Educating Kids at Home

Every morning, Mary Jane, who is nine, doesn't have to worry about gulping down her cereal so she can be on time for school. School for Mary Jane is literally right at hat doorstep.

In this era of growing concerns about the quality of public education, increasing numbers of parents across the United States are choosing to educate their children at home. These parents believe they can do a better job teaching their children than their local schools can. Home schooling, as this practice is known, has become a national trend over the past twenty years. Patricia Lines, a senior research associate at the U.S. Department of Education, estimates that in 1970 the nationwide number of hose-schooled children was 15,000. By the 1990-91 school year, she estimates that the number rose to between 250,000 and 350,000 (5). From I9S6 to 1969, the number of home-schooled children in Oregon almost doubled, from 2,671 to 4,578 (Graves BS). Home-school advocates believe that the numbers may even be greater: many home schoolers don't have official notice of what they are doing because they are still afraid of government interference.

What is home schooling, and who are the parents choosing to teach their children at home? David Guterson, a high-school teacher whose own — children are home schooled, defines home schooling as "the attempt to gain an education outside of institutions" (5). Home-schooled children spend the majority of the conventional school day learning in or near their homes rather than in traditional schools; parents or guardians are the prime educators. Cindy Connolly notes that parents teach their children the same subjects--math, science, music, history, and language arts -- that are taught in public schools but vary the vay they teach these subjects. Some home-schooling parents create structured plans for their children, while others prefer looser environments (E2). While home schoolers are a diverse group--libertarians, conservatives. Christian fundamentalists--most say they home school for one of two reasons: they are concerned about the way children are taught in public schools or they are concerned about exposing their children to secular education that may — contradict their religious beliefs (Guterson 5-6) The first group generally believes that children need individual attention and the opportunity to learn at their own pace in order to learn well. This group says that one teacher in a classroom of twenty to thirty children (the size of typical public-school classes) cannot give this kind of attention. These parents believe they can give their children greater enrichment and more specialized instruction than public schools can provide. At home, parents can work one-on-one with each child and be flexible about time, allowing their children to pursue their interests at earlier ages. Many of these parents, like home-schooler Peter Bergson, believe that home schooling provides more of an opportunity to continue the natural learning process that's in evidence in all children. [In school,] you change the learning process from self-directed to other-directed, from the child asking questions to the teacher asking questions You shut down areas of potential interests (qtd. in Kohn 22)

The second, and larger, group, those who home school their children for religious reasons, accounts for about 90 percent of all home schoolers, according to the Home School Legal Defense Association and the National Association of State Boards of Education (Kohn 22). This group is made up predominantly of Christian fundamentalists but also includes Buddhists, Jews, and black Muslims.

What causes underlie the increasing number of parents in both groups choosing to home school their children? One cause for this trend can be traced back to the 1960s, when many people began criticizing traditional schools. Various types of "alternative schools" were created, and some parents began teaching their children at hose (Friedlander 20) the public educational system has continued to have problems, parents have seen academic and social standards get lover. They mention several reasons for their disappointment with public schools and for their decision to home school. A lack of founding, for example, leaves children without new textbooks. One day a mother found out her sons were reading books that they read from the year before Monday CI1). Many schools also cannot afford to buy laboratory equipment and other teaching materials. At my own high school, the chemistry teacher told me that most of the lab equipment we used came from a research firm he worked for. In a 1988 Gallup poll, lack of proper financial support ranked third on the list of the problems in public schools: poor curriculum and poor standards ranked fifth on the list (Gallup and Elam 34). Parents also cite overcrowding as a reason for taking their kids out of school. Faced with a large group of children, a teacher can't satisfy the needs of all the students. Thus, a teacher ends up gearing lessons to the students in the middle level. so children at both ends miss out. Gifted children and those with learning disabilities particularly suffer in this situation. At home, parents of these children say they can tailor the material and the pace for each child. Studies show that home-schooling methods seem to work well in preparing children academically. For example, in 1989, 74 percent of Oregon's home-schooled kids scored above the fiftieth percentile, and 22 percent above the ninetieth percentile, on standardized tests (Graves B9).

In addition, home-schooling parents claim that their children are more well-rounded than those in school. Because they don't have to sit in classrooms all day, home-schooled kids can pursue their own projects, often combining crafts or technical skills with academic subjects. Home schoolers participate in outside activities such as 4-H competitions, field trips with other children's parties, gym activities, Christian pageants, and Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts (Shenk D6). Some school districts even invite home-schooled children to participate in sports and to use libraries and computer facilities (Guterson 186). A school district near Seattle trains home-schooling families in computer skills, giving these access to the resources of the Internet (Hawkins 58).

Many home-schooling parents believe that these activities provide the social opportunities kids need without exposing their children to the peer pressure they would have to deal with in school. Occasionally, peer values can be good; often however, students in today's schools face many negative peer pressures. For example, many kids think that drinking and using drugs are cool. When I was in high school, my friends would tell me a few drinks wouldn't hurt or affect driving. If I had listened to them, I wouldn't be alive today. Four of my friends were killed under the influence of alcohol. In 1975, according to the National I nstitute on Drug Abuse, 65 percent of high school seniors answered "yes" when asked if they had ever used" marijuana: in 1981, the number rose to 60 percent a 13 percent increase over six years (Hawley K3). In 1986, 1987 and 1988 Gallup polls use of drugs ranked first among the problems in public schools and the number of students who use drugs was increasing (Gallup and Elam 34) Another reason many parents decide to home school their kids is that they are concerned for their children's safety. In addition to fears that peer pressure might push their children into using drugs, many parents fear drug related violence in and near public schools. There are stories practically every week about drug-related violence in schools-even in elementary schools. Home schooling parents say they want to protect their children from dangerous environments. As Sam Ailis notes about home-schooling parents, "There are no drugs in their bathrooms or switchblades in the hallways" (86)

The major cause of the growing home-schooling trend is Christian fundamentalist dissatisfaction with "godless" public schools. Marilee Mayberry, a professor of sociology at the University of Nevada states in a 1987 survey that 65 percent of Oregon parents who choose home schooling do so because they feel that public schools lack Christian values (Graves B9). Kohn notes that Growing without schooling, a secular home-schooling newsletter started by education critic John Holt, has 5000 subscribers, whereas The Parent Educator and Family Report a newsletter put out by Raymond Moore, a Christian home school advocate and researcher has 300 000 subscribers (22). Luanne Shackelford and Susan White, two Christian home-schooling mothers, claim that because schools expose children to peer pressure, perverts. secular textbooks, values clarification, TV, pornography, rock music, bad movies [...] Home schooling seems to be the best plan to achieve our goal [ to raise good Christians]" (160). Moore claims that children in public schools are more likely to "turn away from their home values and rely on their peers for values" (qtd. in Kilgore 24). Moore believes that home-schooled kids are less vulnerable to peer pressure because they gain a positive sense of self-worth fostered by their parents.

In addition, those who cite the lack of "Christian values" are concerned about the textbooks used in public schools. For example, Kohn notes that Moore talks of parents who are "sick and tired of the teaching of evolution in the schools as a cut-and-dried fact, along with other evidence of so-called secular humanism" (21). such as textbooks that contain material that contradicts Christian beliefs. Moreover, parents worry that schools decay their children's moral values. In particular, some Christian fundamentalist parents object to sex education in schools, saying that it encourages children to become sexually active early. challenging values taught at home. They see the family as the core and believe that the best place. to instill family values is within the family. These Christian home-schooling parents want to provide their children not only with academic knowledge but also with a moral grounding consistent with their religious beliefs.

Other home-schooling parents object to a perceived government-mandated value system that they believe attempts to override the values, not necessarily religious in nature of individual families. Home schooling, for these parents, is a way of resisting what John Gatto describes as unwarranted intrusion by the federal government into personal concerns.

Armed with their convictions, home-schooling parents, such as those who belong to the Christian Home School Legal Defense Association, have fought in court and lobbied for legislation that allows them the option of home schooling, In the 1970s, most states had compulsory attendance laws that made it difficult, if not illegal, to keep school-age children home from school. By 1993, thirty-two states permitted home schooling, ten allowed it with certain restrictions, and eight insisted that the home school be a legal private school (Guterson 91). Because of their efforts, Mary Jane can start her school day without leaving the house.

WORKS CITED

Allis, Sam. "Schooling Kids at Home." Time 22 Oct. 1990: 84-85.

Connolly, Cindy. "Teen-agers See Advantages to Attending School at Home." Omaha World Herald 18 Sept. 1990: 32. NewsBank: Education 1990: fiche 106, grids E1-E3.

Friedlander, Tom. "A Decade of Home Schooling." The Home School Reader. Ed. Mark and Helen Hegener. Tonasket: Home Education, 1988.

Gallup, Alec M.., and Stanley M. Elam. "The 20^th Annual Gallup Poll: Of the Public toward the' Public Schools." Phi Delta Kappan Sept. 1988: 34. Gatto, John Taylor. "The Nine Assumptions of Modern Schooling." The Education Liberator. 30 May 1996. 19 Oct. 1999 < http://www.sepschool.org >.

Graves, Bill. "Home School: Enrollment Increases in Oregon. Nation." Oregonian 4 Nov. 1990: Dl. NewsBank: Education 199 0; fiche 135. grids B8-B9.

Guterson, David. Family M atters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sen se. San Diego: Harcourt, 1992.

Hawkins, Dana. "Homeschool Battles: Clashes Grow as Some in the Movement Seek Access to Public Schools." – U.S. News & World Report 12 Feb. 1996: 57-58.

Hawley, Richard A. "Schoolchildren and Drugs: The Fancy That Has Not Passed." Phi Delta Kappan May 1987: K1-K3.

Kilgore, Peter. "Profile of Families Who Home School in Maine." 1987. 1-47. ERIC ED 295 280. Kohn, Alfie. "Home schooling." Atlantic Apr. 1988: 20-25.

Lines, Patricia. Estimating the Home School. Education Population. Washington: U.S. Dept. of Education, 1991.

Monday, Susan McAtee. "In-House Education." San Antonio Light 18 Mar. 1990: NewsBank: Education 1990: fiche 27, grids Cll. C13.

Shackelford, Luanne, and Susan White. A Survivor's Guide to Home Schooling. Westchester: Crossway. 1988.

Shenk, Dan. "Parents Find Home – Schooling Has Special Rewards." Elkhart Truth 20 Mar. 1988: NewsBan k: Education 1988: fiche 41., grid D6.

Research Paper

Peer Editor’s Comments and Suggestions

I General Impression.

1. Actuality

2. Relevance to readers

3. Credibility.

II Paper Format.

III Content.

1. Fluency

2. Distinct main idea

3. RENNS

IV Organization.

1. Clear thesis statement

2. Effective introduction

3. One main idea in each paragraph

4. Paragraph structure

5. Transitions

6. Conclusion

V Language.

1. Level of formality

2. Vocabulary

3. Concise sentences

4. Mechanics

5. Punctuation

VI Documentation.

1. Quality of sources

2. Quantity of sources

3. Relevance to MLA Style

VII Some advice.

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