Schooling at Home

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By HAROLD GWIN

VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — James and Sarah Johnson of Youngstown said they decided to start home schooling their daughter, Lauren, when she reached kindergarten age.

It was primarily for "spiritual, not religious" reasons, Johnson said.

"We felt she wouldn't be taught what we believe — that God created her and God created the world. I think God is in every subject. That is very important to us," Sarah said.

James said they have a lack of confidence in the city school district and public schools in general, in terms of curriculum as well as belief system and values.

Lauren, who won the 2006 Vindicator Spelling Bee, is 15 now, and in her 10th year of home schooling. Lauren's younger siblings, Emily, 13, Matthew, 9, and Andrew, 8, have joined the Johnson home-school class. The couple also has a toddler son and a 9-month-old daughter and plans to continue home schooling.

The family dining room is set up much like a traditional classroom with a large blackboard adorning one wall.

Home-school parents devise a curriculum for each child, and the state requires each child to take an annual standardized achievement test or have a written assessment done by a certified teacher to determine if adequate academic progress is being made, Sarah said.

Pam Wilson of Boardman, a former teacher, has been home schooling her daughter, Rebecca Brown, 14, for four years. Rebecca started her education in a private school.

"Sometimes it's a matter of teacher choice," Wilson said, noting that Rebecca's father is very much against public schools.

Home schooling provides a lot of flexibility, she said, adding, "We take just one year at a time."

It's as structured as your family wants it to be, Wilson said. Children need not be sitting behind a desk six hours a day. Their education can be structured along the lines of how best they learn, she said.

And learning happens everywhere, whether it be in the kitchen, at the store, taking guitar lessons, going on field trips or sitting around the dining room table, Sarah Johnson said.

Laura and Tom McGuire of Canfield have been home schooling for 12 years, and their son, Thomas Jr., will graduate next year.

He won't have a high school diploma but will have a home-school transcript.

Accepted by many colleges

Many colleges and universities, Youngstown State among them, accept home-schooled students. So do Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, Pennsylvania State and Kent State universities, the College of Wooster and Grove City College, to name a few others.

The McGuires have six children and are expecting the birth of twins this spring. Three of their children are of school age and are being home-schooled.

It was a religious issue for them, said Laura, who is also director of Educated As God's Living Example, a local Christian-based home-school support group that has 24 families and 75 children.

Most home-schoolers are looking for a Christ-centered, godly education for their children, she said.

There are numerous support groups, churches and even online programs designed for home-schoolers, particularly for the higher-technology courses such as chemistry and physics.

There are textbooks, DVDs and one local support group even has a science cooperative. Science laboratory kits also are available for home-schoolers, Laura said.

Field trips to outside classes, museums and learning centers such as the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, the Youngstown State University Planetarium and Mill Creek Park are a big part of the home-school curriculum.

"Most of us loved field trips in school," Wilson said, pointing out that not everything is learned from reading a book. If one listens and participates, she'll learn more, she said.

Outside opportunities

There's a lot more freedom to use hands-on learning with a small group of children than with an entire classroom, Wilson said. Home-school children are unable to participate in traditional school sports and extracurricular activities, but there are plenty of opportunities outside the regular school setting.

For example, there is an area home-school basketball league, and churches and other organizations offer a variety of athletic and other programs, Laura said.

Members of the Johnson family spend time at the YMCA where Lauren, Emily, Matthew and Andrew are on the swim team.

Rebecca Brown is a member of the Porpoise Club at the Boardman YMCA.

Local YMCAs also have gym and pool hours for home-schoolers, Wilson said.

Rebecca and Lauren said socialization, often a primary school focus for young people their age, isn't an issue for them. They aren't concerned that they don't see a lot of their friends during the course of a day as they might if enrolled in a traditional school.

"For learning, it's a lot better," Lauren said, adding, "Not a lot of social distractions."

"I have lots of friends," Rebecca said, adding that it isn't necessary for her to see them every day.

Both girls said they are involved in a lot of social activities outside of class.

Starting out

Jean and Jeff Neice of Youngstown are new to home schooling, starting with son Isaac, 6, just six months ago.

"I want to be the one to teach him," Jean said, adding that the curriculum can be tailored to her son's individual need.

She also has access to an online academy for professional teacher assistance, if she needs it.

"There are great [support] groups in this area," she said, noting her family is a member of EAGLE.

Neice said she intends to continue home schooling, at least through the elementary grades. She and her husband have two younger children.

"We're not raising kids, we're raising adults," Wilson said, explaining that home-schoolers look beyond the high school diploma and focus on preparing for adulthood.

"We want our kids to be a positive part of the community," she said, adding, "It's work and commitment."

The hardest part is finding and keeping balance between school, chores, extracurricular activities, friends, church and more, Sarah Johnson said.

"It's something I enjoy. It can be so rewarding to see your child suddenly grasp a concept you've been explaining," she said.

Sunday, April 8, 2007