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by RuthAnn RaycroftIt is a growing trend for families in North America and in other parts of the world. Home schooling is a phenomenon, and it's proponents are more than willing to tell you why.
Home schooling was not the first thing that Ann Feenstra would have thought to choose for her family. "It intrigued my husband right away," she says, "but it scared me."
The Feenstra family's journey into home schooling began after they heard a radio broadcast on the subject in the mid-80's. Of Mike and Ann's four children, only their oldest daughter was school-aged at the time. They had always assumed she would attend the local private school. "However," Ann explains, "educating her at home was a new idea."
With many questions, Ann and Mike did some studying of their own. What they found convinced them to commit to teaching their children at home for a three-year trial period. They have now been home schooling for eleven years.
POPULARITY GROWING
Whether it is called home schooling, home learning or home-based education, the meaning is essentially the same. Parents like Ann and Mike choose to supervise every aspect of the education of their children by teaching them within the home rather than sending them to a school.
There are many variations under the home schooling umbrella. Some include distance learning in this category (children learning at home–under state supervision and using the same materials as their peers–due to living in an isolated location or other challenge), while others do not. Some parents choose to include state education materials in their child's curriculum; others prefer to create a unique educational environment by engaging in un- or de-schooling (allowing the child to learn by discovery without a regimented curriculum). Home schooling can be undertaken either for the duration of the child's "school" years or for particular periods during those years.
The issue of removing children from the school setting is hotly debated by parents, teachers and various child-development experts, but it is an issue which refuses simply to go away. Home schooling has existed for as long as there have been families, but has experienced a modern revival in recent years. Author and educator John Holt popularized the discussion in his Growing Without Schooling Magazine, begun in 1977.
Recent indications are that the movement continues on the increase, though numbers can be difficult to calculate due to the nature of home schooling. Patricia M. Lines' report for the US Department of Education projected that there would be between 700,000 and 1.2 million home schooled children in that country for the 97-98 school year. In Canada, it was estimated that there were approximately 60,000 home schooled students in 1997.(1) In 1996, The London Evening Standard newspaper reported estimates of 15,000 home schooling families in Britain; a 50 percent increase over the year before.(2) Figures from the Home Education Research and Legal Information Network Queensland place the number of home schooled children in Australia at about 18,000.(3) The New Zealand government registered 5274 home schooled students from 3001 families in 1998.
Home schooling movements are also gaining ground in other parts of the world, such as Japan, Taiwan and Norway.
ACADEMICALLY CHALLENGED?
Even as the numbers grow, there continue to be many objections to children being educated at home. Critics argue that this "option" is not in the best interests of the child academically or socially–that home schooled students will not be able to adapt to a world designed around those with a school-based education, and cannot receive an adequate education from parents who are not trained teachers.
Yet Ann and Mike are now seeing the academic results of careful planning as their oldest daughter approaches the completion of her secondary education. Though educated at home, she is now exceeding expectations for her peer group. "[She] is beginning grade 12 using correspondence lessons [based on government curriculum]," Ann says. "She is a year ahead, and is achieving excellent marks."
Their three sons have also blossomed learning at home. "The boys (ages 14, 11 and 9) are still doing home studies using materials we have chosen and are all at the levels where they would be if attending a regular school. Because we often finish many of our books by April, our oldest son has been able to complete three drafting courses by correspondence."
The Feenstras are not the only parents to see such positive results. Indeed, an independent study commissioned by the Home School Legal Defense Association indicates that home schooled children do as well, if not frequently better, than their peers on aptitude evaluations. The study is based on 20,760 home schooled students from 50 US states.(4)
Critics point to mitigating factors–such as family income and class–when judging these results, but study author Lawrence M. Rudner (a researcher who also serves as the director of the federally funded Educational Resources Information Center Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation at the University of Maryland College Park) states clearly, ""The message here is real simple: Home schooling works for those who've made the commitment to do this."(5)
Additionally, further education is no longer the roadblock it once was; many more colleges and universities are now admitting home schooled students.(6)
SOCIAL STUDIES
Though many home schooling parents would agree with education reformer Karl M. Bunday that children don't need the "age-segregated" socialization of a public school,(7) the childrens' social needs are not ignored. These needs are met in a variety of ways, most commonly through extra-curricular activities or through home school associations.
Home school associations offer students the chance to interact with other home schoolers whether on the Internet, in study groups or for field trips. Some home schooling associations offer shared facilities, such as a library or gymnasium, and some have organized athletic teams and competitions for students.
Ann sees the positive effects of home schooling in terms of the time available for her children's social activities: "Evenings are rarely spent on homework, and the children's schedules have been flexible enough so they can also work at outside jobs or pursue new interests and activities."
EXPERTS ON THE SUBJECT
Some public education advocates have also criticized home-based education as it is generally associated with those who have religious or political objections to school-based education. Yet, while many parents who teach their children at home do still cite specific religious or political views as an important factor in their decision, this is changing.
In fact, a 1990 report by Wendy Priesnitz of The Canadian Alliance of Home Schoolers found that the political views within a sample of Canadian home educating parents are quite varied. Support for the (then) three major Canadian political parties was represented equally, along with "an equal number of individuals professing to have no particular political affiliation." While many of the parents surveyed indicated strong religious commitment or some kind of belief, just under one quarter of the families claimed to have no religious or spiritual commitment at all.(8)
Similarly, a recent Florida poll found that parents ranked dissatisfaction with the public school system ahead of religious reasons as the most important reason for teaching their children at home.(9) Fears of school violence, sparked by recent high-profile incidents in some North American schools, have also piqued interest in the home schooling movement.
Mike and Ann's own experience echoes this trend. Though committed Christians, convinced that "the Bible clearly stated the educational responsibility lay firmly in parental hands," they were also motivated by the benefits of one-to-one tutoring and wanted to help their children avoid negative peer pressure as much as possible.
But can children receive an adequate education from someone who is not a certified teacher?
This is a question perhaps best answered on a case by case basis. However, there appears to be enough evidence to answer, generally, "yes." Though some parents who home school are certified teachers, this is not the rule. The Rudner study indicated no significant difference between the results of children of these parents and those taught by parents with no certification.
IT'S OWN REWARD
Home-based education requires a tremendous commitment of time and energy. It can be extremely rewarding, but is it an easy choice?
"Frankly, no," Ann admits. "There have been days when I have felt like giving up because of the added busyness of running our dairy farm, dealing with babies and toddlers, or coping with the stress of an overactive thyroid. Sometimes it was also the frustration of the children perhaps not catching on to a concept."
But having made an informed decision, and seeing the positive results in the lives of her children, Ann stayed the course. With help.
"I can testify to the fact that God does indeed provide the needed strength and ability as I rely on Him, and He has also blessed me with a wonderful husband."
Objections aside, parents will and should ultimately make their decisions in the best interests of their children. For Mike and Ann, home based education has been its own reward.
"Time with children is precious, and they will be gone before we know it. We have really appreciated closeness and enjoyment of one another. How exciting to see your child catch onto a concept like reading, or to see them relate well to different age groups. When they needed extra time to learn the times tables, for example, we could do just that. If we were clear on a subject, we could work ahead. As parents, we have certainly learned much along the way, too."
RuthAnn Raycroft has a Master's Degree in English Literature from the University of Wales, Cardiff. She is the writer and associate editor for Women Today Magazine.
Notes
1. Dale Eisler and Victor Dwyer, "Domestic Lessons," Maclean's, Vol.110, No.35, Sept. 1, 1997, p.64.
2. School is Dead; Learn in Freedom, "Homeschool Growth in the Commonwealth," Karl M. Bunday, 1995. http://learninfreedom.org/homeschool_growth.html
3. HERLIN, Queensland, Current Home Education Numbers, Sept. 1998. http://homeschool.3dproductions.com.au/legal/qldcurrent.html#numbers
4. "The Scholastic Achievement and Demographic Characteristics of Home School Students in 1998," An independent study by Lawrence M. Rudner, Ph.D., Director of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation, Made possible by a grant from Home School Legal Defense Association http://www.hslda.org/nationalcenter/statsandreports/rudner1999/Rudner2.asp
5. Lynn Schnaiberg, "Study Finds Home Schoolers Are Top Achievers on Tests," Education Week on the Web, March 31, 1999, Editorial Projects in Education, http://www.edweek.org/ew/1999/29home.h18
6. School is Dead; Learn in Freedom, "Colleges That Admit Homeschoolers," Karl M. Bunday, 1993. http://learninfreedom.org/colleges_4_hmsc.html
7. School is Dead; Learn in Freedom, "Age Segregation in School," Karl M. Bunday, 1992. http://learninfreedom.org/age_grading_bad.html
8. Home-Based Education in Canada: An Investigation and Profile, by Wendy Priesnitz, The Canadian Alliance of Home Schoolers, March, 1990. http://www.life.ca/hs/hsreport.html
9. "Home Schooling," In Context, Education Week on the Web, 1999, Editorial Projects in Education. http://www.edweek.org/context/topics/home.htm
