The Why of Homeschool - new sitcom to treat homeschooling as negative

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Let's say your a traditional Catholic in the Chicago area, shouldn't you be able to find a Catholic school that shares your values and wouldn't that option be preferable to home schooling?

Not to answer a question with a question, but why do you think that a Catholic school would be preferable to home schooling? Just curious.

I don't know much about home schooling, but I assumed the reason to do it is if you don't have access to a school that shares your values.

MY QUESTION: Let's say your a traditional Catholic in the Chicago area, shouldn't you be able to find a Catholic school that shares your values and wouldn't that option be preferable to home schooling?

YOUR RESPONSE: No. Some reasons:

MY FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS: At first blush, these are the concerns I'd have:

• Won't the home school children be stunted in their ability to relate to peers and other adults?

• Won't they miss out on the expertise and wisdom from the teachers? Afterall, the parts of the Body of Christ have their different gifts to offer.

Won't the home school children be stunted in their ability to relate to peers and other adults?

You're joking, right? Either that or you have never encountered the concept of homeschooling before, except in the parody offered by the leftist TV networks. Even Time and Newsweek have dropped this canard.

For the record, in every situation studied, homeschooled students relate better to other children, of all ages, and to adults, than institutionalized students. This is just common sense.

Won't they miss out on the expertise and wisdom from the teachers?

There are teachers out there with expertise and wisdom, who can also teach :-). Assume your hypothetical school is full of them. And maybe, in the context of a class of 30 students or so, they would manage to impart some of that to my children.

So yes, they would miss what that particular teacher had to offer. However, if they were in the teacher's classroom, they would miss the wisdom and expertise of a much greater number of people who pass through their lives as homeschoolers.

So it's a tradeoff, as everything in life is. You can't have every experience, or learn from every person who might benefit you. I had some experiences with excellent teachers as a public school student. Was it worth the rest of it? No way.

In school, no matter how great a teacher is, you move on after a year; those relationships cannot last. In homeschooling, children can form lasting relationships with other adults, particularly their parents. My husband has been out of work for eight months. If the kids were in school, they would have missed eight months of every day contact with their father. Nothing is worth that trade-off!

In order to make this show a success, they are going to have to make the main characters somewhat likeable. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. You know, when they came out with 'Family Ties', the producers were hoping to make a statement having the parents as liberals and a son who was conservative, and who, horrors upon horrors, actually liked Richard Nixon. A whole generation of kids grew up thinking being a conservative was not so bad. And, they have been voting to prove it.

Also, look what happened when they did Archie Bunker. He was supposed to be the epitome of a racist biggot. And yet, people liked the show and found him somewhat adorable.

So, if they want to do a sitcom and they want it to be a success, they are going to have to make it somewhat sympathetic to homeschoolers and funny. I wish them luck.

I can't recommend highly enough this brief essay by John Taylor Gatto, NY State Teacher of the Year in 1991, on the effects of schooling: The Six Lesson Schoolteacher. This critique corresponds to my judgement regarding the true nature of schooling and gets to the root of the questions that you've asked (below).

• Won't the home school children be stunted in their ability to relate to peers and other adults?

Quite the opposite. What meaningful interaction occurs with peers at school? During class time, it's supposed to be eyes front. Between classes kids talk about what they saw on TV last night or who's "dating" who. Same with the cafeteria. The environment is prison-like, especially if school authorities don't maintain discipline. Cliques and gangs arise in schools for the same reason they do in prison: protection. They represent islands of order (of a sort) in a sea of chaos.

Homeschooled children either play with other children or pursue interests that they share with other children. Social association is largely voluntary. Children tend to work together toward a common goal, even if it's something as mundane as playing house. Homeschooled children also have the freedom to choose to disassociate from other children. This is a very important life skill.

Additionally, homeschooled children learn to interact with adults outside of the order-giver/order-taker school norm. To homeschooled children, adults do not represent only authority figures who are to be avoided. Instead, children learn to judge adults just as they learn to judge other children, by what they say and do, and have the freedom to associate or disassociate with them as they see fit.

• Won't they miss out on the expertise and wisdom from the teachers? Afterall, the parts of the Body of Christ have their different gifts to offer.

What benefits exist are provided to a greater degree from interaction with adults in the outside world, in situations that are more "organic." Teachers are slaves to their job scope, their position of moral neutrality, and their (usually horrible) textbooks. It's very difficult for them to speak from the heart. Adults outside the school institution are not so restrained. Children who interact with adults in the non-school world get a truer picture of adults.

Oh, for my very own copy of the OED!!!!

The full size version is outrageously expensive, but there is an economy-size version in two volumes with microfilm-sized print. It comes with a magnifying glass, but if you're rather nearsighted you can read it unaided in a good light. Even after my LASIK surgery (which does affect your near vision) I can still read it in a good light.

It's reasonably priced, and takes up less space on the bookshelf, too.

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