few home educators employ tutors to instruct their children at home.
There are families
that engage in what is known as "unschooling or interest-initiated,
child-centered learning. Parents act as facilitators -- providing materials
and resources to satiate their child,s own interests in any particular
field of study.
Educational technology
provides many options to the classroom at home. Educational software includes
everything from pre-K activities to complete curriculum packages for grades
K-12. The Internet offers research opportunities in every subject along
with online, interactive homeschool classes and college courses. Audio
and video courses are available. Public television offers courses for
credit through community colleges.
Home educators
also participate in correspondence courses. Private schools offer complete
curriculum packages for pre-K through high school. A number of colleges
and universities provide high school correspondence courses and give college
credit for them upon completion.
Most home educators
utilize a wide variety of resources. They may allow for interest-initiated
learning in some areas and blend it with unit studies in history or science.
They may also use a textbook for math, take foreign language classes outside
of the home, and supplement their studies with classes at local museums
or with a correspondence course. They use an eclectic mix of educational
tools to custom-tailor a learning program that emphasizes their child's
strengths, and helps to manage weaknesses.
Parents have a
profusion of resources to choose from in the task of educating their children,
not the least of which is the public library. Homeschooling advocacy organizations
provide all kinds of assistance, counseling, presentations, publications
and products for parents pursuing home education. Homeschooling parents
organize cooperative classes, field trips, park days, and social events
that can be accessed through regional homeschool newsletters and support
groups. Additionally, major textbook publishers and testing services now
package their product lines specifically for homeschoolers.
Homeschoolers,
like their school-going counterparts, also participate in after-school
sports programs, dance classes, 4-H projects, music lessons, scouting,
and church activities. They enjoy friendships with neighborhood kids as
well. Opportunities for socialization prevail.
The phenomenal
growth of the homeschooling movement makes the one-time underground activity
easily accessible today. While homeschooling may not be right for every
family, it is definitely a viable educational alternative. Perhaps you
and your children will forego the "back-to-school sales and textbook
backpacks -- joining millions of other children who learn at home. Intrigued?
Then please read the rest of this guide for information that will help
you to discover resources and support for homeschooling families.
Keep the home fires burning,
Diane Flynn Keith
Editor/Publisher
Homefires~The Journal of Homeschooling
Editor@Homefires.com
|
