The New Face of Education: How Homeschooling Goes from Counterculture to Mainstream

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Conclusion

About the Author

Appendix

Bibliography

Introduction

It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom.

~ Albert Einstein

Homeschooling your child was practically unheard of fifty years ago. Back then, parents who were dedicated to homeschooling actually put themselves at great risk to do so because it was not yet legal in in every state. Not only that, but the unscrupulous eye of the general public categorized homeschoolers of the 60’s and 70’s as either belonging to some ultra-conservative religious order or to some kind of hippie cult. Either way, it was considered extreme and therefore not widely accepted or embraced.

At that time, all homeschoolers were looked upon as being so far removed from normal society that well-meaning parents could not take their children outside of the home during regular school hours without fear of being accused of truancy and brought up on charges of neglect. The prejudice that surrounded homeschooling back then forced parents and families to maintain lives of isolation; simply because they saw a better way to teach their children and they were not afraid to do so.

Homeschooling has changed a lot over the last few decades, and we owe many of those changes to dedicated parents who were not afraid to stand up for their right to educate their children in a way that made sense to them. As a result of their courage and perseverance, homeschooling has finally begun to be given the respect and the attention that it deserves from lawmakers and politicians, alike, and because of this it is now a viable legal option for all parents across America and in many countries all over the world.

The beauty of homeschooling is its flexibility. Homeschooled children do not receive a prepackaged, one-size-fits-all education. Quite the contrary, kids who are homeschooled receive a tailor made education; one that suits them and their unique needs, making it far easier for them to learn and grasp necessary information in far less time than the average public or private school student.

Homeschoolers excel at their own pace and they have the freedom to engage in activities that interest them far more often than kids who spend their days in school. In addition, homeschooling lends much to the family unit itself, building trust and respect between parents and children. It is safe to say that this is one area in which the structure of public school and the physical and emotional distance that it places upon families simply does not measure up.

Homeschooling your children has definite advantages, all of which will be covered in the pages that follow. If you have ever considered homeschooling your children as an alternative to public or private school, then this book is for you. The following chapters will address many of the pertinent questions that curious parents just like you are asking:

• Is homeschooling better than public school?

• Am I smart enough to homeschool my children?

• Can I afford to homeschool?

• Is homeschooling legal?

• What about socialization?

• What about Reading, Math and Science?

• What about Athletics, Band, Prom, Graduation, etc.?

• What about College?

• Can I homeschool as a single parent?

• What if I work full time?

You will find the answers to all of these questions and many more in this book. If you are wondering whether or not you can homeschool your children, then let me assure you that you can, and my job is to show you how. You don’t have to have a background in education or a college degree in order to provide your child with the skills that they will need to succeed in college and throughout life. In fact, you can successfully homeschool your children even if you do not have a high school diploma.

Homeschooling is possible no matter where you live, how much money you make or what the dynamics of your particular family look like. It is this degree of flexibility that allows people from all walks of life to teach their kids at home and find it to be a worthwhile and rewarding experience for their families.

This book will put your fears to rest and give you the confidence to homeschool your children once you have made the decision to do so. This book will show you that you are not alone and that you have at your disposal everything that it takes to provide your children with an alternative to public or private education that will suit their needs as well as the needs of your entire family. And you can do it no matter your budget, time constraints or educational background.

This book will mainly focus on the public school system, however, other forms of education, including private school, are clustered within the discussions throughout this book. My intention is to focus on the typical rigid school setting verses that of a free homeschooling setting. These typical school settings can be found in both public and private schools. In recent years we have seen an influx in students coming from private schools to homeschooling programs due to the rigorous school work load. My hope is that you will see that there are other options to typical school. You are not stuck to conform to just one or two options.

What makes homeschooling such an appealing option to so many families?

In order to understand the answer to this question, we must first take a look at the reverse side of the coin; public school, and what it does and does not offer our children. Though school has become the norm for hundreds of millions of children over the past 50 years, it is not necessarily in the best interest of all children to be required to participate.

The public school system has been steadily weakening over the years and struggling to maintain control over generations of children who honestly deserve better than what they are receiving in the way of a meaningful education. Because school was originally created as a means to mass produce laborers, it fails to take into consideration the needs of individual families and children, as that was never the original purpose or intent. Rather than catering to the needs of the children, school was created to cater to the needs of a growing work force. This still holds true today.

Even though schools, for the most part, have gravitated towards acting as if crafting leaders out of our children is the primary reason for public education, it is mostly smoke and mirrors. After all, there can only be so many leaders in this world. It is well known that in school, the so-called ‘leaders’ are often the most attractive, the wealthiest and the strongest, and therefore the most popular among the student population. True leaders, however, are people who have integrity; who have core values from which they will not waiver. True leaders are dedicated to spending as much time and effort as is necessary in order to reach their goals. True leaders are known for their ability to think outside of the box and for their willingness to treat others with respect and fairness. Homeschooling is the ideal environment for character traits such as these to be born.

In the public school system, every child is expected to work towards the same goal; passing their classes and ideally, functioning at basically the same level as everyone else in order to meet the requirements that the State has set forth as average and keep the classroom moving along at a reasonable pace. However, it has been proven that children learn at different rates and they learn best through all kinds of different avenues and methods, not just one. Even so, the best that public schools can hope for is that all children will at least meet the national average.

Quite frankly, because of their individual strengths and weaknesses, there is no such thing as an ‘average’ child. All children are good at something and some excel at many things, depending upon the nature of their personalities and the innate talents that they possess. In assuming that all children will fit into the same mold and at least come out the other side as an average student, public schools shortchange our children and limit not only their productivity, but also their imaginations and their self-respect.

The degree of social decay that is present within our human ranks is a testament to what our outdated public school system has contributed to society in general since its inception at the end of the nineteenth century. And while teaching methods and curriculum may have changed in various ways over the last hundred years, the institutionalization of our young children is no better for them now than it ever was. In fact, it seems to be getting worse.

Kids who spend 12 years in public school exhibit behaviors that are a direct result of the confinement, judgment and competition that they find there, and as these children reach adulthood, the results of their education speak for themselves. A recent article in the New York Daily News sums up the situation by saying it is no coincidence that the rise in public incivility coincides with a broad decline in verbal skills, as evidenced in disappointing results in college entrance examinations like the SAT. Essentially, low-quality education is producing a society of low-functioning people who lack the skills and the impetus to strive for and meet their personal goals, if they even have any. If the public school system is working so beautifully, how do the following alarming statistics fit into the equation?

• Over the last fifteen years, 15 million students have graduated from high school reading below the basic level.

• The percentage of high school seniors performing at or above the basic level in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) decreased from 80% in 1992 to 73% in 2005.

• About 70% of high school students need some form of remediation; the most common problem is that students cannot comprehend the words they read—not that they cannot read them.

School supplies a systematic flow of prepackaged information to millions of children each day, to keep them occupied for six to eight hours in order to meet the average state guidelines that will enable the school districts to achieve the necessary funding to continue to keep up that pace. School is big business, and as such, to those whose financial ends are served by the means of public school, the faces and personalities of the students are nothing more than cogs in a well-oiled machine. It is a vicious cycle and children are the victims.

The reason for this book

My reasons for writing this book are simple. As a homeschooling mother and director of a public homeschooling program, I have seen homeschooling work with hundreds of families and children, including my own. It is my mission to provide pertinent information to the parents of children who are either struggling to meet the demands of public school or are completely underwhelmed by the services that their child’s school may be offering; to let them know that homeschooling is a valid option to public school, and that it is achievable no matter what your income, education or socio-economic background. Another reason for writing this book is to encourage public school districts to offer homeschooling programs as an additional alternative choice for families in their area.

In this book, I will go into detail about the various ways to find your own style of homeschooling; one that acknowledges the individual needs of your children and fits into your family’s life in a suitable and meaningful way.

Homeschooling is a very personal experience. It requires dedication, of course, and it requires a willingness to let go of the preconceived notion that only ‘the experts’ are capable of providing your children with access to all of the information that will assist them in becoming well-functioning, successful adults. When it comes to your children, you are the experts, and you know when something is or is not working in your child’s life because you see it being reflected in their personality and in their interactions with family members and others.

This book is meant for parents, educators and anyone else who is curious about the benefits of homeschooling and it is designed to introduce you to all of the various ways that children can not only learn, but also succeed in developing personal responsibility and trust in their own process; something much more important than the ability to measure up to someone else’s standards in a public school setting.

This book is meant to reinforce parents’ faith in themselves and their ability to recognize that what their child needs will undoubtedly be different from the needs of other children their age and that is perfectly okay. Just as every child has a unique personality, so, too does every child possess their own individual set of skills and talents that not only have merit, but deserve to be represented in this world.

The remainder of this book will give detailed explanations of the various ways that parents have adapted their homeschooling methods to suit the needs of their family. It is estimated that in 2007, there were over 1.5 million homeschooling families in the U.S., up a whopping 74% from 1999 statistics.

And the numbers continue to rise. The popularity of homeschooling is growing for many reasons, but one thing is for sure, homeschooling is now an established educational choice that you can make for your children, if you choose.

This book will give you an overview of homeschooling laws, as well as provide you with valuable tips and suggestions that you can use to enhance your child’s educational experience at home. It will give you plenty of options that you can investigate when making decisions about reporting, grading and the many ways that you can create an effective portfolio if it is in your state requirements to do so or if you will be using it for college preparation purposes.

I will also provide you with testimonials of families from all different backgrounds who have successfully homeschooled their children, so that you may gain comfort and confidence in your own ability to do so no matter where on the financial or educational spectrum you feel that your personal experience lies.

In addition, this book will also introduce parents to the homeschooling community at large, which has grown tremendously in recent years. There are resources available for homeschooling parents in every state that did not exist twenty years ago, as more and more parents are coming together to create workable, well rounded programs, support groups and organizations geared towards homeschoolers, in which their kids can gain inspiration, find healthy social interaction and acquire more detailed knowledge than they would find in anything taught in the public schools today.

The world is changing

There is no doubt that our children are growing up in a world that is