GRoWll{G WITHOUT SGHOOLING
keep from wrltlng IeEEers. If he had an bDlnton. he told someone - no matELr how'famous Ehat Person mtghr be. If he wanted to know something' he aeked - no maEter that no one elge
was asklng the same thlng. t'lhen.John had someEhlng to say, he hrroEe !E down, and moie oflen than noE he sent it tn the maiL to someone who would soon i{rlEe back. So John'e corresPon-
dence files conEaln llteralIY hundreds of conversatlons. If hls
publtshed writtngs are'- even.at-Ehelr
freshesE, necessarlly Ehe end ot a particul;r paEh of thoughc, Ehe leEEers leE ue see John quesElonlng' doubtlng, EeettnS thlnSs ouE' and withouE reallzlng lE - dre$tlng tor us the rlch Dersonal, Polltical and sociecal background agalnsE which his acEual dally work wes seE. As you saw ln Ehe lagt lgsuer we John Hblt was alwaYs surPrising have begirn planntng speclal.scttv!oeoole. He Eook some delight in thls; tieE here each month lnEcead ot a 8en- 6ftin. when he had a book abouE co eral "ODen House.tt ln JulY, WendY come 6uE, hls letEers would be full Baruch bhowed about 20 adults and of soecuiation abouE whether people chlldren how Eo weave bagkets, a fun would say "Johnrs.Sone too far thls and rewardlnq Dastlme. BY the Elme time," wfrether he'ii los-ome old vou ret thlsi ire'Ll have had the allt6s or make some new oneg. I f'HomEschooleis Plcntc,r' which wtll alwavg found - and I'm sttll ftnding tnclude an tmpromptu muslcal-Jan, a sur- that when John ssld something feastt iraternelon a treasure hunt, mosE lnEerusuallY it was Drlslnt lssue's thls Check and bubble-maktng. Lstlnri and EhaE if lc surprlsed even I'Calendarrr for S-ptember and October. those-6f us who rhought we knew hls Please noce lhese evenEs ar9 glsgEhlnklnc. it was especially worEhy ot er on the second ThursdaY of the eEcenEt6i. When John HoIc - flercely monEh. beEter The FamlIv ClrcIe 6rElcIe feacur- devoced to making schools olaces for chlldren - started seylng lnc che MEhE-?a-mfnay or nay noi ire was no lonqer lnterested ln chis' be-ln Ehetr SePt. 19 issue - we've some DeoDle reallzed Eheyrd beEEer heard confLicEing rePorts. Also, a oav atceirEion. OEhers decided he'd l,Jall SE. Journal reporter sPenE a it6pped ouc of Ehe terrlcory of confoT'iTfm-fri-EfiE phone with Pat nlFhls !s in Ehe letters: cerir, FarEnga, gathertnb facts, so i.taEch. john's efforts Eo explatn hlmself, to for ai irEtcle Ehere, anY of You who orove he meenE Ehls, and hls concern' read that publlcatlon. h!s raw disappoinEmenE' exPressed to Volunteer PatEl PiEcher of Maine h!s closest iblleagues and frlends. has lust flnlshed putEinS EogeEher an What comes through most strongly ln lndei to GWS #4I-50, plus the suppleche lecters ls that none of thls was menl YOUNG CHILDREN: NATURAL LEARNeasv. Perhaps the reason John was ERS. lle'1I have coples avatlable here EEG to defbnd hls ideas so sErongly for $1.50 (prlce lircludes postage). wes EhaE thev had been so hard-won. People often ask me where EheY can "You can'E liragine how much I haEed of flna GWS scortes on partlcular. faclnc Ehet.r' Ee said aE one Point coDics; I Eurn Eo the lndexes flrsc c5nclusion EhaE schools would noE of'all'and usually flnd whaE I had in hts chance. I thtnk ofEen now of the many mlnd. cr!cics, less famlllar itlEh John's Books go ouE of Princ so ofEen, work, who say bY waY of dlsmlssal' lE's a nlce surPrise when they come cook "Joh; HoIt girve up." John back. Two field- guides in our caEalog DrinEed spaae t.o answer this charSe ftE ouc of prin- for a whlle' buc iome of it rn GwS - buE he answered nord vou can 6qain geE them from us: mosElv bv Ealking abouE Ehe schools. REPT1LES AND AMPHIBIANS ($2.95) ANd one Ehini r beli6ve publication of SPoTTER'S HANDBooK ($3.95) . Johnrs lEtgers will do will be Eo In GWS #50, we ran a sEory make avallable a full story' one lhaE called "Frlendly DisErict in Mlnn." is aE Ehe same Eime the story of a Sharon HillesEad told us' too laEe' man's life and of a Particular era, thet the distrlct she r{trote abou! was wlEh lEs tenslons and beltefs. I'd ln Des Molnes, Ior.ra, noE Mlnnesota. tlke to thlnk that no one, after readShe apologlzed for not maklng Ehat ing John's IeEEers, will be able Eo clear. --- Donna Rlchoux sai "He cook che easy way ouEr" buE rather will, afEer exPerlenclns wiEh John a parElcular timer a ParEicular MKOFIIOLTETTERS lournev. be able Eo see wiEh more ilarlty'whac John was doing and why Slnce John died, those of us who he belteved tn oot"tr,l5;nnah want co conEinue his work (and EhaE sheffer crouo lncludes any and all of you who Enfnil of yourselvLs this way)- have had to think verY seriously abouE whac it means Eo do thaE. Irve been FElvCtulEERhlG.Gf.l lflT lucky enoughr in recenE weeksr-Eo exFrom the sPeech Norm Lee (NY) pertincd tFe coming EogeEher of Ewo qeve at che membrlal service for John ictivlEles which, in their relacion FoIt in OcEober 1985: to each other, have contribuEed dlrectlv to Ehis process. I've come ...In 1950, soon efter I hed Eo BosEan Eo work-on Gl,lS and, at the been flred from my first Eeachlns j9P same tlme, to organlze Johnrs lelEers for lhe s!n of using "unconvenEional'l for oubliiation.-Few tasks fit methods (I had surrounded my English tocether as neaEly as Ehese do; whlle htith paperback books and said' class puEtlnc, out GWS w'as a dally concern rrl-eEts read- oirr r{ay to Ehe doorrr) r I bf .lohi's for Ehe Past several years' discovered John's flrst book. I ran hls letters tell the storY of how he to my sElll-Eeaching friends. "Read carne Eo care about that' and whY. Ehls! HOW CHILDREN FEEL!rr "BuE' John, by his own edrnlsglonr couldnrt
C
52
o
o 6 I
o
U
lNorm Lee speaks
lJohn Holt
at the
memorial service
in oulncv, MA.october 'l985.
Norm," Ehey sald, rrEhe EiEle is
for
HOW
FAIL." 'rJusE read i!," I told chemTou'lI see tha! chis man knows whaE Ehose klds in your classroom ere golng through all daY." I Eook Eo suPPIYing PaPerback books Eo the kids ln schools, helping Chem seE uP booksEores - PromoEing readlns as a subversive acciviEY. (EnEirE villages were readtng paperbaek books just co see if Ehere were anv dirtv ones.) Then mY Ewo sons wei'e borir, and iE suddentY struck home: there were only Ewo Prlorities: I had to change Ehe schools before chey reached kindergarEen age' ancl I had- co sEoP war before Ehey reached 18. I later learned thaE Ehese were exacclY John's Priorities Eoo: Eo slop wir; and cb bring an end to Amerlca''s War on Children' So I scarEed Eraining Eeachers in college. Six Years LaEer, when I ftnaLlv iealized EhaC Chere tras as much chance for changlng Ehe insEicuEion as Ehere was to get Ehe morning sun from Ehe wesE' I gave uP enEirery on the svsEem and sEarced a sel!reliance'magazine. We would show peoDle thaE they could do mosE imPorEanE thtnss beccei- Ehan instiEutions. JusE Ehen-I 6Ti?l-John HoIE had sEarted GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING' and I wrote Eo him. CHILDREN
2
listened to the children Eirelessly. morning about 6 orclock, - One when $/e were walking quietly among Ehe tents in the campground'and eijoy_ ing the brighE JuIy morning sunshiie, John was sEopping to EighEen a Eent here and pick up a paper Ehere. We were talking very quietly abouE the way the world was going, and he suddenly said, "It will take a lons Eime for people Eo begin Eo lisEen t5 ctre John HoIEs and the Norm Lees. But eventually theyrll have Co, if Ehere is Co be any kind of livable world at all." I hras silenE all Ehe wav back to Ehe cabin. The thing about John is that he cared so deeply. He cared so deeplythat he made us care. We hear hiin talking Eo us when we play his tapes; hre are so graEeful that he left them for us to hear. We hear his voice when we read his words in his books. We see him in the letters in CWS. and in the encouragemenE it is giving Ehe growing number of people who are trying to make Ehis EhreiEened orb a place safe for the children he loved. We see him in Ehe faces of the child_ ren - in Eheir joy as they discover the world and mikL serse of it on their own terms. And we see him. too. in t.he Eender expressions on the faces of the peopLe assembled here, remembering him with loving hearEs... Karen Cox, an American in EngIand, wroEe in the nehrsleEter of EnU-
CATION OTHERWISE:
...AbouE a year afEer our arrival in Michigan, we arranged for John HoIt Eo come to vrestern Michigan to speak at two colleges.
...I remember Ehe firsC evening us. We had tak6n him to Ehe auditorium in mv husband's college where he was Eo sp6ak chat evening. While the crowd gaEhered, John saE on the edge of Ehe stage and greeEed the nearesE children. Soon there were children siEting on both sides of him swinging theii feeE and Lalking Eo him. B6ch-John and Ehe children appeared content to be there, nonb-of them thinking abouE the impression Ehey were maling, or whether there were "importanE"-people who should be paid attention. LaEer thaE evening, we Eook John and his ceLlo home with us. John had spent a busy day in traveLling, lecEuring, dining with dignitaries, and giving a formal address followed by a quesEion and answer period. tle hadexplained to our chiidren (then aees 5, 7 and 9) rhat he would verv li[elv be tired and want to eo straieht to' bed. But.iotr" ranreJ E" the children. He sat on "irir-"icrrthe oiano bench and took ouE his cello. The children crowded around curiouslv and he grinned at them but did noE oiav: they hadn't asked for a performance so he wasn'E giving one. Buc he did vJant Eo share something he loved and isnrt EhaE whac pliy is at its best? John sat Ehere'with his beloved celIo, almost shyly, and inviEed them, by his Look, to enjoy this vronderful thing with him. Wtieir they seemed fearful of touching if hi: said, "Do yolr want Eo heai the bumblebee?rr (Aha.l I thought, he's going Eo play something for Ehem. ThaE wiLl be nice. ) But he had someEhing else in mind. He made a sudden buzzing sound on the cello and Ehe children-lauehed wiEh delight and surprise. Beforel91g_ each of Ehem was having a go, all huddled round John and his cello. The chiLdren said goodbye wiLh genuine sadness when John left. Thev he
came Co sEay wiEh
hadn't had a chance ro finish carvine their HaIloween pumpkins with him before he had co- leive. BuE rsee vou in BosEonril we said to each other. And it was in BosEon that r^re meE again. This was perhaps the perfect prace Co see John. He once said fhat he felt incredibly lucky to be able to live in the city he ioved best, doing work he really enjoyed. hte meE hlm in his crowded office and took him with us for a picnic in the BosEon-PubIic Garden. hle three adults talked among ourselves and Eo Ehe children as Ehey came and rnrent. We Ealked about children, perhaps John's favorite topic. He founil chiidren endIessly fascinaEing, as we did. NoC everyone who says Ehe rishE thines about children iikes co 5e arorrf, them, but John did, His chief delighc in the office was a toddLer whose mother worked for GWS. The babv had Ehe run of che premises and a 6ig sign on the office door warned newcomers Eo enEer carefully so as noE Eo knock Ehe baby over,.. "LD."K|DSBLGSOft,l
A reader nrites:
...Our daughEer, who is now 13, was diagnosed as learning disabled in Ehe second grade in South Carolina. AE that time she r^ras an acute asthma-
tic. The school system tesged her while she was taking heavy doses of epinephrine, The drug caused her to lose her ability to concenErate and she- became hyper from the drug. My husband and I were verv uDseE. Sha couldn'E read and was very low on aII the Eests, they said... LAfter four more years of public and privaEe school] she has been home over a year now. We have watched her blossom into a warm, loving, selfassured-young lady, and we are very -orouo oI ner. As an aside, our friend here also has an L.D. sfudenE who is a teenager. He started having extreme physical problems from Ehe stress he felt at school. He was removed from school Ewo weeks ago and che physical problems have aImoiE totally iti;appeared. He is becoming seifconfident and self-assured. I should menEion thac my daughter who was Labeled an L,D. btudent in reading had taught herself Eo read by age 3. I would take her into bookstores and if she could Dronounce the Eitles of Ehe books she i^ranEed I would buy them for her. She would then bring Ehem home and read Ehem to me. Because we played games with her she could add, subEracE, multipLy and divide by the time she reached first grade. All of that was losE when she entered regular school. . . It has taken vears Eo deorosram her from che L.D. iabel. Ic hls Seen within Ehe LasL six months where she wiII read for pleasure... RICH FAIUILY PREFERS HCMESCIIOOL
Another reader wriCes:
...John HoIt indicated in TEACH hardly any subscribers Eo GWS or homeschoolers were wealthv. Well, my husband makes 9500,000 (five hundred thousand) dollars a vear. so obviously I could afford anythtng for my three children. However, we homeschool and plan to cont.inue Eo do so. There is no limit to the wonderful opporcunities r re can give our children r4rhen Ehey arenrt shackled by a YOUR OWN EhaE
school schedule. I have the lrorld aE fingertips with my husband's busi-
my
ness Eravels, and sometimes go on
short weekends with him, Ieaiing mv children wiEh another homeschoolini family, but I ache for my childrenthe whole Eime, and find ChaE my favorite Eimes of all are when i'm on the floor pLaying r^rith them, or working. Cogether wiEh them, or curled up in bed with them, etc. The besE thing about having money is having a housekeeper (jusE once a week for heavy cleaning)-so I can spend all my Eime hrith mv familv. I feel the Lord- has blessed me with' an idyllic siEuation. The kids don't even know we HAVE money, because we're stilI bargain hunEers, coupon clippers and g-neraIry EhrifEy consumers. They sEil1 need Lo learn Ehe values of-T-E?ift and hard work, so as our incone increases, our lifestyle does noE. This way we are able to bless others all thetime with money we donrE need, I am Erying to develop so many values in my children that I don,E see how it would be possible if they were away seven hours a day or more. I jrrst Ehought I'd leE you know we ARE out there... UMFRAIDSMRASSMENT David KenE (TX) gave us a copy
of a leEEer he sent Eo Linda Mifll' (TX), in response to "prevenEing
Truancy HarassmenE," GWS #50:
...Before we moved to Texas from Virginia in 1981, we were very concerned abouE Ehis quesEion- of profile. Why should we wasEe efforE and monEy in court action if someone blew che whistle on our skulking miscreant truants? And suppose we losE in court for some reiion? Much easier to hide them completely, exercise the greaCest caution even wiEh those who claimed to be homeschoolers, make friends with evervbody, evade direcE questions. A gieat deal was_at stake, vie thought, eiough to justify taking precautions untilthe day arrived that we feIE sure enough of our approach EhaE we could puE our heads ouE in public. As the children moved inEo slhool age, we considered pulLing our names from Ehe GWS direcEory. IE sounds as if Ehis is about where you are now. Then we did a real mental fliD. We saw that socieEy was intimidaEing us to the poinC we inEimidated the children, as surely as if we had hired an armed guard (or teacher) to pen Ehe children in during these "school hours." Us, the agent of the school system? ! We Ehen unwrinkled Ehe vThole sheet and decided to do just whaL we wanted Eo do wiEh our children, no maEEer lrhat. If the school system didn't boEher usr we wouldnrt bother the school sysiem. We Ehen relaxed and Ehe childreir bLossomed. So whaE happened? Were we boEh-
ered by cops? Yes. Were we bothered by the school system? yes. In fact, we were bothered by the Department of Human Resources. Birt we hab learned Eo walk right dovrn the middle of the
street like we o$rned it, and nothing One day Robert was _ 1) Cops. taking a printing proof from Ehe house Eo where I worked, abouE four blocks away, because we had a deadline. On his way home, a cop pulled up beside him and asked why he wasn't in school. Robert: "I homeichool.r' Cop: "Have you ever been to Ehe was sEopping us.
GROWING }IITHOUT SCHOOLING #52
Today, if someone asked me, I'Is police station?" Robert: "Why, no.'l school out Eoday?" I'd say, "No way, Cop: 'rWhaE's your address?" Robit's never out, we're homeschooling." ert Eold him, and Ehe cop moved on. If people see thaE you are deterNo great sweat for Robert, and Ehere mined, sure of yourself, and friendis a clear reason why this cop ly, and noE some radical flake, I stopped him: he was wearing his overalIs. Since Ehen when he has gone don'E think they'll give you problems, and your chiLdren would ouE during the day, Eo Ehe store or love it. wherever, he wears his good cLothes Of course, I am a radical flake. and is never stopped... We have no Never had ShakespeEie and the TV, so we neiCher dread nor glorify cLassics beat out of me in school, so cops; Eheyrre jusE guys, I read a Iot, stuff people wouldn't 2) AusEin school disErict. touch \^riEh a lO-fooE pole generally, Truancy lady came by one day for a so [ ]eave you with a couple of chat, to find out about a schooL-age cuotaE ions : chiLd. Oh yes, we had two, we said, Ehey are homeschooLed. Lady kept Obliged Eo wean our souLs from asking rrhaE iE was we didn't Like i-hinoc on which they thrive, abouE Ehe Austin schools. A couple of We give up living, just to keep davs later. we had a letcer in which alive. we were ordered under oain of courE Should they be said co Live who canaction and a $150 a day fine to geE noE breathe free air Roberc in school no Later than Or sce fhF 1 iqhr- wiEhouE Friday. [.le wrote a very stif f reply, oppressive care? describing in great detail whaE our program was, wirh a few legal poinEs - Maximianus Ehrown in, quoEed the remainder of How guard our life with gate sad Eo Ehe Texas school law Ehat the disand waLl, trict had omitted in its leCEer, And scarceLy trusE Ehe sErength of and never heard from Ehem again. our own hall. 3) DepE. of Human Resources. - Ovid ChiId neglect and educational neglecE was what we goE from DHR. They had heard from a source (whom, of course, And from Joseoh Ciano (MO): they could noE idenEify) that we had six people living in a two-bedroom . , . I have always homeschooled my aDarcment and iE looked Like some sons (12 and 14), I have never given sthool-aged children, too. Turned out consideration to school hours per se. Ehis nosy neighbor mistook for our We have gone anywhere aE anytime. children a couple of small girls who When people ask we simply state thaE pLayed noisiLy ouEside her window aIl they are homeschooled. We have never day, buE it was too Late for apolobeen threaEened with arrest. We have gies, then. AgenE came on Like a been lefE alone because we do not act ton of bricks: we would have an agent or think as if we were doing somecome out to Ehe house to interview us, so we hopped to it and prepared a Ehing criminal (having a good time). wriften statement and had her read iE I also do noE geE upset wiEh peopLe before we said anything, pulled ouE a if their mindset is geated to Ehe usuaL. Every conEact like that, "Is pad and pen and Eold her we were school out today?" is Eo me an opportaking noEes of everything said and tuniEy Eo publicize homeschooling, so waiEed. She read the staEement, said I welcome it. Ehey didn'E really want co pry, were It is difficult for my children surprised Eo learn I was employed go places on their own as we Live Eo (had been Eold otherwise), backed twelve miles from town. But even in right off, but said they wouLd have CA Ehey were never far from my watchEo refer Ehe chiLdren co the school districE, since Ehe homeschooling was ful eyes and ears. However, we might go to a shopping mall during "schooL out of cheir Eerritory; hence, #2 hours" and I might go shopping at above. So the bears have alL jumped Sears, etc. while they visiEed other aE us and run away. shops of interesE Eo Ehem. So, yes There remained Ehe neighbors, they would be "on lheir own." When and Ehese can be pesky. One old Lady quesEioned they mighE simply repLy, down Ehe street asked every Eime she "We are home educaEed and Eoday is a saw Robert why he wasn't in school. field day in Consumerism." My childThen one day she and I began Ealking ren are well aware of their legal about dogs and break-ins - two very right Eo be home educated and so am favoriEe subjecEs of hers - and I, so they speak with a greaE deal of during the conversaEion she said ouE authority and lack of timidiEy. They of the blue she had some kinfolks could probably quoEe Pierce vs. SocithaE had never gone to school, and a eEy of SisEers, etc. . . good thing, too, che way these awful schools were getEing, and in a second she was railing away at Ehe schools more effectively than mosE people CALJF: FRIENDLY @UNTY... couLd manage. Gave me a good chance From Connie Pfeil (CA): to expLain a couple of reasons why we wanted co Eeach Ehem at home, and now 1984: ..,When Gretchen Eurned 6 she is friendly with us. Other neighI sent--ii my affidavit and we became bors have been very friendly and interested in the childrenrs progress. a privaEe school. This year we Eransferred across the county to the IndeWe learned you can'E hide your children if you wanted to. Some home- pendenE Program at Ehe Venture school in another district. The program was schooling friends of ours nearby use originally for high school sEudents a Dost office box Eo be on the safe but last vear ooened its doors to side, and were shocked Eo hear a four younger homeschooling families. friend of Eheirs in town ask PointThis year the program has more Ehan blank, "How's Ehe home Eeaching 15 families. The gentleman who is coming along?" Everybody in town "supervising" us and his principal seems Eo knold iE, but nobody was are both incredibly supporEive of sayi.ng anyEhing and nobody was comhomeschooling, very open Eo our indiplaining; Ehey seemed Eo undersEand vidual ideas and, in facE, keep why our friends weren't outgoing and sEressing the imporcance of each co be sympatheEic wiEh what they are chil"d's own individualiEy and learndoing. GROUING iliTHOUT SCHOOLING #52
ing style. Each child receives a suppLy and material stipend of $I00, is encouraged to esEablish a relationship with the local school, buE for those of us from ot.her districEs, we have a formaL relationship wiEh a schooL in the new district. We wiII be able to use materials, library, compuEer room, etc. We also have access to Ehe Instructional Media CenEer and to old books being discarded. Our "supervisor" comes Eo visit every few weeks for an hour or so. to talk to the kids, answer any of my quesEions and just Eo get to know us so he can beEter helo us find whaE we wanE and need. We are asked to keeD a dailv journal of activities, crbarive momenEs. and reflecEions. l,le are also going to "assess the effecEiveness of our homeschooling program" with a couole of Eests. This is kind of thrbatening, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. 0n Ehe one hand, I'd like to "know how she's doing," and then, wiEh a post-Eest, how I did. But on Ehe oEher hand, I don't believe tests are Ehe way Eo find that ouc. , . IJohn HoLt commenEed here: rrNor do I. AII tests measure or can measure is how good you are at taking EesEs - which might be interesting to know. BuE theyrr donrt and canrt mea-..-^
r
^^--i ,,rr15. -^
l
J
L986: ,..Thinss are even becEer here ifr-fontra CosEa County than they were in '84. There are now five
school districts
with
Home SEudy
Pro-
grams - Ehe original one (San Ramon), and four others, MounE DiabLo, MarEinez, Byron, and Brentwood. They aLl offer different programs and some are more enthusiastic than others. lJe were with Ehe San Ramon program in
'84-85 but are now wiEh the Mount Diablo onei as iE is cLoser. These cwo have the Largest programs; the others have iust one or two families. ...The Mount Diablo program is a more sEructured program Ehan San Ramon's was lasE year. They are giv-
ing us (in exchange for the $2,000 Average Daily Attendance tax money) appropriate school Eexts, $30 of supplies from Ehe cenEral warehouse, use of equipment (tabLes, maps, video
stuff, filmstrip viewers and films, models, cassecEe Eapes, arc prints, etc , , etc . ) and monEhly workshops/ sem-
inars for the parent-teachers. The Teacher, Marj DeWiEt, visiEs each home Ewice a monEh and also arranges field crips and helps Eo make all Eherrneat scuff| of Ehe districE available to us: GifEed and TalenEed classes, assembLies, Iibraries. In recurn each family signs a contract which is really very accepEabLe... InEerested people or school districts can write to Joyce Hardy, Home Study Program Administrator, Mt. Diablo School District. 2730 SaLvio St, Concord CA 9451-9 . . . Home SEudy
IDR: I connie mentions a rrcontracti beiween Ehe family and Ehe school districE, and I just want to say briefly that, to the best of GROl,lING l,llTH0UT SCHOOLING #52, Vol . 9 No. 4' ISSN #0745-5305. Publ'ished bi-monthly by Holt MA 02,l16. Associates, 729 Boy'lston St, Boston 'l986. Second$20lyr. Date of Issue, August 1, paid M. at Boston class postage POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Gt'lS' 729 Boylston St, Boston MA 02]16. ADVERTISERS: Deadlines are the l5th of oddnumbered months. Chnistmas Shopping Ads due Sept. l5 (GtlS #53), Contact Patrick Farenga.
4
knowledge, whaE educators call "contractsrr and what a courE would consid-
cuted because school was ouE for
the summer, but there were rumors that some districEs in Alameda CounEy er a I'contracc" are-two very differwere looking for families to take to ent Ehings. I plan to e,rrite more court in the fall. Ginny said thaE about this in Ehe next GWS. many homeschooling families were afraid to rrrock Ehe boaE" and hoped chaE the whole affair would blow Al,lD AI{ UNFRIENDLY ONE over, No one was raising money; no In May, the Alameda County one knew any helpful lawyersl many people in neighboring councies were school suoerinEendenE sent a rrNotice Regarding-'Home Schools"' to all fami- taking the aEEitude, "It's noE happenIies in Ehe ,:ounty who regisEered as ing to us, so we don't have Eo do anyprivaEe schools. It said: Ehing.rr She says Ehat che best thing Ehat has happened so far is EhaE California' s Comoulsorv AttencommunicaEion between Ehe fundamentaList ChrisEian homeschoolers and dance Law requir-es chit eveiy child shall aEtend full-time schooL from oEhers has imoroved. Fremont, is Ginny' s ilistrict, age six through age sixteen. That law introducing an Independent Study proreouires EhaE alL children be engram, which she is working to make roiLed in one of the following: l. oublic school similar Eo the ones in San Ramon and 2, brivate school Concord (see Connie Pfeilrs leEEer in 1 ^-i,.-ts^ this issue). No disErict in Alameda J. PrrvaLe LuLorlng program A nrrmber of narents have been County, which includes BerkeLey, Oakland, and Hayward, yeE offers IndepeneducaEing their own children wiEhin Eheir own homes, outside of the struc* dent SEudy. Eure of a public school sysEem, using the private school exemption by filing an annual Privace School Affidavit with this office. A recent AIa- @JRTNE\A6 ARKANSAS: On May 19, Doty and meda County CounseL Opinion on Ehis Phyf fiE-tr|fr-fTy f iled- suic in iJs oismaEter has sfipulated Ehat such "home Erict Court, asking thaE the recenE school" teaching is not a legitimaEe private schooL, but is acEually a pri- homeschool law be declared null and vate Eutoring program. Private tuEors void. in CaLifornia are required to hoLd a OHIO: There's been progress in a numbeF-6f the ohio prosecuEions, valid California Teacher's Credential for Ehe grades and subjects to be according to the June issue of CLONLARA/HOME BASED EDUCATION PROGRAM'S Caughc, and such credentials musE be newsletEer. In each case, Ehe issue verified by rhe school disErict of residence of the student. was that the parenEs did not possess lf you are operaEing, or cona bachelor's degree, and in mosE of a schoolr" the cases, the judge remanded the sidering operating, "home issue back to Ehe schools for a oroand do not hold a valid teaching creper adminisEracive hearing. Ohio- law dential, we suggest you conEact your schooL disEricE of residence Eo endoes noE specifically require a colroll your child now for fall semesEer lege degree, only that parents be classes. Enrollment in a recognized "qualified to Eeach.'l privaEe school would be Ehe only TENNESSEE: Ramona Sumner (7637 oEher accepEable alternative (except Huntei-R-if,--TTfson TN 37 343 ; 6L5for vaLid privaEe tutoring) to public 842-7789) lost custody of her two school enrollment. older children in a recent divorce, If you hoLd a valid Eeaching in large part because of her homeschooling, She would appreciaEe any credential and wish to tutor sfuhelp or suggestions, denEs, those studenEs must be regisTEXAS: The sEate was granEed an Eered through their school district exEenEf6fr-unEiI July 28 in Attorney or resloence. Tr ic ih6 rocnnncihiliru nf Shelby Sharpe's class action suit, parents EhaE their children comply Leeper et al v. Atli.E!ot_I.99-pstdgg! # SCnOOl ljlSCrlCr eC aI. wiEh Ehe Staters Compulsory Attendance Law, and those sEudents not compLying with that law will be deemed EruanE. OIHERIOCALNE\AE William Berck SuperinEendent For addresses of homeschool organizations, see GWS #48, or our "Homeschooling Resource Listrr' $1. C0LOMDO: Some interestins items IDR: ] Pamela Pacula (CA) of HOME CENTERED LEARNING says, "I donrE see from EEE-frEFdleEters of Ehe coaoRADo that Ehe CounEy has a legal leg to HOMESCHOOLING NETWORK and the NORTHERN COLORADO HOME SCHOOL ASSO_ sEand on if homeschoolers meet the chaLlenge." There are no requirements CIATION: The Colorado Home Schooling Adviin California staEe law abouE where a privaEe school may meeE or who may sory CommitEee continues to meet Eeach in one, monthly wiEh sEaEe officials Eo work The Oakland Tribune oublished a on problems. The group has succeeded supporEive editorT?T-6fr-Ji:ne 26 : in revising the form for "ParenE Re"...Those parenEs who choose Ehe home quest to Use Home-Study Systems," buE schooling alEernative should be they were not able Eo remove the rrord allowed co do so wiEh minimal sEaEe "Requestr" offensive to some, as the regulation and without fear of sEate sEaEe regulations specifically use it. A homeschooling parent, Leona harassmenc. Stace compulsory educaHemmerich, is running for State Board tion laws originally $rere meant to ensure aIl children an opportunity Eo of Education, and anoEher candidate, Jerry Crisp, says he supports home become literate, not to give formal schools. educaEors a monopoly on dlspensing Homeschoolers and state offilearning... Professlonal educators clals met rrith reDresentatlves of would be beEEer off concenEreElng on Ewo school dlstritEs, Aurora and the results they get from sEudents Cherry Creek, whlch usually turn down who do. attend chelr schools..,rl (CA) homeschool requests. As yet there has says Ehat Ginny Schwlngel been no change ln the boardsr acEions. as of mid-July, the situaEion wes aC CHRISTIAN LIBERTY ACADEMY has rea standsEill. Nobody was being prose..
fused to seek approval from the StaEe Board of Education. About 50 families
in Lhe
sEaEe have been
using Eheir
maEerials. The sEate has no choice but Eo deLete CLA from the lisE of staEe approved curriculums.
KANSAS: KANSANS FOR ALTERNATIVE
reDorts thaE a revised truancy law ias passed May 8. For the EDUCATION
first Eime, truant officers must give written noEice to families of susoected truanLs, and the parenEs have 5 days to give an "acceptable response." Every reporC of truancy must n6w be invescigatbd by Social ahdRehabiliEaEive Services, or by Ehe counEv attornev. MnnYLanl: LasE year, Jim Mayor (2682Tffi;ld, Chapel' Dr, Damascus 20872) obtained the homeschool oolicies from each county in Che sCate and Eyped up a one-pige summary 1ist. Might be useful for those looking for the best possible district in MaryIand; send him a SASE for a copy. However, the Mayors caution thaE some policies have already changed since the lisE was made. MICHIGAN: Rep. Tim Walberg has inEroduced House Bill 5356, which would remove the teacher certification requiremenE for homeschooLers, and require parents Eo Eest their homeschooled studenEs in the 4th, 7Eh and lOth grades. Test results would not be submiEted Eo sEate or local 6ilEhorities, Supporters and opponents of the biLl testified at a oubLic hearing June 20. There will-be Ehree more hearings and the bill will probably go Eo commiEtee in September, Meanwhile, Pat Montgomery of CLONLARA SCHOOL and three families fiLed suit on June 20. They named 13 sEace officials as defendanEs, and said Eheir civil rights have been abused, as Ehe regulations as appl-ied Eo homeschoolers are unconstitutionaLIy vague. ONTARI0: Some homeschoolers are conceii-e-d-?5ouc the "shapiro Report, " which recommended more state control over private schools. Barney McCaffrey has set up the rrCitizenrs CommiEtee for Academic Freedomrr (PO Box 27I, Killaloe, Ont. ) to rrinform and educate legislators and Ehe gen* eral public on some of the more sinisEer implicaEions of Shapiro's recommendations.tl
tors
TEXAS: The May Texas Home Educa-
E ter savs-Tffit-ii-6F of=Ee public protesc of their proposed definition for "privaEe schools" (GWS #5f), the SEate Board of EducaEion has drafted a formal resolution urging the Texas Legislature to either define the termsrrDrivaEe school" and "oarochial schooi" or to authorize thi StaEe Board to do so. The state officials say that for now, home schools are to be Lreated as private schools. WEST VIRGINIA: Deirdre Purdv of ALTERIFTTVES-TM-trDUCAT I ON re Dor t i Ehat a three-Derson commiEEeb - a lawyer who is-a homeschooler, and representatives from WEST VIRGINIANS FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM and WEST VIRGINIA HOME EDUCATION ASSOCIATION - met with Ehe sEate superintendent abouE Ehe Attorney General's ruling on home schools ("Trouble in W.V., GWS #51). The superintendent agreed not Eo prosecute anv families unEil 1987 if homeschooleri brought a "friendly EiiEil to geE Ehe issue settled. So all of the above groups are raislng money, and Deirdre and Wally Purdy (and probably other femilies is weli) wtllfil! sult in Kanawha CounEv Clrcuit Court (CharlesEon). Thev will ask for a "declaratorv iudqement" on their behalf. a EacEia EhaE John Holr ofEen
ItrEwJfe
quence
GROIIING !lITHOUT SCHOOLING #52
3
recommended. WYOMING:
An AP sEorv from
Cheyefrn{Tdred. 615/86, iays Ehere are 107 home schools across Ehe sEate, wiEh about l8l students. In che Spring/Summer newsletEer
of WHEN (WYOMING HOME EDUCATION NETWORK), Jack Murphy wroEe, "For a while iE appeared thac Albany County horne educators would be required Eo submic a dailv schedule and to reveal EesE insEruments used for the children. However, that proposal Idas withdrawn after objections were raised by some home educators'.' If such imposiEion is made, r^7e have been advised thaE home educators should comPlY wiEh Ehe LeEter of che law by submitting to the board (or adminisErator) evidence of a sequenEially Progressive curriculum in fundamenEal academic topics buE noc feel obLigaEed Eo comolv rrich the other local requiremenEs..." - DR CATENDAR 24,1,-I985 : HoIE AssocilepEenber House. "Mem6?ies of John ates Ooen Holt. "- Special guesE Peggy Hughes ' ' of John's colleague and close friend since 1959. 6-8 PM. AE our office; 437-1550. ohone ' OcE. Ll-12: Columbus DaY Weekend Conf e?e-frd4--NETional Coal iE ion of AlEernative Community Schools. In Boston area. ContacE Ron Miller, 6L7 -492-L923 . Open House. OcE. 22: Holt Assoc. r' t'Ie ' 11'have 3 "MeetThE-ME'clnEosh. Mac computers here for hands-on experiences in arc, music wriEing' deskEop publishing, eEc. 6-8 PM. Phone 437 -L550. Nov. 8-9: British Columbia 4th AnnuaT-IEE?fring Fair. l0 AM - 6 PM. Columbia College, 6037 Marlborough' Burnaby BC. $5 per adulE, $7 per famiLy. Contact Sandy Hanson, 604684-5605. We are happy Eo run notices of major homeschooling evenEs, but we need pLenty of notice' Deadline for GWS #53 (evenEs in November & LaEer) is Sept. 15. Deadline for GWS #54 (events in Jan. & later) is Nov. 15.
GET-TOGETHERS
AAI D FAI
RS
l'lhen Susannah asked Susan Richman (PA) how this yearrs "Homeschoolers Weekend" wenE at their farm, Susan replied:
...After doing this for five years I Ehink werve learned a lot about having Ehis sort of big gettogether EhaE mighE help others who are thinking abouE hosting someEhing similar. Every year iE all Sets easier, coo, rather Ehan harderr more enjoyable for our family and I hoPe for everyone else. I'm wanting Eo
explore jusE why I think iE's gone so wer [. First, we are not afraid nold to be VERY organized. Schedules typed uP and passed ouE to folks lisEing Eimes of discussions, meals, kids' activiEies available. It's all ouE in the open, so people know what to exPect, and chen r{re see to it thaE it real Ly does happen, by announcing Ehings via loudspeaker, etc. This year we had four Eime sloEs for discussions on SaEurday (starting afEer Iunch) and two discussion times on Sunday, wiEh Ewo or Ehree choices each Eime sIoE. I know the first year we had the Weekend I'felt very unsure about whaE tvoe of structure to have - I didn'E *iitt to appear like a school wiEh GRO}IING }IITHOUT SCHOOLING #52
bells ringing and schedules to follow, buE aU the same time I wanted people to know fhac l^re had planned a lot for them, thaE they'd made the usualLy LONG triP for someEhing lrorthwhile and substanEiaL' noE just a vague picnic of chiE-chaE. We've been to a few too manv of Ehose... I always try to involve as many people as possible in brainstorming ideas for discussion sessions' trying to make them focused and concrete - for monEhs ahead of cime I'm always asking homeschooling friends whaE they'lL wanc Eo talk about aE Ehe Weekend. The discussions I've been parE of have aII been good in-dePrh -sharing cimes, noE "once over IighEBeyond planning for Ehe ParenE discussion rimes, tFere's Ehe' plannine for aLl the kids - I0O or more eacE time. I've feIE iE's especially importanc Eo help Ehe kids feel EhaE we indeed welcome Ehem fully' We've NEVER had a "leave Ehe kids with a kind aunt or grandmoEher" Eype of announcement; insEead, r{te encourage whole families Eo come, seeing this as a good place for homeschooled kids Eo meeE one anoEher informalLy' Kids had several options this year - they were welcome to sit in on and take part in Ehe discussions if they wantbd ro, they could join in a number of acLiviEies planned by families (these were all clearLy Located by maps and sisns and wriEEen up on the schedule of-the dav. and *e ilso announced Ehem over- our loudspeaker system when their Eime came), Ehey could swim or fish in our pond (wi!h parenEs), or they could just PLay with friends around and abouc. Anyone planning on someEhing Ehis size should be having sure -hey do have enough SPACE for everyone, especiaLly kids, Eo sprea9 ouE, We also made a "hay jumP" in the barn, and EhaC was a good hit with kids. Also had Ewo new baEches of kittens and Ehey were carried and loved and patted all weekend long' and kept many kids happy. I was especialLy pleased that Ehis year several KIDS led activiEies - Emily and Niki Kissel (6 and 9) Ied a gymnascics Eime, teaching everyone a simple routine, Nathan Wilcox (9) gave a puppeE show EhaE showed how to make several Eypes of puppets, Jaime McMillan (8) demonstrated how Eo make naEure prints, and Willy Moffat (11) worked with his mother in helping kids make junk sculptures. Last year Emily Murphy (12) demonscrated several science experimenEs, and her good feelings abouE iE were what led Eo her family hosting Last fall's "Homeschoolersr Science Fair.tt We sEarted asking aII Parencs to help with providing famiLy accivities after Howard felE exhausted by being a one-man enEercainmenE crew for the first several years. He'd lead nature walks, sing-alongs and square dancing in the barn, demonstraEed goaEmilking, and got freeze-tag games going. He did everyEhing excePt talk to another adulE or join in a discussion session. We realized we needed help, and lots of it, so lasE year we wrote righE on Ehe registration form for the Weekend EhaE ALL families would need to provide some half-hour activity Eo share with others while discussions were going on - and everyone came through. (Oh, noE everyone' buE plenty enough - we didn't really expecE that EVERYONE would offer something, and didnrt need THAT many activicies anyway! ) Howard has really appreciated Ehe change, and feels like HE has a greaE time at the Weekend now. too.
ThaErs probabLy Ehe first
and
most important rrrule" about having somelhing like Ehis - make sure you
structure it so that YOU have a good Eime and donrt feel Put uPon. In line with this I make sure that I hardly step in Ehe kiEchen all weekend to tidy up or do dishes or mix juice (leE alone cookl), buc inscead am careful to let others know how THEY can help, and try Eo have everyching labeled beforehand so that things are reasonably easy to find. Everyone is always very helpful abouE cleanup' especially kids. We always have a "watermelon and popsicle" cleanup afEer SaEurday night's poEluck suPper - all kids who help ouc ltith gaEhering up liEcer for five minuces geE fiisE go at slices of watermelon and, Ehis year, yogurE and orange juice popsicles, . .
I'm including a coPy of
Ehe
schedule we had Ehis year, so you can see what topics were discussed. Seems all did indeed go well' and were well attended, The one year we offered FOUR concurrenE sessions and onlY chree cime slots, things seemed to drag, and always one discussion
folded because not enough folks showed up. BecEer, we've found, Eo have Eo end sessions a biE before Ehings geE sEale chan co ho-hum through Che lasE 20 minutes. ...There are more and more really commiEEed and serious and LONGTERM homeschoolers atEending fhe Weekend. Less and less of che families whose oldesE child is ll months old and who Ehink che idea is wonderful, buE who fade away when kindergarten Eime comes aLong." In every discussion Ehere were LOTS of experienced folks who've been aE this for Years and couLd show many differenE PersPecEives, and discuss how things have changed for Eheir families over many homeschooling years. One moEher, a "novice" and a bit nervous abouE doing everyEhing 'rrighE," said lhaE she was so oleased ro find Ehat there was no ONE i^ray co do chings properly, that each family musf instead find their own way'.. She had aE first a chance Eo viewed che i,leekend as take notes from Ehe ttexpertsrtt and I think was grateful to find instead chaE she felc now a bit strengEhened in her abiliEy Eo make her own decis ions . onp intPrestins discussion was on the value of networking' nel^rsleEEers, geE-Eogethers, group ouEings' support groups, eEc. - and how much "Eogetherness" among homeschoolers is iusE Eoo much crouble and even inEeriupEive of homeschooling rathe! than suboorEive of iE. Asain the differentls between familles were broughE up - some feeL much greater "homeschooling social needsI chan others, and enjoy and take Part in regular group gatherings ' For oEhers a VERY few gatherings a year is just right' recharges them enough and lets Ehem geE in touch wiEh other families they mighE wanc Eo get to know betEer on chair own Eime. I think it is perhaps a mistake for homeschooling groups to
THE BASICS Simple, practical adviss on how to teach vour children at home. SPECIALOFFER: Onty $6.95 + $1.00 Post. & Hand ALTERNATIVE EDUCATTON SOURCES
24
worry Ehat by keeping Ehe girls ouEof si:hool I iray be deprivlng Ehem of an enjoyable experience. . . 1986: I asked Eeacher friends of mine w=EE'E they thought of French immersion. Both rePlied thaE theY
would noE pur their own children in such a program. One remarked Ehat French immersion was beneficial Eo onlv a verv few studenEs - those who
reclived a loE of enrichment at home' For the average 5-year-old in kindersarEen the nevt and sEressful experiEnce of school and Ehe frustraEion of suddenly having to learn a new language were too much. Discipline probleis are rampanE, according Eo these teachers. The chitdren vent their fruscrations on each other and the Eeacher. FurEhermore Ehe kids are beins. Eurned off French and most do not Epeak it at alL once EheY have lefc the classroom.One friend subsEituted in a French classroom and finalLv in desDeration asked the students c6 secrle'down, in English. The kids Eaunted her, chanting "You spoke English." Hardly a healthy situaEion toY learning Eo love and appreciaEe another langiage. I do know a little girl in Ehe French immersion Program wno seems Eo be doing well (her French is lovelv) buL Ehis is not withouE a price-. Her mother tells me she comes irome tired and irriEable mosE days. She also sets teased a lot for bringine nucriEious food for her lunch. I haVe ruled out French immersion for my two grrls. . .
ever since. It was afEer watching her I began to realize the advanEages in eccess Eo language she had. And how she enjoys itl By age 2 her EinY hands were fingerspelling Ehe alphabeE as well as being able Eo sign most of her verbal vocabulary. By age 3 she could wrice on PaPer' read and
sign Ehe full alphabet, numbers I Eo 10, and spell smaLl words - cat' van, friendsr names ' etc. ' . SESAME STREET SIGN LANGUAGE FUN was our daughter's favorite book from age 15 monEhs on. It includes lors of drawings of Sesame Street characters ' and photos of a real Person making the signs. . . The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE DEAF oublishes several colorful children's posters of the Manual Alphabet feaEuring animals and objecEs (whose name begins with the corresponding leEter) demonsEraEing each sign. Wrlte for Eheir catalog of Posters, sign language books, and games: NAD, 814 Thayer Av, Silver SPring MD 209r0...
MICT,JONI MATH
CFIffTT I.SEFUL
In an arEicle abouE maEh that Susan Richman wroEe for Western PA Horneschoolers ' #16: ...At times we've used the I'Miquon Mathlab MaterialsU just as another resourcer one choice among many, Jesse (8) would diP inEo Ehem as he pleased, not worrYing abouE doine Lhe work "in order." This was fine-for a while' buE left him unable Eo undersEand some ideas thac had E SGN LAl.lGtlAGE rcR EVER/Ci over time. Sometimes been builE uD -specific I'd suggest Pages to him, From Alison Parra in Mexico: eicher because I EhoughE he'd find Ehem especially intriguing or because ..,stephanie JudY (BC) wrote in they covered something I felc he Gl^lS #48 abouL her use of American oughE to be learning abouE. sisn language wiEh her daughter... I At firsE ure didn'E nocice or use reallv 6leased to read her leta nice feature abouE Ehe books. "al ter. as i-c ichoes a stronglY held a charE on the back cover belief of mine thaE all of us as Par- There's listins all Ehe Pages in Ehe book bY ents should be doing Ehe same wich cacegoiies - multip!.icaEion, addiour children. tion; inequaliEies, fracEions' ...I reallY believe Ehe world mapping, ecc., with Iittle boxes for would be a lot better Place if hearealh pige number. I realized EhaE ing children automatically learned Jesse mishE work wiEh more concentrasote sign so Ehat EheY, as adults, Eion in Ehe books if he could mark in could aicept and discover their Deaf on the charE which pages herd comthe for worked Having neighbors... pleted. It would be a waY for him to years inEerPreter an as DasE seven track of his own progress',give keep see I Deaf, for the educatoi lnd him-a graphic picture of where he'd clearly EhaE their biggest obsEacle been and was going, and what ro is the attiEude of Ehe majority ot ahead. exDect - Using hearing people towards them. the charts has been a reaL ...1 will never forget when, aE turn-around. Jesse loves seeing the Ewo weeks old, our daughEer first boxes get filled in, even began caughE sight of her father. signing to inventing little games about armies me.-She Iiterally cracked his hands advancing and conquering all the new vJith wide eyes, craning her neck as terriEories as his yellow crayon he walked around Ehe room siSning. filled in Ehe boxes for Pages comThis was my first babY, and I hqd.. We also began setting goals pleted. said that books the ail believed "By - I asked Jesse when he hoPed to have six weeks you can Put uP a mobile Ehen Eo fot taby to begin focus- one book completed, and over Ehe pages he'd need. "?ib intensity with which she figure out how many inq on," The Eo complete daily (noE counEing weekwaEched our signs from Ehe sEarE ends) to reach his goal. For Ehe oroved our hands to be as fascinaEing third book, Jesse set March 1st as iand much more portable) a focal his completion goal, found he'd need Doint, and thaE she was seeing much Eo do two pages a day for the next iarlier Ehan I'd been lead Eo bemonth and a tratt to finish uP - and lieve... I believe babies'desire Eo Ehen oroceeded Eo choose on his own know and intelligence are alreadY even on weekends E6-E-6eE-Te'd to fully functioning from birth; so why "oi-k us all by finishing uP. surprise noE make our language EhaE much more barlvl He sometimes decides to do accessible from the start? more- Ehan two pages if he geCs ParEic...My husband is deaf and I am ularly excited by sonething, but not. Our baby was also born hearing' doesn't use EhaE as a reason to not In our home she l^ras' naturallyt do maEh work the next day' although alwavs exposed Eo boEh Sign and he knows thaE would be 0K bY me. When Voicird-Iairguage. She signed her first Jesse conpleEed his book two weeks words a few weeks before she sPoke early he immediafely wanted Eo dive her first words' and words have been inEo the nexE, and is now zooming Eumbling off her fingers and IiPs
alons in the fourEh book (correcEion - as-I'm retyping this he's finished the fourth book, earlY, and has begun Ehe fifEh). He is still free ro choose whlch sectlons of Ehe books he works ln, alEhough he is now verY diligenE about being thorough and doing everything evenEuallY' He explains Ehat Ehese out of sequence blbcks on his charc are surPrise raids tnto enemy EerriEorY - we've been reading locs of books abouE Ehe Civil War Lately, so you'll have to excuse the battie imaleryl I do thlnk thac his "playing" wiEh Ehe chart shows that he's found a way' on his or^rn, Eo transform whaE miShE have been dull work info quit.e exciEing play - and his PIay makes the work his own. Carol Wilson of Pictsburgh EelIs me her son, Luke, also enjoys Ehis goal setEing, chart-filling-wiEh Ehe Miquon books' They seem to like perhafs, having everything ouE in Ehe open, a clear agenda Ehey can unoerstand, and have a share in shaPing and pacing. I know, Eoo' iE helPs Jessb to know EhaE a number of our homeschooling friends also use these books. He likes hearing how oEher kids are doing wiEh them... IoR: The Miquon workbooks are available from KEY CURRICULUM PRO-
JECT, PO Box 2304, Berkeley CA 94702.)
i\4ATHE[IAflChN Kltl@fâ‚Ź
SO{@-S
From "Learning Math BY Thinking"
by Fred M. Hechinger' the New York Times. 6/7O186:.
...Dr. Hassler Whitney' a distinguished mathematician aE the InsLicute for Advanced
SEudY
in
PrinceEon, says chat for several decades mathematics Eeaching has larselv faiLed' He predicEs EhaE the cltrient round of Eougher sEandards and longer hours threaEens to "Ehrow greaE numbers, alreadY wich 8reaE., math anxieEy, inEo severe crrs].s.' Dr. WhitneY has sPent many Years in classrooms, boEh teaching maEhematics and observing how it is EaughEt and he calls for an end co what he
considers wrongheaded waYs. Long before school' he saysr-
very young children "learn in manlfold i^tays, aE a rate thaE will never be equaied in later life, and with no formdl Eeaching." For examPle, they learn to speak and communicate, and Eo deal vrith Eheir environment. YeE the same children find much simpler Ehinss far more difficult as soon as formally taught in school' Ehey-are Learning maEhemaEics, Dr. WhiEnev says, sh5uld mean "finding one's wav thloueh problems of new sorEs' rLsponsibiliEY for Ehe anl cakin[ resulLs. t' "This has been comPletelY forqoEEen'r in most schools, he finds. fiThe pressure is now Eo pass scandardized tests. This means simPIY Eo remember the rules for a certain number of standard exercises at the momenr of Ehe tesE and Ehus 'show achievement.' This is the lowesE form of learning, of no use in Ehe ouEside world. t' Dr. WhiEney, in a recenE rePort in che Journal of MaEhematical Behaviourr@in I9TT-bv L.P. Benezet, then suPerintendenE oi schools in ManchesEer, N.H' Mr. BenezeE was distressed over eiehth qraders' Poor command of en!lish-and Eheir inabiliEy Eo communicate ideas. "In the fall of 1929,'t he wroEe in 1935, I'I made uP mY mind to try an GROI{ING }IITHOUT SCHOOLING #52
25
experiment of abandoning all formal insEructlon in Arithmetic below the seventh grade and concenCraEe insEead on teaching ghe children Eo read, to reason and reciEe" by reporting on books they had read and incidents they had seen. The children were no longer made Eo sEruggle wiEh long-
This morning I suggesEed doing a bit more. He goE the Eext and sat at the table with me. He hadnrt done one page before Ehe anger showed up. "There's no sense in Ehis!tt I tried
to explain. "I can'c understand it!"
The book got put away. He'd done fine when the only prompting was his own curiosity and desire Eo learn. As soon as I sEepped in co direct and help him he resented my inEerference and it became impos-
division, 'rFor some yearsrtt Mr. BenezeC wenE on, "I had noEiced that Ehe effecE of early introduccion of ariEhmetic had been Eo dull and aImosE chloroform Ehe childrs reasonsible Eo do any math. (Andrew has coning faculEies.'l tinued to work on his own and TE-uo Over the years numbers crept to page 73. ) into children's experience, Mr Matchew (6) has a good head for Benezet said. They learned Eo deal numbers and undersEands more Ehan I with "halves" and "doubLes," wiEh give him crediE for, The lasE time we esEimaEes of size, wiEh a natural played Yahtzee he added Ehe column of development of multiplicaEion tables two-digiE numbers one aC a Eime; and slowly, wiEh formal ariChmeCic. "22+25=47 , 47+15=62, 62+37=93, eEc.rl Mr. BenezeE concluded EhaE chiLd- It took awhile, buE he did iE. He ren who had noE been dragged into ended wiEh Cwo Ehree-disiE numbers'to early but only dimly undersEood add, 108+156. He sEarted to wriEe a 2 maEhematics evenEuallv ouEdiscanced in Ehe hundreds column. I jumped in, those who had. LiEeracy in English 'rNo. Add uhe ones first and carrv. and a capaciEy to Ehink independencly I ike Ehis don't understani. and to speak and wriEe clearly helped Isnrt the answer 264?" I apologized many Co do well in maEhemaEics, Eoo. for buEting in and kicked myself. ...In Ehe traditional school hlhen he had competenEly added che clirnate, Dr. Whitney wriEes, childEhro-digic numbers Ehis way, why had I ren's naEural Ehinking "becomes thoughE the three-digiEs would be Eoo graduaLly replaced by aEtempts aE much for him?, . . rote learning, with disasEer as a resulE," In high school, scudents increasingly say, rrJusc Ee11 me which CCI/PUTER CAIJSES ]ENISilChI formula co use,rr a way of saying Last year we boughE our children "Don'E ask me Eo think." Because Eeachers musttrcover the ScoEE (16) and Mandy (10) a Commodore material," Dr. Whitney adds, there is CompuCer. They seE it up in Ehe Less time Eo Ehink. When sEudenEs are living room, and from that day forcalled on, Ehey musE answer instantward we never had another peaceful Iy. Wrong answers are not discussed. moment. ScoEt copied about'20 games rrSEudents and Eeachers are aLI from his friend's comouter. and their vicEims" as nacional commissions lives now revolved arbund comDuEer clamor for more maEhematics r.riEhouE games; they had no inEerest in prorealizing, Dr. tlhiEney warns, Ehat gramming. they may creaEe less knowledge and My children usually geE along more anxiety, He says it is crucial very well wiCh one anoEher; rareLy do Eo stop just learning Ehe rules... they geE into a heated argumenE. However, once Ehe computer arrived they argued constantlyJ They screamed aE one anoEher, called each oEhei TEACI-lll,lG THEII/SEL\RS [,lA]H names, and even began hiEting and Lillian Sly (BC), wriEes: kicking. IE was an appalling stale of affairs. ScotE would refuse Eo allow . . . I 've never worried about Mandy her Eurn. We had-tfiEnr- sign whecher my kids would read; books are agreemenEs staEing when and how long too much a parE of our Life... The Eheir Eurn would be. This was a misersubjecE Ehat has always given me able failure because they borrowed qualms is math. I'd never done well each oEher's Eime and Scotc even oaid in maEh myseLf and doubEed thac I Mandy for Ehe use of her time. ThAi-could lead my kids through iEs Chey would fighE over how much Eime Eangles. Basic skills we've worked on Ehey had borrowed or paid for! by playing and scoring Scrabble, Gin ldhenever ScotE was using the Rummy, Black-jack, YahEzee, and computer he was compleCely mesmerized Cribbage. This has worked fairly as he sat in fronE of it. He heard well, buC whenever I've tried to nothing that was said Eo him. His explain anything nen to Andrew (8), whole focus of exisEence was what was he wouLd get upset. I'That makes no happening on that monitor. NoEhing sense!" He'd refuse to liscen Eo else existed for him. further explanaEions, becoming more Life went on this wav for upseE, Eo Ehe poinE of tears if I several months. My Iife wls fiIled persisEed. I didn'E know if he was rriEh Eension and anxietv as I sDenE incompetent, or I nas. He does underevery waking momenE trying to aibisEand more Ehan he did a year ago, trate che increasingly angry disagreebuE I donrt Ehink I can take much ments. I got caught up in their crediE. He definitely is noE up Eo fighting ind fouia I i^ras yelling grade standard. righE along trith Ehem. Then one day I A few days ago he picked up one asked myself whaE had become of oul of our unused matE texcb and oolned peacefui home life and what did I to some problems on area and vblume. want Eo do abouE it? In a fit of anger I pulLed all Ehe plugs ouE of "How. do- you do Ehis stuff?" I kepE my mouch shuE expecEing his usual angry' Ehe wall, put the computer-back into " and disgusEed'reactlon. Imagine m! Ehe carEons and put everyEhing under pleased surprise when he Eurned Eo my bed, out of my sight, the firsC page and started working. I was noE prepared for Ehe was !p past eleven EhaE night and response I goc from the kids, I !e finished Ehe work on area and-volume Ehought they'd beg and cry and plead co have iE back. Thev never even - 29 pages! I had read of such thinss in John Holt's books, buE never missed iEl They each asked whaE I had ChoughE one of my chlldren would show done with ic and then forgoE abouE it, such iniEiaEive. I was ascounded and It was as if I had lifEed a burden very proud of Andrew. from them; chey seemed relieved Ehat GROt|lING I.IITHOUT SCHOOLING #52
it was gone. I haven'E been able to puC this into perspective. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has experienced this problem and any soLuEions Chey might suggest.--MARY MAHER CHARADES INSTEADOFTY.
Also by Jo-Anne Beirne:
...Having read several of Ivan IIlichr s books including DESCHOOLING SOCIETY, I have become more aware of the amounC of what he calls orocessed communicaEion in our Iives. bverything we see on Eelevision, hear-on Ehe radio or sEereo, or even read in a book has been processed for Ehe medium by others aparE from Ehe originaEor. Unprocessed communicaEion is personal conversation, a leEEer, making music Eogether, ecc. I Chought thaE my children indeed are surrounded by a good deal of processed communicaEion. They wacch Eelevision, lisEen to tapes, and read or are read So, as I had three children staving for a forEnighE besides my o"n, i thoughE I'd cry Ehese well-estabIished Eelevision addicEs on a game of Charades. This game, for Ehose of you who have forgoEEen or never knew, is a pantomime game where individuals acE ouE words, phrases, proverbs, or nursery rhymes and the audience guesses wfrac iE is. As thinking whaE Co do can be the hardest oarE of charades, I made abouE 50-.60 slips of paper wiCh proverts, etc., on Chbm and.the children picked them out of a DOWI. The children reaLly enjoyed iE and vranted to keep playing Long afEer I was sated with Ehe game. Something I noticed was the lack of ideas wtren Ehey firsc sEarted playing. One of Ehe children would do one acEion for his word over and over again, all the while shaking his head as we futilely Cried Co guess whaf he was doing. [^]her. he f ina 1L y had ro te I I us , he did so with triumph, and or:e of Ehe ocher kids said,rrlre are supposed Eo guess . " Anyway, despi te Ehis, iE was fun and Ehe television addicEs dâ‚Źcided to skip ilNeighbors" and I'Itrs a Knock-otrtrr tc play... THINKINGABOTJTTESTS
People often call us abouE Ehe strbjecE of sEandardized EesEs. Sonretimes they are lcoking ahead Eo the
Eime when their children may be Uest-. I or , more sa cl -l 1 , they may f ind Ef'emselves in the mi.<idle of a disoute
ed
wiEh their locel schc,cl officials-
abcuE Ehe maCter. Based on these con-
versalions;, I've joECed down a lisE
of quest:icns that any homesctooling f ar:'i1y should be oreoe,red Eo chink at,otrt ancl find an!weis cc. LegaI requir(nrencs. What co the !+ Iaws aE regufETTo.rr., <'T )our statâ‚Ź say, it anyEhing, abouE Eescs required of homeschoolers? Get a copy of Ehe acEual law Eo read for vouiself, through a Library, che staEe governmenE, or homeschooling group. AnyEhing Ehat is noE specifically required by law is open Eo negotiation beEween you and Ehe officials. Preparin! for Ehe EesEs. What is about nature, ccoloty, advcnture, language, history, math, space, world problems & morc.
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