Homeschooling is a huge movement in American education these days, and it’s no particular surprise to many people with school-aged children – or to public school teachers, to be frank. I am both. I have two children in elementary school, and I was a high school English teacher for seven years. I’ve seen the public school system from both sides of the proverbial fence, and I absolutely applaud parents’ efforts to ensure that their children are getting the best education available to them, whether that means advocating for their needs at school or providing that top-notch educational environment at home.
Families homeschool for a number of reasons, including quality of educational time and materials, safety from schoolyard violence, priority of religious beliefs, and fundamental differences in philosophy from the dominant educational policies. Whatever the reasons, families have the right to choose the alternative of homeschool in order to meet their children’s needs. Sadly, however, many parents don’t have the means.
In the current economy, more than ever, most families require two incomes. Homeschooling necessitates that at least one adult is home with the children, making the choice to homeschool a showdown between economic viability and appropriate education for families with two working parents. And for most single parents, it is an impossible dream.
So, what do you do if you find yourself desperately wanting to homeschool without the means to make it happen? There are some options. Complete withdrawal from public school may not be a realistic option for you, but perhaps you could look into homeschooling after school. You can do this by applying certain homeschooling philosophies to your family’s approach to school- and home-life.
Advocacy
Know your child’s rights at school. The laws governing education are established to protect the interests of the individual child, but frequently parents have to take the initiative to make certain that their kid isn’t falling through the cracks. Public schools are big, unwieldy systems for everyone involved. You and your child have to speak up and stand up for what you need.
If your child has special needs (from ADHD to learning disabilities to emotional disorders), talk to the school counselor or the special education coordinator about an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Anywhere from one-quarter to one-third of the students at your child’s school have one already, ensuring that they have access to resource teachers, extended time on tests, preferential seating in the classroom, and more. Frequently, nobody but the teachers and parents of these kids know that they are under the umbrella of the Special Ed department because they are able to take full advantage of mainstream classrooms and function as well as their non-IEP-holding peers. However, if your child needs the additional support that a slightly more isolated special ed class will provide, he’ll be placed in a class environment that is suited to him. Either way, you have the satisfaction of knowing that your child’s individual needs are being met by and aware and attentive staff.
Likewise, if your child is gifted, be sure that the school is offering her opportunities to go beyond the basic standards being addressed in the mainstream classroom. Learn these words: enrichment and differentiation. Schools should, and usually do, offer enrichment opportunities to augment the classroom teaching and help children further explore the concepts they are learning. Find out what these programs are, and get your child involved in the ones that you both feel are appropriate. Differentiation of curriculum, on the other hand, is something that should be happening in every classroom. No classroom is a homogenous group of kids functioning at the same level on every task. Find out what your child’s teacher is doing to support her learning style and level.
What of your child is neither gifted nor specially challenged? The myth of the “average child” is just that – a myth. There is no “average,” in many respects. Your child is probably naturally talented in some respects and has real struggles in others. His areas of strength and weakness are different than his classmates – even different from his siblings, if he has them. You need to know where he excels and where he falls short. Be realistic and honest, and teach him to do the same. Talk to his teachers and ask for help on his behalf, and encourage him to ask for the help he needs. Most teachers won’t deny a child extra help, whether there is an IEP in place or not. The trick is being vocal enough with the teacher to get his attention.
Standards
Every state has established educational standards for every subject at every grade level. This education trend was in place before No Child Left Behind became national policy, but NCLB has brought the idea of standards to prominence in nearly every school system in the country. These standards state what a child should be able to do by the end of the school year, and they are becoming the measuring stick for the success or failure of public schools.
Many schools have copies of state standards available for parents, and many actually send home booklets of the standards at the beginning of the school year. If your school isn’t providing them, you can access them at http://www.education-world.com/standards/state/index.shtml.
Being familiar with the standards for your child’s grade level can help you immensely. You’ll be able to correlate her assignments and projects to the standards, so you’ll have an idea why the teacher is having her do a task that may seem arbitrary and random to you, otherwise. You’ll know what tasks she is expected to be able to accomplish by the end of the year, and to what level of proficiency, which means that you can help fill in the gaps at home. You can also look ahead to the next grade’s standards for ideas to challenge and enrich her understanding of certain concepts.
You can also pick up E.D. Hirsch, Jr.’s books for your child’s grade level. His titles are What Your [Kindergartner, First Grader, etc] Needs to Know, and they are available through grade 6. He includes poems, stories, scientific principles and social studies that are related both to standardized education and to ideas of cultural literacy. In fact, one of his books is Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know, and it might make an excellent resource book for parents of middle and high school students who want to add some enrichment to their older children’s education.
Enrichment
Do activities with your kids that are going to be both fun and educational. They probably don’t need to do any more “school” than they’re currently getting, so don’t try to set them down with paper, books, pencils and assignments. Learning and schooling can happen independently of each other, after all.
Go to museums, zoos, cultural centers, and events. Look and talk and discuss ideas. Find out what they know already and then build on that. Have actual conversations about anything – the digestive tract, the three branches of government, or Einstein’s theory of relativity. Involve your child in things you like, whether that’s the theatre, baseball, or model cars. Show him how the process done, how you know if it is done well, and what the parts are called. Get him to teach you about what he likes. The surest way to learn anything at all is to teach it to someone else.
Whatever approach you take, the key is to be involved in your child’s education. You, as the parent, are every bit as important a figure in your child’s learning as her teacher or even the child herself. You model the tone and demeanor that your child will emulate, and you become a working partner with the professionals at school. Whether you stay home with your child through the school day or not, you will always be her first and most influential teacher.
