HOMESCHOOLING: An Education Option

The number of homeschools is growing at an annual rate between seven and 15 percent. On average, homeschool students in grades 1-4 perform one grade level higher than their public and private school counterparts. Area Woman takes a look behind the scenes in this interview with two home educating mothers.

Rachel Larson was homeschooled and now is a mother of four. She has been homeschooling her own children for five years. Rachel’s husband Jeremy is an engineer at Phoenix International.

Julie Walter, a twenty-year home education veteran, has graduated four of her nine children from high school. Her oldest daughter, Kristi, graduated from NDSU’s College of Business in accounting. She is currently living in England with her husband and working in accounting. Kelly is a senior at UWStout majoring in graphic design. Heidi attends NDSCS, and Mandy is pursuing photography. Julie’s husband, Jim, is the president/CEO of 702 Communications.

AW: Why did you choose to home educate?

Rachel: I had a positive experience being homeschooled myself. I started homeschool when I was in sixth grade and mostly wanting to be popular. Homeschooling allowed me to focus on things that were more important. I wanted to give my children the same opportunities that I had.

Julie: Back in 1987, we met some homeschooling students, and we were really impressed with them. They were polite, well-mannered, intelligent, hard working, and they had a real love for Christ. We were sold on the home education choice.

AW: What do you see as the advantages?

Rachel: I’ve loved how you can tailor the days to a particular child and his interests. We’ve had the time for more community involvement like being part of the Friendship Family Program at MSUM and having international students come into our home.

Julie: You can get a lot accomplished in the morning, and the children have the afternoons for things of their own interest. Our girls train and take care of horses. It’s all educational — not just the bookwork.

AW: How does home education differ from public school?

Rachel: It is a tutored education. We can go faster or slower as our children need.

Julie: Homeschoolers can pick and choose how they set up their year. We school all twelve months, Monday through Thursday. There isn’t any stand-in-line time; it’s more efficient.

AW: How are your children doing socially?

Rachel: They’re average kids: some more extroverted, some quieter. Regular life with play dates and church, community, and sports involvements is enjoyable. We’ve had field trips to the Post Office, Water Treatment Plant, Happy Joes, and the Food Bank with a local homeschool group.

Julie: They do well interacting with people of all ages. Besides community activities, they are part of a local home school support group called REACH, which offers a spelling bee, public speaking, a project fair, a bake off/brain bee night, ice skating, T-Ball, baseball and soccer. There are also scienceoriented activities such as the First Lego League and BEST Robotics.

AW: What do you enjoy about home educating?

Rachel: I’m with my children for all the milestones, and I see the light bulb moments. I love read-aloud time. It’s fun to share those stories, and cuddle, and laugh and cry together.

Julie: Seeing their successes all the way from preschool to adulthood has been a joy. The biggest were Kristi’s Cum Laude honor when she graduated from NDSU, Kelly’s Most Outstanding Student honor when she graduated with a 4.0 from Alexandria Technical College, and Heidi’s acceptance in the dental assistant program at NDSCS.

AW: What has been the largest influence that home education has had on your family?

Rachel: It has enabled our family to think as a unit. Our hours are shared. At first it was intimidating. But homeschooling is just an extension of parenting. What you’ve done with your children as toddlers, you continue in and grow.

Julie: My children had the time to bond with each other. And we’ve had time to study the Bible and to learn what it means in our everyday life, how to live out the gospel of Christ and understand the grace He offers.

AW: What support is available for home school families?

Rachel: The MACHE convention is the highlight of my year. You meet other homeschoolers, talk to vendors, choose curriculum, and listen to well-informed educators.

Julie: There are three large organizations. NDHSA, The North Dakota Home School Association: www.NDHSA.org. MACHE is a Minnesota state organization: www. MACHE.org. And Home School Legal Defense Association is national: HSLDA.org. [AWM]

For more information about local homeschooling visit www. reachhomeschool.org.