Back to (home)school

Well, yesterday was the day that our kids woke up early, got dressed instead of watching Fireman Sam on TV, and... sat down at the kitchen table. Like their school-bound counterparts, they had a mixture of anxiety and excitement about starting school.

When we started homeschooling, I was reluctant to tell people. I worried what they would think -- that we were one of those head-in-the-sand families whose kids do their schoolwork in a closet and are never exposed to real life or to other kids. Now, I'm happy to tell others what we do and how we do it, and I love people's curiosity about our lifestyle.

In fact, our lifestyle is one of the things I enjoy the most about homeschooling. We're not tied to school breaks for vacations. We can go anywhere, anytime we want. We can take a morning off to visit a museum... or the grocery store. We can take our schoolwork to the park or to the backyard. Best of all, I never have to sit in a carpool pickup line.

So, to mark the start of our school year, I wanted to answer questions that I get asked all the time.

What exactly is homeschooling? Isn't that something only weirdos do? 
Once upon a time, maybe. But homeschooling -- when the parents teach the children at home rather than sending them to school -- is becoming more and more mainstream. In 1980, homeschooling was illegal in 30 states and only a few thousand kids were educated at home. By 1993, every state allowed homeschooling. By the mid 2000's about 1.5 million kids were homeschooled. That number grows 7-15% each year, so estimates now point to about 2.04 million homeschooled kids (that's at least 5% of all school-age children).

How do you teach? Does the state give you textbooks?
I wish. No, actually, I don't. Part of the great thing about homeschooling is the freedom to choose your curriculum (I do wish the state would pay for it, though -- or at least give us a tax break). We teach all the core subjects -- reading/spelling/grammar, math, science, history, social studies, geography, art, art study, music and Spanish -- but we choose what we want to use for materials. I look for hands-on curriculums that suit the learning style of each individual child. Catherine, for instance, is very visual, while Vincent does great with auditory learning.

Do you have to report to the state? 
Each state has different requirements. North Carolina is very lax. I'm required to take attendance (180 days of instruction are required) and to do end-of-year standardized testing for certain grades. Should the state require more? I think it should, yes. For my own benefit I keep very detailed lesson plans and examples of the kids' schoolwork.

What about socialization? Do your kids actually have friends?
Ahhh... If only I had a penny for each time I hear that! The short answer is, yes, our kids are socialized. Weekly Catherine takes gymnastics, science and art classes, and faith formation. Vincent takes the same art and science classes and has a "lunch bunch" sports clinic on Mondays. Both are involved with Catholic children's groups that meet regularly to play and to study the saints. We are involved with a Catholic homeschool organization that has about 120 families (and being Catholic, that of course means a ton of kids). We do a nature society and a preschool playgroup. We have playdates with friends. But beyond that, our kids are exposed to people of all ages -- through our regular outings they learn to interact with other parents, older and younger siblings, and a variety of teachers and coaches.

And finally... WHY? What kind of a crazy person wants to have her kids home all day???
First of all, we're not home all day. I tend to think that the phrase "homeschool" is a misnomer, simply because we do so much out of the house! We live in a great area for homeschooling; every museum and park around here has special classes for homeschoolers. It's a booming business. But more to the point, I love having our kids home (or out) with me. They are small for such a short time. Of course, there are broader reasons, having to do with academic excellence and morality... so stay tuned next post for some eye-opening statistics.