Home Schooling; Part 1

School shootings, sexual pressures, and shoddy supervision are some of the many reasons parents are ditching school and taking on a second career as a home school teacher.

Pamela Chapman, a mom doubling as teacher, feels that she has just as much to offer as the school system.

Michael, 10, feels the same way about Mom. “A different teacher besides Mom...I wouldn’t like it because she’s a cool teacher.”

Education expert, Dr. Marianne Garber, warned that the coolest teacher isn’t always the best one. She described the parent-child relationship as “special” and that parents doubling as teachers have to be objective. She explained that this can be difficult for parents used to being on the “cheering squad.”

In conjunction with considering their own skills and temperament, parents must consider their child’s.

“If you already had an issue with your child about going to sleep, getting up in the morning, doing the routine things, then there’s a very good likelihood you’re going to have trouble keeping them on a routine in a daytime in school,” Garber said.

Parents who are comfortable with the curriculum and their temperament, home schooling can succeed.

What Parents Should Know

New York, California, Alaska; Home shcooling is legal in all of these states, and in every other state in the Union, for that matter. But, since it is intrastate regulated, bringing the kids home to school requires a little research on local regulation.

One of the most informative venues for such research is the Home school Legal Defense Association Across the States. By logging on to www.hslda.org, a parent can dive into the world of home schooling laws, resources, and issues. By simply plugging in the state they wish to research local laws will be at your fingertips. Other informative web-sites are www.home-ed-press.com, the Home school Resource site, and the American Home school Association Information site at http://www.home-ed-press.com/AHA/aha_inf.html.

There are many books and magazines available at most public libraries, as well. The boundaries of home schooling are not rigid, therefore many educational officials aren’t very clear on the do’s and don’ts. Therefore, it is suggested that a parent be well informed before talking with the public school district or local education department.

“A different teacher besides Mom… I wouldn’t like it because she’s a cool teacher.”

--Michael Age 10

Tough Numbers

Hard stats are hard to come by in the world of home schooling. Estimates range from half a million to more than a million when counting heads. States differ on how they track and define home-schoolers, and many parents don’t adhere to the registration process.

Another tracking method is through home-school groups and organizations, but again, only those who are affiliated with these groups are factored. This leaves an unknown number that aren’t tracked.

Danger Zone

Home schooling, once considered a fringe activity, may be going mainstream. While the number of home schooled kids has grown steadily over the past few years, the laws haven’t kept pace. Forty states don’t require parents to have certain qualifications to teach their kids.

In response, the N.E.A called home schooling a dangerously deregulated enterprise.

States requiring parents to submit test scores, achievement notifications and professional evaluations are considered to be “highly regulated”. States not required to communicate children’s progress with the government are “low regulation states”.

Resources
For more information on parenting issues contact us: Connecting with Kids