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Posted on 06/08/2002 6:14:23 AM PDT by Valin
For homeschoolers, it's not hard finding a date to the prom. Got an itch for performing arts? No problem. Looking for a little pomp and circumstance? Done.
The lack of social opportunities — one of the myths of homeschooling — is not a worry for many metro-area families who have made the choice to teach their own children.
As homeschooling has shifted from emerging trend to an educational choice, resources for homeschoolers have blossomed. Homeschool students now have their own prom, graduation and theater classes. Local colleges cater to homeschooled teens with exclusive science lab classes. Co-ops arrange field trips and specialized language classes. Institutions like the YMCA open their doors for homeschool swim days.
Parents aren't left out, either.
Two statewide organizations — the Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators and Minnesota Homeschoolers' Alliance — coordinate annual conferences and networking for parents. And bookstores offer curriculum discounts to homeschool educators.
"We're a market now," said MHA President Amy Leinen, who homeschools her three children in West St. Paul.
Indeed, they are. More than 15,000 students in Minnesota are homeschooled.
SUCCESS STORIES
Ariel Lopez, 18, who graduated Friday night, went to prom several weeks ago. Lopez, recently named a National Merit Scholar, will head off to Indiana's DePauw University in the fall.
Mother Linda Lopez said she homeschooled Ariel from the day he was born. Her son's extracurricular activities match his academic achievements: soccer, 4-H, choir, theater and photography.
"It's very antisocial to be in a class with 30 kids who are all the same," said Linda Lopez, a former school counselor.
Ariel Lopez said his daily structure is a perfect fit. He's been able to take college classes for homeschoolers and, he said, "I do enough activities outside of the home. I'm able to interact well with adults and 5-year-olds."
One of his sources of socialization has been Youth Educated at Home, which sponsored the commencement ceremony. Formed in 1988, its purpose is to provide outlets for fun to youth age 12 and older.
In any given month, 200 to 300 youth, mostly from the Twin Cities metro area, bowl, roller-skate, take hayrides or watch movies. YEAH also organizes a prom.
"It makes them feel part of a group, which I think is important for teens. It's a sense of belonging or community. That's where the socialization comes in," said Cher Baumhoefner, director of YEAH.
Often, parents feel ill-equipped to teach high-school courses to their children; many don't have backgrounds in science or foreign language. YEAH facilitates tutor groups as well as an academy that offers supplemental courses in subjects ranging from Greek to algebra.
Parents also receive coaching in how to prepare high-school transcripts and college applications.
The growth in homeschooling has prompted more targeted assistance: Last weekend, the University of St. Thomas hosted the Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference.
Homeschooling can't match public high schools for the numbers of dances and student clubs, but homeschool parents are determined to provide their children with opportunities to be with other children.
STAGES OF LEARNING
In the basement of a South Minneapolis church, the set to "Pollyanna" hasn't been dismantled since the spring show. This space is home to Theatrix, a community theater for the homeschooled.
"We didn't expect it to be as big as it's gotten," said co-director Kira Bundlie, who has had to turn away kids at auditions.
"Pollyanna" starred 40 children — dozens more than the first play Theatrix produced. Participants do their own make-up, hair and sound effects. Bundlie, 22, said the theater serves youth ages 4 to 18 and appeals to different types of homeschool families.
Bundlie's mother started Theatrix in 1995 as a way for Kira and her younger sister to try acting when they were "unschooled," a looser form of homeschooling.
"I never felt like I didn't have any friends," Bundlie said. "Age becomes a non-issue. You're not always with kids the same age in homeschooling."
Roger Schurke, MACHE president, teaches a class at Northwestern College for parents on how to homeschool. Schurke, a former community baseball and softball coach, said parents should look to the community for socialization opportunities for their children, not the traditional school setting.
"Socialization is a non-issue. Kids aren't born in a litter. Why do we have to raise them that way?" Schurke said.
Natalie Y. Moore can be reached at nmoore@pioneerpress.com or (651) 228-5452.
It's rare to find a positive article about homeschoolers. This is encouraging, although I'm certain there will be a rebuttal to this article in the newspaper soon. :o/
We're finishing our 6th year educating at home and don't regret it. It's been a wonderful and challenging experience. 7th grade begins in August. We're set and ready to roll! :o)
Squire Johnny, I know you don't homeschool but this is from MN, so here is your "PING". :)
1. It takes 3-4 years to get enough experience for a new teacher to really know the job and learn to deal with the many situations that come up daily. Perputally new teachers, will create chaos and experience should be valued. (Bad teachers need to be removed but that's common sense and most school districts can remove poor teachers.)
2. Who weeds out the bad home schooling parents? (Yes, there are people who have no business teaching anything to anyone remember this is a 12 year adventure and many people don't have that kind of determination!) I've seen parents who home school and produce kids who learn almost nothing after 12 years. The example I have in mind is a mom who probably works as a teacher 1 day per week and the kids play most of the time. She has too many hobies to spend time teaching her kids.
3. My opinion is that if the home schoolers would use their energy to clean up the local school boards we'd go much farther along the way to get better schools. Here in California where I live the parental input is about ZERO and the administrators have very fertile ground to push their social agenda. Home schoolers who drop out rob the system of the energy to possibily clean up the mess.
Who weeds out the bad home schooling parents?
Who weeds out the bad teachers ??
And as for changing the school boards, and getting the Board to change things, the recent experience of Prince George's County, Maryland is instructive. A fairly conservative school board was elected, and then tried to fire the ineffective and extreme-liberal superintendent.
The Sup whined to the State of Maryland, which overturned the school board's firing, abolished the elected school board, and appointed a new one. But the Supe isn't the Supe anymore: she's now CEO of the PG County schools. . .
The Sup whined to the State of Maryland, which overturned the school board's firing, abolished the elected school board, and appointed a new one.
This is the crux of the problem. The educational establishment is rotten to the core and it will be the challenge of a life time to root out the scum. While California is ranked 48th in the nation in test scores the average parent is not even aware of how bad the system is.
I think that if moms stayed home from work and were there at home when the kids returned from school and actually asked the kids what they learned in school today -- well, we'd clear up this whole crisis in about 5 years. The problem is not abot schools and administrators it is about parents who don't care.
It is not just that the welfare schools are a mess and that they are indoctrination centers for amoral values and leftist ideaology, it is that they are a form of socialism. Socialism is evil in all of its forms.
You can clean up your welfare school program all you want. But until it is entirely privatized, it is socialism and my children and I will not participate.
There was a time--not that long ago--when kids grew up on farms in this country and had nowhere near the social activity they have today.
One of my best friends is 57 and was born in Poland. His parents were avid anti-communist and expelled. He was the first child in his family to graduate from high school and eventually got a masters degree. His father cried for two days. If he had been home schooled how would he have wound up because his mother never learned written English? What about the millions of immigrants do they home school too?
Savage being from New York has a sense for this facet of America -- making immigrants into Americans. I don't feel real comfortable about some Arab mom teaching her babies Jihad. I'd feel much better if they were learning to put condoms on cucumbers.
As for the farm boys, there aren't too many left anymore but we have lots of immigrants.
I like Savage a lot but have to disagree with him here. Yesterday was our local home school associations annual BBQ. There were probably 50 kids there, all very well adjusted socially, very polite, kind, intelligent, etc. Even my own kid surprised me in his social skills. Had I known Savage's position I would have invited him to the BBQ.
But until it is entirely privatized, it is socialism and my children and I will not participate.
My wife stayed home and didn't work even though she is a licensed teacher and had experience in the public schools. We felt her being home was the most important thing we could do for the kids.
We sent our kids to private Christian school because of our experience with public schools.
The catholic school we sent our son to started in the early 90's to become politically correct. I think you need to watch out with any school.
Sorry to disagree to this reasonable viewpoint, but the ship is sinking and the time for bailing water is gone. Now is time to save as many kids as possible by getting them into the life boats of home school, charter schools, vouchers and private schoools.
Yes, it is scarier and more work than the giant luxury liner, but in the lifeboat there is a chance of survival. We don't want our kids to go down with the ship of fools who can't see the ship is going under more rapidly with each passing day.
And since the crew won't even admit the ship is sinking, I'm taking my family off the boat to avoid drowning in a sea of ignorance.
Of course community colleges also offer remedial courses for the NEA-educated public high school graduates.
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