Hundreds of years ago that’s all there was. Today it’s taken on a whole new meaning.
Of course, it’s still important in the original sense as well.
There are 8760 hours a year. A child has a portion of a teacher’s attention for 1260 of those hours. The remaining 86 percent of the time it’s up to mom and dad.
“Home schooling” in this sense means parental engagement, patience and encouragement of a child’s curiosity. Responsive answers to the 400 questions they ask each day. And reading, reading, reading.
Once in school it’s knowing what’s in the curriculum – and providing activities at home to reinforce those lessons.
But there’s a growing “home schooling” movement that takes the concept further and more literally. Home schooling parents play the teacher’s role, too. All states with compulsory education laws, including Iowa, now permit it.
Accurate numbers are impossible to come by. A reasonable estimate is that in 20 years home schooled children have increased from 15,000 to as many as two million.
Like many educational concepts, “home schooling” has no precise definition. Some parents use no formal texts to teach children who are never in a school building. Others benefit from school districts’ parent training, teaching materials, visiting teachers, testing, and in-school classes and activities.
Why do parents do it? There’s no single answer. Some live in remote areas. Some are fearful about school safety. Some think they can provide better education. For some it’s ideological – from traditional religions to “New Age.”
Who are they? Average folks -- somewhat more affluent and educated. Some are certified teachers, although their children average no higher test scores than the others. Obviously, fewer home school mothers work outside the home. And the children watch much less television than average.
The results? It’s not just their consistent performance in national spelling bees. One fourth of the children are enrolled in grade levels above their peers. By eighth grade they are four years ahead. Median test scores for every sub-test at every grade are around the 80th percentile – well above public and private schools. College admissions officers are taking notice.
The comparisons are unfair. Home schooling parents have an exceptionally strong commitment to education. Their child is, by definition, getting one-on-one instruction. The curriculum is tailored to suit the child’s aptitudes, learning style, and changing interests. Give our teachers those conditions and schools would improve.
There are implications for public schools. Parental involvement programs, smaller class sizes, and individual education plans could, and do, make a difference.
What about socialization? Research indicates home schooled children are psychologically healthy, have a broader age-range of friends, exhibit greater maturity and leadership skills, and still play with neighborhood pals.
Most adults carry enough guilt about parenting without shaming them about home schooling. There’s a reason for public schools. They serve our nation, and most families, very well.
But brick and mortar institutions are crumbling like the Berlin Wall during this telecommunications revolution. Parents can work from homes as well as office buildings. Children can learn in homes as well as school buildings.
Every Internet-connected home computer has access to more information than most public libraries – not to mention schools’ media centers. The best of educational software provides instructional opportunities well beyond the 1960s drill-and-kill programs.
Home schooling. It’s a growing movement with increasing opportunities for the few who choose it.
Nicholas Johnson is an Iowa City School Board member. More information is available on his Web site www.nicholasjohnson.org.