Growing Without Schooling 94
$4.50
l-arla Maloney is among those who wdte for this issue's Focus "Making Changes in Homeschooling," pages 19-23.
Inside this Issue News & Reports p. 3-5 Newsletters to Clinton, Negotiating District Policy
Intenriew: Why This Superintendent Supports Homeschooling p.6-7 Teen Groups p. 8-10 Challenges & Concerns p. 1l-13 Getting Along, Overcoming Doubts,
Volunteer Requirements, Testing Requirements
\ffatching Children Learn p. t4,27-29 Veteran Homeschooler Looks Back.
Art Apprenticeship, Play, Languages
Book Reviews p. l5-18 FOCUS: Making Changes
in Homeschooling p. 19-23
New Perspectives on Dropouts p.24-26
Directory, Pen-Pals p. 3o-31
There's no such thing as homeschooling. That is, there's no one thing that you can point to and say, 'That, and only that, is homeschooling." Despite the fact that there are, of course, many common threads in people's experiences of it, all homeschooling really means is that the kids don't go to school. Once that is true, what happens afterwards is incredibly varied. We often acknowledge this diversity of approach when we explain homeschooling to others: 'There are as many ways to do it as there are families" is a common line. But diversity of approach can exist within families, too. What works one year may not work the following year. What works for one child may not work for another. And, most important, if something isn't working, it can change. For this issue's Focus, we asked several young GWS readers to write about how their homeschooling has changed over time. As the responses began coming in, I found myself thinking that this might be the most important Focus we've ever done, simply because if families can trulyJeel the flexibility of homeschooling, many challenges and problems can then be addressed. If a particular textbook isn't working, there's nothing to stop a family from trying another or experimenting with not using textbooks at all. If a family starts out following a strict, schoollike schedule and finds that too confining, they can loosen up. If, on the other hand, a loose schedule doesn't address the child's desire to do more focused work as she gets older, more precise schedules can be drawn up. It may be difficult (or sometimes impossible) for schools to make changes, but as the writers in this issue imply, change is what homeschooling is all about. I was encouraged and heartened by these kids' responses. If an ideal educationa.l set-up is one that is fluid, adaptable, changing as the child's needs change, then these kids are certainly lucky, because that's exactly what they've got. And because homeschooling involves constant change, it also involves constant reflection and introspection and the power to act on what one discovers. How many kids in school have the opportunity to think about what they really need and then to make changes where necessary? Or to make changes as a uay of figuring out what they need? How many schoolteachers are as free to abandon what doesn't work as homeschooling parents are? There's much to celebrate about the way that homeschooling children, together with their parents, are trying things, reflecting on them, trying something else, and getting to know themselves and their learning styles in the process. Susannah Sheffer
-
Office News & Announcements [SS:l At press time, we're in the middle ofan early July heat wave, but as you read
this, you're probably gearing up for fall. Some state newsletters publish a "notback-to-school" issue around this time, and some support groups plan picnics or other activities with this theme, as a way ofcountering the "back to school" enthusiasm (and hype) directed at most American families, or as a way of claiming some part of it for themselves. It makes sense that, for many, this time of year is a time of thinking, planning, and being especially sensitive to the pressure both parents and children may feel as friends and neighbors focus on the start ofthe school year. We don't have a "not-back-to-school" theme in this issue, exactly (well, in one sense that's the theme of very issue!), but I think much of the material you'll find in these pages is appropriate to that mood. The story in the "News & Reports" section about how homeschoolers in Massachusetts successfully negotiated for a better district policy, and the interview with a cooperative and respectful superintendent in Pennsylvania, should be helpful to those for whom August means "filing notice of intent time" or "writing our proposal time." The stories about groups organized by teenagers are inspiring and full of ideas for families with older kids, especially those who are feeling overwhelmed by the thought ofteaching high school subjects or meeUng their kids' growing social needs. And as you plan for the coming year and evaluate what is working well and what could be changed, you might want to read through the stories in the Focus section on making changes in one's homeschooling. We've
just wrapped up the process of
selecting books for our fall catalog. As always, we're excited to be able to offer so many great new books, and at the same time we're sad about several of the books that we had to cut. Sometimes our favorites go out of print, and sometimes a book just isn't selling well enough for us to keep it in. Other times we simply have to cut old books to make room for new ones. You'll see a list of the books we've cut in this issue's book review section. Ifthere are
any you've been meaning to buy, now is the time. We were particularly sorry to see Herbert Kohl's The Question is College go out of print. This is a book that I recommend all the time to teenagers and their families, since it's such a thoughtful discussion of whether college is the right choice and how middle class families, who tend to expect kids to go to college, are affected when a child chooses not to go. It's also a wonderful guide to thinking about what else to do - travel, work, apprenticeships. There are other books that question whether college is necessary, but none as insightful as this one, so I hope GWS readers will try to get it from their libraries when these issues arise in your family. Because we are always pressed for space in the catalog (as in the magazine!), there are often books that we like but don't add in a given year. Three such books that we want to mention this year - because they may be of interest to some of you are Birth Stories, by GWS reader Jane Dwinell, Clnllenging tte Ginnt, edited by Mary Irue, and lzgary oJTrust: Life Afier the Sudbury Valleg School Expertence, by Daniel Greenberg and Mimsy Sadofslry. Birth Stortes is about Jane's experience working in a birth center that lets women decide, rather than be told, what is best for them. It will be of interest to women who are pla-nning to have children or are already pregnant, ofcourse, but Jane also suggests that it would interest teenagers who are thinking of becoming nurses or midwives. It's available from Bergin & Garvey, 88 Post Rd West, Westport CT 06881. Ctnllengtng the Grant is a collection of some of the best articles from Skole, the journal ofalternative education, and it would be especially interesting to people who are studying the history and philosophy ofalternative schools and the various challenges involved in running them. It's available from Down-to-Earth Books, 72 Philip St, Albany NY L22O2. I'egcrcg oJ ?)'Lrst is a study of how graduates of the Sudbury Valley School fare in adult life. Readers of Free at l,ast, which we currently sell, know that SVS has no curricular requirements, doesn't care at what age kids learn to read, gives no tests, etc. For this reason, there are some parallels between the experience of its students and the experience ofhomeschoolers, and Legacg oJ Tl'ust can be useful to people who are trying to show that kids don't need conventional schooling to become happy and successful adults. Available from Sudbury Valley School Fress, 2 Winch St, Framingham MA 0l7of . We frequenfly get calls or letters from new homeschoolers who are particularly concemed about one specific issue - testing, or late reading, or teenagers, for example. We tell them that GWS prints a lot of material on these subjects, and we encourage them to subscribe, but we've often felt that just subscribing isn't enough, because there's so much that's alreadg been printed in the back issues, and people who only begin subscribing now won't immediately get access to
stories that could really help them. So, lately we've begun to direct people to the back issues as well, and rather than just *The back issues would be helpsayrng, ful," we offer to pick out the issues that we know have material on ttre person's concem. For example, if someone calls and wants to know about older readers, we ask how many back issues she can afford and then promise to choose the ones with relevant stories. Since back issues are only $2 for subscribers (as opposed to $4.50 for nonsubscribers), it makes sense for a person in this situation to subscribe first. Our goal is to get the helpful material to such people as efficiently as possible, and that's why we offer to do the selecting when the prospect ofreading through all the issues seems daunting. So, if you are a new homeschooler, or a new subscriber to GWS with a particular area of interest or concem, you're welcome to ask us to choose the appropriate back issues for you. Also, if you talk to new homeschoolers, as I know many ofyou often do, and you hear them expressing a common concern, maybe you can mention this offer to them as well. A while ago, we wrote about the issue of readers borrowing their issues of GWS
rather than taking out their own subscriptions. We said that this is always something of a dilemma for us because we want our material to be available to all who can benefit from it, and yet in order to keep publishing, we need the income that your subscriptions bring. A related dilemma is the one that arises when readers let their subscriptions lapse because their children zrre grown or they no longer have much
time to read or they're just feeling confident enough not to need GWS anl.rnore. John Holt discussed this in the magazine years ago, saying something like, "Even when you don't need us anymore, we still need you." If you're considering letting your subscription lapse for any of these reasons, one thing we ask you to bear in mind is that your subscription money pays for more than just your six issues a year. As long as we're in business - and it's your subscriptions and book orders that keep us in business - we're able to do all sorts of other valuable ttrings for which we don't get paid. We provide information, at no charge, to callers who want to find homeschoolers in their â‚Źrrea or other kinds of contacts. We spend a lot of time on the phone, and still more time writing letters, helping people with all sorts of homeschooling and parenting issues. We help homeschoolers find apprenticeships. We provide information to people who are researching homeschooling at universities and to reporters who are covering it. And as you know, we emphasize the kind of homeschooling that doesn't look just like school. Again, we don't get paid for doing these things, but if you value them and want us to keep doing them, the best way to ensure that is to keep your subscription current, encourage others to do the same, and patronize the bookstore as well. Thanks to all ofyou who understand and appreciate the importance of this.
Growing Without Schooling #94
3
News & Reports ttNewsletters to Clintontt Project Some oJ gou mag haue heard abouL or
participated in, the 'Neussletters to Clinton" proj e ct, in which lnme sctaoltng support groups uorked to inJorm the presirlent abouthomeschooling. The May 1993 issue oJ the Tennessee Homeschooltng Famtlies neu: sletter contatns this update Jrom coor dinato
r Anne
W as s erman :
The response to this project was, as far as I was concerned, outstanding. We had newsletters from Utah, New York, Nevada, California, North Carolina, Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Tennessee, Colorado, Washington. Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, West Virginia, Minnesota, Maryland, Delaware, and Maine. Also Grou.ring Without Schooling, Home Edrrcatian Magazine, The Teactting Home, ttrc Moore Report, Home Schoohng Todag, and Under the Apple Tree graciously sent copies of their publications. Mr. Jerry Mintz sent copies of his alternative schools publication, Aero-Gramme, as well as other alternative school publications. There were three cover letters, copies of which I have enclosed with this letter. ... In talking to several people and due to our (at least to me) overwhelming response, we were thinking of making this project a [semi-l annual event. Once in January and once again in June. Any comments to this idea would be most welcome. Some excerpts Jrom the couer letters:
First,JromMarg Gffith, editor oJthe N o rthe
rn
C alifornia
neusletter
(nous
H o me s chool A s s ociation Home School Associatton of
Californin): ... As homeschoolers, we are actively concerned with the education of our children and the range of educational choices available to us. Perhaps less obviously, we are also seriously concerned about the educational choices available to all Americans and the consequences of those choices. We are disturbed by the trend in recent education reform efforts (America 200O, for example) toward increased reliance upon standardized curricula and testing. However voluntary such standards may be, in practice they will effectively narrow the choice of educational programs available to American students, and tJrereby limit the possibilities for success for increasing numbers of students. The one principle that our very diverse and opinionated membership can agree
upon is that there is no right way to educate all children. We are individuals,
Growing Without Schooling #94
Finallg, Jrom Amanda Berg son- Shilcock
with differing situations and personalities, and it is foolish to believe that a single educational approach can be effective for
all of us. When you consider educational initiatives for the federal government during the next few years, we urge you to support those programs which allow the most flexibility to meet the individual needs of the students to be served and which let the people working most directly with students make the decision about how best to meet those needs. AndJrom Earl M. Bundag
oJ
Minne-
sota:
... I wdte now to indicate my support for government policies that protect or expand the existing liber$ of parents to choose homeschooling as one of several choices for educating their children. I have been closely acquainted with homeschooling parents since working as a law-student intern for Iawyers representing homeschoolers in the summer of 1988. In the succeeding years, I have attended large homeschooling conventions in Minnesota (four times), Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, California (twice), and Washington state. At all these meetings, I have encountered caring, concerned parents eager to be and eager for their children to become lifelong learners. I have also met a number of exceptionally bright, responsible, and welladjusted children from families of quite ordinary parents - except for their decision to homeschool. I am now a parent myself, and a participant in an ongoing nationwide electronic town meeting on homeschooling carried by the Prodigr electronic bulletin board system. I can testiff that homeschoolers throughout the country are thoughtful, involved voters and taxpayers. What they have in common is a commitment to good education for their children. Other than that, they represent the full diversity of America, with every national and religious heritage I've ever heard of represented among their number, and with growing local support groups in all regions of this country. I understand that your campaign issued a position statement before your election saying that you saw no federal role in regulating home education. I would hope that in addition. if labor union political pressure or other forces brought
about state-level attempts to restrict the liberty of homeschoolers, you would use all appropriate means, including what homeschooled president Theodore Roosevelt called the "bully pulpit" of the presidential office, to resist those attempts to infringe parental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. ....
oJ
Pennsgluania:
I am sixteen years old, and I have never been to school. I am what is commonly known as a homeschooler, although my life hardly resembles the picture that that word brings to mind. I am involved in many activities and spend large portions of my time out in the "real world," including a trip with my violin quintet to play for visitors at the White House in December of 1991. However, this letter is not to talk
about me. Rather, it is to remind you that there is an alternative to public or private school and that many people are taking advantage of it. As you will see by the enclosed newsletters and magazines, homeschoolers are a very diverse group of people. From those who school-at-home to the John Holt-style "unschoolers," there are murny different versions of homeschooling. There are homeschoolers in every state in the U.S., and we represent virtually every religious, ethnic, political, and racial group. We are traditional and nontraditional families, in rural, suburban, and urban neighborhoods. We are novices. old hands. and somewhere in between. We are rich, poor, and middle class. Some are outspoken and some are more private, some are stay-at-home and some work outside the home. In short, we are EveryAmerican. I am writing to ask you to see us as EveryAmerican and to recognize that we are not fanatics advocating homeschooling for everyone. We want only for you, and indeed all Americans, to recognize that here is one more choice, one more way for education to happen. ...
Negotiating District Policy Brad White of Massachusetts urites: Until {ive years ago, the Bourne school system and the home educators had related in an uneasy truce. The existing homeschool policy was not enforced with the dominating attitude projected in its Growing Without Schooling #94, Vol. 16, No. 3. ISSN #O475-5305. Published bi-monthly by Holt Associates, 2269 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge MA 02 140. $25/yr. Date of issue: August l, 1993. Second-class postage paid at Boston, MA and at additional mailing oflices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to GWS, 2269 Mass. Ave., Cambridge MA 0214O. AD\,'ERTISERS: Deadiines are the l5th of oddnumbered months. Write for rates.
4 wording, and the soon-to-retire superintendent was content to maintain peace. The homeschooling families were on their own.
When I say the existing policy had a dominating attitude, I am referring to how the policy reflected tJle attitude of the designers. Massachusetts law states that homeschoolers must gain approval from their local school district before implementing a homeschooling program. and the local district decides how approval will be obtained. The local district has enough latitude to ignore homeschoolers completely or to set a policy that pushes the Iimit of the homeschooler's tolerance. In addition, a district may have a written policy that is enforced differently with each administrator. I have heard some districts have no written policy at all. The current legal opinion, known as the "Charles Decision," gives power equally to school officials and parents to negotiate what is in the best interests of the children involved. At that time in Bourne, five years ago, the policy had been designed by town counsel to make every aspect of home education subject to the control ofthe superintendent. The policy allowed surprise home visits, required a curriculum and schedule that closely duplicated those ofa school environment, and had an evaluation process that required pa-rents to save and present all work done by each child for the entire year. The retiring superintendent did not think all this work was necessal/, and delegated the supervision of homeschoolers to a principal who was supportive of parents "who are willing to make such a commitment to their
children." The current superintendent (who arrived late in 1988) was eager to awaken the sleeping educational system with an infusion of modern learning techniques. The effects ofthe recession were upon us, tensions increased, and current policies and practices were examined thoroughly. Many teachers and other groups were offended by the new hard line (layoffs, policy and financial changes), and the
home educators no longer remained unnoticed. The new assistant superintendent began to enforce the homeschooling poliry to the letter, presenting it as law instead of as a local guideline and making unreasonable requests of families who tried to cooperate. Those who stood to maintain their rights were threatened with legal action, and the superintendent's desire for "establishing the best education for all Bourne students" (otherwise known as "control") emerged. The first standoff, in the fall of 1991, concerned the practice of home visits. One family decided to ftght the visits, arguing that they violated the Constitutional protection regarding illegal search and seizure (4th amendment). With the help of the Home School kgal Defense Association, the family presented legal and common sense arguments to the school board and the policy was changed to eliminate that practice. However, in response to the administration, the school board also revised the policy to add additional control through excess supervision of homeschoolers. The situation deteriorated until it seemed a legal battle in court would be the only way to achieve a solution for the dozen families affected. Within inches of going to court, the homeschoolers made a final appeal to negotiate a peaceful settlement by designing a new policy that included input from the families. We made the request directly to the school board during a hearing regarding a family that was appealing the administration's disapproval of their homeschooling. About 75 homeschoolers attended to support this Bourne family. We finally had the school officials'attention, not because they cared about homeschooling but because they saw the wisdom of not wasting the town's money on a court battle they might not win. An ad hoc committee was formed to reach a solution. It consisted of three homeschool parents, three school board members, and the superintendent, who was not very pleased with the board's decision.
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established in our conviction to stand up for them, instead of hoping that others would fight for us. The superintendent consistently attempted a divide-andconquer stratesr in his bet to prove that homeschoolers were self-centered societ5r dropouts, unwilling to join any group cause. We had to discover our unity without losing our diversit5r, and we made mistakes in the process. We had to decide where the lines of concession would be drawn, and some families were unable to continue with us. The negotiation process worked better when: . the school oflicials learned that we care about our children, notjust about protecting parents' rights o they realized that their policy was not law o they learned that we knew the law better than they did, but wanted peace anyway (as citizens of the town, we don't want to sue ourselves or our neighbors) o they realized they were spending money from the school budget to do the work assigned to the Department of Social Services; this seemed to lessen their enthusiasm about paying someone on the school budget to supervise our homes . they saw that having a minimally restrictive policy with an atmosphere of cooperation (as we had had under the prior superintendent) worked better than the distrustful atmosphere of authoritarian
. we discovered committee members were more interested in the business aspects ofeducation (howto save money) than in the essence of education, so we abandoned any goal ofpersuading them to
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of its unique success. The negotiauon process was truly a growing experience for us. We called "home school experts," but we found the best they could offer us was to coach us through (only because the school board would not allow outside interference to affect local policy). This was an awakening experience, as we had never before considered that our decision to homeschool was as much a political as an educational decision. It was essential that we knew our rights and were
scrutiny
r'/a-c
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678 North Srar Rt. Qaesta, NM 87556
The school board gave us only four months to complete the negotiation process. We had to organize, define our purpose and goals, learn the politics ofour local democratic process, and continue to educate the school board about home education. Because of the upcoming election we saw the value of continuing to have a high profile. Many people in the community, including school teachers, openly supported home education once they became informed, through the media,
brochure
respect home education . we faced the fact that we represent to them less than two percent of the student population in town, and we overlooked their indifference to having a meaningful discussion about education with us o we realized that this was their policy, not ours, so we were helping them (both sides saw that the deepest problems
Growing Without Schooling #94
5 could only be solved at the federal or state level, so let'sjust get along) o we did not allow ourselves to be provoked emotionally, nor to get caught up in details, and we only discussed past issues when they were constructive to future plans . we explained how each benefit that we wanted would simpliff their job or cost less
. we asked for some things we didn't
care about, so that they could say no and retain control . the superintendent, finally tired of our persistence, asked, "What do you want?" Then we offered to write a new policy.
Our biggest mistake was helping someone we thought was pro-home education get elected to the school board in 1991. This person had been working
with homeschooling families for years in town. Being a certified teacher, she had a business set up to assist both school children and homeschoolers. She was appointed to the ad hoc committee with us. We found that her goal all along had been to help homeschoolers duplicate standardized public education in their homes, rather than to promote the healthy, individualized learning that sets home education apart. We thought she would bring some sanity to the growing dilemma, but we were surprised to discover that she became the touqhest
In March of 1993, we reached a compromise. The Boume school district now has a written policy that demonstrates respect for home education while assuring school officials that they do not lose the power they feel they need. Under the new policy, parents who choose this altemative for educating their children will be given generous latitude in the design and evaluation of their program. As long as parents can demonstrate to officials a vision of planned exposure to academics. with some form of measured progress, approval will be granted without interference. We do not call it a \rictory yet, however, until the school officials maintain the principles of the policy for at least one year. We now wait and see. What has been accomplished in Boume could not have been possible without the vision and support of organizations like Holt Associates. HSLDA. Clonlara, the Mass. Home l,eaming Association, and the Mass. Home Organization of Parent Educators. They helped prepare us long before the battle emerged by providing encouragement and access to resources (such as GWS). HSLDA has the financial resources and legal clout to get any school official's attention. They helped us become and remain steadfast in our convictions through their experience with these issues, and they helped us laugh when we wanted to give up. Most of all, they were there before we needed them. We encourage all homeschool families to assist
these groups (or your local support association). for the benefit of home education eve4nvhere. We never would have guessed this would happen here, and the value of knowing people who can create unity without destroying diversity is priceless.
Calendar September 3-5. 1993: Homeschool Family Camping Weekend at Camp Hanover near Mechanicsville, Virginia. Discussion groups and other activities. For info: Renee Pleasant. 8O4-233-2831 or Joan Cichon. 703-456-9822. Sept. l7-19: Families karning Together fall gathering at Camp Gwynn Valley near Brevard, NC. For info: SASE to FLT, lOlT Ha5rmarket l,a, Wilmington NC 28412: II9-392-9103. October 9-l 1: Texas Advocates for Freedom in Education (TAFFIE) statewide homeschooling weekend in Austin. Workshops, family field trips, social activities. For information: Tam Voynick, 6502 Bradley Dr, Austin TX 78723. We are happy to print announcements of major homeschooling events, but we need plenty of notice. Deadline for GWS #95 (events in November or later) is September lOth. Deadline for GWS #96 [events in January or later) is November 1Oth.
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Interview:
Why This Superintendent Supports Homeschooling [SS:l In GWS #84, Ellle Lltwach nrrote about the "mutually respectful" and cooperative relatlonship she has wlth her local superintendent, Dr. John DeFlamlnls. We spoke with Dr. p6plnmlnis, whose district is the Radnor Townshlp District in Pennsylvania, to learn nore about why he believes in being helpful to homeschoolers. (For more on cooperation between schools and homeschoolers. see GWS #85, 86, 89, 91.)
Hou mang tnmeschoolingJamilies gouhaue ingour distrtct? At the moment, seven
families.
Wtrot kind oJ tnteraction do gou rt:ith
them?
do
haue
I like to talk with them as they begin the homeschooling process. I give them a copy of the regulations as well as some clear guidelines, things that have been printed that make the requirements clearer, although there's quite a network of homeschoolers so most are pretty informed by the time they begin. Then we meet again once the objectives and the program have been laid out, and after that I try to meet with the families once a year so that I have an idea of what's going on.
I knous that gou'ue been uery uelcomittg toJamilies lu.ho LDant access to school Jacilities or actiDities. Do gou olfer this access3ftrst, or doJamilies ask gouJor it? Both. I always say in my opening remarks, if there's anything we can do to work with you, please do feel free to ask.
Wtnt's gour rationaleJor being so weboming? These are children that are entitled to go to public school if they want to go. In their case, their parents choose not to
send them. My perception is that depending on the family, you can probably provide most elements of a good educational program without using the public schools, but there may be some things we do that the family can't always provide say, a music program or an intramural athletic program. I assume that my desire and the parents' desire is to provide a full range of educational opportunities. We are required by law to provide books that homeschoolers need. but we're not reouired to allow homeschoolers to come in
and out of programs whenever they want. I have an understanding with the principals that we'll do it to the extent that it doesn't disrupt that program, and I explain that to the homeschoolers. But their needs are the most critical issue. I'm tnterested to knou uhat usould constttute being disruptiue. Some homeschoolers are told ttnt their child's participation in a scttool program uould be disruptiue, and it's not alutags easg to see tuhy that would be so. For us, disruptive would be - well, if a homeschooler wants to take something in music or phys ed, those activities tend to happen at the beginning or the end of the school day, so they're easier to access. The time issue is much less intense. But any child coming in for one period in the middle of a day is going to have to get there on time. otherwise the class will start and someone's going to walk in after it's started. It's harder for us to be flexible about that than it would be for a private art class, for example, Schools are among the most tightly controlled places in our society, unfortunately. It's difficult to maintain some order unless you do it that way. If we were to permit the kind of freedom that a homeschooling family might have, we couldn't educate 85O children in one building. So those kinds of things, like coming in late, would be disruptions. In the scheme of things, though, I wish we could be a lot more flexible. Sometimes tomeschoolers get the sense thrrt somethtng abit more abstract i,s meantby "disruptiue." For example, some scttool offtctals seem to Lt)orry that lf a child is able to come in, take one class, andthen Ieaue, that l.luill make tte other children resentJul orjealous.
They're worried about starting a pattern that leads more people to
homeschool. I don't worry about that. I think it's a very hard thing to decide you're going to homeschool your child. I think when it's done well, and when parents are well-motivated, that it almost borders on the ideal. Not completely, but it gets very close to the ideal, where experiences are provided for an individual child that can never be provided in an institutional setting. But I lived in Louisville, Kentucky when people were homeschooling to avoid desegregation, and they were packing lO kids into a garage and doing things that I didn't think were ideal. Still, I think when you have wonderful things going on in homeschooling, they ought to be held up for what they are - wonderful examples whether they happen in our schools or not. The situation of a homeschooler taking a class or two wouldn't be disruptive here. but I don't know the circumstances in other districts. It's true that given the choice for the more flexible alternative, I'm sure there tuould be a lot of kids who would prefer that, so in that sense I can see that they might envy the homeschooler coming in. But in fact, the way that restructuring is occurring in schools, I think we are moving away from the clock, from the timed, egg crate delivery system. I see us moving toward a much more flexible set of learning and program altematives. We're trying to do it, and we're seeing that those options work quite successfully. I think the one thing we can count on is change, and it's happening. I asked one of the homeschooling families in my district to come in and present to the board, and I thought that was a wonderful thing, because we can learn from the individualized programs that these children have. Yes, I tuas going to ask - tohot do gou think peopte in schools can teamJrom homescfaolers?
I think these days running public schools is very difficult. The politics of schooling has become very, very difficult. It has forced people away from a focus on children's needs to a focus on the bottom line. School systems need to change, and I think good systems are changing all the time. The problem is that we're always torn between attending to individual needs and offering programs that meet the needs of larger groups. But because as I said, I think homeschooling, because it is absolutely individualized to the needs of each student, is close to ideal, I think we can learn from that.
Growing Without Schooling #94
7 A big part of achievement is motivation, and that's the second thing we can
learn. The homeschooling program can potentially be more motivating because it is built on the child's interests. When a homeschooling family has a child who loves to write, and they connect that child with an adult who loves to write and who can take an interest in the child's work, that's wonderful, and I wish we could make that available to all students. Yes,
I think it
LDoUA be
an interesting
challerge , just gtuen that gou'ue Jramed ttre questton ttnt tuay, to think oJ hotu to giue kids rn school access to the same kinds oJ apprentice ship s that many ttome s chooler s hnue.
One thing we've done is, we're going to have personalized IEPs Undividualized Education Programsl for every kid in the high school, which means that every student will have a chance to sit down with an adult who will focus on what that student's interests are.
The third thing I think schools can learn from homeschoolers is the difference between family and system. When families make a decision that they're going to leam together, that's a very positive thing. The number one predictor of student achievement is parents' expectations, so what could be better than to have parents closely involved and communicailng their positive expectations every day? The difficulty with all this is, we have artifacts in public school systems that don't necessarily make sense today. It's harder to change something that's embedded in the system than to change something at home. In an institution, once you adopt a practice it's hard to change it. Ifit happens to be a good practice, that's wonderful, but if it's a bad practice and if it's not constantly being examined, that's not wonderful. I'm tuondering if gou also learnJrom tame s chooler s spectfc thtng s a.bout
kids' learning. I'm thinking oJ some oJ the unu.sual uags that kids Learn to read tn homesclnol setttngs, Jor example. John HoIt urote Aears ago that ideallg, Lnme schools could be seen as Inboratories, place s u:frcre interesting expertments uere gotng on andJrom tuhich schools could learn. tecrchtng practices, or
I think you're right, but I don't see that flow, not at the level you're talking about or that John Holt was talking about. I might learn things on a macro level, but to learn the sorts of things you're describing, I'd have to be much more intimate with the families, I'd have to know a lot more than I know now. Right now, I don't get as involved as I'd have to get to understand the nuances of that kind of teaching, either by seeing it or by having described to me.
it
I toouldLoue to think abouttaus that flotu could happen, because homeschoolers are oJten acatsed oJ not caring about the
Growing Without Schooling #94
larger communitg or aboutkids usho are in schoctl, and in actuaLily theg might haue inTportant insrghts to share uith, say, scfLoolteachers uho are usorkino
partirular
uith
kid.s.
In my experience, homeschoolers do care about the community, and they have embedded their children in the life of the community. But it's true that there isn't the kind of exchange you're talking about. I would like to see homeschoolers know about the kinds of cutting edge things we're doing in the schools, too. Yes, I didn't mean tt u:ould go onlg one tuag. But sometimes tt's easterJor homeschoolers to read. about netu things going on in schools thnn Dice-Dersa. What do gou thtnk homeschoolers can do to mnke Jor a smootler relationshtp betu;een themselues and school ofjicirtls?
I don't think school is the only place to learn. Public schools are not the only answer, nor are formal school systems.
I really am convinced that there is a predisposition that can greatly affect the relationship between homeschoolers and school districts. Ifyou anticipate that you're going to have a problem, you're probably going to do some things that will create a problem. I have a recent example of a family who sent an advocate to me rather than talking to me directly. They didn't want to comply with various requirements, they sent in old material, not material that I need to feel secure about what's happening. Because in the end, I am certi$ring that a certain process is happening, I'm taking that responsibility, and I take the education ofevery student seriously. So when someone starts by creating a tension that doesn't need to be there, it isn't helpful. What uouldAou saA ta ottrcr superintendents tuho are not as incltned to be open-minded, or to be supportiue oJ homeschooters?
I don't think school is the only place to leam. Ideally, I'd like to see learning go into the whole community, with schools being a place for kids to come into and go out of when they want to. I think there are lots ofways to get there. Public schools are not the only answer, nor are formal school
systems. Tlrcre are home scLtaoler s around the country uLn uould" sag that gou are reaLly exemplary, that not mang other supertntendents share Lhat attih,Ld.e.
I don't think I'm exemplary. I think most superintendents are educable. They may not be as familiar with homeschooling, or have read John Holt, as I have. but I think they could learn, if the family approaches them with the understanding that we're all human, that we're all concerned about the children, and that this family chooses homeschooling but that doesn't have to denigrate the public schools. The family who wants their child to have access to school programs could say, we choose to homeschool, but my child would really benefit from these aspects of public school, and I'd like to have him or her participate, but I don't want to create a disruption. I suppose some of my colleagues would absolutely disagree with me. A lot of it has to do with what you believe about schooling and learning. If I knew a colleague was absolutely refusing to help homeschoolers, I would speak to him about that. We'ue been talking about ustether to ould be disruptfu e. Wtwt about the other side - John HoIt suggested that a chtld tutrc came in to take one class could achnllg haue apositiue itllrrcrrce, becantse the other kid.s utould see that Ltere uas a chiLd n:ho had- chosen to da this particular thtng. home schoolers
I think that could possibly be true. That's the other side ofit, that goes back to the motivation issue. If someone's motivated to come in and take a class when they don't have to, that could be a very positive influence. Also, kids have to go into a world where people are different, and I think the chance to interact with and get to know a homeschooler is a healthy thing. After all, we take in students from other cultures, saying that we want our kids to learn to interact with them. and in some respects homeschooling too is a different culture.
I knous that you recently gaDe a diploma, and had" a graduation ceretrana, Jor a high-school oged lnmescLrmler in gour disfrct. That's intriguirtg, becau-se I can imagine s ome supertntendents s aAir.g, "Whg should I giue a diploma to a stttdent rt;ho tus neuer atteruJedthe sclvnl?" Well, in this state, it's the principal who awards the diploma. But my attitude is that if we have been part of it at all, if we have guided and certified that a really fine educational experience has happened, we should have the same celebration that we have for our own students. In general my feeling is, these are children, and you don't close doors for children. I think we should be opening doors.