Homeschooling - Families educate their own children for variety of reasons

by Jeff Crawley, Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, September 22, 2005 11:48 AM CDT
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Kyle Tarvin reviews sign language and increases vocabulary with her daughter, Aerin, during a home-schooling session Sept. 6. Lamp photo by Prudence Siebert.

When Kyle and Maj. Tony Tarvin decided to homeschool their daughter Aerin it was a decision based on many factors. Like most military families, the Tarvins move often so a primary reason to homeschool was to maintain continuity in their 9-year-old's education.

"Aerin is just starting fourth grade, and she would have been in four schools already if we didn't homeschool," said Kyle Tarvin, who began homeschooling her daughter in kindergarten. Maj. Tarvin works at the TRADOC Analysis Center.

Whatever the considerations, homeschooler David Foreman of Lansing said parents homeschool for the same reason that other parents send their children to public or private schools: "They want to provide the best possible education they can for their children."

Homeschooling parents say it is a demanding yet rewarding experience. There are a number of local organizations and resources to assist homeschool educators.

"Homeschooling is a lifestyle; it is not just a thing to do during the day," said Richard Barrette. He and his wife Melissa, an analyst at TRAC, are co-leaders of the Christian Homeschool Alliance of Leavenworth Kansas.

CHALK offers support to homeschoolers, and social activities and field trips for children. It is open to military and civilian homeschooling families.

The Barrettes are in the second year of homeschooling their son, Noah, 8. They also have two pre-school children.

Homeschooling requires time investigating resources; researching, reviewing and purchasing curriculums; and preparing lessons.

"You take on the responsibilities of principal and teacher," said Robert Barrette, who is the primary teacher in the Barrette household.

Even though homeschooling can be difficult, it offers some significant academic advantages, said homeschool educator John Bauer, a military analyst at Training Doctrine Command's Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence office.

"You can tailor the education to the aptitude and gifting of the child," said Bauer. He and his wife Charlene homeschool their three children still at home. Their oldest daughter Sharon was homeschooled since the second grade. Sharon was recognized as a National Merit Scholar and now attends Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., on an academic scholarship.

Regulations

Military homeschoolers must follow the laws of the state in which they live. Overseas, the Department of Defense Education Activity neither encourages nor discourages homeschooling, but advises families to check local command policies to ensure they meet host nation requirements.

Kansas law requires children ages 7-18 to attend school and homeschooling is a way to meet the requirement, according to the Home School Legal Defense Association Web site. To homeschool, the educator must register with the Kansas Department of Education as a non-accredited private school. The registration is free and can be done on-line.

Homeschooled student attendance must be substantially equivalent to the public schools, i.e., 186 days per year or 1,116 hours per year, said Richard Barrette. Kansas does not require any homeschool recordkeeping. Missouri homeschool laws differ from Kansas.

Nicole and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Brad Jacobs, an instructor at the Command and General Staff College, moved here from Norfolk, Va. Virginia has a very organized homeschool system and does testing of students, said Nicole Jacobs, who homeschools her two sons, second and fifth graders.

The Kansas State Athletic Association prohibits homeschooled students from playing on public or private school teams unless they attend that school for so many hours per day, John Bauer said.

One option for homeschoolers that want to play organized sports is the National Christian Athletic Association. This organization allows homeschooled children to play on teams of Christian schools, John Bauer said. His son Evan, 14, plays football on a team in Kansas City.

Curriculums

Publishers recognize the need for homeschool curriculums and are meeting the demand, said Richard Barrette, a former middle school teacher. For example, one publisher's fifth-grade math curriculum might include a teaching manual, a student workbook, lesson plans and tests.

"They give you everything you need to say and show examples of how problems can be worked out," said Jane Deskis, membership coordinator for CHALK.

Nicole Jacobs prefers one particular brand because it is a complete package.

"I enjoy the teaching part but I don't enjoy gathering all the stuff to make a lesson plan so we just purchase it already made," she said.

Kyle Tarvin said although there are some great curriculum providers out there, she doesn't use one publisher for all subjects.

"We tend to pick and choose," she said.

As far as expenses, parents can spend as much as they want on new materials or look for bargain texts and materials on-line, at thrift stores or swaps, said Melissa Barrette. The Barrettes paid $400 for their child's new math-curriculum but only $10 on-line for a used social studies curriculum covering three grades.

Jane Deskis, whose husband Tony works as a contractor at the Battle Command Training Program, begins home schooling her three sons, ages 6,7, and 9, at 8 a.m. She uses the mornings for individual lessons in math, English and writing. After an hour lunch and recess, the afternoon is filled with science and other sessions. In addition to the three R's, lessons also include German, sign language and piano.

"We do our work in 30-minute sections," said Jane Deskis. If one of her students finishes his lesson before 30 minutes, he knows he has the leftover time to do what he wants. If he doesn't complete the lesson he will be working on it at 3 p.m. when the school day ends, she said.

Every 50 days she gives her sons report cards. Jane and her husband discuss the boys' grades as well as behavior and personalities, she said.

There are many groups for children, regardless of school, for peer interaction.

Homeschooled children are involved in activities such as Boy and Girl Scouts, church activities, orchestras, socials and field trips with CHALK, and sports through parks and recreation departments.

Because many homeschool families have more than one child, parents may have to devote more time to the older students' studies.

High school lesson plans require more preparation than do elementary school lessons, said John Bauer, who has homeschooled in California and Kansas. One resource for homeschool educators with high school-age students is the Logos Christian Academy in Leavenworth. Logos is a cooperative homeschool academy that has subject matter experts teaching math, advanced literature, science, and more, said John Bauer, who teaches at Logos.

Logos frees homeschoolers from having to learn advanced subjects to teach their teenagers so they can concentrate on the younger children's curriculum, he said. Logos charges minor fees.

Homeschooling requires a lot of time, energy and thinking, John Bauer said.

"Even the home itself has to be organized toward the school and can take over the home if you don't manage it," he said.

A family with both parents working full-time may find it difficult to commit the time for homeschooling, he said.

Challenges

Homeschooling parents have to make some real sacrifices, said Foreman, who splits teaching duties with his wife Sandy.

Kyle Tarvin said shifting roles between mom and child to teacher and student are difficultfor her and her daughter.

"I think the single biggest challenge is keeping those roles separate," she said.

The Tarvins also have set up their home environment to be conducive to homeschooling. Their house is filled with books and educational games and toys.

"We have one TV in the basement; it's on very limited," said Kyle Tarvin.

Because the homeschool educator is with the child throughout the day, appointments can present challenges.

Last year when Jane Deskis was undergoing chemotherapy, there were a lot of field trips to the hospital for her children, she said. She and her husband would have the boys do their lessons on clipboards in hospital waiting rooms.

Rewards

Many homeschoolers said some of the best things about homeschooling is the time they get to spend with their children and being ablt to see them learn every day.

"We're together for hours and we love it," Richard Barrette said.

Homeschooling also allows concentration on certain subjects, John Bauer said.

"You can find something where that child is gifted," he said. "Then you can focus your efforts on that child and prepare them for life to use that gift."

Kyle Tarvin said the payoff is having a well-adjusted, well-behaved daughter who is capable of interacting with people of all ages.

"She doesn't get locked-in on a certain peer group ... she has a lot of opportunities where she interacts with her peers but they are not the main force in how she interacts with the world," Kyle Tarvin said.

Although the number of homeschooling families is increasing, it is still a huge minority, roughly only 2 percent of families, said Melissa Barrette.

The homeschool movement is gaining credibility because people are seeing that most of the children are well-educated, socialized and good citizens, John Bauer said.

"But there is still that public perception that it (homeschooling) is so unorthodox that there has to be something wrong with it," he said. "I think with time that is slowly starting to evaporate."

Resources

Harrold Youth Center has dedicated hours for Fort Leavenworth homeschool families: 9-10:30 a.m. Mondays and 1-2:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Facilities include a gym and computer lab.

In addition, the After-School Program is open to homeschooled children with age-specific activities, said Lolita Law, administrative assistant.

If homeschoolers have a specific curriculum need, such as a fitness class for a month, Child and Youth Services can assist with the programming, said Christy Allie, CYS director of outreach services.

For information on homeschooling, contact the Fort Leavenworth School Liaison Officer Cheryl Gelwix at 684-1655; Fort Leavenworth Child and Youth Services at 684-5131 or visit 45 Biddle Blvd.; Fort Leavenworth CHALK liaison Sandy Foreman at 250-1349, e-mail dns.foreman@runbox.com; or John Bauer of Logos Christian Academy at 651-5012, e-mail bauerjc@earthlink.net.