GROWII\G WITHOUT SCHOOLI N G 62
Mothers discuss breastfeedtng; at a La kche League meeung, Breastfeedlrrg is one of the social moverncrrts discussed in tJris issue's
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: NEWS&REPORTS p.3-5 NEA Opposes Homeschooling, School Entry Pollry, Homeschoolers Aren't Chtld Abusers AS GUINEAPIGS p.5 RESOURCES &
RECOMMENDATIONS p.6 CFIALLENGES &CONCERNS p. 7-8
Blind Parents, When Kids Are lgnored, TV, Sex Roles ARRANGEMENTS - WITH SCHOOI.S. WIITI HOMESCHOOL ERS p.e-lO
WArcHING CHILDREN LEARN p.
ll-14
Self-Educators, When Peers Help, Flnding Teachers, Children's Comments, Studying History
Together FOCUS: EFFECTME SOCIAL CFIANGE p.le-23 A look at the breastfeeding and homeblrth movements and a discusslon of schoolteachlng as a way of making change INSID E STANDARDIZED TESTS
p.24-25 LEARMNG IN THE WORLD p.26-27 CHILDREN IN THE WORKPI-ACE p.2a-29
'Important and lastlng social change,'John Holt wrote ln the flrst lssue of Growing WitFrr.n ehmling,'always comes slowly, and only when people change their lives, notJust thelr polltical bellefs or parfles. It ls a process that takes place over a pâ‚Źrid of time.'For this lssue of GWS, weVe trled to catch this process in acflon, to grab a small part of the change that ls happenlng all around us so that we can hold it up for a brief moment and try to understand it. WeVe asked two people involved ln movements similar to ours to reflect on how thls "nlckel and dlme theory,' as John called lt, has worked for them. Much ln the historles and ecperiences of these two movements - breastfeedlng and homebtrth - will be interestlng and useft-rl to homeschoolers, but we don't hold them up as absolute models that the homeschoollng movement should set ttself against. Rather, we hope that tlese other movements wlll showJust how broad the application of the nlckel and dlme theory can be, and how effecUve. Mary I-ofton of La Leche Irague International tells us that La kche League began with seven women ln a livingroom - seven women who were breastfeeding at a time when only about fifteen percent of the mothers tn ttris country did so. Thirt5ryears later, the percentage hasJust about quadrupled. It's safe to say that real change has occurred here, but the change isn't finished There's no one moment at which we can say, about any socid movement, 'Nour we've really made some change.' Real change doesn't happen all at once, tn a revolution that topples all the edsttng structures. But at any glven point lt's posstble to look at how things used to be and at how they are now and say, "Hey, somettring slgnlficant has gone on." And ls still going on. Something that comes through very clear\r tn the accounts of the breastfeeding and homeblrth movements - and ln our own accounts of the homeschooling movement thus far - ts that rather than belng a group of people saying, Tou should,'successful movements are made up of people saying, Tou can,'to others who are interested or curlous orJust at the beginning of wanting to go in a particular directlon. People call up La l-eche League or Informed Homebirth or Grotning Wtttlott Schooling and say, "I want to do this. Can you tell me hovf'The next thing these people know, someone else is asking them how to begin. To the ldea that social change ls never flnlshed, John Holt added tn GWS #l that lt's imposslble to tell when a particular change @an" "except perhaps to say that any given soclal change begrns the ffrst tlme one peron thinks of lt.'The nlce thing about this ls that it remlnds us that what one person does with one life can be slgnificant. We don't have to walt for a million people to agree with us before we can move toward the world we want; rather, we can startwith our own llves, right away. Yet John knew, and would later say elsewhere, that one person thlnking of or even making change is not enough. There have to be ways for people who are trying somethlng different to talk to each other, and to let others know that a particular alternative is available. GWS #l contalns the rather cautious predictlon, "In time lthis newsletter] may lead to many tnformal and personal networks of mutual help and support.'The predictton seems cautious because we know how qulckly GWS did lead to informal and personal networks - one look at our Dlrectory and Resource Llst conflrms thls, and we cerialnly don't know about all such groups that edst. Because of thts, we were lnterested to hear how people in the other movements we look at ln thls lssue communicate, both with those who are dolng what they're dotng and those who mlght like to. "Change is slow, but steady,'wrote Jud Jerome tn his memorial poem to John Holt. It's also fasclnatlng to watch and to take part ln - and, now and then, to think about and examine, as we do tn this issue of GWS. Take a few minutes, then, to think about lt with us, before you go back to making tt happenl Susannah Sheffer
-
2
OFFICE NEWS
specljic topics of geraraL interest (math
for weryone, for example, rather than homeschooling in general or ln one par-
aoooaaaaaaaaaoaoaoaoa As we go to press, George McGovern has just agreed to write the introduction to
Ucular state), and that we'll have to be just as enthusiastic about your booklet as we are about all the other books we sell. We usually prefer it, too, if you are able to
the new edition of John Holt's Hotr.r Child.ren Fail that Dell will bring out in the fall. John and McGovern corresponded during the 1972 campaign, and McGovem was a great admirer of Hotu Child"ren Fo,il, so when the publishers asked us for suggestlons about who might write an introduction, he came immediately to our minds. We're excited about the possibility of reaching a new audience through
handle the printing and duplication of the
booklet yourself.
Since we announced that our mailing lists were available for rent (for one-time use), we've had requests from Dlscovery Toys (for our local list only), I-earning At Home, and the Creative I-earning Association, bringing us a total of over $IOOO. If you know ofany small businesses that
McGovern's words. Instead oJ Mucation which has been
out ofprint for severalyears, should be available from us soon. We're having our printer make copies of the book which will look somewhat like the copies of Escape Ftom Childhd that we now sell more like a traditionally-published book, in other words, than our editions of Freedom and Begond. and Neuer Too Late. We're glad that it will again be possible for people to read this very important book. Check with us about price and availabil-
ity.
would benefit from access to one of our
sent a letter to I-a Leche kague leaders around the country, telling them about what we have available for people interested in homeschooling and in children's learning, and mentioning that we are available to speak at conferences and meetings. If you're involved with k kche kague on a local level, you might remind them of what we offer. Several coordinators of homeschooling fairs scheduled for the spring and summer have requested our materials for display. We always appreciate this, because we'll never be able to be at all such events and displaying our literature is a good way to let people know what we do. We're in the preliminary stages of reviewing books for inclusion in our fall 1988 catalog (our spring catalog will introduce only a couple ofnewbooks, as well as the most current information we have about prices and availability). We Iind that small booklets put out by our readers on specific topics - such as Kate Kerman's Should I Teach Mg Kid.s At
Home? and Malcolm Plent's Famous Unschoolers - sell very well, probably because they're ofdirect interest to our readers and are available at low orices. If any of you have put out similar booklets, please do send them to us sowe can consider including them in our catalog. Keep in mind that we're more interested, at this point, in booklets that address
the invitation that he periodically extends to young GWS readers to write for that
column. Pat ls interested ln articles bvchildren and teenagers descrtbing a project that shows lnltiative and resourcefulness. Look at past issues ofTMEN to get a sense ofwhat gets published, and write Pat a query describtng the sort of article you'd like to write. TMEN pays $lOO for publication of a Mother's Children column. Write to: Pat Stone, Assistant Editor, Tlrc Motler turth News, PO Box 7O, Hendersonville NC 2a793.
NEWS & REPORTS NEA OPPOSES HOME. SCHOOLING A reader sentus tlvJannry lssue oJ NEA Now, anewsl.etter
18, rcaa
oJtle
Naticnal Educqtion Assocratrbrl tle Jront
page oJ which is dernted to the concern that "tte lwmescttrcLhg movement is
undennining elforts to impmn edrrca-
In the olfice, weVe been enjoying the very welcome help of Ada Kerman, who is volunteering here during her month-long intersession from The Meeting School in New Hampshire. Many of you-will recognize Ada's name; her mother Kate Kerman's booklets are arnong the most popular in our catalog. Ada writes about the transition from homeschooling to boarding school elsewhere in thls issue. By the time you receive this issue, Pat Farengawill have spoken to a group of local homeschoolers on Cape Cod, at the [.a I-eche l-eague New England Regional Conference, and at the National Coalition of Alternative Communit5r Schools conference atThe Farm inTennessee. We
available lists, please refer them to us. Pat Stone, who created the Mother's Children column in the magazine The Mother Earth Neu.rs, has asked us to repeat
tion-" Some
esccerpts:
This country seems to be suffering from a split personality on the lssue of how best to educate our children. On the one hand, many states are raising graduation requirements, revamping teacher training programs, and upgrading the curriculum. On the other hand, some of these very sarne states are consciously undermining their own efforts to raise standards - by enacting laws that give a virtual blank check to advocates of homeschooling... In effect, these new laws are saying that children taught in schools need to reach for higher standards - but children taught at home don't need to meet any standards at all. ...Where does NEA stand on homeschooling? Our Association believes that a child's educational needs and social dwelopment are best addressed in a school setting. But NEA policy also recognizes that some students are being taught at home. 'It's up to each state to make sure that children who are taught at home are receiving a quality education,' says NEA President Mary Hatwood
Futrell.
To ensure that quality, the NEA Board ofDirectors in 1984 adopted guidelines on homeschooling that address issues such as assessing student achievement, curriculum, time spent on instruction, recordkeeping, and the cost ofeducating chlldren at home. For a copy ofthese NEA guidelines, contact your state Association or NEA regional olhce.
I
/SS./
In a letter to the NEA Now edrtor,
wrote:
I was disappointed to see that the NEA takes the view that homeschooling is undermining efforts to improve education, because so mzrny of the people who are actively involved with home education in this country take quite the oppposite
position.
According to your newsletter, the NEA 'believes that a child's educational needs
and social development are best addressed ln a school setting.' Is this true of all children? How then does the NEA account for the thousands of children who are flourishing, both academically and socially, as home educated students? You
might bâ‚Ź interested in the current research, both systematic and anecdotal, that attests to the success ofhome education. The Home School Researcher, c/o Brian Ray, Sclence Education Department, Oregon State Universit5r, Cowallis OR97331, acts as a clearinghouse for the home education research reports currently available. Beyond this, may I suggest that rather than undermining educational reform, home education activelv contributes to it by conducting educadonal experiments from which everyone in the educafional cornmunity can benelit and learn. I enclose an article that the late John Holt wrote for the Phi Dr:lta Kappantlrrat explores this point. I also enclose a copy of the testimony that I presented during the
Pennsylvanla House Education Committee's hearings on the state's proposed home education bill, which makes the sarne point, drawing on the reports ofhundreds ofreaders of Crotoing
WXlaut
*hnlfu
magazine.
Homeschoolers keep abreast ofwhat is going on in schools, believlng that such awareness and information can be useful to them in their own work. I would like to see the NEA and others ln education look to homeschooling with the same interest and openness. If we only do things one way, we have no way of knowing what else is possible, what else works. In this country of many alternatives, we all have much to learn from one another.
Like the National Association of Elementaqr School Prlncipals described in GWS #58, the NEA is not in a posiflon to make actual decislons about homeschooling, so their gutdelines, while representing their position, serve merely as suggesilons. Our attenflon and energ/ should still be focused on those leg;islators and school superintendents who are opposed to homeschooling. But because the NEA can lobby these groupsjust as we can, it's worth making some effort to encourage greater sympathy and understanding on their part. The NEAs address
in Washington ts l2Ol l6th St, NW Washlngton DC 20036. If you know that
GROIWING WITFIOUT SCHOOLING #62
3 the NEA is actively opposlng state bills or policies, it would mahe more sense to contact the local rather than nafional offIce, however.
RES
EARCH IN WAS HINGTON ula lnsJor some time
JonWartes,
ben the lead.er oJ tle Washington Homeschnt Reseorch ProjecL urltes abut tIve gtoup's latest shtdg: We tabulated the scores of 873 home-
schoolers who used any one of six testing senrices within Washingf,on state durtng 1987, and found that median scorres werle
tn the 65th percentile range. The strongest scores were i:e science and in ltstening, vocabulaql and word reading. The lowest scores were in math computation. In a second report based on 47O homeschoolers, a number of other flndings were presented. We found aweak relationship between student scores and parent education lerrel - too weak to JustiS policy decisions that might lirntt access to homeschooling based on the education level of the parents. There was no relatlonshdp bewteen the level of structure or hours per week of formal schooling and student performance. Ttrere was no reladonshlp between gpade lerrel and test scores - concern that older students might be at an educational disadvantage $ras not supported (due to small sample slze ln grades IO-12, t}ls conclusion was llrnited to K-9). Scores of thosewho had been homeschoollng for a long time were neither better nor worse than those who were new to homeschooling. No relaflonship was found between the degree of religlous mntent in the homeschooltng and the test scores ln general or in social science or sclence scores ln pardcular. Copies of the two reports are avallable fromJonWartes, 16109 NE 169 Pl, Woodinville WA 98072. The llrst, Reprt F)lom the 1987 Washirgton Homesclwl Testirg, is tl6 pages and costs $7. Ttre second, Tle Retaltonsltp oJ Selected Input
Variodes to Acodemic Achiewnertt
Anorg Wasl>on Homeschders, is 78 pages and costs $ lO.
SCHOOL ENTRY POLICY Tom llledlanrder oJ Wisconsin rorftes: When our local school board most generously sent us a copy ofthe proposed policles for the readmittanc.e of homeschoolers into schools, I read them hrdce. The llrst time around, the pollcles seemed pretty fair, but the second time, there were certatn things that raised questlons ln my mtnd. The proposals were obvlously
discrlminatory, and included crlterla for g;ra.de placement that were based on nebulous and./ or subJectlve Judgments regarding not only academlc but soclal adaptation. (I leamed later that it is not unusual for readmlttance pollcles to lnclude a nlnet5r day probafion period where the former homeschooler's 'social rnaturlty" ls to be evaluated by school authorities.) The student,' the policy wrote, 'shall be expected to demonstrate approprlate social iirteraction with tris/
her peers." What in the world does that mean?
I immedtately typed my obJections out, and after a revision of my thoughts sent a copy to the Wisconstr Parents Associadon along with five dollars and a call for help. The board had also sent us a list of school board members, each of whom I ended up talktng to, and I tmmediately set up appotntments with each one of them. I went to the library to study the current statutes concernlng admlssion of private transfer students (and thus homeschoolers) to Wisconstn public schools, and called up our local admissions oltce to see if there were any wrltten policies or procedures for the admission of transfer students. As I suspected, there were none, About this time I got a call from Larry Kaseman, the lawyer for the Wisconsin Parents Association. He agreed with my obJections to the proposed policy and sent me some useful information, including
favorable policies from other diskicts. After I reviewed what he had sent me, I revised my wrltten objectlons a ffnal dme and put together an informational packet wtrich I subsequently handed out to each member of the school board at thetr February meeting. When I met with the Superlntendent of Public Schools, I came armed to the teeth urith facts and llgures ofall conceivable pertinent informaUon. Needless to say, I was neryous, for I had heard conIlicting reports about this man. I decided to ask what he thought of the informattonal packet right ofr, and he said that he had decided to ask the board not to have any policy at all for transfer students, rather than take on a dilficult, cumbersome, and possibly discriminatory policy. He lndicated that there might possibly be some sort of gener:al admissions policy for transfer students, but I don't thtnk this would amount to much at all.
HOMESCHOOLERS AREN'T CHILD ABUSERS
According to the Janua4r lssue of the WISCONSIN PARENTS ASSCTATION newsletter, several public olficials, tncludtng the State Superintendent of Public Instrucdon, have used a recent case of alleged child abuse to argue that the state's homeschoollng law needs to be changed. Laws such as Wisconsln's, whlch
require homeschoollng families to notify oflIclals rather than seek their approval, and whtch don't require much of what the schools call accountabtltty, are often subJect to thts kind of crldcism erren when no child abuse has actually been alleged. When gSoups are lobbying for legfslaflon that is modeled on t}lls lidnd of laq the "What about parents who abuse their children?' question ls often lirst ln their leglslators' mtnds. For thls reason, we are
lnterested ln the arguments against thts crltlcism that homeschoolers in Wisconsln have dweloped, hlry Kaseman's response to an edttorial titled "Homeschooltng Law Much Too Lax," fnthel/6/ 88 Miluaukee Joumal makes these arguments well:
Wsconsln has a good homeschooling law whlch baliances the rights of the state
GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #62
(to see that children do not grow up to be a burden on the state), the rights ofparents (to choose for ttreir children an education conslstent with their principles and beliefs), and the rights of the child (to a quality education suited to his/her needs and abilities, which means that a variety of alternatives should be available).
However, your editorial contained misleading statements and the erroneous conclusion that the homeschooling Law should be changed.
Althouglr the editorial cited an
ofchild abuse, homeschooling and child abuse are completely separate issues, Attending a public or private school does not protect a chlld from the tragdy of child abuse, and no homeschooling law based on "some combination of pupil testing, teacher cerfffication and curriculum oversiglef will eittrer. An old legal madm states, "Hard cases make bad law.' In other words, a law desig5red to take care oftheworst possible hypothettcal case is almost certain to be long, difficult to enforce, and more likely to prevent good people from doing good than bad people from doing bad. The lpresentl homeschooling Iaw holds homeschoolers accountable. Each year they must submit a signed form to the alleged case
Departrnent of Public Instruction, attesfing that they are in compliance with the law and including the statement that, -Ihe [home-based private educationall prcgram is not operated or instituted for tJre purpose of avoiding or circumventing the compulsory attendance requirement." Homeschoolers are covered by the truanry law and may be prosecuted for truancy if they fail to comply. Neither lay people nor experts can agree on how educadon is accomplished or how one knows when a child is educated. The U.S. Supreme Court has mled that the state may not have a monopoly on educaflon. The compulsory school attendance law requires attendance, but it does not prescribe a specific program or dictate the outcome. The phnase in the editorial, "But if the state is golng to entrust parents with
educating their children...' is backu;ords. Rights and responsibilities of parents for the education of their children spring from a variety of sources, tncluding the U.S. Constitution. Parents may decide to entrust a public school with educating their children, but the responsibility remains the parents'. Homeschoolers work hard and are proud of their accomplishments. They do not Gar scmflny from people who are olrn to alternatlves ln education and who support choices in addition to those offered by traditional schools. Homeschoolers do obJect to unnecessary scmtiny by an organizadon like the
GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #62, Vol. I I No. 2. ISSN #0745-5305. Rrblished bi-monthly
by Holt Associates, T29 Bofston St, Boston MA O2f f 6. $2olyr. Date oflssue, Aprtl I, 1988. Sccond-class postage paid at Boston M,{POSTMAS'TER: Send addrcss changes to GWS, 729 Boylston St. Boston MA 02116. ADVERTISERS: Deadltnes arc the lSth ofoddnumbercd months. Contact Patdck Farenga for
rates.
4 Departrnent of Public Instmctlon whlch has treated homeschoolers arbitrarllv and unreasonably ln the past (before ihe current lawwas enacted in 1984) and which ls committed to lncreasLng standardization (standardlzed tests, curriculurrq etc.) at a time when we need to explore other alternatives. The bottom line is, no societ5r based on laws can exist unless the vast maJority of its cltizens freely and willingly abide by the spirit ofits laws and are cooperadve, responsible people. The vast majority of parents want what is best for their children. Homeschooling is hard work
that requires a substandal commitment
of time and energr by the parents. These
realities, rather than any homeschooling law, are what make home schools strong and viable educadonal alternatives. Constdering the need to balance indivtduals'and state's rights and recogniztng that one cannot legtslate educadon but can only requir,e compulsory school attendance, homeschoolers are now betng held as accountable to tlre state as is reasonable and necessary. Greater state scmtiny would cost the taxpayers money, *ould do nothing about the tragic problem of chtld abuse, and would undoubtedly ltmit and threaten homeschool effectivlness.
TEST OF MISSOURI
LAW The Februaqr newsletter of
Missouri's FAMILIES FOR HOME EDUCATION reports that a homeschooltng family was tried in circuit court for failure to comply with the provisions of the state's homeschool law on the grounds that the family's daily log did not meet state standards and had included Bible lnstmction as core curriculum. Associate Clrcuit Judge Rtchard Parker sentenced the parents to five days in Jall, and then suspended the sentence on the provislon
that the famtly enroll the chtldren in school or come into compliance with the
homeschool Law withfur three days. The family subsequently provided the Judge with the addttional documents that had been requested for the daily log, including lesson plans and portfolios of the children's work. The Judge accepted this erridence but placed the family on probation, requiring monthly progress reports to be submttted to the courl FHE comments: '[This casel should send a clear message to the leg[slature t]rat this law has been put to the test and found to be suflicient to protect the limited interests of the state. lAlsol, the posiflon of .Judge Parker that the datly log does not satis& the standard ofthe law should send
sKeilQHjIO!)UGTSJ Much More Than Tovs
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t:Dr.'c.\Tlo\..1t Toys. (;,{\tES. .t(D
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IT[]\'1S rOR l\fA\]'S TilROtTGH Ttt\S CHILD TES'ILI) fOR Dt R{tlltln' .{\D EDt C{TlO\Al" Pt"{Y \'.{Itr[
. ALt II\(;0NDITIO\AILI'
(;IIAR{\TEET)
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l)epr.
l{51t.
56.r
t[.
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a clear message to Missourl homeschoolers that our position on record keeping may be tn Jeopardy.' Accordtrg to FHE, homeschoolers and the legislators who drafted the law thought that the dally log would meet the standards of the law, but this judge's ruling that it does not may mean that other Missouri courts will require more extenslve records.
corrunents, -The very fact of this invitation cannot be underesflmated in terms of the Deparhnent of Education's effort to lead the way in reduclng battle-line tenslons between home educators and superlntendents,' and reports that most directors at the meeting seemed willing to moperate with homeschoolers but were frustrated by those who don't turn in the required notiffcation forms and evalu-
ations.
trlinois: In GWS #61, we reported
LOCAL NEWS For addresses oJ lrcal organlzations, see GWS #6O or our homeschalirg resource list, availabb Jor $2. Alabana: The Senate Education Committee held public hearings on SB 273 (which had been simultaneouslv intro-
duced into the House as HB 69) on Febrrary 24, but the absence of a quomm prevented the Commlttee from voting that day, according to James Hart ofALABAMA HOME EDUCATORS. Six hundred homeschoolers attended the hearings tn support of the bill, which added "home lnstrucdon" to the educadonal options avallable to parents, and requtred parents
to file an annual 'declaradon of lntent' form with their local superintendent, as
well as gtving them a choice of methods of evaluation. When the Committee met again on March 2, a senator lntroduced a substitute bill which the legislative branch of the Departrnent ofEducatlon had drawn up, and which required homeschooling parents to have college degrees, to seek approval of thetr local superlntendents, and to agree to mandatory testlng. Again, the committee did not vote that day, and on March 7 members of AHE met with members of the DeparLment of Educaflon to tqr to draw up legfslatton that urould be mutually agreeable. James Hart told us that because the groups could not come to an agreement at that meeting, he asked the House and Senate Educaflon Committee chalrmen to table any homeschooling leglslation for the time being. Homeschmlers wlll now lobby their leglslators in support of the orlglnal bill and explain their opposition to the substitute bill, hoptng to get enough legislative support so that they can feel ready to introduce the
that Cook County Regional Superintendent Richard Martq/ick had sent a memo to school districts and homeschoolers declaring all homeschoolers truant and giving them the choice of putting thetr children in school or being served with a court summons. Charges were dropped against the one family that has so far been brought to trial, but several new families have been getting notices from their school districts, according to homeschooler Mary Friedl, because Superintendent Marhvick has not told school
districts anything to countermand hls original memo. Homeschoolers are putting together packets of infiormadon
for regional superintendents to help them understand what the Law actually requires. Kangas: HB 2713, which would regulate private schools in the state by requiring them to give Kansas mftrimum competency tests, was lntroduced into the legislature ln late January, according to the February newsletter of KANSANS FOR ALTERNATwE EDUCATION. The bill does not dircctly allect home schools, but the newsletter urged homeschoolers to write
CIATION newsletter and the Colorado Sprlngs Homeschoollng Telephone
letters opposing the bill, as many homeschoolers are agalnst any kind ofunnecessary regulatlon of educadon. Malne: The MAINE HOMESCHOOL ASSOCIATION newsletter reports that public hearings are expected this legislative session, but no delinite date has been set. Some of the expected topics up for discussion arer a proposal to eliminate the requirement that horneschoolers in grades 4, 8, and I I take the Maine Educational Assessment test; a proposal that if a school board's guldelines on homeschoolfng address all the areas ln the state guidellnes, the school board will be 'consistent with..,and,..tn conformitv with' state guidelines. In other words, says the MFIA, a local school board could require something speciflc - like standardized testing - on the grounds that it addtâ‚Źsses the'area' of assessment, erren though the state guidelines do not make the same requirement. Maine homeschoolers are prepared to oppose this latter proposal.
and requires testlng in grades 2, 5, 8 and lO but specilles that the test results are for parents'use only.
took effect in July (see GWS #58), require a review of homeschooling families at the end of each semester. Thewinter lssue of the newsletter of the MARYLAND HOME EDUCATION ASSOCIATION reports that some districts made requlrements of
origlnal
bill
agafn.
Colorado: Senate Bill 56 passed out of the Senate Educatlon Committee (4-2) onJanuar5r 14, and the House Educadon Commlttee (7-3) on March 8, and ts going to the House floor for avote at GWS's press ttme (mid-March), according to the
COI'RADO HOME EDUCATION ASSO-
Hotllne. The bill, like similar bills elsewhere, requines parents to nod$ school distrlcts of thelr intent to homeschool, rather than to seek permission,
Maryland: The new bylaws, whlch
Florida: The Department of Educatlon tnvited homeschoolers Craig Dickinson and Don Dunlap to attend the annual meeting of the Directors of Student SeMces to discuss home education, according to the Janua5r issue ofthe
FIORIDA PARENT-EDUCATORS ASSOCLATION Neurs. The FPEA Neurs
families at the Febmarv mid-term revlew whlch are inconsistent *ith *h"t the bvliaws allow Harford county required onl family to "teach four hours a day'; Ann Arundel county has insisted that all families submit their portfolio of work for review (though the bylaws state that there should be a meedng between the school
GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #62
ofticials and the family tnstead); Howard count5r made comparlsons among home-
DISCUSSION: SEEING CHILDREN AS GUINEA
schooling famllies. Accorda4 to MHEA, several other dlstrlcts have been coopera-
Jeon Rezac (MN wrcte recendg:
ttve. The next reyiew is scheduled for
spring. New
Yorl: The Board of Regents
voted 13-2 onJanuar5r 2O to require thlrd and fifth gpade homeschoolers to take Pupil Evaluation Program (PEP) tests, and slxth grade homeschoolers to take Preliminary Competency Tests @C{1, according to the newsletter of the NEW YORK SIATE HOMESCHOOLER.S ASSOCLATION. These regulations had been
adopted temporarily h September and then tabled in response to letters from homeschoolers. The Januar5r 2oth vote reinstltutes them. At GWS's press dme, the Regents are i:r the process of formulating more extensive regulations concerning homeschoolers. Accordlng to homeschooler Katharine Houk, these erpanded
regulaflons could allow for altemaflve methods of evaluation, but the Regents' plans are not clear. In the meanflme, the IIYSHA newsletter reports that several homeschoolers plan to boycott the first administration of PEP tests this Mav.
I am I I years old. Every once in a while I see GWS lying on the hassock and I ptck it up and read it. Some of the people who write in I feel are analyzing kids. They're watching them closely and writlng irr what their behavior ls. I feel like GWS is half lab report. It makes me feel like a guinea pig. It's like lf kids analyzed grownups and whether or not they went to work, and analyzed their behavior and wrote lt down and sent it lr to a newsletter. I think it's even worse than that because the parents have power over the lidds. I don't like the way lt makes me feel. It especially seems wrong for parents to write things about their kids without the ldds knowing or realizing what they're
ISS:I
CALENDAR June 1988: (exact date unconllnned) New Jersey Homeschoolers Summer Picnic. Games, dlscusslon groups. For lnformation: Dlane Robertson, I I Bates Rd, Jackson 08527 or Kathey Shoshin, 89O N Concourse, Chlfurood Beach O7735. June 17-18: Washington Homeschool Organtzatton Convendon at the Sea-Tac Red Lion, Seattle. Susannah Sheffer will be one ofthe ke5mote speakers. For
tnformation: Carolyn Kunard, loO29-48th Ave W, Everett 982O4.
June 17-18: 'Breakfng Down the Barrlers,' a natlonal conference sponsored by the National Center for Falr and Open Testlng, tn Washtngton, D.C.
Cong;resswoman Patricia Schroeder will
be one ofthe kqmote speakers. For information: FailTest, PO Box 1272,
Cambridge MA 02238. June 22: Lecture by Pat Montgomery, founder and Dlrector of Clonlara HomeBased Educatlon Program, 'Home Educadon: Still Going and Still Growlng," sponsored by Portland (Oregon) Tfi-County Homeschoolers. For informatlon: Laura, fi3-657 -ffi7 | or Alllson, m3-233-5976. June2z!-25: Farnily Leamfng Organizadon of Washington's Famlly l-earrrlng Falr at Spokane Falls Communit5r College. Susannah Shelfer wlll be one of the kqrnote speakers. For lnformadon: Clnthia Davis, 5O9-466-@94. We are happry to run announcements of maJor homeschooling and related errents, butwe need plenty of notlce. Deadllne for GWS #63 (events tn July or later) is May lO. Deadltne for GWS #81 (events ln September or later) fs July lO. [Plcarc notc: Our calendar ls only a list of those errents whose organlzers have specillcally asked to be listed here. To IInd out about other local events, call orrvrlte the g5oups lnyour area. To ffnd out about any Holt Associates speaklng engagements not on tlds calendar, call our offfce.l
things. My main point, I guess, is that I can't agree with you about the parents' motrues.
I don't think
anyone is deliberately setting out to do the things you describe. But the fact that some of GWS makes vou Jeel a cerfaln way is important, so we-do have to pay attendon to what the effect of some of the *Tg:.
it
I reswnde&
good Job.
You might want to look at the chapter called 'Learnfng About Children," ln John Holt's Hou Chldren l*am, the reylsed edition. In this chapter John talks about the dilferent ways that adults can look at children - as gulnea plgs whom they can do somethirg to (and I understand how you would hate this: I would too) or from the point ofview of loving, concerned parents, interested tn havlng better times wlth their ctrildren and ln understanding
in
general.
The thing is, parents have a lot to learn about how to be better parents which really means how to live more happtly and c.omfortably with their chrildren - and GWS helps people with this. I agree very strongly that parents shouldn t wrtte things that would embarrass their lidds, or that the lidds wouldn't want prlnted for any reason. Many
GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #62
times a parent will lrrite about something and then a child will add his or her thoughts about the same thing. When you invite children to send you
doing a good job - at being kids or anything else. But I agree thatwe should hear more from kids about how they feel about
I'm very interested in the things you say, though I don't agree with all of them. You say some of the people who write to GWS are analyztng kids, watching them closely and writing in what their behavior ts. I agree that this is what many of the parents who write to us are doing. The quesdon is, is this always bad? I think much depends on the spirit in which the parents do tL I get the sense that you feel that the writers tn GWS are critictztttg klds, or looking at them wittr some ldnd of sclentlffc detachment, as though ldds are another species entirely rather than young human beings. My feeling ls diflerent; I think that on the whole GWS parents are writing about thea chfldren in order to better understand how learnlng happens, what they do that helps or prwents it, and so on. In other words, most of the time th.y'r. writing in order to flgure out whether theg're doing a good Job, rather than to determlne whether the lidds are doing a
people
parents seem to check with their kids before writing to us, and others write in anonSrmously or use an initial for the child's narne, whlch is just fine. Some-
an analysis of whether thelr parents are doing a good job, I think you are being a little unfair to the parents, who are not, as I said, discussing whettrer thelr kids are
wriflng. Ifs like talktng about someone behtnd thelr back. I hereby lrrvite any children to send
me an analysis of their parents and whether or not they're dotng a good Job. I don't want to be nasty, but that's the way makes me feel.
*,",
Jeonwrcte back:
I lsallz6d after reading your letter that none of us really knows what the motives of the people who write into GWS are, or if they get permisslon from their kids beforehand to write about them. What I was really angry about is that my mother has written into GWS things about our family without any of us knowing about it. I only found out when I read it in the magazine. When I read it I felt like I was a gpinea pig, and that my mother was always secretly watching me to see if I was making progress or learntng something she really wanted me to learn. I don't like the way it makes me feel. I don't feel free to do things I want to do because I think she mtgfrt be watching and recording what my interests and actlvities are. I guess I wanted to express this and to let other parents know that their kids might feel the same way. I would just like to say to parents that if you are watching your kids with an evaluatlng attitude, or are writing things about them without their knowledge, please STOP. It really isn't falr. You wouldn't want vour friends talking about you behfnd youi back, so please don't talk about your ldds behind their backs. Thank you for your letter. It helped me to see that my real arrger was toward my own mother.
I'm $ad to hear that my letter helped you clari$ some of what you'd been feeling. I think this is why rrany parents wrlte to GWS - to better understand what they're thinldng and feeling, both from the act of writing things down, and from getting responses from others. In thls recent letter, you begin to get into a very lnteresting issue that I think is even broader than the question of parents wrtting to GWS. The distinction between belng watched secretly "to see lf I was malUng progress or learning something she really uranted me to learn' and the
6
kind ofgenuine furterest and attenfion that I think kids uant from their parents
A lot has changed in our family, and I _ know that
a mother should not use anvone or an5rthing for prideful ambitions, bui should be honest and patient with her
is a line one, and I wonder how we can be clearer about it. One example is the issue of recommending a book to someone else. Sometimes, when my parents recommended a book to me, I felt that they were doing it out of their own real love for the book and
children. I know that the children have within themselves the resources to grow,
out of some feeling that I ougfu to read the book, that perhaps the stulf I was choosing to read on my own wasn't as good, and the dl{ference between these two approaches made all the difference in the world. Yet often it's so hard to tell what makes them different. Often the parent is saying the same thing - 'Here's a book you might like" - and what matters is the oveiall spirit in it's being done, something -which that is affected by so many things.
reading Frank Smith's .Essays Into I)terocg lavail. here, l2.OO + postl last winter. In it Smith outlines three steps of leaming. The first is demonstration,^ or exposure to the slidll and how it is accomplished, and the second is enga4;ement, or an interaction of the brain with the demonstration. He questions why engagement did not always occur, and
their interest in sharing that with me. Other times, I felt that they were doing it
ISSJ
I srgges
*a ,no,
cleck ulilh
her mother bJore we usent""on ahead. ard.
published this conespondence (this
seemed consistent wXhJean's plea tlwt adults not go fuhlnd. children's backs).
Jean wrote sagng
btters
ail&
roas
t|nt puilishhg
our
fine with ler natfe1 atd.
!n your letter you said that e:<amples
are always good, so I arn giving one. One day a couple of months ago I was fooling
around with Juggling. My mother saw that
I was interested in it and went and got me a
book on it that she had. All ofa sudden it wasn't fun any more. I wish I could explain it more but that's all I understand.
F\nallg, Jeon's natfer, Wanda" wrote:
My inconsideration in sending letters to GWS w'ithout reading them to my children beforehand is one symptom of some larger problems we have had. I know Jean finds it dfficult to put her Ilnger on exactly the thing that is bothering her. What she is talking about is nebulous, but because it has happened to me tn the past, and because IVe been inllicting tt on her as she's growr up, I feel I knowwhat she is takfng about. It is a subtle awareness that someone else ls taking an inordlnate
pleasure ln what you are doing. It is a feeling that you are being used rather than loved. I have undergone a personal evolution in the last seven years or so. When Jean was smaller I was very motivated to be a good mother. I really tried my best to be loving, encouraging, providing of a supportive environment, etc. I often recognize the same drive in mothers I see especially in museums, for some reason. There is a smlling, excited encouragement on the part of the mother, and a subtle pulltng the child ln the dinection tlre mother has in mind, rather than a patient
followlng ln the direcdon the child moves. I have painfully come to see that the tme motive behind my mothering was to turn out kids I could be proud of, and thereby authenticate that I was a good mother. My kids, having trre awareness, could sense the hidden ambitions ln my actions, and resented and resisted belng used.
given t}rls environment. The rest of what a parent provldes ts minlmal and natural patientJy answering quesflons and helping the child to move in his or her own direcfion. I was profoundly affected while
comes up with a third element necâ‚Źssary
for learning. This third element is what he calls sensitivity, which he delines as, "the absence ofany expectation that learning will not take place or that it will be
difficult.'
This really blew my mind. I saw that while I held strongly to the belief that children would leam when thev were ready to, I was holding to that Leti.f itt desperation and ln defiance of another part of me that was full of doubt. I was afraid that I might be urrong, and that the children might be truly lazy at heart, not wanting to learn the necessitles of Me without my pushing. This was the doubt that I encountered myself all through my schooling and at home, and that I resented
so much. Thls is the same doubt thatJean sensed and resented in me when I was too
pleased at her every new accomplishment. Seeing ttris doubt has been wonderful for me, It is now gone, and I have real faith in
the inner resources of my children. I truly don't need to watch them for my own c.onlirmation of faith anv more. When I have to complete our reports for the school board, I sense this old kind of doubdul watching. I see that the school board, in requiring these reports, is implyrng this doubt - that learning will not take place or that it will be diflicult. When I do my reports it feels like I am
playing into a system that is abhorrent and counterproductive, and I resent h"r.ing to do so. I'd really like to know how other parents feel about this. I suspect that to an outside observer it might be hard to differentiate between a clear interaction between parent and child and one that is muddied bv some of the things I have talked about. There may be no dillerence ln what is actuallv said and done, but I do know that underiying motlvations and subtleties are real and do c.olor each e:rperience. Children are very qulck to pick up on these nuances. I wish this whole area wasn't so nebulous and subJective, but I know that parents and children who have these problems and want to get beyond them will recognize what I am describing. Recognition, regret (repentence), and honest openness seem to be the best cures. You have to want to see that perhaps you, the parent, are the source ofthe problem before you can get to the bottom of it.
RESOURCES & RECOMMENDATIONS describes over 2OO programs LATIN PROGRAM Flom Nancy Lobar
(N:
I've found a great Latin program for upper elementary-age kids called Ecce Romani published by Longman, Inc, 95 Church St, White Plains NY lO6Ol. The emphasls of the program is on readlng l-atin, with granunar assimilated by gradual exposure to the various forms. One thing I really like ls that the ffrst year is divided into three separate books, so you are only working with a small book and not overwhelmed by a massive volume. The translations are based on the adventures of four l-a.tin-spea.klng kids. Between every few chapters are readings about ancient Roman culture, dress,
farnily, etc. I stronglly recommend that you also get the Student Language Acdvity Book. This provides additional practice with translation and help with vocabulary. I'd also get the Teacher Handbook because it helps explain the grammar and gfves additional background on the culture. Most lmportant is that my son Jonathan (lO) likes thls program. He loves being able to read Latin passages.
suitable for teaching and learning at home... it covers software for Apple, Atari, Commodore, IBM, and Tandy/Radio Shack computers, as well as systems compatible with these... All ofthe programs have been evaluated postdvely by several reviewing agencies, all are available from commercial sources, and all sell for reasonable prices." We haven't seen this guide yet, so please let us know lf you find it useful,
GOOD BOOK CLUB Rose Yorekura (NE) torites:
I don't think I've ever sâ‚Źen Ernyone menflon Trumpet Book Club in GWS. It's like Scholastic, etc. but has one catalog only. I like it because each month you get a free book ofyour choosing. They say they require a minlmum of ten books, but I've ordered less. Be prepared to give the name of your school and its enrollment. I gave them the number of those in our small home school group, but I order alone. The address is TRUMPET BOOK CLUB, PO Box 6O4, Holmes PA 19043.
FOR YOUNG WRITERS ld ltke to offer to read and comment
SOFTWARE GUIDE We reccived a press release announc-
tng the Mini-Gutde to Htgtrlg Rated SoJh:uare Jor Home Ed:trcatio4 wtrich is avalable for $4.95 + $l shipping and handling from EPIE Instltute, PO Box 839, Water Mill NY I1976; 516-283-4922. The release says, -This 26-page booklet
on the writing ofyoung GWS readers. This could be a one-dme thtng or an ongoing arrangiement, depending on what you're looking for. My only rule is that you already enJoy wrtting - I don t want to try to "motlvate" someone who isn't genuinely lnterested ln u/rtting right now - SS
GROWING WITTIOUT SCHOOLING #62
CHALLENGES & CONCERNS BLIND PARENTS Ilnda
h.terson o;f Mbnesota urltes:
My husband and I are both bltnd and the parents of one fully sighted 7-year-old son whom we ar€ homeschoollng. I have heard rumors that there are other bllnd parents homeschooLng, but to date have not been able to substantlate that fact. However, there are many bllnd teachers ln
thls countqr teachfurg at all lerrels and tn all llelds. I feel ftat if bhnd teachers can teach many chlldren, I can handle one. We live ire an area where there are no services for the blfurd that amount to much. I have always been amused by the
fact that states will asslst blind clients to receive high school, college and techntcal tralning, but will not conffnue the atd when the person gets iinto the real world. As you can imagfne, my btggest obstacle has been havlng materlals read or bratlled. It ls suggested that homeschoolers be prepared from one year to the next. I really have to do thls stece I must think of what curriculum I will use and how I will get it put into brallle or on cassette. There are many htgh tech pieces
of equipment available wtrtch would help us, but wtrlch we cannot allord. There ls a machlne on the market that actually reads prlnt ustng synthetic speech, Less expensive and very helpful would be a computer,
Itls possible to purchasespeech
boxes for computers so that a blind user
wlll have read to hlm exactly what ls on the screen. Since one sheet of print equals about two and a halfsheets ofbraille, you can imagine that braille ls very bullry. There ls a deylce available that stores brallle on computer dtsk, but lt is also very erq)enslve. I have heard there ane grants from groups to help purchase thtngs like thts, but I don't know ofany. And, ofcourse, I can't go the route of the libraql to research
such grants because I can't read prlnt. If you lmow of any sources that might help in the purchase of thls equlpment, please let us know. Other ltems I could use are cassettes, gld refer,ence books, picture books and magaztres and other teaching tools tlrat others may not want. I ask this not looldng for s5rmpathy for us as bllnd parents, but as one homeschool farnfly fn need of somethlng, I would b" gl"d to share rrry e:gerlences wlttr other bllnd parents, or wtth
sighted parents homeschoollng a blfnd
chtld. [SS:l When I talked to L;lnda, rlle came up wtth a fenr specllic ways that G\{tS readers could help her family: (t) By doing the necessa4r research tnto sources of fundtng for the equipment Lturda descrlbes; (2) By readtng GWS and other homeschoollng publicatlons on cassettes. Ltnda stressed that thls is abtgJob, and that she prefers to have the whole publlcadon read - ads and all - so that she can browse througlr tt as a stghted person can, wlthout som@ne else havtng ahready decided what urould be useful or tnterestlng to her; (3) By readlng aloud chlldren's
books on tape to Linda's son, so that he can follow along. Ltnda suggests that you check wtth her flrst about whlch books would be most helpful. It seems to me that some families might enJoy these activldes, and might be able to lncorporate them lnto their own homeschoollng. Li.nda can be reached at l3l4 lTth St S. Moorhead MN 5656O; 218233-8226.
WHEN KIDS ARE IGNORED Ftom Cheryt Just (CN: IVe Just linished readtng what Erin Dodd wrote about being small and young in an adultworld [-Ioo YoungTo Go,'GWS #611. One pardcular part caught my attention. She said a cashier overlooked herwhen it was her turn to order a pizza. My sonTrevor (7) has had the same problem when he needs something. If ifs bad for teenagers, lt's almost tmposslble for younger children. An example: we were at our local McDonald's, had gotten our order and sat down, when Trevor wanted some catsup. I told hlm to go up and get some. He's not shy about tlrls. He went up to the counter and stood, waited his turn and was overlooked. He sald excuse me and was ignored, so stood padently untll he was ffnally nottced. I hate toJump up and make a sc€ne or even calmly do it for hdm when he's totally capable himself. IVe instructed hkn to speak louder, and sometimes this has worked. It's worse when myyounger son Brett (6) gets his ner:r/e up to do somethlng like this on hls own and then ls ignorcd. It takes htm months to try again. How do other folks
handle thls?
BREAKING TIES WITH SCHOOL Ftom Susan Wetnbob 0N): I have read much ln GWS about chlldren who were not at the rtght stage for learning what the school program was teaching. Ttris was true for my dauglrter Elizabeth, now 6. I have always known she was brtght, but I didn't reallze how hostile many teachers are to the ldea that small ctrlldren may have ldeas and abilltles that
are not on traditional klndergarten level. El9abeth started Ldndergarten h.ppily, but by the middle of the year had morntng stomach aches, and by May was unwllllng
to go anywhere without me. We talked to all the "e:gerts': the prlnctpal, the teachers, the Dlrector of the Gifted Program. They all told me that schml programs do not meet the needs of the highly glfted. One told me that by htgh school things are usually better. I'm glad we didn't wait that long. Marry GWS stories have talked about the negatlve results of testlng. Whtle I agree that lt's not good to check on shrdents thatway as a r€gular part ofa program, ln our case it was qulte useful. After testlng our daughter, a local untverstt5r psychologflst became very sympathetic to our situaflon and offered much help durlng theyear, even supportlng our decislon to homeschool.
GRO\ilING WITHOTJT SCHOOUNG #62
Mv husband and I are both certiffed This made it hard for us to challenge a systemwe had always been part of' My husband is on the artist faculf of a universit5l's school of music, and as such, had no c.oursework in education. He also went to a music conservatory when he was 12, and never did think much of the regular school system. I had taught English at the higlr school and college levels. I was always a maverick, changing grading systems or curriculum, but fighting for change within a system is quite different from giving up on it. I begin to understand what John Holt went through when he moved from wanting to reform the school system to advocating homeschooling. I was teaching part-time at a local universit5r when we withdrew El?abeth from school. It became harder and harder for me to gpade papers, penalize absences, fail students. When I was offered a cc:rtract for the following year, I turned it down, not only because I needed to be at homewith the children, but because I hadn't reconciled hour I could teach in a school with my teache-rs.
new philosophy. I'm still working on that. As last year went on, we were drawn closer and closer to homeschooling. But I still wondered what kind of nuts out there did this. Many homeschoolers in Indiana were rellglous fundangnfalists, and because we don't describe ourselves that way, I wondered what we would have in @rnmon. Then I attended a lleld trip sponsored by our local homeschoolers' group. There are about eight5r families in our area. My children were immediately accepted by the others without a question about their ages. The other mothers were friendly and supportive, relating stories that made me feel as ilmy family was not odd for obJecting to schooling. Those who were religfous were as friendly and open as those who were not. So I have come to see that all homeschoolers are independent thfu:rkers. All of us are le the minority, and thls seems to bring us together. We started homeschooling with many patterns left over from school. We would sit down at the kitchen table with textbooks and lesson plans, working on certain subjects on certain days. That fell away as I began to let my children lead me, We have very little formal schoollng now, but what wonderful times we have. Ellzabeth had stopped reading lastyear, with the pressures of lidndergarten. Now she consumes two or three books a day, browses through science books to find experiments, types letters to grandparents. I've been surprised at how much Teddy ( ) has learned from her. He has nerrer been tn a regplar school program, so he does not have the many negative ldeas about school that Elizabeth still has. She used to pale when we drove past her old school. The other day she told me, "I didn't Ilke school last year' (which I knew). 'What dtdn't you like about it?" I asked her. -The teachers, whatwe studied, and being there dl day." "Is there anything you dtd like?" I continued. She thought for a while. 'Meeting new chlldren and reccss. I didn't even like
lunch.'
I had wondered if she would mlss