Standing Up for Home Schooling

Parents have every right to educate their children at home, based upon knowledge gathered throughout their lives. They should and can do so, with a fair dose of responsibility. I admire who is capable of achieving such a deed, because the amount of stress involved in the task is only comprehended by those who actually do it. However, the results are unmatched by the ones obtained by the public school system. We have the example of the Villena Family, in Brazil. This case serves to show how a country's educational system takes a long time to be updated in comparison to the advances achieved in the world as to child education and about the citizens´ right to seek the very best way to educate their children.

In 2004, I was asked to give some theoretical support to the Villena Family, defending the choice that they made to teach their 6 kids at home. In the occasion they had just entered with a judicial order, (in Portuguese, "Mandato de Seguranca" (MS 7407/DF) seeking the Superior Justice Tribunal of Brazil to evaluate the demands that the educational system had required from them. In fact, what the government was asking for went against the family's goals, since they wanted to keep home schooling their kids. The educational system intended to obligate them to enroll their children in the Brazilian formal educational system. At the time, the Minister Dr. Franciulli Netto, asked for evidence in the legal procedure, and I sent (under their family name and at their request) a theoretical justification on the importance of educating children at home. My intent was to aid in the Minister's decision, thus helping the resolution of the case.

I began my defense of home schooling by claiming that it is what's scientifically proven by all the modern education institutes of the world to be the most up-to-date. I criticized the fact that the family had seen denied their right to educate their kids at home, in the family's environment. I requested that the analysis of the legal procedure at hand should start from the evidence that had been listed in the legal proceedings, that contained documents proving the initiative's success and that these legal proofs could, in little time, open doors to new legal courses of action to improve even the quality of schooling in Brazil. This evidence could help the country's educational history to advance into consolidating the family's right to seek out what's best for their kids, acting as an initiation cell of teaching in society. I claimed that his decision could promote education in the country and clarify as to a series of prejudice that clouds the thoughts of many jurists and educators, such as "the family doesn't educate", "the children do not belong to the family", and that "the education of the Brazilian is an obligation of the constituted State".

I argued that the Brazilian State at the time wasn't responding for its obligations regarding education, letting it be seen that we had a crisis in higher learning and had data showing that we have millions of illiterates populating Brazilian territory. And that, if a family was giving a great example of dedication to their kids, the Brazilian State should exalt them and take it as reference and not, take from them the right to exercise acts of citizenship.

I argued that the success of the educational modality called home schooling throughout the world, led us to assert that the children observed, in various countries, and that were submitted to this kind of specialized education, presented behavior and/or results that I would clarify for him with great pleasure. Based upon Dr. Neil Harvey, in his book Kids Who Start Ahead, Stay Ahead (Avery Publishing Group, New York, 1994), I showed and argued, based also upon my personal experience and that of other Brazilian mothers, that most children that have experienced and/or experience Home Schooling end up being or are:

o interesting and imaginative;

o Comunicate well;

o love language profoundly;

o present advanced vocabulary and a vast knowledge regarding what they say;

o never demonstrate to be out of ideas;

o can talk to anyone about anything;

o are incredibly creative, inventive and surprise us with interesting observations;

o build their own toys;

o rationalize beyond their age level;

o are disciplined;

o are cooperative;

o are positive when establishing goals to accomplish;

o concentrate on their work;

o are persistent and complete their projects;

o are inquisitive;

o show great will to learn;

o are motivated and with tremendous thirst for knowledge;

o express a strong interest for the arts;

o manifest an expanded view of the world;

o have happy, positive attitudes;

o are friendly and charming;

o have charisma for others, knowing how to deal with others, demonstrating good manners;

o appreciate the success of other children;

o aren't critics with other kids and have tolerance with each kid's rhythm, with their individual differences;

o don't become inhibited by outside opinions;

o aren't exhibitionists and pompous;

o are spiritually and mentally well adjusted;

o lead and are well succeeded, without much effort;

o adapt easily to different situations;

o possess advanced logic and think analytically;

o have a phenomenal ability to solve problems and demonstrate different strategies of thought;

o believe that human relations are important;

o are independent and wish to try out everything;

o are responsible for their own learning;

o like to teach what they know;

o ...Among many other positive characteristics!

Aside from these theoretical arguments listed above, I witnessed my experience with my three children, 24 years before then, in which they were objects to home schooling and that the Brazilian government had recognized our efforts, giving them the right to be accelerated in school, taking into consideration what they had learned at home. I explained that we also had gone through a judicial legal procedure and that the Federal Council of Education of the period had recognized my family's right to give education within the home. The case could not have been characterized as the same, since my kids went to school and were, at the same time, helped at home, with specialized attention. However, I added that the objective had been reached by both families, mine and the Villena´s. And that, in consequence, we were both examples of success in the initiative of giving the best possible education for our children. I gathered that my kids had entered early in the university and are, today, happy professionals well integrated in society. And, given the many that went through the same process, the children of this family could also, and with absolute certainty, achieve much success and be happily satisfied in life.

I argued that my testimony, along with information itself could avoid, with the support of his positive decision, that yet another Brazilian family be discredited and discouraged in their efforts and sincerity in trying to permit a better education for their children, an education which the Brazilian State still isn't capable of providing. I also said that I expected a family not to be hindered by the official institutions´ lack of information so that we wouldn't see this same family seeking alternative means for their children's education elsewhere, outside our homeland, thus causing the evasion of intelligent minds to other scientific centers. I finalized arguing that the Villena Family, like so many others like them in Brazil, and that hadn't expressed themselves yet, mine included, and that believed firmly in their kids´ talent, believe that we are a wonderful people. They believe that the right to have their voices heard throughout all national territory should be a guarantee, a must! Voices that will echo favoring new insights for the evolution of the human being's intelligence as a whole. Voices that know how to exercise the hope of better days for our nation and for the world.

My intervention didn't help much. The Villena Family, 14 years after my family had been authorized to educate the kids in the home schooling system, could do nothing but watch their kids be impeded, in the same (memory-less) country, of continuing to study at home; and, were, by the legal means of force (the law had now been differently interpreted), forced to enroll their children in formal schooling; to accomplish, most certainly, many less interesting deeds than those they were accustomed to in the family environment.

So here's my criticism to those countries that still don't value the power of home schooling. And my protest and legitimate support to the families that have obtained success with the initiative throughout the world. What a beautiful example we've been giving society as a whole!

**For more information and free articles and ebooks on homeschooling, babies and reading, visit our website at http://www.baby-can-read.com**

Dr. Eliane Leao is a native of Brazil, South America. She has a background in Education from Purdue University (Masters) and a PhD in the Department of Educational Psychology from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP)/Purdue University (Ph.D.). Dr. Leao has also three Bachelor?s degrees, one in Piano, another in Musical Education, and a third in Voice. Dr. Leao is currently a professor of Music Education and Music Therapy conducting research on the influence of Music in Early Childhood Learning.

Her ?babies? have grown to become productive members of their communities. Dr. Leao hopes that the trials and successes of her family may inspire and convince other parents to stimulate their children during early childhood so that they may enjoy a rich, stimulating, integrated, and happy life always.

The Many Benefits of Home Schooling

The decision for home schooling is based on a number of factors: desire to teach religion as part of the curriculum, undesirable school conditions, and overall dissatisfaction with the school's curriculum.

Although it's difficult for researchers to gather data on home schools, some research indicates that adults who were home schooled have a higher college attendance rate and seem more satisfied with life in general.

Home schooled children have consistently scored exceptionally higher than average on achievement tests. I recently read that home schooled 3rd graders scored higher than 81% of public school students in math alone!The biggest benefit to home schooling is simply that parents love their kids and want them to have a bright future. Teachers care very much about their students but no one loves their kid like a mom or dad.

Often the home school parents are able to spend significantly more money on educational materials than a public school can. The average cost of supplies per student per year can range from $200-$2000 at a home school.

Home school students can progress through educational material at the student's rate. This makes it much easier for home school students to be enrolled one or more grades above their public and private school-age peers.

Home schooled children are healthier than public school kids since they aren't exposed to so many sick children.

Home schooled children don't deal with so much peer pressure.

Home schooled children often develop exceptional relationships with their siblings.

Parents can offer their children instruction in areas that aren't fostered in public schools. The curriculum is flexible and can be ever changing.

The schedule can be changed if a child needs more or less help in a particular subject.

One mom told me that she is able to take her children to the museum for art class, the symphony for music, and ice skating for physical ed. She wants her children to socialize with other children their age so she often incorporates other home schools into her field trips.

If you're considering home schooling your child, where do you begin?

There are great resources available for parents who are already home schooling and for those who are just kicking the idea around. Starting a home school can be overwhelming. The parents I interviewed said that it is well worth the sacrifice.

Over the past year I've had the opportunity to meet many parents who have chosen to home school their children. The subject interested me enough to do a little research on the benefits of home schooling.

I was referred to this resource and I agree that it's great:
http://www.SuccessfulHomeSchool.info

Catholic Home Schooling - Ten Pros and Cons

Are you are considering home schooling for religious, scholastic, or social reasons? These tips can help you make an informed decision. They are taken from our experiences and those of friends.

10 pros for Catholic homeschooling:

You know the teacher. Most teachers in elementary and high schools are hard-working dedicated teachers who do a good job. But this is not always the case. Depending on where you live or just the luck of the draw you may end up with a teacher who is not up to par. As a homeschooling parent this is not something that you have to worry about.
Support groups. There are many good Catholic homeschool groups that can help guide you into your journey in homeschooling. You can learn many things in these homeschool groups. This includes everything from how to present subject matter to how to deal with day-to-day frustrations.
Flexibility. Home schooling allows you the flexibility to work on schooling in ways that you might not have imagined. You can take family trips without missing school for example. If certain times of the day work better than others, there's nothing to stop you from doing that.
Health. Oftentimes schools become a breeding ground for germs. Diseases get transferred from one student to the next. Your homeschool students won't be exposed to this as much as other children.
Increased amount of time spent together. This is a fairly obvious point but the opportunities for bonding are increased because you will be spending more time with your children.
Peer pressure. Your children will be hearing your values much more than the values of their peers because of the amount of time they spend with you and with other homeschoolers who share the same values.
Direct involvement. Many teachers often say that one of the best indicators of a child's success in school is how involved his parents are. You can't get more involved in a child's education than homeschooling.
Individualized curriculum. Even in a good school you may run into one or two classes that are not very good. This may be because of a poor choice of textbook or method of study that is not well suited to your child. As a homeschooler you are free to tailor your child's education to suit his particular needs.
Ensure orthodoxy. In many parochial schools religious ed courses are now taught by lay teachers instead of religious. While you may have a very knowledgeable teacher for religious education, all too often students are exposed to questionable teachings. As a homeschooler you can ensure that religious education is in line with Catholic teaching.
Controlled environment. When students are taught at home You don't have to worry about the following things that sometimes occur in school: bullying, drug use, gangs, inappropriate sex education, hazing, etc.10 cons for Catholic homeschooling:

Socialization. This is usually the first objection people raise if they hear you are thinking about homeschooling. There is some truth to this but it's not as bad as it sounds. Your child may feel that he is the odd man out because his friends from the neighborhood most likely spend more time together. However there are plenty activities that can act as a substitute. Look to see if your community offers sports teams through the local park district, reading or studying groups through the local library, or playgroups through a local homeschool group. These types of activities can help your child grow friendships with other children their age.
Time. Homeschooling will require you to think about time management. You must guard against letting the day slip by you without getting into your study materials. This can become tricky when circumstances in your household change such as when there is a new addition to your family.
Organization. Find an organization method that works for you and stick with it as best as you can. Preparing for lessons requires that you know what lessons are coming up, what materials are that you'll need, and having everything ready for the school day. Your children will lose interest fast if you end up searching your house for a book or some other type of material halfway through a lesson.
Distractions. It can become easy to get distracted at home. As you look around there all types of things that are calling out for your attention. This is also true for your children. Try to get into a pattern of dedicated study time to avoid this problem.
You are not an expert in everything. You're going to run into subjects that you're not very familiar with. This will require you to do some research so that you can teach effectively. In the long run this is a benefit for you but in the short term it means more work.
Cabin fever. Spending time day in and day out within the confines of your home can cause boredom to set in. Try to arrange for field trips and play dates with other families to keep your children from getting bored. Make sure that you get out of the house from time to time to get a break from the monotony. Don't let yourself get burned out.
Motivation. When you are in the long stretch of the school year it can become hard to stay motivated. Make sure that you have breaks in your routine periodically. You should also keep long-term and short-term goals to help you maintain perspective.
Unsure of progress. If you are grading your own child's progress it may be hard to gauge if they are operating at the levels that they should be. Contact with other homeschool families can help in this matter. There are also standardized tests that your child can take.
Criticism from others. Many people think that homeschooling is strange or that the families who homeschool are strange. Oftentimes they're not afraid to express their opinions to you. You may feel like you need to justify your decision to others repeatedly. Don't let this get you down. There are a lot of great reasons to homeschool and once you start listing them off you can usually quiet the critics.
Legal issues. Laws concerning homeschooling vary from state to state. You should know what laws govern homeschooling in your state. You also may run into problems from busybody neighbors who think that your children are truant. Maintaining a membership in an organization such as the Home School Legal Defense Association can give you peace of mind, provide advice, and defense if this becomes necessary. Most homeschoolers never run into these types of problems but it's important to know your rights and how to defend them.

Vince Salomon is a proud husband and father of 6 children. He and his wife home school their children and live in Illinois with 3 dogs and two cats. Vince makes his living as a computer applications developer with 15 years of experience. Please visit his blog at http://kingsalomon.net for more posts related to home schooling, the Catholic faith, or a variety of other topics. Don't forget to subscribe to the rss feed.

Home Schooling is a Popular Education Option

Schooling children at home was not an unusual thing in the not-so-distant past. Settlements were often far apart and children were not often gathered in large numbers. Parents would purchase the textbooks most accepted as "necessary," such as the McGuffey Reader, and both parents would be involved in educating their children. In addition to learning "the three 'R's," students also learned the tasks of daily living and of spiritual and moral growth. Home schooling fell out of favor when people lived in more populated areas and when the federal government began emphasizing public education for all students.

The requirements of Home Schooling should be considered. The federal government requires that certain compulsory education requirements be covered for children attending K-12. Individual states may have other additional requirements. Parents should check the laws before starting to home school.

There can be drawbacks to Home Schooling. Home schooled children may have a reduced amount of age-segregated socialization with their peers. In addition to limited contact with children their own age, home schooled children are unable to participate in organized school sports that encourage teamwork and teach healthy competition with opponents of roughly equivalent age and skill. Children have fewer opportunities to participate in musical groups, concerts, and recitals. Although children can learn an instrument at home, they are unable to participate in school-related parades or events.

None of these things are entirely precluded by a child being home schooled. However, parents will need to work harder to ensure that their children can participate in them should their children be interested.

What are the Benefits of Home Schooling? Home schooled students are not around children of their age group as much as other students; however, most school students have limited interaction during the day. Rather, they interact with their teachers while competing with peers for those teachers' attention. Home schooling is usually conducted in the spirit of cooperation. Students taught together often work together, rather than compete to be the first to find the "right" answer.

Home schooling tends to be safer. Students are not exposed to hazards outside of dangers that exist in any home, unless students are anticipating in scientific experimentation or in rigorous physical education classes. Students do not need to worry about classmates with knives or illegal firearms, nor do they need to face going through a metal detector on a daily basis.

Sports are not a part of the regular school curriculum. Roughly the same percentages of home schooled students participate in after school activities as do their peers. It is also possible that home-based physical education programs are as effective as school-based programs, given that students are more likely to be active for the entire period and are not waiting their turn in class.

Children are not exposed to drugs, teasing, or bullying, other than what they ordinarily find at home. Drugs are kept under control of the parents, at least in the classroom experience. Teasing and bullying is usually only among siblings. In addition, parents are able to teach spirituality and morality, if they feel that such things are an important part of the curriculum.

Many other benefits exist to home schooling. More information can be found through one of many local home schooling organizations.

Jerry Cahill is a publisher and webmaster. He maintains several informative websites. Find more at http://www.thehomeschoolinghelper.com

Home Schooling and Tutoring - Do They Mix?

If you're thinking of homeschooling your child, or have already been doing it for years, you're to be applauded. You are taking on a role that many will not or cannot handle. However, even the parents who are fully prepared for all home schooling requires may not know everything. In other words, you might need help from time to time. It probably seems a bit strange to think about bringing in tutoring assistance when you're the teacher, but it's not uncommon. So let's take a closer look at why you might need tutoring, and where you can find some great resources.

The Basics of Homeschooling

There are a number of reasons that you might feel it's best to pull your child out of school and teach at home, or begin your child in a homeschooling environment. You may be displeased with the both the increased regulations and slashed budgets of your local public school system and feel your child will not receive the appropriate education as a result. You also may feel that it's extremely important that your child receive daily one-on-one instruction, which is difficult in a school setting.

Whatever your reason is for homeschooling, you are making a decision to take on quite a job. You will be solely responsible for the academic wellbeing of your child. However, it's good to know that there are tons of resources and elaborate lesson plans available to help you teach specific subjects. Also, you can find great books and resources in the library, which can help you cut back on personal costs.

Why You Might Need the Assistance of a Tutor

As previously mentioned, the job of homeschooling your child is a big one. This is especially true when you consider that your child will likely have strengths and weaknesses pertaining to certain subjects. If you're not equipped to dig deeper with your child to help him understand the subject then you may need to bring in additional help to deliver the message more effectively.

Tutors are usually equipped to handle specific subjects and have a wealth of knowledge and resources in one area. So while the tutor is helping your child, you can gain more knowledge in this particular area as well. The more help you're willing to bring in for your child, the better chance your child has of excelling as you hoped he would.

Online Tutoring Resources

When you think of working with a tutor, you probably automatically picture a person coming to your home to do their job. However, there are tons of additional resources available - particularly online - that can help you fulfill your role as a teacher more successfully.

For instance, there are online tutoring sites that allow you to work with tutors one-on-one, via chatting capabilities, from the comfort of your home. What's great about most online tutoring services is that you can schedule appointments 24/7. Also, you can download worksheets and take advantage of practice problems right over the Internet.

If you were unsure whether home schooling and tutoring mixed, now you know that they do. It's just a matter of finding the right tutoring environment for your child based on your schedule and your child's needs. Once the right formula is found, your child can have the success you've always desired.

TutorsAnywhere.com is a complete online resource that compares tutoring services and products offered by top online companies. If you need to find a tutor for your child, find the best solution for your family at http://www.tutorsanywhere.com

Home Schooling Numbers Increase Steadily

More families each year are taking their children out of public schools and home schooling them instead because the parents believe that their children can learn better and faster without the many distractions and negative influences that are part of the package with public school environments.

Even though it is often viewed by those in the mainstream as revolutionary or eccentric, the trend toward home schooling is growing and is gaining in popularity and respectability and is winning over an increasing number of supporters.

According to researchers who study such trends, the numbers of home schoolers in the U.S. has swelled considerably, growing from approximately 15,000 back in 1970 to over 500,000 by 1990, and estimated at over 1.1 million as of 2003.

A good indication of the interest and strength of the home schooling movement the number of support organizations that are in a particular country. The United States has long had a good variety of support groups and the increase in such groups from other areas of the world such as Europe, Australia and Asia.

To many, there are persistent questions such as: why are so many parents are choosing to teach their children at home rather than in traditional settings? How effective can home schooling really be?

Will my children be prepared for college? Can they gain the social skills they need without the interactions that are part of traditional schooling?

It is interesting to consider that while some people think about home schooling as radical, rebellious, or even extremist, the reality is that home schooling was the original system of education for centuries all around the globe.

The fact is that it was not until the last century that children started school so young as they do now. Typically, most of the children who did go to school started going at age twelve or later.

Many notable people from American history were educated in their homes and at their hearths, such as Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Edison, and even Albert Einstein.

The fact of the matter is that school attendance did not become compulsory until in the United States until the later part of the 19th century, and in light of that, home schooling really isn't just a recent fad, but actually the old educational standard.

According to the National Catholic Reporter, estimates are that anywhere from 50 to 90 percent of homeschooling families choose it for religious reasons, primarily because of the desire to protect their children from atheistic influences in public schools.

And, according to an article in Time magazine, the very backbone of the movement toward home schooling education practices is the Christian Fundamentalist community that strongly believes that religion is either ignored or debased in public classroom settings.

However, some parents have stated that their reasoning for removing their students from public education is in order to limit their exposure to damaging and immoral influences during their early years.

Still, other families decide to go the home schooling route primarily for educational reasons. Many are discontented with the overcrowding of classrooms, the low academic standards, and the many safety concerns rampant in many public schools.

It's really not so important why parents end up deciding on home schooling for their children because the major benefits, in the eyes of many parents, is that they are able to have much greater involvement in their children's lives and they remain influential role models during a time when it matters the most.

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