It was only a matter of time before Hollywood "discovered" homeschoolers. Posted on 02/25/2003 4:48:47 PM PST by chance33_98
The Why of Homeschool
By Isabel Lyman
[Posted February 25, 2003]
It was only a matter of time before Hollywood "discovered" homeschoolers.
Ponder the promo from The O'Keefes, a sitcom, which will premiere this summer on the Warner Brothers network.
"Harry and Ellie O'Keefe are loving but eccentric parents who've homeschooled their three children to protect them from the loud and libidinal world." (Translation: The parents are losers.)
"Despite a ban on all things pop culture, teenagers Danny and Lauren and younger brother Mark are growing increasingly curious about what lies beyond the walls of their school/dining room." (Translation: The children are kept under house arrest.)
"They can speak six languages, but are unable to converse with kids their own age. The answer lies in their father's worst nightmare—public school." (Translation: Kids who don't attend government schools become misfits.)
It's infuriating, but not surprising, that homeschoolers—the largest group in the so-called school choice movement—still elicit scorn. The National Education Association, for instance, regularly passes an anti-homeschooling resolution at its annual convention. The resolution states that homeschooling "cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience." Now it's apparently Tinseltown's turn to bash the estimated 1.5 million homeschooled children in the United States.
Even in a nation that applauds innovation and liberty, the act of homeschooling continues to raise many uncomfortable, but important, questions about government regulation of private choices. What follows are the seven most frequently asked questions about home education. Hopefully, the answers will explain the benefits of this educational endeavor and dispel common misperceptions.
Why Homeschool?
Homeschooling is simply the education of school-aged children at home rather than at a school. Why do people choose this option? In 1996, the Florida Department of Education surveyed 2,245 homeschoolers, and 31 percent of that number returned the survey. Of that group, 42 percent said that dissatisfaction with the public school environment (safety, drugs, adverse peer pressure) was their reason for launching a home-education program.
Focusing on homeschooling and the media, my own doctoral dissertation analysis of over 300 newspaper and magazine articles revealed that the top four reasons to bypass conventional schooling were dissatisfaction with the public schools, the desire to freely impart religious values, academic excellence, and the building of stronger family bonds.
What Types of Families Choose Homeschooling?
The Associated Press reported the findings of a U.S. Department of Education report about the "average" homeschooler in 2001. The AP story noted, "They are more likely than other students to live with two or more siblings in a two-parent family, with one parent working outside the home. Parents of homeschoolers are, on average, better educated than other parents—a greater percentage have college degrees—though their incomes are about the same. Like most parents, the vast majority of those who homeschool their children earn less than $50,000, and many earn less than $25,000."
Given many Americans' penchant for associations, there are national homeschooling groups for the disabled, the religious, and the athletically-minded. Johnson Obamehinti, for instance, founded the Minority Homeschoolers of Texas. His organization promotes home education among ethnic minorities, such as African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Jews, Native Americans, and Anglos with adopted minority children.
Homeschooling has also attracted the "high-profiled" to its ranks, such as Jason Taylor, who plays in the National Football League, and LeAnn Rimes, the country music sensation.
Are There Different Methods of Homeschooling?
Families may choose to purchase a prepackaged curriculum from companies that specifically target homeschoolers, such as A Beka Home School or Saxon Publishers. Others may choose to enroll their children in correspondence programs, like the Calvert School of Maryland, the Christian Liberty Academy Satellite Schools of Illinois, or the Clonlara School of Michigan. Cyber schools, like K-12 Inc., offer an online curriculum for homeschoolers.
As families gain confidence in their homeschooling abilities, they may opt for a less structured approach. Tutors may be sought to teach particular skills, such as a foreign language, a musical instrument, or a high-school science class. Homeschooled children also participate in field trips and learning co-ops with other homeschooled students or even take courses at a day school or local college.
How Do Homeschooled Children Interact With Others?
This question stems from a caricature of kids isolated and holed up in a house. Defining socialization is an arbitrary exercise. The burden, however, still seems to fall upon the parents of the homeschooled to make their case. To that end, one study debunked the myth that homeschoolers are undersocialized.
In 1992, Larry Shyers of the University of Florida defended a doctoral dissertation in which he challenged the notion that youngsters at home "lag" in social development. In his study, 8- to 10-year-old children were videotaped at play. Their behavior was observed by trained counselors who did not know which children attended conventional schools and which were homeschooled. The study found no significant difference between the two groups of children in self-concept or assertiveness, which was measured by social development tests. But the videotapes showed that youngsters taught at home by their parents had fewer behavior problems.
Typically, home schoolers engage in a variety of activities outside the home—athletics (homeschool sports teams are plentiful), scouting programs, church, community service, or part-time employment. Richard G. Medlin of Stetson University notes that homeschoolers rely heavily on support groups as a a means of maintaining contact with like-minded families.
Is Homeschooling Legal?
The National Homeschool Association has noted that "homeschooling is legally permitted in all fifty states, but laws and regulations are much more favorable in some states than others." For example, Oklahoma is considered friendly toward homeschooling in that parents are not required to initiate contact with state authorities to begin teaching their children at home. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, however, is heavily regulated (approval of curriculum, submission of students' work, etc.). Seasoned veterans encourage homeschooling parents to become familiar with their state's laws before creating a homeschool.
The favorable legal climate does not mean that skirmishes don't occur. Dean Tong, author of Elusive Innocence: Survival Guide for the Falsely Accused (2002), says that a smattering of homeschoolers have had to fight false charges of child abuse.
"Based on the phone consultations I've had with (these) homeschoolers, most have been charged in Juvenile-Dependency court with neglect, failure to protect, emotional and psychological abuse, and failure to thrive," reports Tong. Relative to homeschoolers, he says that these unfounded charges are usually made by nosy neighbors who believe children should receive a more formal classroom education.
How Does the Education a Homeschooled Child Receives Compare with That of Conventionally Schooled Children?
One measure is how well they perform on standardized tests, like the Stanford Achievement Test or the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. The National Home Education Research Institute notes, "Repeatedly, across the nation, the home educated score as well as or better than those in conventional schools."
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation selected more than 70 homeschooled high school students as semifinalists in its 1998 competition. There were 137 homeschooled semifinalists chosen in 1999, and 150 in 2000.
Rebecca Sealfon, a 13-year-old homeschooler from Brooklyn, New York, won the 1997 Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee. David Beihl, also 13, of Saluda, South Carolina, won the 1999 National Geographic Bee. George Thampy, a 12-year-old homeschooler from Maryland Heights, Missouri, won the National Spelling Bee in 2000. Calvin McCarter, a 10-year-old homeschooler from near Grand Rapids, Michigan, won the 2002 National Geographic Bee and became the youngest competitor to do so.
Homeschoolers have graduated from such prestigious institutions as Yale University Law School, the United States Naval Academy, and Mount Holyoke College. Barnaby Marsh, who was homeschooled in the Alaskan wilderness, went on to graduate from Cornell University and was one of 32 Rhodes Scholars selected in 1996.
What Type of Young Adults Does Homeschooling Produce?
J. Gary Knowles of the University of Michigan studied 53 adults to see the long-term effects of being educated at home. In 1991, he presented a paper of his findings at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association in Chicago. Notes Knowles: "I have found no evidence that these adults were even moderately disadvantaged. . . . Two thirds of them were married, the norm for adults their age, and none were unemployed or any on any form of welfare assistance. More than three quarters felt that being taught at home had actually helped them to interact with people from different levels of society
Small business owner Tim Martin, 29, and his wife, Amy, 28, live in Whitehall, Montana with their four children. Both the Martins have a homeschooling background and are now teaching their brood at home. "Education just works better one-on-one," says Tim. "Why do we think the 'right' way to do education is to put 20 or 30 children in a classroom with one teacher. That model is more fit for manufacturing than education."
No kidding. By using their liberties wisely, homeschooling parents have graduated scores upon scores of literate, well-adjusted students with minimal government interference and at a fraction of the cost of any government program. Now a second generation is following in those footsteps. It's the kind of story worthy of thoughtful documentary, not a silly sitcom.
Isabel Lyman, Ph.D., is the author of The Homeschooling Revolution. Send her MAIL.
When homeschool is a large enough target for a dumass sitcom, well, that is a good thing.
Bring it on. And pity the fools you get to advertise on it.
I took my homeschooled 14 year old to the local college today to see if he could qualify to take some classes there.
They gave him a 2 hour placement test to see what classes he qualified for.
Bottom line his scores were great and they said he could take any class he wanted, from College Algebra to Honors Composition.
I'm a "relaxed" homeschooler. Other than using Saxon for math, I've not been really consistent with curriculum. We've always done what we enjoyed and never really pushed that hard. I've never been one to give tests, we would just discuss the material until I was convinced he had a good grasp of it.
The testing and admissions staff at the college were impressed and probably figured I'd been hammering away at homeschooling, which is just the opposite of how we approach it.
I'm sold on homeschool because it produces results without pressuring or boring the child.
The "system" is threatened by homeschooling because it accomplishes what has alluded them, academic success.
Click HERE to listen LIVE while you FReep! HIFI broadband feed HERE! (when available)
Would you like to receive a note when RadioFR is on the air? Click HERE!
Click HERE to chat in the RadioFR chat room!
That's where I got my kindergarten through 9th Grade education. I'd put it up against the vast majority of school curricula out there now.
Hey girl! Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate your influence? We've been having a wonderful time lately with tons of science experiments. My kitchen looks (and smells) like a lab. LOL We dissect Owl Pellets tomorrow. Gosh, I only dissected a frog in High School. My 1st grader and 6th grader are being exposed to all this at an earlier age. How wonderful is that? Homeschooling is the best thing that ever happened to my family. I'm in heaven! (((hugs)))
No. Some reasons:
• No one loves a child like his parents. The ordinary Magisterium declares that parents should be a child's primary educator. Therefore, educational decisions should be left to the parents primarily. Moreover, homeschooling is more in keeping with the Magisterial principle of subsidiarity, that institutions closest to individuals should meet social needs to the extent that they can.
• A teacher with a Master's in Education teaching 20 children simultaneously doesn't compare to the benefits of individualized instruction. Children can move at their own pace, not with the herd. My 7-year-old is 1-2 grade levels ahead of her peers.
• Less time "schooling." My daughter completes her lessons in 2-3 hours per day, leaving her more time for choir, gymnastics, soccer, piano, dance, church activities, baking, the library, field trips, vacations and playing with her sister. No rides to school either.
• The parents control the child's social environment, thus protecting him from harmful peer and teacher influences.
• The parents control the child's religious texts, thus protecting him from harmful textbook publishers (and those who lobby them) and unorthodox teachers/administrators.
• More time for children to bond with siblings and parents, especially in a meaningful way. Home isn't just a place to hang your hat. Important stuff happens at home.
• Planning vacations is easier. We take vacations any time we want, usually in off-school vacation times.
• Flexibility. Scheduling life around "school" is a piece of cake. No sick notes or any other administrative headaches.
Pro-homeschool bump!
You sound so much like me < Kramer voice> you're freaking me out! < /voice>
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.