GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING 26 John Holt is away on his Euro pean lecture trip (a schedule appears elsewhere in this issue). Before he left, he delivered the final re visions for the new edition of HOW CHILDREN LEARN to his Delacorte edi tor. Also (in addition to the events mentioned in GWS #25), he spoke on radio shows aired in Phoenix, Fall River, Mass., and Pittsburg; did a TV show in Pittsburg with home-schooler Katy White, and another TV show, "Speaking Out," in Ontario; gave t h e keynote address at a conference on psychology and education in Newton ville, Mass.; and spoke at the Univer sity of Evansville on his Indiana trip. At John's request, I have start ed doing the radio and TV requests that have come in. My first opportuni ty was an hour-long phone interview from a radio show in Pittsburg; a week later, home-schooler Barbara Rodriguez and I were on a late-night Boston TV talk show. Since then I've been on radio in Providence RI, New York City, and Framingham MA (with Mary Maher). Several of these inter views were prompted by an excellent article by Elin McCoy in the April Parents Magazine on home schooling and compulsory education. No way of knowing when the Peo ple Ma~azine story featuring John-and the Ma ers will be printed - keep a lookout for it. A friend's family invited Tim Chapman to stay with them in Spain, so he left March 28 for a month or two. He intends to learn Spanish while he's there, and later travel around Germany and Italy. Pat Far enga, who had done volunteer work for us, will handle the subscriptions and book orders while Tim is gone. For the first time, we have over 4000 current subscribers to GWS' In the first three months of 1982, we've received about 550 new subs and 400 renewals (which we especially appre ciate) . Delacorte, the publishers of TEACH YOUR OWN, have just sent a flyer about the book to all the peo ple who have written us since John's first appearance on "Donahue" in 1978. Too early to tell yet what kind of response we'll get to the mailing. The newly revised edition of HOW CHILDREN FAIL (the original text plus 20-25,000 words of new writing) will be available by the time you get this. As usual, we'll sell copies from this office: $5.35 + 75¢ post age. The original edition is no long er available. --- Donna Richoux JOHN'S COMI NG SCHEDULE
May 23, 1982: Home-schooling meeting . Contact Nancy Wallace, 119 Irving Place, Ithaca NY 14850.
June 13: Wakefield Unitarian life. And at this point, it's hard to Universalist Church, 326 Main St, imagine it being otherwise. I've Wakefield MA 01880 . 11 AM . Contact never lived in a house that is being Tom or Mary Maher, 245-7634. so fully utilized as this one. It June 25-27: "A Weekend With John feels good ... Holt," Rowe Conference Center, King Highway Rd, Rowe MA 01367. $60-100. Contact Doug Wilson, 413-339-4216 .. . VICTORY IN IDAHO July 22-25: Homesteaders' Festi val. Contact Norm & Sherrie Lee, RD 2 From Debbie Jones (ID): Box 151, Addison NY 14801. July 26: Florida Atlantic Univer . .. We have had an exciting time sity, Boca Raton FL 33431; 305 here the last month or so ... The 395-5100. Contact Edward Dejnozka, state superintendent of public College of Education. instruction introduced a bill to make the local school boards have jurisdic tion over unaccredited private schools in their district. Their FROM PEGGY stated intent was to get at these friends - a note to say many, home schoolers who were calling them selves private schools so that the many t hanks to all of you who have sent me cards and letters of good local boards couldn't get at them ... wishes. i especially like the home The Idaho Federation of Independent Schools introduced an alternative made cards; i make them myself for special people and occasions . for bill which would have done the same those of u wondering why . .. i was in thing except it limited the subjects a grisly and bizarre accident. you they could require to language may have read of or seen on '60 min skills, American history and govern utes,' the case of the 'faulty ford ment, geography, and basic mathemati transmission recall'? well, on feb. cal computation. We were against it 20 my '73 thunderbird, which was too. There was another bill to have included in that recall case, jumped private schools register with the out of 'park' into 'reverse,' and state each year and report the name began rolling down my driveway. as i of the director, the principal, the stepped back to avoid the moving car number of teachers and number of stu i lost my footing and slipped to the dents. At the present time even this ground, landing under the car. the is not required in Idaho; the ldaho front wheel rolled over my left arm, Constitution is very limiting on pub jaw, and nose, and kerplunked onto lic school authority, stating specifi the right arm . the left arm sustained cally that it has authority over multiple bruises, my nose was gashed PUBLIC instruction. The legislature - i suspect from a piece of gravel so far had been consistent in its sup and my right arm was seriously frac port of this principle; they are not tured. quick to give public school people i should be pretty well healed ~ control of private education even by the end of may, but until then my so much as having the private schools ability to help is strongly cur register with them ... tailed. i have a homemaker at the We did a lot of phoning and a h ouse, and i'm ordering the books we lot of writing . We even went over to sell from there. i can put in a few Boise (five hour drivel and testified hours a week at the office, but get before the Senate HEW Committee when very sore quickly. my one-handed they had a hearing. At first the typing is easiest in lower case only, Christian school people and large pri a nd even that pulls and yanks at my vate schools were very leery of being back and s h oulders. seen with us. They wanted us to keep luckily the plans for john's quiet because we were the ones who europe tour needed only final touch were giving private schooling a bad es. a lot of other work will be name or something .. . I used John's delayed somewhat, but all considered "legislative strategy" from TEACH i'm pretty up to date. so, my thanks YOUR OWN almost verbatim. Those that again for the generous and much appre heard me speak thought it was ciated concern . now on to law suits great ... One after another, some and healing, backed by a healthy great people gave some excellent tes regard for nothing short of a miracle. timony: Linda Q. Jones, Ph.d.; Susan - peggy durkee Bond, certified teacher; Ed Bond; Paula West; Leslie Bair; Sherrel Olsen - each in turn making important points ... Paula used what Donna gave LIVING LI FE FULLY her over the phone about the legisla George Levenson (CA) wrote: tion going on in other states. Paula made it sound as if everyone else in . . . Without knowing exactly how the country was going just the oppo or why, I seem to have reached a site way and trying to make it easier frame of mind wherein my children's for parents to teach their own ... presence at home is not "instead of After the hearing, it was as being in school . " They carryon their though the ice had been broken. Many lives much the same way I/we adults Christian school people came up to conduct ours, playing with each other shake my hand and congratulate me ... and by themselves; being happy, sad, We had stood up and let them know we grumpy according to the match of mood were responsible people, parents try and situation; being bored, being ing to do a good job, people with cre intensely interested, fretting, care dentials and titles, people who know free, depending, it seems, on such the law. They were impressed and felt variables as the weather, their hung the legislators were too ... er or tiredness, and all the other Well, we have finally defeated factors that make humans such inter all the bills . The two bills which esting and unfathomable creatures. would have given control to local . . . Watching them play, sing, school boards were killed in commit squabble, eat, dance, read, bathe, tee. The registration bill was killed run, sleep, look out for each other, on the Senate floor, 19 to 9' We felt sort out disagreements, share so that especially good about this because it inequalities get ironed out (or was pretty much out in the open that don't) - watching all this and more it was a home school issue and still has been a framework for experiencing they were all defeated. I feel that
2 we actually had an influence in de feating these bills. ... There are between 50 and 100 families te ac h ing their children at home in Idaho ~now. Sometimes I feel as if we've got a tiger by the tail, or as if we are riding on the crest of a huge wave that is rising and rising up and nothing anyone can do will stop it ...
HAPPY IN ITHACA Nancy Wallace (NY) wrote in an article in Inquiry magazine, 3/29/82: ... We had been teaching our ten year-old son, Ishmael, at home for three years when we moved from rural New Hampshire to Ithaca in upstate New York. As for Ishmael's sister, Vita, who was six, s he had been learn ing right along with the rest of us since the day she was born. ... The quality and variety of the resources here for children are incredible. As soon as we moved I found myself racking my brains over which of four ballet schools to send the kids to. We had a choice of two music schools and three or four dif ferent types of drama and art class es, plus a gymnastics center, a fine city library, and the university lib rary where Ishmael wanders around in the stacks practically in ecstasy. Then there are two state parks within bicycling distance, and a shopping district that the kids can walk to by themselves, complete with bookstores, record stores, a bagel shop, and a Greek pizza place. And when Ishmael wants to earn money, he has three elderly neighbors to work for, shovel ing their snow, raking leaves, and mowing lawns. Vita, a competent busi nesswoman in her own right, has already made 75 cents by setting up a used-d011 stand right across the street from the school-bus stop ... Here [in New York), families can opt for home-schooling on an elemen tary level with no formal "approval process" at all, if they notify their local public school superintendent and agree to teach a minimum of courses required by law. In Ithaca, we found to our delight, the superin tendent took a relaxed attitude toward our request to keep Ishmael and Vita out of his schools. "Although I think we have a very good school system here," he told us, "how parents decide to educate their child ren is their own business. And if you have the guts to take on the responsi bility of teaching your kids at home; then I think I can assume that you are doing a good job." Right then we knew that this was going to be our town' ... Nancy also wrote to us: .. . These past few months are the first we've ever had that have been completely free. Always before, I was somewhat concerned that the kids should do • smattering of all their school subjects each week - a little math, hand riting, science, etc. since, as I told myself, the school people were oking over our should er. But since oving to Ithaca, we now have no one in charge of us who cares what we do, as long as we do something for five hours a day. At the same time, I find that music is taking up more and more of our time 1~ hrs. a day for eac h of the kids, and after working with them for three hours, I just don't have much energy
for anything. So I'm not putting the effoxt into "school" that I used to, although we still read to the kids at n ight. '," What's surprising is that even without my interferen1c e, they are just as academic as e~er. Sometimes, for example, I'll start to feel guilty and be about to ask Vita if she'd like to do a little reading or writing, but when I find her, she'll be lying on her bed with a book, or typing on Bob's typewriter, or work ing in her math book. And often, out of the corner of my ear, I'll hear Ishmael say to himself resignedly, "Well, I guess I'd better do some math." And yesterday he handed me a five-page letter he'd written to me (to further ~ education) on the life and times of-Camillo Benso Cavour. I still try as much as possible to keep a journal of the kinds of things the kids do each day, mostly for my own peace of mind. If you are a teacher, you can just teach every day for six hours and feel fine, because you did your best, regardless of how much the kids actually learned. But if you don't teach, it is so easy to really worry about how much your kids are learning, and for me, the journal is a way to ease that worry, since the kids are so constant ly busy doing neat things and the journal helps me focus on them ... NEWS FROM ALL OVER
From Linda McFarlane, 301 Learn Lane, Kalispell MT 59901: .•. Just a word to let you know what is happening in Montana. The State Board of Public Instruction had a meeting in December to try to figure out a way to put restrictions on private schools and home schoolers . .. The turnout from private schools and religious organizations was great. The Board decided to make a ruling that appeared to say home schooling was OK ... However, in fact, what the ruling means is the Board doesn't ~are where the i nstruction is taught. They are only concerned with whether instruction is being taught or not, and if it is adequate. They leave that judgement up to the county superintendent. The State also has no authority to say whether the child is truant - that is up to the county attorney ... I still feel we've made pro gress ... There is record of a home schooler cooperating with a school in Missoula, participating in some school functions ... Judy Duerr (NE) wrote: ... We will have a radio program in Lincoln (Nebraska) on KZUM 89.5 FM every Monday, 12:30-2:30 PM, a call in talk show called "Choices in Educa tion." It will feature news concern ing home-schooling families, book reviews, current events of an educa tional nature, self-teaching or learn ing experiences, etc, and calls from all ages. This is a public access sta tion, only 10 watts, doesn't reach very far. But we are having a great time learning about radio and working the mixing board, turntables, phone, mikes, tape-players, and so on. Rog and I are hosting the s how and will take turns on the board. Our children want shows also, so as soon as we have our third-class license we can run the station for their show, or at least be there to keep it
legal. They must submit their show idea on a form for that purpose, and a taped sample of what their show would be like ... There is also a public access TV channel; I haven't researched that yet, but will soon ... From Sharon Hillestad, 9669 E l23rd St, Hastings MN 55033: ... 1 am going to enclose a copy of the amended bill that has gotten out of the education committee. It is just about as fuzzy as the original law [GWS #24) . I don't think it is too hard to live with, myself. The kids and I attended the session where this was finally brought for a vote. Holly and Matt video-taped the pro ceedings; I testified before the committee at the last minute. It was well received. ... Please notify your readers that there will be a packet made available to interested families. It will include a roster of Minnesota families presently hom e-schooling who are willing to assist new families, a list of correspondence schools and newsletters, and a section on field trips to take in the state. People can write to me and send 50¢ in stamps (I am co-ordinating the pack et, but several families will have input) ... [DR: A reader just told us that Bill 1459 "was pulled off the floor by Willis Ekens, the author, because he did not like the way the com promise bi 11 turned out ... ") Andy Peterson (PA) wrote: ... Just heard from State Senator Hess that House Bill 1300 will be amended to remove "certificated" and reinstate current "properly quali fied" [GWS #25). The amendment has been drafted and no opposition expect ed. Good news ... [DR:) And while we're on the sub ject of Pennsylvania law: In the "Regulations of the State Board of Education of Pennsylvania," Chapter 11, "Pupil Attendance," I found this interesting paragraph: "Section 11.33. Dual enrollment - nonpublic school bupils enrolled bart time in the ~u lic schools. Mem ership and atten ance of nonpublic school pupils lawfully enrolled part time in the public schools shall be recorded and counted on an equivalent full-time basis for attendance pur poses and reimbursement." Has anyone taken advantage of this provision? Sounds like a good thing for Pa. families to point out to their local school officials . Does anyone know of similar regulations in other states? John Ellis of the WISCONSIN ASSO CIATION OF PARENT TEACHERS (Rt 3 Box 84, Shell Lake WI 54871; 715-469 3272) and Peggy Lentz of FREEDOM IN CHOICE IN EDUCATION (1757-21st Av, Kenosha WI 53140; 414-552-7755) sent us information on some current Wiscon sin legislation they are concerned about. One is Assembly Bill 1096, which makes contributing to truancy a criminal offense; another is House Bill 1093, which establishes a proce dure for private schools that are denied approval by their local school boards to appeal to the State; and, third, new rules drafted by the De-
GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #26
3 partment of Public Instruction, sub mitted to the Assembly 2/15/82, which outline procedures for the State Superintendent's review and approval of "instructional programs elsewhere than at school." John Ellis also says, "Mildred Anderson, Ph.D, in charge of adminis tering the 'One-Family Non-Public School Regulations' ... in the fall of 1981, refused to allow a parent even to submit an application for the Home Tutorial program and that parent teacher is now standing trial in court for refusing to put his child back in public school. At the same time last fall, Ms. Anderson allowed a parent-teacher to start teaching her children at home even before the parent-teacher had submitted an appli cation for the Home Tutorial pro gram ... There is an unwritten law at the DPI that if the parent-teacher does not have two or more years of college or is poor, the parent teacher is refused Home Tutorial Pro gram approva 1 ... " Not everyone is aware of the long lag time between when GWS is put together and when it actually reaches readers' hands. If you have an announcement you would like readers to know about, you should write to us at least 4 months in advance. Here are two events that will already have taken place by the time many of you see this: a h ome -schooling confer ence, Apr. 16-18, 1982, at ANOTHER PLACE, Greenville NH 03048 (603-878 9883), and a conference on "Informa tion Networking for Alternatives to Public Schooling," May 1, Olds, Alber ta; Robert Fisher, 556-3447. - DR INDIANA CASE DISMISSED
Theodore Amshoff, Jr., who is on our "friendly lawyers" list, wrote in January: ... We are presently involved in several cases ... One of these (in Salem, Indiana) involves the prosecu tion of a father who formerly was Chairman of the Department of Psycho logy at Northeaster n Illinois Univer sity, where he had previously re ceived numerous awards for his teach ing abilities. Likewise, the mother had previously taught in the paro chial schools of Chicago. Their child ren are receiving an education far surpassing their public school peers in academic achievements . Nonethe less, the State has commenced crimin al prosecution against these caring parents. Because of the factual strength of the case, and the principle of the parents, the defense will be quite thorough. We are conducting the case at the trial level with an eye toward future litigation in the appellate courts. I believe the case has the potential of establishing a precedent for parental rights in education. It is factually strong, and legally but tressed by certain favorable aspects of Indiana law, in addition to the persuasive federal constitutional arguments generally found in such cases ... At the same time, Mr. Amshoff sent us his lengthy and excellent "Memorandum in Support of Defendants' Motion to Dismiss." Then on March 18, he wrote: ... 1 am quite pleased to inform
GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #26
you that the Judge has dismissed all charges against Victor and Mary Dufour in criminal prosecution of them for the home education of their children. We are quite pleased with the victory in this matter . . . MORE COURT NEWS
Besides the Dufour case, we also heard that charges against home schoolers Fred and Anne Cato of Concord, North Carolina, were dropped, on the grounds that the com pulsory attendance laws in that state were vague and contradictory. The state is appealing the decision. The Catos' lawyer also told us that Larry Delconte, who, as we reported in GWS #25, .had charges against him dismissed in January, was taken back to court, reindicted, con Victed, given a suspended sentence, and is now appealing' According to the lawyer, the different personali ties of the judges were responsible for the different decisions. A second court loss we have heard of - Deirdre Purdy reported in Alternatives to Education that the West Virginia Supreme Court ruled on 12/15/81 that the children of Bobby and Esther Riddell had a right to education that superseded the par ents' right to freedom of religion, which they had claimed in support of teaching their children at home. Deirdre will send us a copy of the ruling as soon as she gets it .
besides the fact that it should help silence the debate over whether peo ple should be allowed to home -school - is that if the attempted bill should fail, the impressi on in the general population will be "Home schooling is now illeg al, " whe n actu ally, it will be just as legal as it ever was. If you read the h ead line HOME SCHOOL BILL FAILS, and nothing else, what conc lusi on would ~ draw? After a similar attempt in COIOrado to ease restri ct ions failed a while ago, someone wrote us, "I'd 1 ike to teach my child at hom e but I h eard it's now against the law ." We want to lessen the chances of such misunder standing. . The latest clipping we have, from the Arizona Republic, 3/5/82, has some good news: ... A policy that would allow parents in the Tempe Elementary School District t o teach their child ren at home if they assume full responsibility for the students' edu cation has be en proposed by the dis trict's governing board . In additio n, two families Wednes day were granted permissi on by the board t o teach their children at home for religious reasons. ... Last month, the board debated whether parents who are a llowed to teach their children should be required to be certified teachers ... School Superintendent Ralph Goitia told the board that the Arizona attor ney general had indicated to him that parents did no t have to be certified to be "competent." ...
NEWS FROM ARIZONA
[DR:) In the beginning o f Feb ruary, lots of people sent us clip pings from Arizona, where a bill attempting to make home schooling easier passed the State House of Rep resentatives. An unusual amount of the publicity was negative ("Our pub lic schools have been the foundation of this countr y, " etc). However, at least one newspaper, the Phoenix Gaz ette, did have a supportive editorial. - - The present Arizona law says, "A person shall be excused by the board of trustees from the duty prescribed in subsection A [school attendance) when it is shown to the satisfaction of the board and the county school superintendent that: (1) the child is instructed at home by a competent teacher in the subjects given in the common schools of that state." The proposed bill would change the law to read, "A person is excused from the duty prescribed by subsec tion A if: (1) The child is instruct ed at home in a sustained curriculum in the basic subjects given in the common schools of this state." The bill was due to be voted on in the Senate in March, where the chances for passage were n ot consid ered to be good. No word on this as we go to press. . One thing to note: many of the headlines, editorials, articles, etc, implied that home-schooling would become "legal," "permissible," "allowed," or "s anctioned" under the new law. They didn 't point out that home-schooling is already legal and the new bill would simply make it easier to do. If GWS readers get involved with similar legislation in other states, we hope they stress that hom e-schooling is already permit ted by law in their states, and that indeed families are already doing it, and that they are merely attempting to remove unnecessary restrictions . One reason why this matters
CATHOLIC HOME STUDY
From William L . Bowman, Director of OUR LADY OF VICTORY SCHOOL, PO Box 5181, Mission Hills CA 91345; 213 897-1116 : ... We now hav e about 80 students at ou r San Fernando Valley campus and close to 200 students in our Home Study Program. They live in 26 states, 3 Canadian provinces, and Spain. We continue to grow eac h year. We are n ow gathering information to produce a direct ory of tr aditional Catholic schools and Home Study fami lies who wish to be listed. We are also forming a teacher training course which will be offe red on a home study basis ... FROM PRIVATE SCHOOLS Liz Prohaska, SUNSET HILL SCHOOL, 6250 W Sunset Rd, Tucson AZ 85704 (602-743-7733), writes:
... 1 run a small free school here in Tucson where we have just started a home-schooling program. We have one family enrolled now ... From Kathleen Bottero, CORVALLIS OPEN SCHOOL, 960 SW Jefferson Av, Cor vallis OR 97333: .. . We are a group of families in and around Corva llis who have formed a private school ... A lot of our members are home schoolers who make use of our facilities and resources as they need them. We have sports twice a week, math twice a week, sci~ ence, French and Italic handwriting weekly, a lot of field trips of all sorts ... Every summer we ha ve a sum mer camp in a local park ... For older children we have a junior apprentice
4
ship pr ogram. We'd really like to hear from o ther home-schoolers and small school ers . We have parents' meetings once a month, and we'd be delighted to have guests ... From Les Garber, HORIZONS SCHOOL, 229 Ponce de Leon Av, Atlanta GA 30308; 404-897-1798:
charge and now an accredited diploma ... There is a small gradua tion fee. This diploma program is available to students of other schools including private home schools. ... The JHLC now has two stu dents, age 15, who graduated and are attending the University of Utah and University of Oklahoma. We're more and more convinced that home sc hool ers get in easier and do better in college than public schoolers ...
The present statutory scheme compels parents or guardians to cause children between the ages of six and sixteen:
[DR:] And finally, Lawrence Williams of OAK MEADOW SCHOOL, PO Box 1051, Ojai CA 93023, has started pub lishing Livin~ Education: The Monthly Journal of Oa Meadow School. It ~s handsomely printed, with photographs and drawings, and with contributions from some GWS families, as well as children's writing, book reviews, and articles on education. The Williams have decided to make this publication available to people other than just Oak Meadow home-schoolers, and we hope GWS readers will check it out . Lawrence says they will give one free issue on request; subscriptions will be $15 for 12 issues.
Pursuant to the above statute, parents or guardians have three options in regard to meeting their obligation. They may send their child ren to the public schools of the dis trict, they may send them to a day school or they may cause them to receive equivalent instruction else where. The obligation of the local district is limited to requiring that one of these three options is provi ded to a child. If parents opt to send their children to a "day school," equivalency of instruction is accepted since there presently does not exist any mechanism for the regulating of private day schools in the state of New Jersey. If parents elect to educate their children at home, they bear the burden of intro ducing evidence that there has been compliance with [the statute]. Once such evidence has been introduced, the ultimate burden of persuasion as . to the lack of equivalency of instruc tion rests with the state, or in fact with the local district which is a creation of the state . Further, equi valency has been interpreted to be limited to academic equivalency and not equivalency of social development (State vs. Massa, 95 NJ Super 382, 1967). It must likewise flow from such decision that equivalency means equivalency of curricular content (e.g. math, science, history, etc.) not equivalency or quality of instruc tion or outcome . Having dealt with the general
question of the local district's
responsibility, let me proceed to
answer your specific questions.
... "How does the local board determine student progress at home?" The local board has no responsibility for determining progress. "Must students take the M.B.S.
tests or other relevant tests?" Since
there is no responsibility to evalu
'ate progress, there is no authority to require testing. "Are students who do not attend classes also precluded from extra curricUlar activities such as dances and trips?" Since students who are educated at home are not carried on your registers, they have no right to attendance at any school function limited to enrolled students or parti cipation in any extra-curricular acti vities . ... "What happens if the board approves the program and the student is rejected from college entrance and decides to sue the board for approv ing the program?" Since the board's sole responsibility is to assure equi valen~y of program and not outccmes, it is nct responsible for a student's failure to obtain admittance Lo col lege. Furthe,more, no board is pre sently responsible fOI failure of a student to obtain admission to col lege even if they do attend the schools of the local district. ... Your final request relating to equivalency determinations being made at the state level is impracti cal since the responsibility for en-
... We are in the midst of set ting up a curriculum library with the Georgia Coalition of Alternative Com munity Schools (PO Box 20, Rydal GA 30171). The books, resource materi als, and workbooks will be available to any home-schooling family. We plan a Okeefenokee Swamp trip in March with members of the Georgia Coali tion ... My colleague, Lorraine Wil son, and I are glad to assist with curriculum questions (her Ph.D. is in Curriculum Development). Horizons is also set up to do placement and IQ standardized testing, and diagnostic work for parents who are concerned. We are also considering some courses taught by home-schooling parents which will include Horizons students. ... We also have two openings for teachers at Horizons next year which might be of interest to a home schooling family. We need one junior high and one senior high teacher ...
DEGREE PROGRAM
From Harold Ingraham, CALUMET SCHOOL, Smyrna NY 13464; 607-627-6670:
From Les Carr, Dean of Faculty, COLUMBIA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY, 150 Shoreline, Mill Valley CA 94941 (415-332-7832):
... Calumet School is an enroll ing system for families of home school students, ' lith a home study selection of courses or advisement services for individualized studies. We try to serve the specific educa tional needs of the student and not press a stereotyped curriculum upon him. Our Independent Family Schools Resource Center is a part of Calumet and will cont~\ue as a problem solving servic~ to whoever seeks our aid ... From Prof. Harold Baer, HALVI SCHOOL, 8 Hortencia, Brownsville TX 78521; 512-546-1449 (evenings): ... We're getting about one inquiry a week, maybe more. One stu dent from Houston is now studying at home through us. The legal situation in Texas is now better than ever. Schools may now be exempt from supervision and requirements. This, of course, makes home-schooling freer, too, by inference. The cost of studying at home under Halvi's guidance is: Registra tion, $25, Tuition, $25 per school year, Books, $20-30, Correspondence, $10. We will give free consultation by telephone, preferably weekends ... From James Salisbury of the JOHN HOLT LEARNING CENTER, 8446 Harrison St, Midvale UT 84047; 801-255-6751: ... We are pleased to announce a no-nonsense High School Graduation program specifically designed for home schoolers and/or students who wish to en'ter college early. Thi~ is a completely individualized, extreme ly flexible program based on actual achievement and competence rather than hours spent in class ... The JHLC, a non-profit organization, has been proud to provide an approved "correspondence school" free of
... Columbia Pacific University is authorized under the California Department of Education to provide Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degree programs in a variety of fields. We currently have approximate ly 2500 enrolled students and gradu ates; among them are quite a number of published authors, leaders in science and industry, and men and women with faculty positions at major academic institutions. All work at the University is done on an individualized, nonresiden tial basis, with the student design rng-an independent study course with an assigned faculty mentor ... Stu dents can be awarded academic credits for educational experiences accom plished previously, and also for rele vant work experience ... Many students complete their degree programs in less than a year ... The total expenses are in the range of $2,000 ... GOOD NEWS FROM N.J .
Ann Bodine and Nancy Plent told us that this letter by the New Jersey Commissioner of Education, Fred Burke, is being widely circulated. It was written Jan. 25, 1982, to a school superintendent. Some excerpts: ... 1 am writing in response to your letter of October 27, 1981 in which you raise a number of questions in regard to children receiving home instruction ... Allow me to begin my response by indicating to you that an Attorney General's opinion rendered to this Department states: "You are advised, therefore, that there does not exist an obliga tion on the part of a local board of education to ensure through a testing program that an equivalent education is being provided to children receiving instruction in a private school or at home."
"to attend the public schools of the district or a day sc hool in which there is given instruction equivalent to that provided in the public schools for children of simi lar grades and attainments or to receive equivalent instruction else where than at school." NJSA 18A:38-25.
GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #26
5 forcing the compulsory education stat ute rests with the local district through the courts and it is the courts who must determine if the local district has met the burden of proof for demonstrating lack of equivalency ... INDEPENDENT STUDY
From Pamela Wright, 32802 Valle Rd #140, San Juan Capistrano CA 92675; 714-496-2466: ... 1 represent the California State Department of Education as a consultant and member of the Task Force on Independent Study. Indepen dent Study legislation was passed in 1976, but because it is not a manda ted program, many administrators are unaware of the legal guidelines. Actually, home study or home teaching would fit nicely into the Independent Study design and does not need to present a problem to public school administrators. I believe the major objection to home teaching would be the misconcep tion that it is illegal and that school districts would lose money by not being ab le to generate ADA (state aid). Through Independent Study, home teaching can be legal and the school district can generate full ADA ... [From a later letter : 1 Yes, I do know of families teaching their own children on both a part-time and a full-time basis. If you knew of some one having difficulty making arrange ments for home teaching via Indepen dent Study, it is because the dis trict superintendent was not know ledgeable about the law ... NEW GROUPS
Here are some new local home schooling groups and newsletters we have heard from. As always, if you write to these groups, please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope: HomeNet, PO Box 92, Escondido CA 92025; Mary Clare Schlesinger, 741-5075; John Boston, 749-1522. Bread For Children Home School Seminar, PO Box 1017, Arcadia FL 33821. Georfia Unschoolers Newsletter, 4818 Joy ane, Lilburn GA 30247; Editor, Connie Shaw. Indiana Home-Schoolers, 707 E Main, N Judson 46366; Barbara Mazanec. Citizens For Home Education (Louisiana); 3404 Van Buren, Baker LA 70714; Cathi Edward (504-775-5472) and Katherine Reves. Maine Home Education, PO Box 253, Winthrop ME 04364; Donald Wismer. Nebraska Home Schoolin~ Ex ghaggi' Box 96, Rockv~lle N 68871; et uehlke. SASE required. New Jersei Famil Schools Asso ciation, RD 1 ox 7, al~fon NJ 07830; Meryl Feinsod. Herita e Home Education Resource Center, teu en St, yracuse I11UB; Ferrol Hutchinson.
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FROM AUSTRALIA
Dr. Christine Gazjago, 1/6 Ivy St, Prahan, Victoria 3181, Australia, wrote to John: ... It is a long time since you left us here in Melbourne, all in a high and very positive state of mind regarding childre~, education, and many other matters you touched on. Part of the reason I havE not written
GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #26
al l those gadgets readily accessible. earlier is that the response to your A little while later, when our land visit was so strong and widespread, lord was doing some repairs, I that it is only now that Lauris checked some of our doorways for ver Jephcott and I are recovering our ticality because they were not shut senses' ting properly. Ami seemed a little Thanks to your very timely interested but lost interest quickly. visit, people who previously felt At some stage we measur ed ourselves. isolated are now emerging from all Then the whole business seemed to be corners of Melbourne and Victoria, to forgotten for about six or nine express their views on education, months. Out of the blue, Ami asked me seek help, and find out more informa for the tape and wanted to measure tion on alternatives. Also, thanks to your kind permission to videotape the height of one of her beloved toys, and so she had not forgotten your talk, the impact of your visit will continue to reverberate for some after all' Educators (even many alternative time yet. We had a first small-scale viewing of the edited tape on Satur schools, keen to keep up with some of the basic "survival" skills like math day, and the response of those who and reading) all seem to ignore the had not seen you personally was posi natural rhythms and patterns (stops, tive and thoughtful. starts, and consolidation periods) of ... My estimation is that out of children's learning. Even th ough the 200 or so people on our AERG (Alternative Education Resource unprogrammed learning looks unorderly a nd chaotic on the superficial level, Group) mailing list, 50 or so are I am now more convinced than ever, seriously contemplating or already watching Ami and Pabl o, about just involved in educating school-aged children out of school ... Now that how orderly and beautiful it is, pro vided the child is given th e oppor AERG is receiving more publicity, tunity to observe and participate in this figure is sure to grow ... So life freely, and feels free to ask many of the people I've spoken to would keep their children out of questions and try things out for school if there were more people herself. doing the same in their area ... In .. . One day recently Ami half some ways, AERG is resolving the jokingly spoke about it being "mid Catch-22 situation by getting two or night" during the day. Midnight is more OSCillating people together. seen by her as ve r y, very late, a ... It is sad that people wanting time by which people should be in to do what they feel is so right for bed. It's very special some how - per them feel hampered by restrictions haps Cinderella's fairy godmother such as their social and own inner made it so special. Anyway, I then resources. Even people who obviously explained lightly and cautiously that seriously question the value of insti the sun was up in the sky and it was tutionalized education are still midday or noon. Then I waited . If I'd bound by deeply ingrained myths about intruded on a special construction of what "educati on" is or ought to be. her own, she would have let me know These same people (up until recently, in some way . On the other hand, she including me) feel so unsure of their is a stickler for accurate, briefly own ability to teaco-things ... not conveyed information, a nd this time only subject matter that is obscure this is what she wanted . Her face lit to them, but things : ~ey already know up and then I explained briefly how the sun's position is related to about. Still, I am ha~py to say that many of these people I have spoken to time . But very briefly. Then some are generally so open and enthusias other concern t ook her attention . tic that they quickly see their own When she was dropping off to sleep teaching potential in a more positive that night she said, "Can you draw light and realize just ho~ much they pictures of the sun at various points are capable of . of time ? " And so, who needs schools as they are? .. In my own case, I'm seeing already how little direct teaching is One of our most staid and necessary with Ami (5) ... Ami's whole respected teacher's colleges, day is playtime from which she needs Burwood, has made a community educa no break. Even meal times are a busy tion section available to home though slower time of activity .. . I schoolers. This consists of a am also learning how just simple ans theatrette, a curriculum library, and wers to very profound, complex (to me the advice of staff on any teaching matter . at least!) questions are eno¥gh ... ... Ami visited a tiny a terna ... Marion Pears and I are wri tive school with a lovel y warm teach ting down each day all the questions er where the children were asked to our children ask and what kinds of practice writing a certain letter of information these cover, to see how the alphabet which they were "doing" wide a range of subject matter can be that day. Ami simply balked. Yet at covered through questi ons alone. We home if she wants to write a letter feel that th ere is a natural propensi or a person's name or a (usually fun ty in children for what the Adelaide ny) phrase she wants to see written, Education Dept. calls "balance and scope" in learning ... It might be she is brimming with enthusiasm. interesting if GWS readers similarly Never have I commented on any errors noted their children's questions and in her writing, yet she has set her self standards of excellence and is the range of subject matter the ensu ing discussi ons covered ... proud when she writes "nicel y. " It is, I feel, a natural thing to gravi tate towards order and neatness, if the environment and people around are GROWING IN ONTARIO sympathetic. Anna Myers (Ont.) writes: ... Her self-teaching of num bers, geometry, and measurement, has ... Drew's still in hockey and do also meant that no "set" sessions are ing ve y well . He has a different necessary. Some time ago when we were attitu e than many kids on the team . watching some bricklayers building a He plays his hardest to win - with fence next door and using measuring team spirit. He is most of t en the kid tapes, levels, and plumb bobs, she who gets the puck, and instead of hog learned a lot about measurement, but never seemed to gravitate to our own ging it, he passes it to someone else to score the goal. He doesn't mind measuring equipment at home. We had
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