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12.07.2015 Views

herlife | mother’s perspectiveHome SchoolingWho’s Doing It and Whyby kathleen m. kruegerAccording to the National Center for Educational Statistics(NCES), approximately 1.5 million U.S. children from gradeskindergarten through 12th grade were enrolled in homeschoolfor their education in 2007. This is a 36 percent increase since 2003, a74 percent increase since 1999, and represents 2.9 percent of the totalschool age population of children. This clearly demonstrates a consistentgrowth of the movement towards parental provision of education for theirchildren. So, what are the reasons behind this phenomenon? Why wouldparents abandon a traditional public or private school setting in favor ofteaching their children themselves at home?In the surveys taken by the NCES in both 2003 and 2007, fourreasons took prominence: a concern about the school environment; toprovide religious and moral instruction (in addition to academics); dissatisfactionwith the academic instruction at other schools; and, the desireto use a nontraditional approach to their child’s education.The religious and moral instruction area appears to be a factor ina very large percentile of homeschool parents; about 83 percent of theparents who responded to the 2007 survey included this as one of theirreasons for choosing to homeschool their children. In spite of the largenumbers who include religious or moral reasons in their list, the numberof families who are choosing homeschooling for secular reasons shouldnot be minimized. In the State of California, there are 39 different secularhomeschool organizations, and 19 secular groups exist in the small stateof Maryland.Homeschool families can be found in every socioeconomic group.You will find the children of physicians and lawyers being homeschooled,along with the children of factory workers, farmers and even publicschool teachers. Parents who are providing homeschool educations fortheir children may or may not have a college education; they may beteaching all of their children at home or may only be homeschooling onechild while the others attend a traditional school setting. As you can see, itwould be very difficult to define a ‘typical’ homeschool parent or family.They come in all varieties.Homeschool families can befound in every socioeconomicgroup. You will find the childrenof physicians and lawyers beinghomeschooled, along with thechildren of factory workers, farmersand even public school teachers.Many homeschool parents will admit that they had reservationswhen they began their first year of homeschooling. Most parentsstruggled with a sense of inadequacy and fears that they might not beable to adequately fulfill the roles of both parent and teacher. Selectingcurriculum and making arrangements for the children to participate insocial and sporting activities with their peers were other areas that werechallenging for them, as well as the questions and concerns of others intheir social sphere or family.The plethora of homeschool organizations available to providesupport and assistance to families choosing to enter into this venture isamazing. Curriculum choices range from standard textbooks to softwareand online learning opportunities. Most cities and even smaller townsnow have local networks of homeschoolers which offer support in a varietyof areas, from group learning opportunities to field trips and socializing.In addition, being a homeschool student does not have to meanmissing out on public school sports, as many homeschoolers participate50 HERLIFEMAGAZINE.COM

in local high school sports programs.The regulations regarding homeschooling varies from one state toanother, so making the choice to homeschool your children requireseducating yourself on what the requirements are for your area. In somestates there is little or no regulation, in others there is mandatory testingand reporting, while another will require a homeschool family to registerand follow the same guidelines as a private school or a charter school.Many advantages are cited for homeschooling: flexible schedule;family bonding; parental control over curriculum; individualizedlearning; and, supportive, nurturing environment. However, there arenegative aspects to consider as well. A homeschool family will generallybe dependent on the sole income of one parent rather than two, as onewill be home with the children and serving as their teacher. On top ofthat economic issue, there is the added expense of curriculum for thevarious grade levels and subjects. Although homeschool children oftenexperience shorter ‘school’ hours than they would in a traditional schoolsetting, their teacher/parent will be required to spend many hours in lessonplanning and preparation beyond those basic teaching hours.Becoming a homeschool teacher/parent requires time, energyand a strong commitment to providing the best possible educationaland development opportunities for their children. It is not the bestoption for everyone, but for many, it is becoming a truly viable optionto consider. ■Sources for this article are secularhomeschool.com, nces.ed.gov andtime4learning.com.HERLIFEMAGAZINE.COM 51

in local high school sports programs.The regulations regarding homeschooling varies from one state toanother, so making the choice to homeschool your children requireseducating yourself on what the requirements are for your area. In somestates there is little or no regulation, in others there is mandatory testingand reporting, while another will require a homeschool family to registerand follow the same guidelines as a private school or a charter school.Many advantages are cited for homeschooling: flexible schedule;family bonding; parental control over curriculum; individualizedlearning; and, supportive, nurturing environment. However, there arenegative aspects to consider as well. A homeschool family will generallybe dependent on the sole income of one parent rather than two, as onewill be home with the children and serving as their teacher. On top ofthat economic issue, there is the added expense of curriculum for thevarious grade levels and subjects. Although homeschool children oftenexperience shorter ‘school’ hours than they would in a traditional schoolsetting, their teacher/parent will be required to spend many hours in lessonplanning and preparation beyond those basic teaching hours.Becoming a homeschool teacher/parent requires time, energyand a strong commitment to providing the best possible educationaland development opportunities for their children. It is not the bestoption for everyone, but for many, it is becoming a truly viable optionto consider. ■Sources for this article are secularhomeschool.com, nces.ed.gov andtime4learning.com.<strong>HER</strong><strong>LIFE</strong>MAGAZINE.COM 51

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