Growing Without Schooling 43

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING

43 We no t iced t hat quite a number of GWS readers contributed letters and articles to the Winter issue of Mot heri ng, i n c ludi n g a piece by Hele n F ox (Que . ) on teaching kids to sew, and a bea u tifu l a rt icle by Nancy Wal l ace (NY) on t h e deat h of three of h er c h ild r en . We were a l so p l eased to see Vita Wallace ' s sto r y, on putting on a fami l y conce rt , in the " Mother ' s Ch ildren " section of th e Jan. /Feb . issue of Mot h er Ea rt h News . Brian D. Ray (Science Education Dept . , Or ego n S t ate Un iversity, Cor­ vallis OR 97331; 503 - 754-4151 or 838-1248) would like to form a net­ work of any people doing research on home centered lea r ning, for the purpose of s haring ideas, resources, findi ngs , etc . He as k s for any such r esearche r s to con t ac t him . We ' ve go t ten a few co p ies of WAY IT SPOZED TO BE by James Herndon si n ce th e a nno unceme n t in #42, but we s t il l n ee d mo r e . Remem be r , we ' l l send a $2 credit for copies in good condi­ ti o n . Fur th ermore, we h ave decided to recycle two of John Holt ' s books in the same manner : we will pay $2 for WHAT DO I DO MONDAY? or THE UNDER­ AC HIEVING SC HOOL . Please do not send o t her tit l es by. Jo h n . We a r e 3d~ing t o our l ist of r eprints a fi n e review written by S u sa nn a h Sheffe r a b out the revised e d ition of HOW CHI LDREN LEARN. She says, " I assumed I k new wh at [John Ho lt ] ha d t o say; i n s t ead, I found a boo k wh ic h t ook me comp l e t e l y by sur ­ pr ise a nd move d me mo r e t h a n a l most any o th er ." For a copy of the review, send 10¢, plus a se l f-addressed s t amped e n ve l ope i f you are not order­ ing ot h er mate r ials from us . Beca u se of t he n ew postal rates, we are fo r ced t o r aise our postal charge fo r " John Ho l t's Book and Mu­ sic S t o r e " i t ems . Ou r c harge had s t ayed t h e same since 1 981 . Please consu lt t h e " Or de r Info r mation" in th e back of t h e ma g azi n e for t he new r a t es . - -- Donna Richoux

suburbs, 39% in the country, and 20 % in small towns . 72% of our readers have an inter­ est in reading about music and 53 % play an instrumenl . 45 % use computers for learning and of those who don't, 44% plan on buying one. The primary reader of GWS is the mother of the family (62 %); 13% answered the father , 18% said both, and 7% answered the whole family . The median family says it spends $15 a mo n th o n books and buys through the mail six times a year . We also found out that GWS gets shared a lot; 68% of respo ndents share their issues with one or two other people. 61 % of the respondents are cur­ rently homeschooling school-age child­ ren . If this rate holds true for the readers h ip a t large, it would mean almost 3,000 of the 4,800 GWS house­ holds . - -- Pat Farenga

JOHN HOLT'S COMING SC HEDULE March 14, 1984 : Holt Associates Ope n House ( 2nd Th urs . each month) . ~: Smithsonian American His t ory Museum, Washington D.C . 3 PM . Open to public . Contact Joan Liver­ sage at Smithsonian . Arril 24-28 (tentative): Nation­ al Coa ition of Alternative Community Schools conference, Clonlara School, Ann Arbor MI . Contact Kathy Suther­ land, 313-769-4515. ~~ (tentative) : Mass . Library Associa t ion Convention, Sheraton Hotel, Sturbridge MA . Contact Mary Whi t e, 617-245-0790 . Aug 17 - 18: Homeschoolers Jam­ bor ee , La n si n g MI . Contact Carolyn Cordell , 2310 Bernard, Lansing MI 48910 .

GWS TRAVEL NETWOR K Martha and Ted Laux of Ithaca, who have run the GWS Travel Network for several years, say they are "ready to pass on the baton . " Who wou l d li k e to keep this project going? They have put together a directo r y of 25 GWS families who would li k e to host visitors . Martha says t h e mai l is lig h t and sporadic. Whoeve r t el l s us first t h at s/he would like to run this, gets t o do it . Martha also said that she and Ted had no idea if anyone who got the Travel Directory actually used it to make any visits . We ' d like to hear about some people's experiences with this, so we know it isn't a waste of time and energy . - DR

SEVERE IllNESS CL EARS UP From Was h ington State:

GWS SURVEY RESULTS Ove r t he summer we se n t out a s urvey t o a r a nd om sa mpl e of our 4800 c u rre nt s ub sc r ibe r s i n order to pro ­ vide pote nt ia l adver t isers with a pro­ f il e of t h e so r t of peop l e th ey can reac h t hr ough GWS . We t h ought you might be interested in the results . 130 s urveys were mailed out and 87 came bac k to us . According to this sam p le , t he median age of our readers ( the age at whi c h h a l f th e p eop l e in th e samp l e are above , a n d half below) is 36 . The me di a n ag e f o r th eir c h il d ­ r e n i s 6 , with a n a ve r age of 2 . 5 c hildr e n p e r fa mily . We we r e s urpris e d t o fi n d th at 2 4 % o f o ur r ea d e r s co n side r t hem­ se l ves living in th e cit y ; 1 7% i n th e

... My youngest daug h ter started ki nd e r gar t e n o n t h e day s he tu r ned five . .. The teacher was a wonderful p e r so n , soft-spoken, who mixed fun and g ames into her teaching . Sh e was always loving and giving, made her­ self o n e of t h e chi l dren . .. Then came first grade and a big c hange .. . At the end of a full day at schoo l , my daughter was physically exhausted . The teacher was very strict . She was verbally and ph ysical­ l y abusive, in my opinion . She be ­ l ieved i n making examples of the c h il dr en . The brig h ter c h ildre n were k ep t at a faster pace, t h e others were given s pecial help o nl y wh en th e r e was time , which seemed t o be a bou t o n ce a week . My little one see me d to be about average, except in

reading. I didn't realize until later, when she told me, that she was made to feel stupid . About Thanksgiving of that year, she started losing weight and develop­ ing unusual symptoms, such as pain in joints, and a high white count . After a lot of poking and prodding by different specialists, I was told she had a form of spinal arthritis . After more tests , the rheumatologist told me outright he was afraid my daughter had, instead, lymphatic cancer . He went on to tell me about treatments, and how lucky we are to live in an age where she might be helped. At that point my life changed. I cannot even describe what I was feel ­ ing, there are no words for it . So, off to the cancer special­ ist . After a couple more weeks of tests and waiting, we were told, no, there is no sign of cancer at this point. Her initial pediatrician told us to go home and wait until she took a turn for the worse . He was sure this would come about within a couple months . In the meantime he suggested sending her back to school on the days she felt up to it . I told him that was the last thing I would do, simply because she didn ' t like school . I told him if a tragedy was in store, she was going to stay home and be happy while she could . He dis­ agreed, but I decided to go with my own feelings . At that point I had not thought about homeschooling, as a matter of fact I knew very little about it . I told my daughter she was not going to have to go to school any more . This was around January of 1984 . Almost immediately a change came about . The aches and pains dis­ appeared, her appetite increased, and the next blood test came back normal . Her doctor was sure it was a matter of time until she would have a re­ lapse. But by now I had my own di2g­ nosis - stress' I have worked as an LPN and have seen stress cause many things, including the symptoms my daughter had. It has now been a year and my sweetheart hasn't been sick or come close to having a relapse of these symptoms . She also hasn ' t returned to school and will not in the future. I now have a healt h y, happy, secure child, who is learning at home with her family . I live next door to my parents, and they share many things with her also . She takes guitar lessons and plays beautifully ... She is learning to cook and makes many things with little or no help. She loves anything to do with money . .. She now enjoys reading, to my de­ light . We dropped the phonics she was doing in school . Instead she got a library card, and picks out books she enjoys. She has also learned to use my sewing machine, and made several

WHAT' S INSIDE - Court : 2 -- - MN t es t i ng: 2 VT news: 2 - - Austral i a, New Zeal and: 2 - - ­ Jamboree: 3 -- - Exc l uded/re ligi on: 4 --- Pri ­ vate schools (PA, OR , MA): 4- 5 --- T-Sh i rt : 5 --- Ta l king to offi ci al s: 6 --- Al l - day ki n­ dergarte n: 6 --- JH/Tes t ify, ca nce r : 7 --­ Speakers Bureau: 8- 10 --- PTA: 10 - -- Aft er 5 yrs: 10 --- Davies/Prog r am overv iew: 10 --­ Teens: 11-14 --- Pet st or e: 12 --- Successfu l Dropout : 12 -- - Ins t ead of diploma: 12 - -­ Chose Schoo l: 13 --- Cor r es pondence school s: 14 --- Hires t eachers: 14 - -- Famil y bus ine ss: 14 --- Deaf: 14 --- Har d t o Li ve Wit h: 15 --­ Lif e at Home: 15 --- Es ta bli shmen t ado pt s "Home Lear ning " : 16 - -- Se i p/Mountain s: 17 --­ Ca r son/ nature: 17 --- Spinning: 17 --- Cus t ody : 18 --- Forei gn lang. : 20 --- Maps : 20 - -- Space seeds: 21 --- Wr ite, Re ad: 21- 22 Co ntes t s: 22 --- Pi ano: 23 - -- Sax: 23

Christmas presents . She takes various classes at nearby community centers ...

COURT NEWS Case dismissed after half-dozen court appearances: Lenore Hosinsky, Brooklyn NY . Fined $200, aPfealing decision: Theodore Gora, Pine las County, FL. Facing charges: James & Louann Brasher, RR 4, Union City IN; attor­ ney, Mark Bell of Indianapolis. "TESTING" PROPOSAL IN MINN. The BEREAN LEAGUE OF MINNESOTA (2875 Snelling Av N, St Paul MN 55113) has drafted a possible re­ vision of the Minnesota education law that would specifically permit home­ schooling, if the students "adequate­ ly perform" on an annual standardized achievement test "commensurate \vi th

the student's ability." What is inter­ esting about this draft is the thought given to the question, "What if the student doesn't do well on the test?" and we reprint that section here: ... The school where the child attends [DR: the home school' shall choose and administer the test which must be listed in the current Bur­ roughs Mental Measurements Yearbook. The superintendent may have an obser­ ver present during the test. If the child scores more than one deviation below the mean for his age group, the superintendent may take any of the following actions in the interest of the child's education to meet the constitutionally defined interests of the state; . (a) allow the child to continue the educational plan his parents have selected for him, undisturbed; (b) require additional testing for the child, including but not limited to intelligence tests; (c) provide remedial help for the child; (d) adopt any other course of action that is acceptable to the superintendent or board and to the child's custodial parents or guar­ dians. The superintendent or board shall choose the course of action that is most consistent with the desires of said child's custodial par­ ents or guardians, unless and except to the extent that said desires are manifestly inconsistent with the edu­ cational needs of the child . If, after implementation of the above alternatives, they have failed to sat­ isfy the state's constitutionally de­ fined interests in education, the superintendent or board may require the child to attend a school which complies with this subdivision. A cus­ todial parent or guardian may appeal a decision of the board to the dis­ trict court ...

FROM A VERMONT HOMESCHOOLER From Kathy Blair (VT): . .. The climate for homeschooling in Vermont is currently very good, although there are unfortunately some exceptions. One I specifically know about - a friend with a daughter pre­ viously classified "special educa­ tion" in Mass. was denied approval here and to avoid an expected court confrontation, she moved out of state . . .. Individuals may apply direct~

lY

to the State Dept. of Education ... Basically, a curriculum must be sub­ mitted covering: A. Basic communication skills,

including reading, writing, and the

use of numbers.

B. Citizenship, history, and

government in Vermont and the U.S.

C. Physical ed. and principles

of health, including the effects of

tobacco, alcoholic drinks, and drugs.

D. English, American and other

literature.

E. The natural sciences. On this past year's application, one line stated: "Attach a daily schedule for instruction." We have been approved for two years ... We enrolled for Grade 1 at age 7. I modelled our curriculum after Lynn Kapplow'i excellent cur­ riculum [DR: Reprint available here], using her approach regarding time spent on various subjects (X minimum number of minutes will be spent per week on ... ), when it came to the daily schedule request . The Calvert program is accept­ able, although Vermont government and history must be described cy the par­ ent on the form, and at least two individuals I know of successfully use the Oak ~eadow School in Ojai~ CA. ... Enclosed is a form letter we received regarding approval of our application. Condition #1 in this let­ ter is apparently causing problems for some folks. lIt requires that you contract with a Vermont certified teacher, other than the instructor or parent, for an independent evaluation and to review your child's progress. 1 Individuals subscribing to Oak Meadow or Calvert are already being evalu­ ated and, according to what I ' ve heard, resent needing to contract for this service again. Since we wrote our own curricu­

lum, I am not offended by this re­ quest, because the evaluation can be as creative as the evaluator, in that the teacher is expected to read your state-approved curriculum and ascer­ tain whether or not you followed Your own curriculum ... Daily journals,---­ portfolios/collection of craft pro­ jects, papers. etc., bv your child should be able to describe your pro­ gress adequately ... We were evaluated last year (and will be this year) by Kathi Kearney, listed in GWS #42 under "Certified Teachers - Maine" although she is also Vermont certi­ fied ... She is currently very in­ volved with homeschoolers in Maine and really understands homeschooling . A problem for some people, again, according to what I've heard, is that they are unable to find a Vermont cer­ tified teacher who is willing to or knows how to evaluate 0 homeschooler. 1 om organizing a Vermont ne,'/sletter and hope to compile a list of teach­ ers for evaluations ... Anyone in Vermont interested in homeschooling should contact Jean Robison at the Dept . of Ed . in Mont­ pelier, 802-828-3111 . She is helpful, sympathetiC to homeschooling and very eosy to talk to: in no way does she intimidate. She is willing to share ideas on where to go for information re curriculum development, etc . ..

NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA .. Some items from the newsletter published cy the BRISBANE HOME SCHOOL­ I~G GROUP of Australia. First, by Sue Crealey: .. . On a visit to Melbourne last month, I had the opportunity to spend

some time with members of the ALTERNA­

TIVE EDUCATION RESOURCE GROUP ...

There seems to be a wealth of re­

source material available in the Mel­

bourne area and the families I spoke

with avail themselves of it freely. I

mentioned how our group prefers to

remain "low key" in the matter of pub­

lic advertising in order to avoid any

confrontation with department offi­

cials. The Melbourne group are not

all bothered by such concerns - in

fact, the main reason ' they avoid mass

publicity is to avoid being inundated

with phone calls and enquiries from

interested persons. They said they

just don't have sufficient people in

the group to handle the number of

callers. I thought their reasons most

significant ...

Kathy Rose of the HUON BROOK HOME SCHOOLING GROUP in Mullumbimby described their delightful activi­ ties, including picniCS, games, crafts, music, science, and drama,

and then makes this important point: .. . The main problem encountered so far has been handling all the enquiries we get to join the group, and deciding how and at what point to limit it. Because of our space limita­ tions, and because the idea is to stay small, we have set the limit at 12 children we have now, but we are a list of the eoore-wno-

Neville Freeman (2 Allanby Grove, E. Bentleigh, Vict. 3165) says: . .. 1 have written on three separ­ ate aspects in notes and articles on homeschooling and how to satisfy the Victorian Education Dept . You could obtain copies of these from me ($3 Australian per set) ... People in Vic­ toria who have used my guidelines have achieved 100% success with the Department. They have either been approved or left alone (formal writ­ ten approval [rom the Dept. is not essent ia 1 ) ...

... AND FROM NEW ZEALAND From Elinor Nelson-Jones, RD 1, Motueka, New Zealand : ... Our rejected application for the local school board's permission to school our 9-year-old at home will be heard soon before the High Court on grounds of natural rights being violated ... We get GWS through Trish Cheel's group subscription ... We are involved in a neighbor­ hood "Kids Club" of about a dozen pre-schoolers and school-age children up to 10 ~hose parents want more flex­ ibility, less pressure, cooperative attitudes emphasized, voluntary attendance, etc . Eight men and women help the kids in areas of natural interest (sports, cooking, games, music, art, crafts) and try to in­ clude the 3 R's when possible. But the emphasis is on having fun . . . And from Sarah Ayre (19 Dunns Road, Silverstream, Upper Hutt): . . . David and I have two child­ ren, Matthew (8) and Jack (5) . Matthew went to school for 2~ years but was never happy there . . . So we decided to apply for a primary school-

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #43

3

ing exemption. Since that was granted earlier this year, we have been teach­ ing both boys ourselves. We are very happy with our deci­ sion . . . We are, however, very isola­ ted. As you may know, the Auckland group of New Zealand home schoolers puts out a magazine Prunes and we have found this very-useIUl . But Auck­ land is 400 miles from here ... We would welcome ~ feedback (especial­ ly from Quaker, pacifist, vegetarian homeschoolers') . .. The Auckland group seem to be finding that home schooling for them is usually a kind of delayed entry, with most children going to school by the age of eight, apparently because their parents can't cope beyond this. Also, the class teachers apparently find these children are behind in the ·'basics" . ..

HOMESCHOOLERSJAMBOREE From Faye Jenkins

(I~):

. . . My sons (Alan, l3, and Stu­ art, 6) and I attended the Homeschool­ ers Jamboree sponsored by CLO~LARA SCHOOL in late August . We had a ball. There were many worthwhile sessions for parents and children. A lot of effort must have gone into this gath­ ering and it showed. Many enriching activities were offered for the child­ ren such as model rockets, clowning, lapidary, simulated archaelogical dig, etc. I especially enjoyed the vendor displays . This was the first time I had seen some of the materials and so many homeschooling curricu­ lums . If this many people are getting into the homeschooling supply busi­ ness, then it must be viable . We are already planning next year's trip to Michigan ...

we may be facing more problems in the future than we have in the past." Nagel, author of the controver­ sial bqok on educational freedom, CHEEZ' UNCLE SAM ... compared his own SA~TA FE COMMU~ITY SCHOOL with the efforts of many homeschoolers, sav­ ing, "Each time an obstacle to free­ dom was placed in our path by the state [of New MexicoJ, we removed it. Each time a reasonable direction was pointed out, we followed it. Each time a requirement was set, we met

it. I know many of you are doing the same thing." Nagel pOinted out that in many cases, public school adminis­ trators are worried about economics,

not education. He said, "A school administrator is primarily concerned with how to continue to have his busi­ ness operate and survive. He is not thinking about the particular educa­ tional needs o[ your child . " Sue Brooks offered advice to the homeschooling parent from her own experience. "We became, [or lack of a better term, volunteer lobbvists." she said as she described the fight in her home state of Wisconsin to make legislators more aware. "Our approach was to visit the representa­ tives that were our own or represent­

ing people we knew had written let­ ters. So whenever I wellt to a repre­ sentative who was not my own, I could say. 'Senator, I knol.\' ~ou have re­

ceived letters from so and so. I have talked with them. I am here to remind VOll

of

hOh' h'e

feel.

r

It

Brooks stressed

the need for each individual to work for homeschooling: "You can just about bet that any representative ... is as educated on the subject of home­ schooling as anv of his constituents have taken the time to make him." ...

LOCAL NEWS For addresses, see GWS

Susannah Sheffer reported on the jamboree in The Learning Edge, the ne\olsletter orcIO"LARA and the HOME BASED EDUCATION PROGRAM (MI): . . . The speakers included Michi­ gan State Representative Tim Walberg, State Senator Harmon Cropsey, Ed Nagel of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATIO" FOR THE LEGAL SUPPORT OF ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS, and Sue Brooks, a homeschool­ ing parent and Clonlara teacher. Walberg, who homeschools two of his three children, spoke positively about the power of the individual : "As a result of a large letter \olri­ ting campaign on behalf of homeschool­ ers in this state, as well as visits to the Capitol of homeschoolers, I had several legislators come up to me, including those from the other side of the aisle, and express a real interest, a positive interest, in homeschooling, plus some compliments on the demeanor, the qualities, the type of attitudes and the interest displayed by homeschoolers as they came to the Capitol." Walberg said that "there are more than just a hand­ ful of friends in the legislature now interested in homeschooling. I still think there are more enemies ... there are more people ignorant about home­ schooling than there are friends, but at least there is something going." Cropsey, discussing the attitude of public schools toward home educa­ tion, spoke with more caution: "Every time a child is withdrawn from the public school system they consider that a vote of no confidence ... the v do not like to see your children out­ side of their influence. I think we are going to see the lines drawn and

GROWING

~ITHOUT

SCHOOLING #43

~42

or

our "Homeschool i ng Resource 1 i st, 11 S1.

CO:\:\ECTICl'T: The superintendent of parochiaL schools in Hartford, wrote to John: "I recently "'as given a copy of 'Schools and Home School­ ers: A Fruitful Partnership,' the article you wrote for Phi Delta Kap­ ~ . .. I found it most interesting ­ [UTI of good sense an insi?ht into values of homeschooling." Reprints available here, l5c. Rev. Fanelli sent us a proposed change in the state education law but it seems to be merely a technicalitv; it speci­ fics that school boards may seek & court order to compel parents to com­ ply with the law. The clause allowing parents "to shO\ol that the chi Id is elsewhere receiving equivalent instruction" would remain unchanged.

GEORGIA: From the Atlanta Jour­ nal, 014785: "State Senator Jo~ Foster, \Vho introduced the compulsory school attendance legislation last year, says the law is working well and he has no intention of revising it this year ... The state Dept. of Education recently released figures showing that 653 home school pro­ grams. teaching a total of 1,062 children, reported that they are oper­ ating in Georgia ... Foster said offi­ cials in Washington, Tennessee, Michi­ gan, and ~orth Dakota have contacted the senator about using Georgia's law as a model in their states ... " ILLHWIS: Kris Hallberg writes, "Just before Christmas I learned that I was approved to home school my son . .. I had obtained a copy of 'The Illinois Program for Evaluation, Supervision, and Recognition of School ' from my library. I knew [rom that document that what I sent to the

superintendent met the requirements for a school. My-husband called that 'doing my homework' and is convinced it led to the approval. .. " KENTUCKY: From Libbie Morley of KE~TUCKY HOME SCHOOLERS: "Because of revisions in Ky. law last summer, if a parent wants to open a private school ... they simply have to notify the local superintendent of the name and address of the children ... We do not consider this situation stable. It makes a mockery of the compulsory education law, threatens the bureau­ cracy, just won't work. However, nothing can be changed until the next legislative session in January 1986. We have names of Dept . of Ed . 0III= cials who will be in charge of draft­ ing new legislation and will intro­ duce KENTUCKY HOMESCHOOLERS to them by letter very soon, and hope to meet with them this spring. Thank goodness that GWS gives us some clues about what has worked in other states or \Ve'd really be floundering!" MAI~E: Tim Ketcham wrote in ~lai neflOiiie Education Newsletter: "Schools are taking advantage of the new guidelines GWS #4l J before the state has put them into effect, forCing home schoolers to have to fol­ low the more stringent guidelines while leaving us without the protec­ tions that have been built into the guidelines at the state level (most particularly, the state level peer review) ... The Commissioner of Ed. sees these regulations as being on trial this next school year, subject to change depending on how they work, especially the peer review process. So we need to continue being pre­ pared, h'atchful, and draw together ... " MARYLA:\D: The MARYLAND HOME EDU­ CATION ASSOCIATIO" NEWSLETTER reports that state officials have proposed a new bylaw defining school as a place with at least 7 students not of the same parentage. "This bylalV is aimed directly at small religious and satel­ lite schools presently operating in this state. At a recent meeting of THE COALITION OF HOME EDUCATORS, Gary Cox of the WALKERSVILLE CHRISTIAN FEL­ LOWSHIP promised a vigorous challenge against this new threat . .. " ~ICHIGA:\: The Learning Edfe reports that the Mich. Dept . 0 Social Services sent out a memo Sept. l3 that said, "It is now the policy of MOSS that problems observed by counties regarding parent home-based teaching of their children is not a Protective Services issue. Cases of this type are the responsibility of the local school board . .. No further contact with the family is to be made." This came about as a result of Pat Montgomery contacting Dr. Agnes Mansour's office. ;-'IISSOl'RI: FMIILIES FOR HOME EDU­ CATION planned a "Home Schooled Child­ ren's Fair" on Jan. 30, an all-day event that was truly for the child­ ren, with crafts, games, storytell­ ing, puppets, singing, and more . MO:\TA~A: Linda McFarlane of the FLATHEAD VALLEY HOMESCH00LING ASSOCIA­ TIO" IVrites, "A couple of districts are trying to establish a policy toward their involvement with home-

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING r43, Vol. 8 No.1. ISSN #0745-5305. Published bi-monthly by Holt

Associates, 729 Boylston St, Boston MA 02116.

S15/yr. Date of Issue, Feb . 1, 1985. Second­

class postage paid at Boston MA.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to GWS, 729

Boylston St, Boston MA 02116.

ADVERTISERS: Deadlines are the 15th of odd­

numbered ~onths. Discount for ads in 3 consecu ­

tive issues. Contact Patrick Farenga for rates.

4 schoolers. One school lost 11 kids this year to homeschooling. In the past they have been helpful to home­ schoolers, but money is an issue ... If you are confident about what you are doing, you will have no problems. If you are questioning, then you will hear, 'We have to view your home, I 'We have to give permission,' 'We advise against it.' ... Our district/ county is the best in Montana, we hear ... As much as we have tried to educate the public to homeschooling in this area, by news articles, library displays, etc., it is amazing that so many people (also in the school administration) are unaware of homeschooling . . . " According to the MONTANA HOME­ SCHOOLERS ASSOCIATION, state offi­ cials held two meetings to discuss homeschooling issues: making sure County Superintendents are complying with the homeschooling law, and how to place homeschooled children who enroll in public school. NEBRASKA: The l2/84 issue of Home School Journal reprints an inter­ esting exchange or correspondence. First, State Senator Don Wesely wrote the Commissioner of Education that he didn't think the new law about "un­ a pproved" school s was supposed to include home schools. The Commission­ er replied that on the contrary, "state law at the present time really makes no distinction between schools conducted in a home by a parent or in another location by a non-parent, so long as the school complies with all applicable laws ... " The Commissioner also said it was not the business of the State Board to decide who had "sincerely held religious beliefs." Finally, the Commissioner agreed that the new law was unclear and self­ contradictory. Wesely then wrote to other state senators, saying the law needed to be clarified in the next session. He also enclosed a public opinion poll from the Lincoln Journal-Star in which 911'. answered "Yes" to the ques­ t ion, "Do you think church-related schools should be required to meet the same minimum qualification stan­ dards as public schools?" NEVADA: From the newsletter of HOME SCHOOLS UNITED/VEGAS VALLEY: "HSU was represented along with the public schools at the recent 'Excel­ lence in Education' exposition. Many people stopped by our booth asking questions and picking up information about home education. It was a learn­ ing experience for all of us. We were also able to pick up tons of publish­ ers catalogs and some books at no cost ... " It also reported that HSU members would be meeting with legisla­ tors to discuss changes in the home education regulations. NEW YORK: Richard Fahey of CHRISTIAN HOMESTEADING SCHOOL, RD 2, Oxford NY l3830, writes, "We are in a good position to influence home educa­ tion legislation in New York State . Our representative is in favor of home education and one of the most influential men in the Assembly. What we would like to hear from home educa­ tors in New York are ideas of what they want"and how to frame new legis­ latlon . . . NORTH CAROLINA: Ron Fitch of NORTH CAROLINIANS FOR HOME EDUCATION writes, "When the North Carolina Gen­ eral Assembly reconvenes in February, home education will be one of the important issues facing legisla­ tors . . . Most legislators are unin­ formed about home education. Friends of home education in N.C . need to call their local board of elections

to get the names and addresses of their legislators and write to ex­ plain this"issue and request support ... ONTARIO: Helen Harned wrote in the Ontario Homeschoolers Newsletter: "A Homeschooling Workshop was held in Toronto on Friday and Saturday, Octo­ ber 26 and 27 . .. Taking into consider­ ation a short preparation time, the total of 75 registered guests was very encouraging, for a first of its kind in Canada. Foster Hansen, a regional Minister of Education, spoke positively towards schooling at home when associated with the School Board . Obviously he was unhappy about parents applying to school at home who were both working outside the home; or had no identifying plan of education for the,children - he just couldn't see how the children were getting any education ' . .. Mr. Hansen knows all too well there are some homeschoolers who are abusing the 'private school' section on p.6 of the Education Act ... Shortly before he left for the evening he was heard to say, 'This subject (of homeschool­ ing ) is most fascinating. '" TENNESSEE: In early December, State Senator Dunavant was ready to sponsor a bill that would require "private schools" to be accredited, and define and allow "home schools." Parent-teachers of home schools would need a high school diploma or GED to teach K-8, and a bachelor's degree for grades 9-J2 . Home school students would take the same achievement tests as public school students. If the stu­ dent fell 3-6 months behind grade lev­ el, consultation with the supt . would be required; if s/he fell more than 6 months behind, s/he would be placed in public school "if superintendent finds such enrollment necessary." Apparently, as in other states, many homeschoolers in Tenn. don't want any sort of regulation, and others find parts of this bill objectionable and are trying to change them. WASHINGTON: Homeschoolers planned a "Rally Day" at the capitol Jan. 28, urging as many as possible to attend . It was expected that on that day, the Senate would hear testi­ mony on the bill supported by the WASHINGTON ASSOC. OF HOME EDUCATORS . WISCONSIN: From the WISCONSIN PARENTS ASSOCIATION newsletter: "( 1) Dept . of Public Instruction has agreed that assurances 2 and 3 on form PI-1206 are not required under Wisconsin statutes [see GWS #41 & #42 ] . (2) DPI will send a letter of clarification to all home based educa­ tional program administrators who sent in the form, advising them that they are in compliance with Wisconsin statutes whether or not they crossed out assurances 2 and 3. (3) DPI will ensure that local school superinten­ dents understand that they do not have a prior review or approval authority or responsibility regarding home based educational program sched­ ules or curriculums ... (4) DPI will name one office or person within DPI to administer the enrollment forms for both home based educational pro­ grams and private schools .. . "

EXCLUDED BECAUSE OF RELIGION From a letter by Charlene Winger­ Bearskin (OK): ... We have a great homeschooling situation . .. Our only problem is a lack of other children to share exper­ iences with. We live in the suburbs, and have found numerous families who

are homeschoolers, but we are basic­ ally not welcome in their groups be­ cause we are not Christians (1 admire the Christian faith and believe in Christ). One morning I spent 45 minutes on the phone pleading with a home­ schooling group leader to let us go roller-skating with their group . Only after swearing not to try to convert anyone to my faith were we allowed to attend. I had not intended to do any­ thing like that' She vowed to try to convert me, though . As a Baha ' i, proselytizing is forbidden. We only inform interested persons about our teachings . .. I wish we would somehow find other homeschoolers who have no strong religious preference or pre­ judice . We seek to have fellowship with families of all races and reli­ gions. Have any ideas? ..

SUPT. BECOMES DEMANDING From Pennsylvania: ... Last year was my first year homeschooling my two oldest boys, both 13. I was pretty much on my own, teaching them what I thought was important and not pushing them. Toward the end of the school year I was getting so relaxed that 1 was let­ ting them learn on their own. This year, though, is going to be a little tougher . The superinten­ dent called and said I have to have a set curriculum, and he wants to know what grade level they're on in all subjects, and I have to send in papers of all their work, every week, including tests' I'm a little dis­ appointed in all this because when the boys are pushed they don't do as well, and it could turn out to be as bad as the public school . Every day, I have to have math, spelling, his­ tory, science, writing, reading com­ prehension, and (twice a week) Eng­ lish . He mentioned testing the boys every so often (as did Douglas Boel­ houwer of the State Dept. of Ed.) but J think by law I can tell them no. I'm a little nervous being moni­ tored like this but I don't think I have any alternatives, do I? .. [From a later note:] I have learned of a Pa. attorney who will help you become a school without go­ ing to Harrisburg . And if you get has­ seled you tell them to talk to your attorney. The cost is $225 as far as I know. I'm calling him next week for more information . I'm relieved be­ cause I can go this route if the superintendent is too strict . . .

PRIVATE SCHOOL IN OREGON Leslie Redpath (OR) writes: .. . 1 had written you in Decem­ ber, 1981 about problems registering our private school here in Oregon. I registered as a private school and incorporated as a non-profit busi­ ness. After one year I dropped the registration as a school and just con­ tinued to keep the non-profit status . The only thing registering did was get me on lots of mailing lists of school suppliers. As far as zoning, fire, parking, etc . , regulations went, I just ignored them as they were not designed for home schooling and were totally ridiculous in that context . I have not had problems as no one ever checked me out. Once a year the local elementary principal calls to see if my school affects any

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #43

students in his district and to com­ ply with some fede ral grant regula­ ti on . As for my teaching credential I did not get it u pd ated . Teaching in a private school wo ul d have applied, but the schoo l would have h ad to be of the "certified-inspected" type. Since I have n o plans for using it to get a teaching job, the hassle did not seem worthwhile . We are still learning together at home . Last year we incorporated another private school with a family in a noth er county, thereby allowing us an obscure location and more chil­ dren if we ever n eed them . . .

STARTING SCHOOL IN MASS. From Lisa Boken (MA) : ... I have long held off this let­ ter fo r many reasons, foremost, that all of my time a nd energy has been spent in establishing ABBINGTON ACAD­ EMY, a nd secondly, as Candace Syman­ Degler expressed in GWS #41, I was concerned a bout taking an opposing view to the goals of cooperation of l ocal schools with homeschooling fami­ li es (see JH statement in GWS #33) . I still hold cooperation with the pub­ li c school while homeschooling as the id eal situation . I and many others are glad you and others are making progress toward that goal. However, ideal situations do not exist every­ where. Case in point: several home­ schoolers on Cape Cod were experi­ encing non-cooperation, each after th eir "t oken " first year of approval . Th ey were dealing wit h several dif[er­ ent sc ho o l districts . One family was flatly refused a second year ' s approv­ al after their child failed the math SRA tests but scored 98% on all the others. They wanted retesting and had a number of correspondences with the school superintendent to no ava i l . The next step was court (which they could not afford), so they enrolled their daughter in a private school and withdrew h er af t er two months to quietly schoo l at h ome illegally . At this point myself and another home­ schooling family were experiencing problems with our school districts because of slow reading, etc . The group of us met and I couldn't understand why we couldn ' t start a private school . One of the mothers had already thought of that and had gone t o the State Board of Education building to find out what you need t o do to start a private school . They shif t ed her to seven different offices a nd finally said she wou ld hav e to call her local school superintendent and he wou l d tell her . Of course none of us wanted to call our superin t endents. I thought there mu st be some state guidelines fo r estab li shing a pri vate school . So I called the State Bo ard of Ed . and af t er half an hour on hold and three different people th ey assured me they would send us th e details. We then received in the mail the details ... the beds had to be so far apa rt, the sin ks so high, etc . - a ll codes of health for board­ ~ schoo l s . So I ca ll ed the Stare-­ House and they assured me that they would get the information for me . We th en rec eived a copy of the Mass . Attendance Laws ' 1 Then while reading, I believe it was He rbert Kohl's FR EE SCHOOLS, I saw in th e appendix the address for the CENTER FOR LAW AND EDUCATION (Har­ vard University, 14 Appian Way, Cam-

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING t 43

bridge MA 02138; 617-495-4666). There in th e appendix was a listing for a book they printed called ALTERNAT IV E SC HOOLS: A PRACTICAL MANUAL . I called them and they said the book was fair­ ly old (1973) but that they could send me a copy . This book ~as the real key to starting our school as it covered Mass. laws and guidelines. We went to the Boston Public Library and checked the laws, which had changed minimally if any in the 10 years . We then started ABBINGTON ACADEMY by incorporating as a non -p rofit corpora­ tion (more research and sel[ - educa­ tion), writing and submitting our papers ourselves for $30 . The n we wo rk ed cp a proposal to the local school board for approval . We listed two certified teachers who were willing to help our school out and a long list'of " consulting staff " persons with varying degrees and experience. We proposed our curricu­ lum and out li ned the hours, our phi ­ losophy, etc . When we felt it looked professional enough we submitted it and we held our breath. Thev sent us a formal letter wanting to meet with us in person. So we got into our pro­ fessional clothes and I acted as spokesperson . They simply wanted to know how we were going to cover drug abuse, alcohol education, P.E . , etc . We were ready and answered crisp and clear . We chatted for a while and they left. (I still feel they really just wanted to see if there were peo­ ple behind the proposal and if so, how ~any heads they had . ) We knew that couldn ' t be the end of it . It wasn 't. They said in a let­ ter that our curriculum ~as approved but that they wanted to see the school in session . So we invited them to come and our "cert Lfied teacher" was haVing fun with the kids as she does quite often when we visit her . They talked with us a bit more and then they left . We were then sent notification by mail of our approval. By the way, all of this took place in a private home, as Mass . law states any school with less than 9 students does not need an R-4 Cuilding . A yea r later we ran into some trouble when they found out that not all of the classes take ~lace at the same building but at satelljte class­ rooms. They were also disturbed that some of the parents were involved in teaching, God forbid, their own child­ ren . This resulted in a lot of corres­ pondence . We emphasized that nowhere in Mass. law does it sav that all staff in a private scho;l must be cer­ tified (thus we hire parents with a contract) . Also it states nowhere that compulsory attendance means attendance in a school building but rather in a school program. We ended up contacting Eugene Burkart, one of your "Friendly La'''yers'' [ GWS #42 J, who helped keep everything out of cou rt. The school district said that they were responsible to monitor all home education and I told them that was true in part, that they were responsible to monitor any home educa­ tion in the public sector of educa­ tion but that if a private school decided to have as part of its pro­ gram parent/child enrichment or home study that they were not answerable to the public school authorities and that this issue had already been decided on a Supreme Court level in Pierce vs . Society of Sisters where it states that the pub li c sector of education could not run a monopoly on a cer t ain type of education, such as h omeschooling . They seemed to back down and we have since carried on

courteous, friendly conversations, with them reassuring ~e that they are just doing their jobs. I think three things that helped us most are : 1 . A group of families with energy. 2 . A professional appearance, stationery, bank account, corporate papers, etc . 3 . A belief that our parenti child education ~r~ of our pri­ vate school program along with group classes, field trips, teache r consul­ tations, etc . And not the belief that

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6 we are homeschooling hiding nervously under the guise of a private school . We are legal, we are not just pretend­ ing-eo be. This realization was the last to come and proved to be the most helpful to us in avoiding intim­ idation . I would later like to write about what we are doing with the school and why it has actually proved advantageous for our families to start it .. .

SPEAKING TO TOP OFFICIALS Kathleen McCurdy (WA) wrote in

the Family Learning Exchange:

... On December 7 we presented testimony to the Senate Education Com­ mitte at a public hearing. We identi­ fied our statewide organization, the WASHINGTON ASSOCIATION OF HOME EDUCA­ TORS, and mentioned some of the results of the Survey [DR: available here, $7 ] ... On Dec. 8 we presented similar testimony to the House Educa­ tion Committee ... We spoke to quite a few legisla­ tors while in Olympia. We found that there is even more support now than before; obviously homeschoolers have been doing their political homework this year. We spent some time with the legal counsel for the House Ed . Committee, who is working on " our " proposed bill that will be introduced in the House. A highlight of our visit was get­ ting to meet with Governor-elect Booth Gardner . Joseph r McCurdy ] , who went along to carry his mother's briefcase, slipped into a meeting room where Gardner was making a speech. There was standing room only, but he found a place to stand where he could see clearly (and be seen, too, as it developed . How many 9­ year-olds does one expect to see on a Friday morning in Olympia?) When Mr . Gardner finished his speech and started to leave, he stopped to ask Joseph why he wasn't in school. Joe flashed a big smile and said, "I'm being homeschooled ' " We explained that we were there to lobby for a homeschool bill and were hoping he would give uS a chance to discuss it with him. He said, "By all means, I want to understand the issues so that I can sign it intelli­ gently when the bill gets to my office . " He promised to give us that opportunity, and then chatted some more with Joseph . After he left, some of the crowd that had gathered con­ gratulated Joe on his good fortune in getting to speak to the new governor. As for Joe - he was ecstatic' During the last couple of weeks we have met with top officials o[ the Spokane Education Association. One of them promised to speak on our behalf to officials of the Washington Educa­ tion Assoc. We also met with legisla­ tors of the 13th district at a home­ schoolers' meeting in Moses Lake. Rep. Glyn Chandler, who is more know­ ledgeable than most, having attended a lecture by Dr. Raymond Moore, etc., said, "You know, America used to have a lot of heroes. People like General George Patton and Thomas Edison. Funny thing is, most of them were homeschooled. And now how many heroes does America have? I can't think of any. " The response came quickly : "We're trying to raise some!" The homeschoolers in the Moses Lake area have been complaining about troubles with their superintendent, so we offered to meet with him . The first half of the hour we spent with

him was quite frosty. He didn't want to discuss, he had no questions for us, he was not at all in sympathy with our concerns . We pointed out that, nevertheless. the legislature was likely to pass a bill soon, and then the issue would have to be faced. We proceedea-tO raise questions that we knew were likely to be on his mind, and then to try to answer them in a way that would be satisfactory to him . Gradually he began to thaw out .. . We used Wendy Wartes' analogy of the home birth movement: the obstetricians were not put out of work by it, but society has benefit­ ted from a more humane approach to birth and family involvement. We sug­ gested that home school would be just as revolutionary : most people would still send their kids to school, but the parents would be more responsible and involved. That seemed to appeal to him. At one point the superintendent almost seemed to be asking for sym­ pathy. It was difficult, he said, to mass produce education and still take care of the individual needs of each child. We agreed, and pointed out that handcrafted products always exceed the quality of mass produced items. Handcra[ted, or homeschooled, children would be an asset to anv com­ munity. (He actually nodded in agree­ ment') He said he would try to main­ tain a more neutral position . ..

TEACHER/ HOMESCHOOLER TALKS TO SUPT. Mary Maher ( MAl wrote: . . . My husband, Tom, is a teacher in another town. We heard [rom sever­ al homeschoolers that the school sys­ tem he works [or was making it very difficult for people to homeschool . Mv husband made an appointment with the superintendent of schools with the express purpose of letting him know that he was a homeschooling parent, and had been one for [our years, and how Wakefield and other surrounding towns were cooperating with homeschoolers. He brought copies of homeschooling guidelines that oth­ er districts had drawn up, plus a copy of the "Mass . Memo" [ available here, $1]. Tom explained that home­ schooling parents were very sincere in their efforts to want to provide alternative education for their child­ ren, and usually did an outstanding job. In other words, he tried to be a peacemaker and get the superintendent to see that homeschoolers were really not a threat to him at all. After all, one of his own teachers was one. Although the superintendent didn't commit himself one way or the another, it did give him something to think about. Since their conversa­ tion, one family has obtained per­ mission, and although it ' s not the easy-going, relaxed feeling that we have with our schools, it's a start .. .

ALL-DAY KINDERGARTEN IN OHIO? [DR:] Jim Shaw (OH) sent two clippings from the Dayton Journal­ Herald, 12/10 and 12/11/84 . The num­ oers-Tn brackets refer to my comments following the articles : ... The State Board of Education on Monday unanimously endorsed all­ day kindergarten classes in Ohio schools ... The kindergarten propo­ sal . .. will be sent to Gov. Richard Celeste and state legislato r s in January.

The proposal would also mandate completion of a kindergarten program before advancement to first grade . State officials estimate about 5% of the state's kindergarten-aged children do not attend kindergarten . [1] . .. The state board hopes the propo­ sal will be approved by state legisla­ tors and signed by the governor for implementation in September 1985 . Franklin Walter, Ohio superinten­ dent of public instruction, said man­ datory kindergarten attendance wi l l better prepare students .. . He said $300 million in addition­ al state aid would be needed for the state's public school districts t o implement the proposal. William Phillis, assistant state superintendent, said the proposed state subsidy might not fully fu n d an expanded kindergarten program .. . [He] could not estimate how much local school districts might have to spend . "They'll just have to do it (if it is approved)," Phillis said. "Nobody said this would be easy. " [2] Phillis said most school dis­ tricts welcome the idea. He estimated about 4,000 new teaching position s would be created statewide . [3] Several other states are consid­ ering increased kindergarten require­ ments, he said. [4] . . . Wayne Schaffer, vice presi­ dent of the state board ... headed the state board legislative committee that is recommending all-day kinder­ garten . But Schaffer said it is " not realistic " to expect the c h ange soon. Schaffer said he would be satisfied "if we do it by 1990." ... His committee was particular ­ ly impressed by a 2 l -year follow-up study of 123 children in Ypsilanti, Mich. The group enrolled first in pre­ school Head Start classes. Then they were funneled into all-day kindergar­ ten. The study concluded that these youngsters received higher grades, were more likely to complete high school and attend college, and were more successful than contemporaries who did not attend all-day kindergar­ ten. [5] Schaffer said the kindergarten recommendation is in line with the trend toward "more time on task" in the pattern followed by European and Japanese schools . [6] .. . The Northmont (Englewood) School District tried all-day kinder­ garten on an every-other-day sc h edule [or two years. In September, kinder­ garten became all-day every day. "It's working out very well," said Northmont Superintendent Richard Whistler . " I think the parents feel very good about it." But Northmont kindergarte n c h ild­ ren do not attend for the five hours plus lunch time that is the Ohio mini­ mum for a full day for elementary school students . They atte n d for four hours and 15 minutes, including a lunch period, said Whistler ... [7] The "shorter attention span " of kindergarten children is recognized, [Schaffer] said, so it is expec t ed they would " have more recesses and so forth." But school tra n sportation sys­ tems are expected to " dictate t h ey would have to be at school for the same hours " as olde r children, he said . . . [8] [DR : ] (1) First of all, i f o n ly 5% of Ohio children do not attend kin­ dergarten when it is optiona l , how can anybody think that making it man­ datory (whether or n ot it is in -

GROWING WITHOUT SC HOO LING #43

creased to all-day) is going to sig­ nificantly improve the educational level of the state? Second, is there any evidence to show that these 5% are the children who do worse in school? I doubt it. Perhaps some GWS readers who have access to educational research could look this up for us . And if there is no research on the question, well, sometimes grad students and others ask us what research needs doing . There would be a very "do-able" ques­ tion to study, since all you would need is access to student records at various grades . (2) It is true that one reason the compulsory-kindergarten proposal was defeated in Massachusetts [GWS #42] was that several years ago, " Proposition 2~" began requiring the state to pay for any programs that the state mandated . It could not blithely, as these Ohio officials seem to be doing, pass the cost along to local levels. This made the cost question much more immediate . (3) This hardly needs comment, except that it reinforces what we have said before: that the desire to create jobs for teachers, no matter what the effect on the children, is a major cause for the push to extend compulsory education . Another factor, of course, is working parents' desire for (apparently) free childcare. (4) Yes, and other states are turning it down, especially after homeschoolers and others protested Arizona (GWS #38), Connecticut (#39), Mass. (#42) . We have not heard that any other states have actually approved such proposals, though they may wel l have done so without anyone informing us . (5) About the Head Start study, which was conducted by a group calied HIGH SCOPE on the " Perry Pre-School" in Ypsilanti, MI. In an article called "Do We Really Want Preschool for All of Our Children?" Ravmond Moore points out that Head Scart pro­ grams were for poor and " deprived" children, and so it is simply not true that what worked for them is necessarily good for average child­ ren . He quotes Washington D.C . child analyst Dale Meers as saying that such reasoning is l ike hospitalizing all children when a few are sick . Note the eaSily overlooked word " contemporaries " in the Ohio article. This sounds 1 ike it means "other children the same age, " but in order for the study to have proven anything at all, it must have compared the Perry Pre-school children to others of similar background as well. Dr . Moore also writes, "The 'Perry Preschool Project, ' as they call it, began with the typical Head Start approach - known commonly as a 'store-front operation ' because of its humble use of any available facil­ ity . But as time went on Perry made several changes from standard P.ead Start models, spending more and more time in homes and less in preschool centers . The Perry teacher-child ratio of 1 to 6 was more favorable than most programs . And the Perry staff was unusually 'highly motiva­ ted.' I n short, the Perry sampl ing was not typical of Head Start across the nation . The home tutorial sys­ tem . .. came into play as ~staff­ ers heAped mothers become-reacners-in t heir omes ... -----n A Community Services Administra­ tion study of school entrance laws and policies in the 50 states could not find a single early entrance man­ date which was based on replicable research' Even High Scope co n cedes

GROWING wITHOUT SCHOOLING t 43

that its research does not constitute ' an unqualified endorsement of pre­ school ' - even though this is widely assumed either in ignorance or lapse of integrity. In a remarkable Head Start experiment, Anne O ' Keefe organ­ ized a 'Home Start' component which grew to more than 650 programs. Yet, according to a leading Head Start official, it was not 'politically via­ ble' because it concentrated in the home, and as a result it did not pro­ vide the free dar-care-wnTCh many motners-deffianaea . . . Even a famed Pead Start founder, Benjamin Bloom, now admits that the home is most powerful in determining how a child will do in school . .. " I am sure the Moores would send a copy of the complete article to any­ one interested: address, PO Box 9, Washougal WA 98671. Enclose $1 or so to cover costs. (6) I don't know what " more time on task" is a reference to - perhaps some readers could enlighten us. How­ ever, I ' m sure that what counted here was the magic reference to Japan. As we ' ve pointed out be(ore, there is a misguided line o( reasoning that says " The Japanese do this, and look how successful they arc." ~hybe "'e should all eat raw fish, because after all the Japanese do it, and look at how successful they are. (7) How in the world can this be touted as an example o( a successful "all-day kindergarten?" If the kids arrived by 8:30, they would be gone bv 12:45, and at least 45 minutes of that would have to be lunch. That is regular kindergarten with a lunch period added. (8) So much for the short day o( the successful ~orthmont program . · Furthermore, I am continually amazed that the educational sYstem so bla­ tantly lets adu l t convenience and cost determine what goes on in schools, hardly bothering to pretend any more that it's (or the good of the children. Since it appears that state after state is going to take cp this issue of mandating school at younger ages, please send us any information you can that will help those who want to fight it.

WHY JOHN WON'T TESTIFY To a homeschooler who asked John to testify in state legislative hear­ ings, Joh~ wrote : .. . The problem with my being an "expert" is that I have no creden­ tials that would impress any legisla­ tors who are disposed to be skeptical or hostile to homeschooling . (The ones who are favorable don't need any such testimony.) I have no degrees in education, have no teaching creden­ tials, and have never taught in a pub­ lic school, let alone one in your state . Forgive me for saying so, but am amazed at your statement that the onlY-experts in both education and homeschoo l ing that YOU know of are myself and Ray Moore. r enclose a copy of our I atest list of "Profes­ sors and Other Allies" from GWS 1!42. We have been running these lists twice a year for some years now, and most of the names on it have been on for some time ... Some of them would have more clout than either myself or Dr. Moore. We put these names in the magazine so that folks like your­ se l ves will make use of them, not just to look good in the magazine . Aside from these people, you

should have by now assembled at least a small list of educational "experts" in your own state who are favorable to home schooling. Persuading your legislators to give some legal protection to home­ schoolers is not a job that I can do for you from Boston. What I and my colleagues at GWS can do for you is what we in fact do - assemble and make available the largest possible list of ideas, arguments, resources, helpful people, etc. that we can. But it has to be up to you, and your coun­ terparts in other states, to make use of all that ammunition. I have no secret information; everything that I know-or learn, we put into GWS as fast as we can. Make use of it. I suspect, as I certainly hope, that your own testimony will be effec­ tive and sufficient . If not, you should begin, as you should have begun a year or more ago, to assemble a body of testimony and expert wit­ nesses that will be effective next time the legislature meets . Good luck, and let us know how things work out. If you submit written testimony, and it proves effective, please send us a COPy, so that we can make your experience and expertise available to other states ...

CANCER & MY FUTURE To the many readers who wrote letters saying how glad they were to hear about my recovery from my cancer and surgery, my warmest thanks. Many of you said that you hoped that I would write more about the whole ex­ perience, and since I had promised to do this anyway, I am glad to comply . First, let me say that my recov­ erv continues. As perhaps some of you may know, mv main exercise for about fo~ty years now has been weightlift ­ ing (exercising with barbells), and I am now using them again regularly. So for I have been using on each exer­ cise only about two-thirds of what I would have ca lled ",y "norma 1 " we ight , but I am gradually increasing the weights I use and expect to be back at the normal weights, or better, before next summer. What I am recover­ ing from mostly now is not cancer or surgery to remove it, but about five months of much reduced activity. In other words, I am working on getting back into shape, which is harder when you are in your 60s than in your 20s. But I'll get there . One of the thoughts that kept coming to mind as I struggled with this cancer was, "Why me?" Traveling on planes in July and August, now and then I would look around and see peo­ ple smoking, drinking their two cock­ tails before lunch, and generally eat­ ing and living unhealthily, and I would think, not so ",uch in resent­ ment as in simple curiosity, "How come I got this thing and they did not? " I continued to think about this in the hospital and in the two or three weeks after surgery when I didn't have much to do except think. I ike many, I had believed for some time that cancer is caused by, or at least made much more likely and de­ structive bv tension, stress, unre­ solved conflicts. But at first this didn't seem to have much to do with me. I was not working for some large organization, scrambling desperately to keep ahead of the pack. I did not think of myself as being part of that sort of rat-race . I liked my work and the people I worked with . In spite of some worries about the state of my country and the world, I felt, I