My mom and I were interviewed about homeschooling and are quoted in this article that might be published in the Union Tribune. You can find the article at
Who will teach the children?
Courts could require credentials
for home-schoolers
By Steven Mihailovich | steven.mihailovich@tlnews.net
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
A case that goes to court later this month may bring about an opportunity for North County parents who home-school their children to dispel many myths about the system.
On June 23, the California 2nd District Court of Appeal will hear a case on which the Superior Court ruled that parents had to be credentialed to teach their children at home.
According to court files, the appeals court will decide whether there is a constitutional right to home-school and whether parents must be credentialed under California law.
But many of the estimated 166,000 home-schoolers in California believe a ruling against the practice will send education backward, not forward.
“Home-schoolers get into top colleges as much, if not more, than public school students,” said Cathy Gray of Escondido, a former teacher who has been home-schooling her four children for 12 years. “Some public school graduates don’t even know division.”
Until the case is decided, home schooling remains legal, said Loren Mavromati, president of the California Home School Network, a support and advocacy group. With briefs supporting home schooling filed with the court by the governor, the state attorney general, legislators and even school administrators, she said her confidence is high that home schooling will stay intact.
Mavromati notes that privates schools don’t require credentialed teachers either. She also points out that if the court rules against home schooling, thousands of children will be dumped into a public school system, which is cutting its budget because of a lack of funds.
“My biggest pet peeve with public schools is that arts and music is the first things removed when there’s no money,” said Gray, who taught music in public schools. “Also shop classes and physical education. All the stuff kids like.”
The misconceptions about home schooling are numerous, but the most persistent is that home-schooled children have no social skills, said Jennifer Wallace of Escondido, who has four children being taught at home.
Wallace said her children spend time with adults, seniors, teens and children, and are more adept at dealing with society than children who spend most of their time with peers.
“ ‘What about their social skills?’ is the most asked question,” Wallace said. “Usually when I answer that question, I’m careful so they don’t feel too bad that they have their kids in public schools.
“It’s a different kind of lifestyle. But when you make the commitment, what other people say doesn’t matter as much.”
Nicole Turner is Gray’s 23-year-old daughter. Turner was home-schooled beginning in seventh grade. She said she missed none of the activities associated with schools, such as football games and the homecoming dance, because she accompanied friends who were in the public schools.
“I set foot on campus lots of times,” Turner said. “I didn’t feel I was missing out.”
Leona Wolf of Vista home-schools her two sons, Addison, 13, and Hayden, 11. She said her sons have clumsy moments socially when they sign up for soccer and basketball leagues.
“They’re a little awkward when all the kids are the same age,” Wolf said. “They don’t know all the slang or the subjects kids in the same group are talking about. But it’s the same if they were suddenly moved to another school in another state.”
The perception that home-schoolers are religious zealots who pull their children out of school to teach Creationism is more of a concern. Mavromati said parents who are just looking for quality education for their children are often lumped in with the religious groups.
“People think home-schoolers are chained to a kitchen table with the Bible open and the kids have no friends,” Mavromati said. “We’re just a microcosm of the country. The majority of the country might be Christian but not fundamentalist Christian. To put it frankly, the media cover the fundamentalist side more because they’re stories that get more attention.”
The home-school system uses teaching methods as diverse as the families that participate, Mavromati said. Many home-schoolers work with independent study programs offered at some public schools, while several charter and private schools specialize in home schooling, assisting parents with meeting state regulations on curriculum, assessments and record keeping.
Wolf’s children are enrolled in the independent study program of Behesa Charter School, which provides textbooks and curriculum and tests the children annually. But home schooling gives parents the flexibility to find lessons that work for their children.
Wolf said she used a variety of curricula to teach her eldest son math.
“If they’re not responding to a certain approach, you look for a different one,” Wolf said. “It’s largely about finding the right explanation, finding the right language that speaks to them.”
While Gray admits that home schooling is not right for all families, especially those in which both parents work full time, she dismisses arguments that her children won’t learn as much as public school students.
“God gave them to me,” Gray said. “I don’t want to turn them over to someone else. … To lump children all together and say the best way to learn is to have them sit at a desk for seven hours reading something they don’t like doesn’t make sense.”
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