Home’s a Classroom, Parents Teach

“Education,” wrote Malcolm Muggeridge 50 years ago, “the great fraud and mumbo-jumbo of the age, has not brought to the mass of men the best that has been done and thought and said, but rather spread ignorance and folly across the land.” 
The first time I heard this quote was from the homeschooling mother with whom I was meeting to find out about the new school year. Her first name is Nancy, and she has asked that her last name not be used to protect her children’s privacy.
The living room of her home is lined with bookshelves but still there is an overflow of books and magazines on end tables and the floor. Two computers sit on desks, and maps of the world hang on the wall along with portraits of historical figures from George Washington to Martin Luther King Jr. That gives the room the feel of a small library rather than a parlor.
Her three children have been homeschooled most of their lives. The oldest attends college in another state and so Nancy has two high schoolers to deal with instead of three.
The Decision
How had Nancy and her husband Phil made the decision to homeschool? Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states ever since the 1972 Supreme Court ruling in Wisconsin v. Yoder.
“There were more than a few reasons,” she said. “My husband’s career requires that we move a lot. And with the difference in quality from place to place of local schools it really is a crapshoot as to what you get.”
Were there other considerations? At that point Nancy became quiet, appearing more thoughtful. She then recounts the bad experience she endured as a child in the public school system where she grew up in Washington, D.C.
“I was bullied and ostracized and when I complained the school did nothing about it,” she said. Her husband had a similar experience where he grew up. Academic standards and moral considerations were also factors.
Plan in Action
Once they made their decision how did they implement it?
Both parents have post-graduate degrees and would be competent to instruct their children. Nancy would be their primary teacher. Phil would focus on special sections where needed.
“I taught our eldest daughter to read before she was 4 and I began a regular schedule of instruction when she reached 5.”
She did not venture into the land of homeschooling without guidance, however.
Over 2 million American children in the United States are homeschooled. That is about 4 percent of the total school population, and it is growing.
Commercial Aid
As the population has grown, so have the number of companies established to help parents. Nancy and Phil chose Kolbe Academy. These companies can guide parents through the grade appropriate curriculum and the regulations for the state where it takes place.
While homeschooling is legal in all states, regulations vary.
New Jersey is very accommodating to homeschoolers. In states where there is organized opposition to homeschooling, frequently from teachers’ unions, legal defense organizations for parents have been established.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child opposes both homeschooling and private schools and stands in direct opposition to the rulings of the Supreme Court of the United States. The United States has not ratified that convention.
Routine School Day
The school day begins early, right after breakfast and dishes. It averages about five hours a day of instruction and projects.
There are frequent field trips to significant places such as Independence Hall and the Constitution Center in Philadelphia or the Smithsonian Institution in Washington or to the Cape May County Historical Museum or the Forgotten Heroes Vietnam Museum at the Cape May County Airport
A lesson plan always accompanies those trips. For example, when they visited the zoo the children had to identify the scientific description of each animal, its geographic origin, and habits. “It makes learning fun,” said Nancy.
Socialization?
Frequently homeschoolers are questioned about the “socialization” of homeschooled children. When they were younger, Nancy belonged to play groups with other mothers three days a week.
The children have always participated in sports with community teams, swimming, soccer, and martial arts. The children are well adjusted, funny and outgoing.
Toughest Part
What is the most difficult part of homeschooling for Nancy?
Without hesitation, she responded, “The paperwork. The administrative part of it. It is so important to keep good records.
That is where the homeschooling support companies can be invaluable, she added. Nancy uses Home Schooling Home Education Partnership. In the beginning, living in a different state, she feared the legal difficulties she had read other homeschoolers went through.
She advises new homeschoolers not to get caught up in that. “There are millions of us now, and we are a force to be dealt with. So concentrate on your children and their development and learning.
“But if there is a problem the lawyers are there to deal with it,” she continued.
Prep for Tests
The children will also prepare to take either the Scholastic Aptitude or CLEP (College Level Examination Program) or DSST (DANTES Subject Standard Test).
Nationally homeschooled children have performed in the top 10 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Education. 
Then Nancy showed the class schedule for the first week of school and the brand-new textbooks. It looked like a challenging one but there will be time for class trips, and play and mother-teacher will be close by, out to prove Malcolm Muggeridge wrong.
To contact Helen McCaffrey, email hmccaffrey @cmcherald.com.