Debbie Fuhry

Sagamore Hills, OH
debbie@debbiefuhry.com

Homeschooling

More Information

One of the tools often taught for inductive Bible study are the 'W' questions, or to be precise, 'Five W's and an H': Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

I'll copy that methodology in my explanation of homeschooling!

Who?

Who can, who should, and who does homeschool?

Who can? Almost anyone. Admittedly, parents with college degrees will face fewer legal hurdles in some states; however, studies have shown that children being homeschooled by parents who've never attended college score as
well on standardized tests as other homeschooled students. By the way, those scores are significantly higher than students in government run schools, and in some cases, better than students in private schools.

As a general rule, there is really only one requirement to successfully homeschool your children: commitment. Personally, I'd put organization as the second most helpful attribute, but it's not absolutely essential.

What is Homeschooling?

I would define homeschooling as parents directing their own children's education in a home-based setting.

In the younger years, this often looks exactly as most people expect: Mom teaching the children at home. It seems there are countless ways of doing so. In some cases, it looks more like a school, with a spot in the house designated the 'school room' and a desk for each child. In our case, much of our school in the early years was done cuddling on the couch and reading together. Activities which required writing were usually done at the dining room table or on the floor on the coffee table. (Aside: though I found those early years exhausting, I catch myself smiling at the memories.)

Many, if not most homeschoolers supplement with educational experiences outside the home, including field trips and group classes, such as Art, P.E., Music, or Science. Often, classes are also outsourced in the high school years, to group classes, online education, or community colleges.

When? What age should you start? What age should you stop? How many hours a day?

What age do you start? Personally, I believe that 'less is more' when it comes to early education. Let me be clear what I mean by that: I'm referring to formal education, not learning. Children are made for learning and have a
natural interest in the world around them and love of learning. Do we exploit that, or do we drive it out of them? Forcing an excited, inquisitive child to sit still and do boring busy work for hours on end will destroy the natural
curiosity of most of them. On the other hand, reading to them (quality books, not what Charlotte Mason called 'twaddle'), playing fun learning games, reading to them some more, exploring the natural world, reading some more,
and constantly conversing with them about God's wonderful creation will keep the spark of learning alive.

This doesn't mean I don't believe in the three Rs. When my son was five, I started kindergarten with him. (My daughter, who was three at the time, refused to be left out, so she ended up starting school quite young!) We did a
lot of reading on the couch. Much of it was true stories about heroes of the faith, heroes in history and science, and inventors. We also read a lot of fairy tales and children's literature. We did the other things I mentioned above. And,
we learned to read using the first book of Hooked on Phonics and Blumenfeld's Alpha-Phonics. By the end of that first year, both could read simple words, and Tim could read simple books. For math, we used little objects and
games to learn numbers, counting, addition, and subtraction.

What age do you stop? What about high school? Many send their kids to school in junior high and high school, figuring that the academic rigors of education at that level are beyond them. However, so many curriculums are
developed for home education with all needed instruction as part of the textbook that even advanced math and science classes become feasible. A parent should stop directing their child's education when the child is old enough
to direct it themselves.

How many hours a day? Depends on the age and abilities of the student. At the beginning, I probably only spent a couple of hours a day on school. By upper elementary ages, it had increased to four or five. Now, my high schooler
probably spends seven or more hours on school most days.

Where?

I've basically covered this in the 'What?' section, but I'll summarize. Where do you 'do school?' Anywhere.

That's one of the many advantages. When my parents lived close enough for the kids and I to drive there in about six hours, we would occasionally pack up all our books and go stay at their house for a week or so.

Why Homeschool?

Academic
1. One-on-one tutoring is widely regarded as the most effective model for teaching, and although it's extremely difficult to achieve in a classroom, it is the natural method of homeschoolers.

2. Incredible amounts of time are wasted in classroom settings, either in the minutiae of dealing with that many kids (taking attendance, changing classes, waiting while the teacher deals with discipline issues or answers questions which only a few students need answered.)

3. The student isn't able to work at his own pace, either being forced to move on before material is mastered, or being forced to endlessly repeat unnecessary exercises on a subject already fully understood.

4. Materials and methods can be optimized for the individual learning style of each child.

Socialization
This is always the big question to homeschoolers? Are your children getting enough socialization? If by socialization
you're referring to learning:

1. The fine art of sucking up to those above you on the social scale while proving your coolness by tormenting those below you;

2. That life is a popularity contest, and being popular is more important than doing what's right;

3. People aren't important unless they're the same age as you;

4. Your friends are more important than your family;

5. Authority is the enemy; and

6. Being cool is the ultimate goal in life.

The answer is NO. If this is socialization (and it is in most schools) homeschoolers are happily NOT socialized.

General
1. Children are able to focus more on their interests. The time flexibility means they can devote themselves much more to learning about their passions.

2. Family relationships are usually stronger, both parent-child and sibliing relationships.

3. Homeschooled children are able to relate to people of diverse ages.

Honestly, this is a 'quick-n-dirty' list. There are surely many more reasons that didn't come to me at the moment.

How?

This is where the rubber meets the road, isn't it? First, start with self-education. Read books on homeschooling. Attend your state conference, even if you have to drive several hours and stay in a hotel. It's best if both parents go, but I urge you to make sure at least one of you does. Benefits include: the encouragement of seeing so many others excited about (and succeeding at) this journey; hearing speakers on every aspect of how to homeschool; and a room full of exhibitors with curricula you can page through.

Some age-appropriate recommendations for curriculum

A quick note: There are many, many more options than the few I've listed here. Most of these are curricula I've used successfully with my own family. A few are ones I've had significant exposure to and which have favorably
impressed me.

Early education:

Alpha-Phonics

Five in a Row

Early Education at Home

Elementary Education