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More students avoid public schools as families choose to teach at home
Miami Herald ^ | August 8, 2003 | CYNTHIA DANIELS cdaniels@herald.com with Eli Muller

Posted on 08/09/2003 2:24:02 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife

Shelly Pond expects her children at the breakfast table at 8 a.m. for Berry Burst Cheerios and a Bible lesson, followed by servings of geography, language arts and multiplication.

The Ponds' wooden dining room table doubles as a desk for research, an art table for collages and a workbench where science experiments sometimes go wrong.


LIFE LESSONS: Shelly Pond of Plantation home-schools her three children - Ally, 5; Kathy, 8; and Kyle 10 - at their dining-room table. They are among about 3,000 home-schooled youngsters in Broward. CANDACE WEST/HERALD STAFF

The Pond children are among an estimated 3,000 home-schooled children in Broward, which has more than any other Florida county. In Miami-Dade, the number is about 2,400. As families look to the start of the traditional school year this month, more are considering teaching their kids at home.

''The School Board would like children to attend public schools,'' said Rosemary Miranda, the liaison between home-schoolers and the Broward public school district. ``But if a parent chooses to home-school their children, the state allows them to do that.''

Plantation mom Shelly Pond has taught her children -- Kyle, 10; Kathy, 8; and Ally, 5 -- for six years.

''I like the fact that I can share my values with my children, work on their character and have a strong family unit,'' said Pond. ``But as their teacher, I also know my children's strengths and weaknesses, and I don't have to wonder how my child is performing in school.''

EXPENSES, RECORDS

Parents considering home-schooling have a lot to think about. There are expenses, such as books and curriculum kits that can cost from $100 to more than $1,000. And home-schooling often means the loss of outside income for the parent-teacher.

''Somebody has to be there to do it,'' said Vivian Astray-Caneda, who heads Parent Assisted Learners, a Miami-Dade support organization for home-schooling parents. ``Many people are trying to do it in their spare time between jobs, but their children are not making it.''

Some parents have cut costs by finding materials on the Internet and using free books from the school book depository or the library.

Home-schooling parents must be organized enough to keep detailed records and ensure their students are properly evaluated. The state requires parents to keep samples of their children's work sheets, essays and artistic projects every year. Home-schooled children must also be evaluated annually, either by a certified Florida teacher who would assess the portfolio, or through a standardized test such as the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills or the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Home-schooled students may also undergo a psychological evaluation to measure their progress.

Parents who take on the responsibility of teaching their children must be prepared to give up time -- a lot of time. ''Home-school takes commitment and sacrifice,'' said Christine Bucher of Davie, who has been home-schooling for 14 years. ``It's not an easy undertaking. It's like a job -- there are good days and bad days. But my benefits are great.''

Many parents fear they aren't qualified to teach certain subjects, especially in the higher grades.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Support groups like the Broward County Homeschool Parent Support Group and Home Educators Lending Parent Support organize cooperative teaching efforts that take advantage of parents' qualifications in a particular area to teach small groups of students. This year, at the end of their co-op unit study of the human body, the Pond children will get a dissection lesson from a dentist whose children are home-schooled.

If students still have trouble with a course, parents can hire a tutor.

Dr. Mary Lynn Collins, a professor at the Fischler Graduate School of Education at Nova Southeastern University, worries that home-schooled kids don't get all of the experiences they need.

''These kids miss out on an important human-socialization factor that is not there whether you are learning alone or with your siblings,'' she said. ``Home-school is teaching a child to be by one's self in a world where we need leaders.''

Home-schooling advocates dismiss such naysaying. Support groups sponsor field trips to museums, zoos and historical sites to give children social opportunities. And teens who are part of the Parent Support Group plan a prom, publish a yearbook and host mall outings and monthly teen meetings. Home-school students may also participate in sports and extracurricular activities at their neighborhood public school.

AVOIDING TEMPTATION

''Some people feel you have to go to school to be properly socialized,'' said John Kernohan of Hollywood, whose five children, ages 3 to 15, have always been home-schooled. ``If being exposed to drugs, premarital sex, violence against teachers and students is a definition of proper socialization, that is not mine. My children are not ignorant of what goes on in the world, but they don't have to be exposed to it on a day-by-day basis in order to be properly socialized.''

Even the most ardent public-school supporter would agree that many minutes of every day in school are spent in activities unrelated to learning. Still, students must spend the day at school. At home, students end their day once they complete the assigned work, which can allow more time for other interests.

OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES

Kernohan's daughters -- Brittany, 15; Grace, 11; and MacKenzie, 7 -- are involved in dance lessons and competitions. His 9-year-old son Johnny is a Cub Scout. And all of the children, including 3-year-old Dillion, are active in their church's youth group and attend physical education classes sponsored by the Christian Homeschool Athletic Association of Florida, which provides phys ed for home-school children.

''I don't feel I'm missing out on anything,'' said Brittany. ``If anything, I get more. I don't face peer pressure, drugs or the pressure of having a boyfriend. . . . I can get along well with adults, I have a close bond with my family, and I have more time to dance.''

Junior and senior home-schoolers may dual-enroll at Florida community colleges to complete a few of their core college courses at no cost. Home-schoolers are also eligible for the state's Bright Futures Scholarship Program.

Home-school graduate Mallika Bucher, 19, completed some of her core courses at Broward Community College and will enter Miami-Dade Community College this month to train as a nurse/midwife. She has positive memories of her home-school experience.

She was president of the 4-H Club, a camp counselor for her church's sleep-away camp, a member of the Parent Support Group's prom committee. She even had enough free time to work as a full-time supervisor in a Plantation health food store.

''Home-school helps children have self-discipline,'' she said. ``They're respectful to adults, and they get along with children of all ages. It certainly did not take me away from anything socially, and it was such a positive experience that I want to do this with my children.''


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: education; educationhomeschool; homeschool; homeschooling
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To: dasboot
How 'bout that "may undergo psychological exam" crap?Some may, mine wont. Besides it may prove too embarassing for the state when one of the children proves to have a better grasp of real life than the psychologist. LOL
21 posted on 08/09/2003 5:53:58 AM PDT by D1X1E (Liberal...someone so open-minded that their brains have fallen out.)
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To: Ed_in_NJ
Why one family homeschools:

http://www.classicalhomeschooling.org/new.html#aug

If you have a normal, healthy, aggressive boy, public school may not be the place for him.
22 posted on 08/09/2003 5:58:36 AM PDT by ladylib
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To: backhoe
''These kids miss out on an important human-socialization factor that is not there whether you are learning alone or with your siblings,'' she said. ``Home-school is teaching a child to be by one's self in a world where we need leaders.''

That's right - by not going to normal public schools children never learn how to cuss, disrespect their parents, experiment with drugs, receive their indoctrination that all things white and male are bad, understand that government is the end-all-be-all of existance, disregard the Bible, have the opportunity to have children way before they are ready for it, and are otherwise socially backwards. Yep - those kids need public schools.
23 posted on 08/09/2003 5:58:37 AM PDT by AD from SpringBay (We have the government we allow and deserve.)
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To: D1X1E
Home-schooled students may also undergo a psychological evaluation to measure their progress.

They are in all probability saying that parents may choose to have their children's progress measured with the Woodcock-Johnson achievement tests, which are administered by a trained psychiatrist/psychologist. At least once, while they are young, it is a good idea to also do an IQ test.

Personally, I believe these tests measure the kids progress better than any SAT's or OLSAT's. The problem is the cost: about $160 for the Woodcock-Johnson and another $160 if they need IQ testing.

24 posted on 08/09/2003 6:32:08 AM PDT by TaxRelief (Welcome to the #1 discussion board dedicated to the sustenance of a free republic.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife; Khepera
I support homeschoolers BUMP!
25 posted on 08/09/2003 6:44:22 AM PDT by EdReform (... www.choice4truth.com ...)
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To: dasboot
Update: Shanna was given command of the Longbeach--sister ship to the Exxon Valdez--on a recent exit from the Port of Valdez, right past Hazelwood's reef. She's 21 years-old. So much for the leadership jive.

Standing ovation!!!!!!!!!

26 posted on 08/09/2003 6:48:57 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: D1X1E
Bump!
27 posted on 08/09/2003 6:52:15 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: EdReform
Bump!
28 posted on 08/09/2003 6:52:46 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
There are so many ridiculous remarks in this article. It's always the same old tired stuff about what a sacrifice it is for a parent to stay home and teach (i.e. go to work like good little citizens and leave the children to the 'experts' in thr government day-care program), socialization (i.e. they might not act how 'we' experts want them to act- like brain washed, socialist zombies). What they really can't stand is that homeschoolers have shown time and again that they can educate their children at a fraction of the cost, at a fraction of the time and produce well-rounded children while their system proves over and over again to be a failure at ten times the price.

This will be my second year homeschooling and I absolutely love it. Any time someone tries to bring up those talking points about why I should send them to school, I just laugh. They have no idea what they're talking about.
29 posted on 08/09/2003 6:58:31 AM PDT by usmom
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To: f.Christian
Thanks for the ping.
30 posted on 08/09/2003 7:24:23 AM PDT by scripter
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To: usmom; don-o
What they really can't stand is that homeschoolers have shown time and again that they can educate their children at a fraction of the cost, at a fraction of the time and produce well-rounded children while their system proves over and over again to be a failure at ten times the price.

Well said bump.

I have had doubts over the years, but my almost-15 year old daughter is now starting to show us that we did make the best choice.

31 posted on 08/09/2003 9:00:51 AM PDT by MarMema
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Just another headfake/buzzword/lie that's supposed to help justify their existence.
32 posted on 08/09/2003 10:59:46 AM PDT by Ed_in_NJ
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To: jocon307
What they teach them is "team work" not leadership. They are taught that everyone is dependent on everyone else, and each is only as 'good' as their team. Disincentivizes the better students, who have to teach the slower ones.
33 posted on 08/09/2003 11:03:15 AM PDT by Ed_in_NJ
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To: Ed_in_NJ
Doesn't she mean "Solicalism-ization"?
34 posted on 08/09/2003 11:42:30 AM PDT by buzzsaw6 (a Bright light in a Dim world!)
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To: buzzsaw6
Doesn't she mean "Socialism-ization"?
35 posted on 08/09/2003 11:43:31 AM PDT by buzzsaw6 (a Bright light in a Dim world!)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
''These kids miss out on an important human-socialization factor that is not there whether you are learning alone or with your siblings,'' she said. ``Home-school is teaching a child to be by one's self in a world where we need leaders.''

I was recently told by a raving liberal democrat university education instructor that recent studies show that children who are kept out of "nursery school" and who stay at home during the tender toddler years grow up to show greater leadership traits than their state educated counterparts. She was a guest of my dinner host and I chose not to point out to her that 1) such data would never be publicly disclosed by the NEA and 2) she had just advocated homeschooling.

36 posted on 08/09/2003 11:55:18 AM PDT by Way2Serious
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To: dasboot
Shanna was given command of the Longbeach--sister ship to the Exxon Valdez--on a recent exit from the Port of Valdez, right past Hazelwood's reef. She's 21 years-old. So much for the leadership jive.

WOW!!!! God I love all of these homeschooled kids! I can't wait until these kids become our statesmen of tomorrow! They are what I'd call "a thousand points of light."

37 posted on 08/09/2003 12:08:58 PM PDT by stands2reason
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To: backhoe
Stanford University has an admissions director that deals exclusively with homeschooled students. The educational authorities at Stanford have found that the majority of homeschooled students applying to their university are independent thinkers, "work well with others" and make good leaders.

Gee, maybe it has something to do with the homeschoolers not being taught via crowd-control tactics or totalitarian-inspired indoctrination techniques so popular in PC public schools these days.
38 posted on 08/09/2003 12:41:47 PM PDT by demnomo
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
And home-schooling often means the loss of outside income for the parent-teacher

The selfish liberal agenda -- Gaea Forbid that someone actually RAISE their own children. Better to persue the almighty dollar and let the kids fall where they may. Ut takes a village, but no parents, to raise a kid to be a good little socialaist (or better yet, a victim-for-life).

39 posted on 08/09/2003 12:45:58 PM PDT by freedumb2003 (Peace through Strength)
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To: usmom
This will be my second year homeschooling and I absolutely love it. Any time someone tries to bring up those talking points about why I should send them to school, I just laugh. They have no idea what they're talking about.

Laughing all the way toward educated, well rounded children who love their familes BUMP!

40 posted on 08/09/2003 1:45:16 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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