HOMESCHOOLING/ Educating Across the Generations

giovedì 10 dicembre 2009

 

Alicia Van Hecke, both a former homeschool student and now teacher with six children, edits a popular resource website for homeschoolers at love2learn.net. She lives in the Milwaukee area. In an interview with ilsussidiario.net, she discusses how homeschooling addresses the educational needs of children.

 

You’re a second generation homeschooler, having been taught at home during the pioneer days of this movement and now raising a family of homeschooled children. What were the motivations for your parents and their generation, and is it the same now?

 

Sorting out motivations for homeschooling is a difficult thing. For any individual family there is likely to be at least three or four important reasons for their decision, such as: the expense of private schools, moral problems in the schools, some subjects (like Latin) not available in local schools, and special needs or interests that might cause the child to thrive at a faster or slower pace than most students. To be honest, our family’s motivations vary slightly from child to child.

 

I think the motivations of my parents and other homeschool parents a few decades back, like today, varied, but all were rooted in a common point – parents wanting the best for their children and too often not finding it within the school system. I think my parents were particularly savvy for their time in leaving the school system not only because of its own shortcomings, but also because they saw something unique and worthwhile in homeschooling itself. That concept has certainly grown within the homeschool movement. They saw homeschooling as something, not smaller than the school system, but actually larger. It is larger because it provides the leisure to make teachers out of the librarian, the museum docent, the parish priest, the older sibling, the next door neighbor, and the grandparent as well as the parents. This is a natural and beautiful way to learn.

 

One thing I’ve noticed in my own homeschool journey (including some time spent teaching in the classroom) is that the school system has a tendency to breed bad attitudes about learning. It’s not “cool” to learn. Additionally, after twelve years of mandatory education, many people end up looking at learning as something undesirable that must be trudged through because of a sense of duty and then finished with as soon as possible. Homeschooling gives students, not only the freedom to explore areas of interest with a certain amount of leisure, but also the freedom to not be burdened with negative social pressures against learning.

 

Another area where homeschooling tends to excel (though some schools are starting to catch on) is experiential learning – the kind that can’t be done in textbooks, the kind that requires exploring the out-of-doors or touching and playing with things and figuring them out at leisure. And experiential learning can have an enormous impact on a child’s interest in a subject.With our results-driven school system, this essential aspect of learning is often completely ignored.

 

Are homeschoolers considered to be on the fringe of society?

 

The simple answer is no. There are some stereotypes out there, but most people in the U.S. seem to accept homeschooling, even if they consider homeschoolers to be somewhat of a curiosity. We still do have the sense that, because we're a little different, because we're still a minority, because homeschooling is a movement that we care about, that we all function as homeschool ambassadors of sorts. It adds some pressure, perhaps, but also makes us more eager to share our joy with others who might be interested. (USA Today has recently reported that 6.8% of college-educated parents in the United States are currently homeschooling their children.)

 

It’s been commonly accepted for some time that homeschoolers are able to compete academically with their traditionally-schooled peers. The more common question in recent years has been "What about socialization?" Today, that has even diminished to the point where most people seem to view homeschooling in a positive way, but not necessarily as something that they themselves would do.

 

What happens when a homeschooled child wants to go to college? Are they prepared?

 

 

 

NEXT PAGE

CLICK BELOW

 

 

 

Homeschoolers are very competitive when it comes to applying for college. Many top universities (such as Harvard and Notre Dame) have a special admissions counselor just for homeschoolers. There are sometimes complications, a few extra hurdles to jump in the process, but no substantial disadvantage.

 

Stanford University has noted an "intellectual vitality" that they have found uniquely among homeschoolers. Homeschooling has a tendency to encourage independent inquiry and learning. Although the rigidity of the typical American high school is not always conducive to unconventional learning styles and interests, colleges are by their nature more open to creative possibilities, and so homeschoolers often find college to be a natural culmination of their studies.

 

On the other hand, college can be a bit of an adjustment for homeschoolers, especially if they're not used to a highly structured schedule and study load. Generally, they seem to adapt as well as other students, though many parents have their children take some outside classes during high school partly to help them be better prepared. Our state law provides for homeschoolers to take two classes per semester in the public high schools. Many parents have found this to be a good experience for their children.

 

Do homeschoolers go it alone, or do they gravitate toward other families with similar interests?

 

Homeschoolers tend to be very active with other homeschool families, in their parishes or church communities and in their communities in general. In our area there is a large variety of activities available to homeschool families (many specifically intended for homeschoolers) – far more than one family could be involved in.

 

One significant example is a local Christian homeschool group that runs a sports league that offers competitive basketball, volleyball, football, track and more. Their teams compete against local private schools and other homeschool groups.

 

Many homeschool families have their children in music lessons, gymnastics, dance or non-school-based sports leagues. Homeschoolers’ schedules tend to offer a great deal of flexibility for scheduling volunteer work or paying jobs. Our family has found this particularly helpful in our involvement with our local public library.

 

Homeschoolers frequently participate in annual academic competitions that involve public and private schools as well. My own children have competed in the National Geographic Bee, Poetry Out Loud and the Junior Classical League Convention.

 

Is homeschooling a long-term solution to education in this country, especially given the centuries-old Catholic school tradition in the U.S.? What about banding together to form private schools of your own?

 

I would say that it is and it isn’t a long-term solution. I think there are some unique aspects of homeschooling that will make it appealing in the future too. On the other hand, homeschooling is already having an impact, and I believe will continue to have an impact on changes made within the school system which may make that a more appealing option in the future. Besides forcing some creative thinking in schools simply because it offers an alternative, I believe that homeschooling will have a second wave of influence on the school system because a number of homeschool graduates will end up taking their enthusiasm for learning back into the classrooms by becoming teachers themselves.

 

The question about forming private schools is a complicated one. There are many small private schools that have been formed alongside the homeschool movement. Because of financial challenges and personality differences, these are difficult to start and perhaps even harder to maintain. Basically, it’s easier to homeschool your own family than to start a school.

 

Legally, the possibilities vary quite a bit according to the compulsory education laws within each state. In Wisconsin, for example, there’s a large gap between homeschoolers (who are lightly regulated) and private schools (which are heavily regulated) with nothing really in-between (like part-time schools or cooperatives) because homeschoolers are not allowed to homeschool someone outside their immediate family.

© Riproduzione riservata.