Psychologists Reflect on Homeschool;ing Tzuo
from our list of HeQl[ul psyclnlogists (see CWS desnibe tlrcir experiences and uieus.
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Whcn I lrear abt_rtrt aclrrlt patients' ltistolies, I lrar.c :r rlilli'r.ent vllrtirg<, poirrt. I{'scltool rv;rs :r problern lor thcrtr, I r:an talk alxrrrt it fi.onr a <lillt,r. ent. persl)ective :rrrrl susgest tlt:rt the problcrn nrislrt not have bcen solely thcnr, rvltich I think validates what thcir l'eclings harl ltecn cvcn if'tlre
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systcnr t
Should the Child Adapt to School? Iiorn Mary Ann Hutchisott.: lVhen I get a chilcl ro evaluate, my feeling is that yotr have to evalrrirte thc total picture: the child's history, the family, the school situation, etc. Traditionally, when psychologists get a child who is havir-rg a problem with school, if they evaluate the other issues and see that those are not the problem, they will generally conclucle that they need ro try to get rhe chilcl to adapt to the school situation.
I won't assurne that as readily. I will talk to the chilcl anrl rhe parenrs, and I will go in ro obsen'e tlre child in school. I clo th:rt conficlcntially, s() rllc child and the teacher knorv wlro I'rn there to observe but tlte otlrcr kicls don't. In that way, I'm :rble t<t see the chilcl's school environrnent fbr rnysel{. If the child is not aclapting to school because her leaming rate is clifferent, or the way he learns is not thc wny that kids are taugltl in school, or rhc clril<l is not getting support fiom the other kids, I talk to the child and the rJareltts and explain tltat tlrere arc otlrei optiorrs. This is irrrportant becarrse tlre is vielved as the norrn, and the usual view is that the child should adapt ro rhe norrn. But I ask if the family is able to con-
traditional school systern
sider horneschooling or, depending on how flexible the school or the teacher is willing to be, whether the school is willing to adapt. In rny experience, sontetimes tlre school will adapt if it's a rninor isstre, btrt ger)erally the school sysreln doesn't thir-rk in terms of adapting to the individtral chilcl.
I'm seeing a cotrple right now who have two very bright cl.rildren who are sornewhat ahead of what tlte school systenr is expecting for kids their.aee. 34
Sad to sav, because it's a poor s<:lrool clistrict, the teaclters are ll()t trsecl to expectinu that abilitv fiorn the kids. I'rrr talking to thc parents and hclping thern to trnderstand how their chilclren leirrn ancl horv to acknowle<lsc tlrese strengths in their- kicls. The parents don't f'eel able to ltomcscho<ll right now, btrt they are tr-ving to create other learning experiences for their kids on their own tinre. I lrad another situation in which the isstre rvas a child's not reaclirrg lty a certain age. The pareltts had the ex_ pectation th:rt the child slroulcl learn to reacl earlier, brrt he clicln,t learn trntil lre wasT \/2. They sarv rhis as a very serious c()nce r.n, arrcl tlre clrild rvas startine to feel inarlequate becirrrse lris parents were vierving hirn as late, as ltchincl. Tltcy lrarl begrrn to sec lrinr as a patient, wltich was all'ecting his sel[: esteem and also, I think, kceping hirn from pcrflorrning as well as he was capable of'perforrning. I talked abotrt his way of learning and helpecl t<r alleviate their fears, helped thenr to see tllat tlris was a <lilTcr-cnce, not a clisability. I thirrk alter rhe pareltrs begarr to see it rhis wa).. lhe chil<l <li<l too, anrl stoppcd f'eeling rrrrcler so
rntrch presstrre.
Having clealt with lloth chilrl :rnd acltrlt pat.ients for a lons tirne, I'r,e oltseryed that mar.ry people lt:rve experienced tratrma because of the school sittratior-r
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teacher.s be ing alttrsive,
either ernoti<lnally or physically, tcachers not acknolvledgine a cltilcl's indiv-
idual needs, peer pressur.e atrcl peer abusiveness. In acldition to that, I've worked in manl' differe nt school settings and I've seen that it rloesn't rtratter if'vorr're clealing with rvealthl, schools or poor schools; thc proltlerns exist lvithir-r tlre school s),steln, rcsarclless. I carne t() choose horneschooling for rny clrikl becarrse of rny rr,ork irr thcr sclrool systellr zrncl my experienccs rvitlr seeing what that s)'stent rvas all altout.
rlidn't virli<late tlrosc f'eelings irt
ltt' tinrc.
I also see severirl rncn ancl w()tncll twe nties who are tltinkins abotrt having chil<lren, ztntl rvitlrout puslrirre rny ()\.vll ltcrspcctive on tlrcrrr I rniulrt strgeest otlter ways of'looking at raising children ltcsicles the vierv that you need [o work outsicle the horne all day and put X)ul-chilrlr cn irr <111,1.11.1, or preschool. I strggest to rvorncn tlrat we don't need to brry into tr.aditionallv
in their
rnale valtres, to beconre wor.kaholics. My patients know tl.rat I arn honr<:-
schoolirrg nry clrilcl becarrse tlrey knorv that I anr only available to see patients in tlre eve nirrgs, wlren rrry Irrrslt:rn<l takes over. They see that I valtre l>eintr horle rvith rn,v chilrl dtrring the diry lrrrt tlr:rt | :rlso lr:rvt' otltt,r.rvor.k. I rnal llrirrg tltis rrp 1ls a lticce of irrfirr.rrratiorr
firr t.lrerrr, or irr rnarry (.ases, they ll:rv(l ()n tllcir own lrccn irrt.r'r.cstr:rl irr it irrr<l askt'rl qrrcstiorrs alrorrt it.
Testifying on Behalf of Austistic Child Iirom
Susrm.
Olt:
Frorn being on GWS's list ol'hcll> firl psvclrologists. I set s()ute calls fioirr Jreol-tlr: wlro Irave ltrrrblt:rns rvitlr tlre ir. cltil<lren. Oltentirrrcs tlrose Droblcrrrs :u'c l)urt of'thc oricinal issrrri rhat tlre chilcl hacl rvitlr school; they lvcre par.t ol'wlrirt rrrarle sclrool a l>a<l lit firrjtlrat chilrl. It rnight be a bchavior problcrn,
br exarrrple - a r lrild rvlro tlirin'r fir into the traclitional classroonr stnrcf
trrre bccitrrse lre cli<ln't like lriu,ing ro sit dorvn all tlre tirne ancl wasn't able to use the lirll scope of his inte lligence t() explol'e. Sorrretirrres, wlrt'rr I eet a plrolrc call, tlr<'farnily is rt.alizing tlrirt althorrgh takirrg the chilcl ()ut ()l' school solves a piece of the problern, .tlrere arc ofien still thirrss tlrat nee<l to be dealt rvith. I also gct <:alls fi-onr horrrcschoolers rvho :tle ltaving cor)cerns or ltrol> lerns ancl don't warrt to ask a psycholr>
Gnou'rN<; Wr lrroL'r. Sc;rt<tctr.rur;
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