Rat-raced parents (including me here in Northern Virginia, where we skip merrily to overcrowded schools on the tops of the traffic-jammed school buses, wearing our Hello Kitty oxygen masks) often wonder about ye olde public school.
For example, what do kids' brains look like after 13+ years of institutionalization?
Or, since we plebs don't have any authority over school principals or teachers (we just pay them), should it be a surprise when, occasionally or frequently, they don't really care what we think?
Or, why do kids look resigned (if not grim) when they're going into school in the morning, and ecstatic when they leave in the afternoon?
Could homeschooling work better?
To learn more about it, I chatted via email with Rebecca Kochenderfer, author of "Homeschooling and Loving It," and owner and host of Homeschool.com. Rebecca is well-known and well-respected in homeschool circles as an authority on the movement.
Along with her answers to my questions, Rebecca included a coupon code that reduces the price of "Homeschooling and Loving It" by six bucks, from $15.95 to $9.95. The code is LovetoHomeschool. (But don't dawdle; the code expires March 31.)
I haven't read the book yet, but Rebecca said of it, "This is the same method of homeschooling that I used with my own children and it worked very well for us." For more, see http://www.homeschool.com/HLI/default.asp.
And now, let's roll tape.
RRR: How did you come by your own interest in homeschooling?
REBECCA K.: I was pregnant with my first child when I first began exploring educational options. I used to be a teacher so I wanted something really special for my son-to-be. One day I read an article about homeschooling and I thought to myself, "Yes! This is what I’ve been looking for." Maybe one of the reasons homeschooling appealed to me so much is because I had had an opportunity a few years earlier to personally witness the power of one-on-one learning. I had been hired as a private teacher/tutor for a wealthy famous family to teach their son aboard their private yacht in the Caribbean. Talk about your cush jobs. The boy learned so quickly with the individual attention and I found I really enjoyed that type of teaching.
RRR: With Homeschool.com, your homeschool radio chats, and other initiatives, you're obviously an entrepreneur. Where did you come by the entrepreneurial urge? Did you have any entrepreneurial role models growing up, or as an adult?
REBECCA K.: That's a good question. My parents were civil servants so I'm not sure how I caught the entrepreneur bug. It just seems to fit with my personality. I tried working for companies, but they always felt a bit claustrophobic. But the reason I started Homeschool.com was not because I wanted to be a business woman, but because I wanted to be able to stay home with my children… without starving. I needed a way I could earn money from home and a friend told me about this new thing called the Internet and told me I should buy some domain names. So I bought edusource.com (which became the Internet's first e-Newsletter about education) and Homeschool.com.
RRR: With overcrowding, budget shortfalls, and other critical issues affecting public schools now, many parents would like to know more about homeschooling. What are your favorite resources for "newbies"?
REBECCA K.: There are now more homeschoolers in this country than there are Catholic school students. Because of this there are LOTS of resources available and homeschooling is much easier than you might think. Some of my favorite homeschooling resources are Homeschool.com, AtoZHome'sCool, Homeschooling at About.com, Homefires.com and the book "Homeschooling and Loving It." When I started out I also found great help from the books written by Linda Dobson and by reading Home Education magazine.
RRR: For some, homeschooling still conjures up the old stereotype of the "unsocialized child." Homeschooled stars like the Jonas Brothers may help offset that, but what's your advice to parents who worry about the socialization issue?
REBECCA K.: Homeschoolers tend to roll their eyes when people ask them about socialization. For some reason, when people think about homeschooling they picture the kids chained to the table, crying over their worksheets. But that's not the way it is. Because homeschooling is one-on-one or small group learning, it is incredibly efficient and fast. Because of this, there is even MORE time for the kids to socialize and to develop their talents in sports, music, art, dance, etc. Why do you think young movie stars and Olympic athletes, and spelling bee champions homeschool? Because it leaves them more time to do what they love.
RRR: In brief, how did homeschooling fare under President Bush, and how do you expect it to fare under President Obama?
REBECCA K.: Because President Bush was a religious man and homeschooling is very popular for religious reasons, it fared well under President Bush's administration. It may not fare as well under President Obama. Both Obama and Hillary Clinton are big supporters of the public schools and they don't like to see dedicated parents pulling their kids out either for private or home schools. But Obama is also a big believer in "choice," so I’m hoping he will extend this same courtesy to educational choice.
RRR: Public schools are beginning to offer virtual classes, that students can take from home. How do you see this trend unfolding, and fitting into the development of homeschooling?
REBECCA K.: The more choices the better, as far as I'm concerned. Children learn in different ways so when we have lots of educational options it makes it easier to find the school setting that works best for each child. I have three children. We have always given our children the choice on what type of education they felt would work best for them. So two of my children homeschool and one attends a performing arts high school. Many countries don't have these types of educational alternatives. If school works for you, great. If it doesn't, that's too bad and school becomes a 12-year jail sentence for you. But in America we have lots of options and we can find the school that works best for the child, which gives that child a chance to succeed and grow up knowing how wonderful and intelligent he or she is.
RRR: Some public-school parents feel they are unqualified to teach their children. How would you address their concerns?
REBECCA K.: Homeschooling is much easier than you would think. I just graduated my oldest from high school and he has been accepted for honors at entrance to his favorite colleges. The thing to remember, especially when homeschooling a high school student, is that you don't have to do everything yourself. You can hire tutors, you can sign up with a homeschooling charter school, you can take small group classes, you can trade teaching with other parents, you can join a homeschooling co-op. The #1 piece of advice from experienced homeschoolers is to have your high school age child take his classes through your local community or junior college. It's called dual enrollment and this way your child gets both high school and college credit for the same class. Plus, community colleges are either free or inexpensive so this is a pretty sweet deal.
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