Growing Without Schooling 43

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING

43 We no t iced t hat quite a number of GWS readers contributed letters and articles to the Winter issue of Mot heri ng, i n c ludi n g a piece by Hele n F ox (Que . ) on teaching kids to sew, and a bea u tifu l a rt icle by Nancy Wal l ace (NY) on t h e deat h of three of h er c h ild r en . We were a l so p l eased to see Vita Wallace ' s sto r y, on putting on a fami l y conce rt , in the " Mother ' s Ch ildren " section of th e Jan. /Feb . issue of Mot h er Ea rt h News .

Brian D. Ray (Science Education Dept . , Or ego n S t ate Un iversity, Cor­ vallis OR 97331; 503 - 754-4151 or 838-1248) would like to form a net­ work of any people doing research on home centered lea r ning, for the purpose of s haring ideas, resources, findi ngs , etc . He as k s for any such r esearche r s to con t ac t him .

We ' ve go t ten a few co p ies of WAY IT SPOZED TO BE by James Herndon si n ce th e a nno unceme n t in #42, but we s t il l n ee d mo r e . Remem be r , we ' l l send a $2 credit for copies in good condi­ ti o n . Fur th ermore, we h ave decided to recycle two of John Holt ' s books in the same manner : we will pay $2 for WHAT DO I DO MONDAY? or THE UNDER­ AC HIEVING SC HOOL . Please do not send o t her tit l es by. Jo h n .

We a r e 3d~ing t o our l ist of r eprints a fi n e review written by S u sa nn a h Sheffe r a b out the revised e d ition of HOW CHI LDREN LEARN. She says, " I assumed I k new wh at [John Ho lt ] ha d t o say; i n s t ead, I found a boo k wh ic h t ook me comp l e t e l y by sur ­ pr ise a nd move d me mo r e t h a n a l most any o th er ." For a copy of the review, send 10¢, plus a se l f-addressed s t amped e n ve l ope i f you are not order­ ing ot h er mate r ials from us .

Beca u se of t he n ew postal rates, we are fo r ced t o r aise our postal charge fo r " John Ho l t's Book and Mu­ sic S t o r e " i t ems . Ou r c harge had s t ayed t h e same since 1 981 . Please consu lt t h e " Or de r Info r mation" in th e back of t h e ma g azi n e for t he new r a t es . - -- Donna Richoux

suburbs, 39% in the country, and 20 % in small towns .

72% of our readers have an inter­ est in reading about music and 53 % play an instrumenl . 45 % use computers for learning and of those who don't, 44% plan on buying one.

The primary reader of GWS is the mother of the family (62 %); 13% answered the father , 18% said both, and 7% answered the whole family .

The median family says it spends $15 a mo n th o n books and buys through the mail six times a year . We also found out that GWS gets shared a lot; 68% of respo ndents share their issues with one or two other people.

61 % of the respondents are cur­ rently homeschooling school-age child­ ren . If this rate holds true for the readers h ip a t large, it would mean almost 3,000 of the 4,800 GWS house­ holds . - -- Pat Farenga

JOHN HOLT'S COMING SC HEDULE March 14, 1984 : Holt Associates Ope n House ( 2nd Th urs . each month) . ~: Smithsonian American His t ory Museum, Washington D.C . 3 PM .

Open to public . Contact Joan Liver­ sage at Smithsonian .

Arril 24-28 (tentative): Nation­ al Coa ition of Alternative Community Schools conference, Clonlara School, Ann Arbor MI . Contact Kathy Suther­ land, 313-769-4515. ~~ (tentative) : Mass . Library Associa t ion Convention, Sheraton Hotel, Sturbridge MA . Contact Mary Whi t e, 617-245-0790 .

Aug 17 - 18: Homeschoolers Jam­ bor ee , La n si n g MI . Contact Carolyn Cordell , 2310 Bernard, Lansing MI 48910 .

GWS TRAVEL NETWOR K Martha and Ted Laux of Ithaca, who have run the GWS Travel Network for several years, say they are "ready to pass on the baton . " Who wou l d li k e to keep this project going? They have put together a directo r y of 25 GWS families who would li k e to host visitors . Martha says t h e mai l is lig h t and sporadic.

Whoeve r t el l s us first t h at s/he would like to run this, gets t o do it .

Martha also said that she and Ted had no idea if anyone who got the Travel Directory actually used it to make any visits . We ' d like to hear about some people's experiences with this, so we know it isn't a waste of time and energy . - DR

SEVERE IllNESS CL EARS UP From Was h ington State:

GWS SURVEY RESULTS Ove r t he summer we se n t out a s urvey t o a r a nd om sa mpl e of our 4800 c u rre nt s ub sc r ibe r s i n order to pro ­ vide pote nt ia l adver t isers with a pro­ f il e of t h e so r t of peop l e th ey can reac h t hr ough GWS . We t h ought you might be interested in the results .

130 s urveys were mailed out and 87 came bac k to us . According to this sam p le , t he median age of our readers ( the age at whi c h h a l f th e p eop l e in th e samp l e are above , a n d half below) is 36 . The me di a n ag e f o r th eir c h il d ­ r e n i s 6 , with a n a ve r age of 2 . 5 c hildr e n p e r fa mily .

We we r e s urpris e d t o fi n d th at 2 4 % o f o ur r ea d e r s co n side r t hem­ se l ves living in th e cit y ; 1 7% i n th e

... My youngest daug h ter started ki nd e r gar t e n o n t h e day s he tu r ned five . .. The teacher was a wonderful p e r so n , soft-spoken, who mixed fun and g ames into her teaching . Sh e was always loving and giving, made her­ self o n e of t h e chi l dren . ..

Then came first grade and a big c hange .. . At the end of a full day at schoo l , my daughter was physically exhausted . The teacher was very strict . She was verbally and ph ysical­ l y abusive, in my opinion . She be ­ l ieved i n making examples of the c h il dr en . The brig h ter c h ildre n were k ep t at a faster pace, t h e others were given s pecial help o nl y wh en th e r e was time , which seemed t o be a bou t o n ce a week . My little one see me d to be about average, except in

reading. I didn't realize until later, when she told me, that she was made to feel stupid .

About Thanksgiving of that year, she started losing weight and develop­ ing unusual symptoms, such as pain in joints, and a high white count . After a lot of poking and prodding by different specialists, I was told she had a form of spinal arthritis . After more tests , the rheumatologist told me outright he was afraid my daughter had, instead, lymphatic cancer . He went on to tell me about treatments, and how lucky we are to live in an age where she might be helped.

At that point my life changed. I cannot even describe what I was feel ­ ing, there are no words for it .

So, off to the cancer special­ ist . After a couple more weeks of tests and waiting, we were told, no, there is no sign of cancer at this point. Her initial pediatrician told us to go home and wait until she took a turn for the worse . He was sure this would come about within a couple months . In the meantime he suggested sending her back to school on the days she felt up to it . I told him that was the last thing I would do, simply because she didn ' t like school . I told him if a tragedy was in store, she was going to stay home and be happy while she could . He dis­ agreed, but I decided to go with my own feelings .

At that point I had not thought about homeschooling, as a matter of fact I knew very little about it .

I told my daughter she was not going to have to go to school any more . This was around January of 1984 . Almost immediately a change came about . The aches and pains dis­ appeared, her appetite increased, and the next blood test came back normal .

Her doctor was sure it was a matter of time until she would have a re­ lapse. But by now I had my own di2g­ nosis - stress' I have worked as an LPN and have seen stress cause many things, including the symptoms my daughter had.

It has now been a year and my sweetheart hasn't been sick or come close to having a relapse of these symptoms . She also hasn ' t returned to school and will not in the future. I now have a healt h y, happy, secure child, who is learning at home with her family . I live next door to my parents, and they share many things with her also . She takes guitar lessons and plays beautifully ... She is learning to cook and makes many things with little or no help. She loves anything to do with money . ..

She now enjoys reading, to my de­ light . We dropped the phonics she was doing in school . Instead she got a library card, and picks out books she enjoys. She has also learned to use my sewing machine, and made several

WHAT' S INSIDE - Court : 2 -- - MN t es t i ng: 2 VT news: 2 - - Austral i a, New Zeal and: 2 - - ­ Jamboree: 3 -- - Exc l uded/re ligi on: 4 --- Pri ­ vate schools (PA, OR , MA): 4- 5 --- T-Sh i rt : 5 --- Ta l king to offi ci al s: 6 --- Al l - day ki n­ dergarte n: 6 --- JH/Tes t ify, ca nce r : 7 --­ Speakers Bureau: 8- 10 --- PTA: 10 - -- Aft er 5 yrs: 10 --- Davies/Prog r am overv iew: 10 --­ Teens: 11-14 --- Pet st or e: 12 --- Successfu l Dropout : 12 -- - Ins t ead of diploma: 12 - -­ Chose Schoo l: 13 --- Cor r es pondence school s: 14 --- Hires t eachers: 14 - -- Famil y bus ine ss: 14 --- Deaf: 14 --- Har d t o Li ve Wit h: 15 --­ Lif e at Home: 15 --- Es ta bli shmen t ado pt s "Home Lear ning " : 16 - -- Se i p/Mountain s: 17 --­ Ca r son/ nature: 17 --- Spinning: 17 --- Cus t ody : 18 --- Forei gn lang. : 20 --- Maps : 20 - -- Space seeds: 21 --- Wr ite, Re ad: 21- 22 Co ntes t s: 22 --- Pi ano: 23 - -- Sax: 23

Christmas presents . She takes various classes at nearby community centers ...

COURT NEWS Case dismissed after half-dozen court appearances: Lenore Hosinsky, Brooklyn NY .

Fined $200, aPfealing decision: Theodore Gora, Pine las County, FL. Facing charges: James & Louann Brasher, RR 4, Union City IN; attor­ ney, Mark Bell of Indianapolis.

"TESTING" PROPOSAL IN MINN. The BEREAN LEAGUE OF MINNESOTA (2875 Snelling Av N, St Paul MN 55113) has drafted a possible re­ vision of the Minnesota education law that would specifically permit home­ schooling, if the students "adequate­ ly perform" on an annual standardized achievement test "commensurate \vi th

the student's ability." What is inter­ esting about this draft is the thought given to the question, "What if the student doesn't do well on the test?" and we reprint that section here: ... The school where the child attends [DR: the home school' shall choose and administer the test which must be listed in the current Bur­ roughs Mental Measurements Yearbook.

The superintendent may have an obser­ ver present during the test.

If the child scores more than one deviation below the mean for his age group, the superintendent may take any of the following actions in the interest of the child's education to meet the constitutionally defined interests of the state; . (a) allow the child to continue the educational plan his parents have selected for him, undisturbed; (b) require additional testing for the child, including but not limited to intelligence tests; (c) provide remedial help for the child; (d) adopt any other course of action that is acceptable to the superintendent or board and to the child's custodial parents or guar­ dians.

The superintendent or board shall choose the course of action that is most consistent with the desires of said child's custodial par­ ents or guardians, unless and except to the extent that said desires are manifestly inconsistent with the edu­ cational needs of the child . If, after implementation of the above alternatives, they have failed to sat­ isfy the state's constitutionally de­ fined interests in education, the superintendent or board may require the child to attend a school which complies with this subdivision. A cus­ todial parent or guardian may appeal a decision of the board to the dis­ trict court ...

FROM A VERMONT HOMESCHOOLER From Kathy Blair (VT): . .. The climate for homeschooling in Vermont is currently very good, although there are unfortunately some exceptions. One I specifically know about - a friend with a daughter pre­ viously classified "special educa­ tion" in Mass. was denied approval here and to avoid an expected court confrontation, she moved out of state . . .. Individuals may apply direct~

lY

to the State Dept. of Education ...

Basically, a curriculum must be sub­ mitted covering: A. Basic communication skills,

including reading, writing, and the

use of numbers.

B. Citizenship, history, and

government in Vermont and the U.S.

C. Physical ed. and principles

of health, including the effects of

tobacco, alcoholic drinks, and drugs.

D. English, American and other

literature.

E. The natural sciences.

On this past year's application, one line stated: "Attach a daily schedule for instruction."

We have been approved for two years ... We enrolled for Grade 1 at age 7. I modelled our curriculum after Lynn Kapplow'i excellent cur­ riculum [DR: Reprint available here], using her approach regarding time spent on various subjects (X minimum number of minutes will be spent per week on ... ), when it came to the daily schedule request .

The Calvert program is accept­ able, although Vermont government and history must be described cy the par­ ent on the form, and at least two individuals I know of successfully use the Oak ~eadow School in Ojai~ CA. ... Enclosed is a form letter we received regarding approval of our application. Condition #1 in this let­ ter is apparently causing problems for some folks. lIt requires that you contract with a Vermont certified teacher, other than the instructor or parent, for an independent evaluation and to review your child's progress. 1 Individuals subscribing to Oak Meadow or Calvert are already being evalu­ ated and, according to what I ' ve heard, resent needing to contract for this service again.

Since we wrote our own curricu­

lum, I am not offended by this re­ quest, because the evaluation can be as creative as the evaluator, in that the teacher is expected to read your state-approved curriculum and ascer­ tain whether or not you followed Your own curriculum ... Daily journals,---­ portfolios/collection of craft pro­ jects, papers. etc., bv your child should be able to describe your pro­ gress adequately ... We were evaluated last year (and will be this year) by Kathi Kearney, listed in GWS #42 under "Certified Teachers - Maine" although she is also Vermont certi­ fied ... She is currently very in­ volved with homeschoolers in Maine and really understands homeschooling .

A problem for some people, again, according to what I've heard, is that they are unable to find a Vermont cer­ tified teacher who is willing to or knows how to evaluate 0 homeschooler.

1 om organizing a Vermont ne,'/sletter and hope to compile a list of teach­ ers for evaluations ...

Anyone in Vermont interested in homeschooling should contact Jean Robison at the Dept . of Ed . in Mont­ pelier, 802-828-3111 . She is helpful, sympathetiC to homeschooling and very eosy to talk to: in no way does she intimidate. She is willing to share ideas on where to go for information re curriculum development, etc . ..

NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA ..

Some items from the newsletter published cy the BRISBANE HOME SCHOOL­ I~G GROUP of Australia. First, by Sue Crealey: .. . On a visit to Melbourne last month, I had the opportunity to spend

some time with members of the ALTERNA­

TIVE EDUCATION RESOURCE GROUP ...

There seems to be a wealth of re­

source material available in the Mel­

bourne area and the families I spoke

with avail themselves of it freely. I

mentioned how our group prefers to

remain "low key" in the matter of pub­

lic advertising in order to avoid any

confrontation with department offi­

cials. The Melbourne group are not

all bothered by such concerns - in

fact, the main reason ' they avoid mass

publicity is to avoid being inundated

with phone calls and enquiries from

interested persons. They said they

just don't have sufficient people in

the group to handle the number of

callers. I thought their reasons most

significant ...

Kathy Rose of the HUON BROOK HOME SCHOOLING GROUP in Mullumbimby described their delightful activi­ ties, including picniCS, games, crafts, music, science, and drama,

and then makes this important point: .. . The main problem encountered so far has been handling all the enquiries we get to join the group, and deciding how and at what point to limit it. Because of our space limita­ tions, and because the idea is to stay small, we have set the limit at 12 children we have now, but we are a list of the eoore-wno-

Neville Freeman (2 Allanby Grove, E. Bentleigh, Vict. 3165) says: . .. 1 have written on three separ­ ate aspects in notes and articles on homeschooling and how to satisfy the Victorian Education Dept . You could obtain copies of these from me ($3 Australian per set) ... People in Vic­ toria who have used my guidelines have achieved 100% success with the Department. They have either been approved or left alone (formal writ­ ten approval [rom the Dept. is not essent ia 1 ) ...

... AND FROM NEW ZEALAND From Elinor Nelson-Jones, RD 1, Motueka, New Zealand : ... Our rejected application for the local school board's permission to school our 9-year-old at home will be heard soon before the High Court on grounds of natural rights being violated ... We get GWS through Trish Cheel's group subscription ...

We are involved in a neighbor­ hood "Kids Club" of about a dozen pre-schoolers and school-age children up to 10 ~hose parents want more flex­ ibility, less pressure, cooperative attitudes emphasized, voluntary attendance, etc . Eight men and women help the kids in areas of natural interest (sports, cooking, games, music, art, crafts) and try to in­ clude the 3 R's when possible. But the emphasis is on having fun . . .

And from Sarah Ayre (19 Dunns Road, Silverstream, Upper Hutt): . . . David and I have two child­ ren, Matthew (8) and Jack (5) .

Matthew went to school for 2~ years but was never happy there . . . So we decided to apply for a primary school-

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #43

3

ing exemption. Since that was granted earlier this year, we have been teach­ ing both boys ourselves.

We are very happy with our deci­ sion . . . We are, however, very isola­ ted. As you may know, the Auckland group of New Zealand home schoolers puts out a magazine Prunes and we have found this very-useIUl . But Auck­ land is 400 miles from here ... We would welcome ~ feedback (especial­ ly from Quaker, pacifist, vegetarian homeschoolers') . ..

The Auckland group seem to be finding that home schooling for them is usually a kind of delayed entry, with most children going to school by the age of eight, apparently because their parents can't cope beyond this.

Also, the class teachers apparently find these children are behind in the ·'basics" . ..

HOMESCHOOLERSJAMBOREE From Faye Jenkins

(I~):

. . . My sons (Alan, l3, and Stu­ art, 6) and I attended the Homeschool­ ers Jamboree sponsored by CLO~LARA SCHOOL in late August . We had a ball.

There were many worthwhile sessions for parents and children. A lot of effort must have gone into this gath­ ering and it showed. Many enriching activities were offered for the child­ ren such as model rockets, clowning, lapidary, simulated archaelogical dig, etc. I especially enjoyed the vendor displays . This was the first time I had seen some of the materials and so many homeschooling curricu­ lums . If this many people are getting into the homeschooling supply busi­ ness, then it must be viable . We are already planning next year's trip to Michigan ...

we may be facing more problems in the future than we have in the past."

Nagel, author of the controver­ sial bqok on educational freedom, CHEEZ' UNCLE SAM ... compared his own SA~TA FE COMMU~ITY SCHOOL with the efforts of many homeschoolers, sav­ ing, "Each time an obstacle to free­ dom was placed in our path by the state [of New MexicoJ, we removed it.

Each time a reasonable direction was pointed out, we followed it. Each time a requirement was set, we met

it. I know many of you are doing the same thing." Nagel pOinted out that in many cases, public school adminis­ trators are worried about economics,

not education. He said, "A school administrator is primarily concerned with how to continue to have his busi­ ness operate and survive. He is not thinking about the particular educa­ tional needs o[ your child . " Sue Brooks offered advice to the homeschooling parent from her own experience. "We became, [or lack of a better term, volunteer lobbvists." she said as she described the fight in her home state of Wisconsin to make legislators more aware. "Our approach was to visit the representa­ tives that were our own or represent­

ing people we knew had written let­ ters. So whenever I wellt to a repre­ sentative who was not my own, I could say. 'Senator, I knol.\' ~ou have re­

ceived letters from so and so. I have talked with them. I am here to remind VOll

of

hOh' h'e

feel.

r

It

Brooks stressed

the need for each individual to work for homeschooling: "You can just about bet that any representative ... is as educated on the subject of home­ schooling as anv of his constituents have taken the time to make him." ...

LOCAL NEWS For addresses, see GWS

Susannah Sheffer reported on the jamboree in The Learning Edge, the ne\olsletter orcIO"LARA and the HOME BASED EDUCATION PROGRAM (MI): . . . The speakers included Michi­ gan State Representative Tim Walberg, State Senator Harmon Cropsey, Ed Nagel of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATIO" FOR THE LEGAL SUPPORT OF ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS, and Sue Brooks, a homeschool­ ing parent and Clonlara teacher.

Walberg, who homeschools two of his three children, spoke positively about the power of the individual : "As a result of a large letter \olri­ ting campaign on behalf of homeschool­ ers in this state, as well as visits to the Capitol of homeschoolers, I had several legislators come up to me, including those from the other side of the aisle, and express a real interest, a positive interest, in homeschooling, plus some compliments on the demeanor, the qualities, the type of attitudes and the interest displayed by homeschoolers as they came to the Capitol." Walberg said that "there are more than just a hand­ ful of friends in the legislature now interested in homeschooling. I still think there are more enemies ... there are more people ignorant about home­ schooling than there are friends, but at least there is something going."

Cropsey, discussing the attitude of public schools toward home educa­ tion, spoke with more caution: "Every time a child is withdrawn from the public school system they consider that a vote of no confidence ... the v do not like to see your children out­ side of their influence. I think we are going to see the lines drawn and

GROWING

~ITHOUT

SCHOOLING #43

~42

or

our "Homeschool i ng Resource 1 i st, 11 S1.

CO:\:\ECTICl'T: The superintendent of parochiaL schools in Hartford, wrote to John: "I recently "'as given a copy of 'Schools and Home School­ ers: A Fruitful Partnership,' the article you wrote for Phi Delta Kap­ ~ . .. I found it most interesting ­ [UTI of good sense an insi?ht into values of homeschooling." Reprints available here, l5c. Rev. Fanelli sent us a proposed change in the state education law but it seems to be merely a technicalitv; it speci­ fics that school boards may seek & court order to compel parents to com­ ply with the law. The clause allowing parents "to shO\ol that the chi Id is elsewhere receiving equivalent instruction" would remain unchanged.

GEORGIA: From the Atlanta Jour­ nal, 014785: "State Senator Jo~ Foster, \Vho introduced the compulsory school attendance legislation last year, says the law is working well and he has no intention of revising it this year ... The state Dept. of Education recently released figures showing that 653 home school pro­ grams. teaching a total of 1,062 children, reported that they are oper­ ating in Georgia ... Foster said offi­ cials in Washington, Tennessee, Michi­ gan, and ~orth Dakota have contacted the senator about using Georgia's law as a model in their states ... " ILLHWIS: Kris Hallberg writes, "Just before Christmas I learned that I was approved to home school my son . .. I had obtained a copy of 'The Illinois Program for Evaluation, Supervision, and Recognition of School ' from my library. I knew [rom that document that what I sent to the

superintendent met the requirements for a school. My-husband called that 'doing my homework' and is convinced it led to the approval. .. " KENTUCKY: From Libbie Morley of KE~TUCKY HOME SCHOOLERS: "Because of revisions in Ky. law last summer, if a parent wants to open a private school ... they simply have to notify the local superintendent of the name and address of the children ... We do not consider this situation stable.

It makes a mockery of the compulsory education law, threatens the bureau­ cracy, just won't work. However, nothing can be changed until the next legislative session in January 1986.

We have names of Dept . of Ed . 0III= cials who will be in charge of draft­ ing new legislation and will intro­ duce KENTUCKY HOMESCHOOLERS to them by letter very soon, and hope to meet with them this spring. Thank goodness that GWS gives us some clues about what has worked in other states or \Ve'd really be floundering!"

MAI~E: Tim Ketcham wrote in ~lai neflOiiie Education Newsletter: "Schools are taking advantage of the new guidelines GWS #4l J before the state has put them into effect, forCing home schoolers to have to fol­ low the more stringent guidelines while leaving us without the protec­ tions that have been built into the guidelines at the state level (most particularly, the state level peer review) ... The Commissioner of Ed. sees these regulations as being on trial this next school year, subject to change depending on how they work, especially the peer review process.

So we need to continue being pre­ pared, h'atchful, and draw together ... " MARYLA:\D: The MARYLAND HOME EDU­ CATION ASSOCIATIO" NEWSLETTER reports that state officials have proposed a new bylaw defining school as a place with at least 7 students not of the same parentage. "This bylalV is aimed directly at small religious and satel­ lite schools presently operating in this state. At a recent meeting of THE COALITION OF HOME EDUCATORS, Gary Cox of the WALKERSVILLE CHRISTIAN FEL­ LOWSHIP promised a vigorous challenge against this new threat . .. " ~ICHIGA:\: The Learning Edfe reports that the Mich. Dept . 0 Social Services sent out a memo Sept. l3 that said, "It is now the policy of MOSS that problems observed by counties regarding parent home-based teaching of their children is not a Protective Services issue. Cases of this type are the responsibility of the local school board . .. No further contact with the family is to be made." This came about as a result of Pat Montgomery contacting Dr. Agnes Mansour's office. ;-'IISSOl'RI: FMIILIES FOR HOME EDU­ CATION planned a "Home Schooled Child­ ren's Fair" on Jan. 30, an all-day event that was truly for the child­ ren, with crafts, games, storytell­ ing, puppets, singing, and more .

MO:\TA~A: Linda McFarlane of the FLATHEAD VALLEY HOMESCH00LING ASSOCIA­ TIO" IVrites, "A couple of districts are trying to establish a policy toward their involvement with home-

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING r43, Vol. 8 No.1.

ISSN #0745-5305. Published bi-monthly by Holt

Associates, 729 Boylston St, Boston MA 02116.

S15/yr. Date of Issue, Feb . 1, 1985. Second­

class postage paid at Boston MA.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to GWS, 729

Boylston St, Boston MA 02116.

ADVERTISERS: Deadlines are the 15th of odd­

numbered ~onths. Discount for ads in 3 consecu ­

tive issues. Contact Patrick Farenga for rates.

4 schoolers. One school lost 11 kids this year to homeschooling. In the past they have been helpful to home­ schoolers, but money is an issue ...

If you are confident about what you are doing, you will have no problems.

If you are questioning, then you will hear, 'We have to view your home, I 'We have to give permission,' 'We advise against it.' ... Our district/ county is the best in Montana, we hear ... As much as we have tried to educate the public to homeschooling in this area, by news articles, library displays, etc., it is amazing that so many people (also in the school administration) are unaware of homeschooling . . . " According to the MONTANA HOME­ SCHOOLERS ASSOCIATION, state offi­ cials held two meetings to discuss homeschooling issues: making sure County Superintendents are complying with the homeschooling law, and how to place homeschooled children who enroll in public school.

NEBRASKA: The l2/84 issue of Home School Journal reprints an inter­ esting exchange or correspondence.

First, State Senator Don Wesely wrote the Commissioner of Education that he didn't think the new law about "un­ a pproved" school s was supposed to include home schools. The Commission­ er replied that on the contrary, "state law at the present time really makes no distinction between schools conducted in a home by a parent or in another location by a non-parent, so long as the school complies with all applicable laws ... " The Commissioner also said it was not the business of the State Board to decide who had "sincerely held religious beliefs."

Finally, the Commissioner agreed that the new law was unclear and self­ contradictory.

Wesely then wrote to other state senators, saying the law needed to be clarified in the next session. He also enclosed a public opinion poll from the Lincoln Journal-Star in which 911'. answered "Yes" to the ques­ t ion, "Do you think church-related schools should be required to meet the same minimum qualification stan­ dards as public schools?"

NEVADA: From the newsletter of HOME SCHOOLS UNITED/VEGAS VALLEY: "HSU was represented along with the public schools at the recent 'Excel­ lence in Education' exposition. Many people stopped by our booth asking questions and picking up information about home education. It was a learn­ ing experience for all of us. We were also able to pick up tons of publish­ ers catalogs and some books at no cost ... " It also reported that HSU members would be meeting with legisla­ tors to discuss changes in the home education regulations.

NEW YORK: Richard Fahey of CHRISTIAN HOMESTEADING SCHOOL, RD 2, Oxford NY l3830, writes, "We are in a good position to influence home educa­ tion legislation in New York State .

Our representative is in favor of home education and one of the most influential men in the Assembly. What we would like to hear from home educa­ tors in New York are ideas of what they want"and how to frame new legis­ latlon . . .

NORTH CAROLINA: Ron Fitch of NORTH CAROLINIANS FOR HOME EDUCATION writes, "When the North Carolina Gen­ eral Assembly reconvenes in February, home education will be one of the important issues facing legisla­ tors . . . Most legislators are unin­ formed about home education. Friends of home education in N.C . need to call their local board of elections

to get the names and addresses of their legislators and write to ex­ plain this"issue and request support ...

ONTARIO: Helen Harned wrote in the Ontario Homeschoolers Newsletter: "A Homeschooling Workshop was held in Toronto on Friday and Saturday, Octo­ ber 26 and 27 . .. Taking into consider­ ation a short preparation time, the total of 75 registered guests was very encouraging, for a first of its kind in Canada. Foster Hansen, a regional Minister of Education, spoke positively towards schooling at home when associated with the School Board . Obviously he was unhappy about parents applying to school at home who were both working outside the home; or had no identifying plan of education for the,children - he just couldn't see how the children were getting any education ' . .. Mr. Hansen knows all too well there are some homeschoolers who are abusing the 'private school' section on p.6 of the Education Act ... Shortly before he left for the evening he was heard to say, 'This subject (of homeschool­ ing ) is most fascinating. '" TENNESSEE: In early December, State Senator Dunavant was ready to sponsor a bill that would require "private schools" to be accredited, and define and allow "home schools."

Parent-teachers of home schools would need a high school diploma or GED to teach K-8, and a bachelor's degree for grades 9-J2 . Home school students would take the same achievement tests as public school students. If the stu­ dent fell 3-6 months behind grade lev­ el, consultation with the supt . would be required; if s/he fell more than 6 months behind, s/he would be placed in public school "if superintendent finds such enrollment necessary."

Apparently, as in other states, many homeschoolers in Tenn. don't want any sort of regulation, and others find parts of this bill objectionable and are trying to change them.

WASHINGTON: Homeschoolers planned a "Rally Day" at the capitol Jan. 28, urging as many as possible to attend . It was expected that on that day, the Senate would hear testi­ mony on the bill supported by the WASHINGTON ASSOC. OF HOME EDUCATORS .

WISCONSIN: From the WISCONSIN PARENTS ASSOCIATION newsletter: "( 1) Dept . of Public Instruction has agreed that assurances 2 and 3 on form PI-1206 are not required under Wisconsin statutes [see GWS #41 & #42 ] . (2) DPI will send a letter of clarification to all home based educa­ tional program administrators who sent in the form, advising them that they are in compliance with Wisconsin statutes whether or not they crossed out assurances 2 and 3. (3) DPI will ensure that local school superinten­ dents understand that they do not have a prior review or approval authority or responsibility regarding home based educational program sched­ ules or curriculums ... (4) DPI will name one office or person within DPI to administer the enrollment forms for both home based educational pro­ grams and private schools .. . "

EXCLUDED BECAUSE OF RELIGION From a letter by Charlene Winger­ Bearskin (OK): ... We have a great homeschooling situation . .. Our only problem is a lack of other children to share exper­ iences with. We live in the suburbs, and have found numerous families who

are homeschoolers, but we are basic­ ally not welcome in their groups be­ cause we are not Christians (1 admire the Christian faith and believe in Christ).

One morning I spent 45 minutes on the phone pleading with a home­ schooling group leader to let us go roller-skating with their group . Only after swearing not to try to convert anyone to my faith were we allowed to attend. I had not intended to do any­ thing like that' She vowed to try to convert me, though .

As a Baha ' i, proselytizing is forbidden. We only inform interested persons about our teachings . ..

I wish we would somehow find other homeschoolers who have no strong religious preference or pre­ judice . We seek to have fellowship with families of all races and reli­ gions. Have any ideas? ..

SUPT. BECOMES DEMANDING From Pennsylvania: ... Last year was my first year homeschooling my two oldest boys, both 13. I was pretty much on my own, teaching them what I thought was important and not pushing them.

Toward the end of the school year I was getting so relaxed that 1 was let­ ting them learn on their own.

This year, though, is going to be a little tougher . The superinten­ dent called and said I have to have a set curriculum, and he wants to know what grade level they're on in all subjects, and I have to send in papers of all their work, every week, including tests' I'm a little dis­ appointed in all this because when the boys are pushed they don't do as well, and it could turn out to be as bad as the public school . Every day, I have to have math, spelling, his­ tory, science, writing, reading com­ prehension, and (twice a week) Eng­ lish . He mentioned testing the boys every so often (as did Douglas Boel­ houwer of the State Dept. of Ed.) but J think by law I can tell them no.

I'm a little nervous being moni­ tored like this but I don't think I have any alternatives, do I? ..

[From a later note:] I have learned of a Pa. attorney who will help you become a school without go­ ing to Harrisburg . And if you get has­ seled you tell them to talk to your attorney. The cost is $225 as far as I know. I'm calling him next week for more information . I'm relieved be­ cause I can go this route if the superintendent is too strict . . .

PRIVATE SCHOOL IN OREGON Leslie Redpath (OR) writes: .. . 1 had written you in Decem­ ber, 1981 about problems registering our private school here in Oregon. I registered as a private school and incorporated as a non-profit busi­ ness. After one year I dropped the registration as a school and just con­ tinued to keep the non-profit status .

The only thing registering did was get me on lots of mailing lists of school suppliers. As far as zoning, fire, parking, etc . , regulations went, I just ignored them as they were not designed for home schooling and were totally ridiculous in that context . I have not had problems as no one ever checked me out. Once a year the local elementary principal calls to see if my school affects any

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #43

students in his district and to com­ ply with some fede ral grant regula­ ti on .

As for my teaching credential I did not get it u pd ated . Teaching in a private school wo ul d have applied, but the schoo l would have h ad to be of the "certified-inspected" type.

Since I have n o plans for using it to get a teaching job, the hassle did not seem worthwhile .

We are still learning together at home . Last year we incorporated another private school with a family in a noth er county, thereby allowing us an obscure location and more chil­ dren if we ever n eed them . . .

STARTING SCHOOL IN MASS. From Lisa Boken (MA) : ... I have long held off this let­ ter fo r many reasons, foremost, that all of my time a nd energy has been spent in establishing ABBINGTON ACAD­ EMY, a nd secondly, as Candace Syman­ Degler expressed in GWS #41, I was concerned a bout taking an opposing view to the goals of cooperation of l ocal schools with homeschooling fami­ li es (see JH statement in GWS #33) . I still hold cooperation with the pub­ li c school while homeschooling as the id eal situation . I and many others are glad you and others are making progress toward that goal. However, ideal situations do not exist every­ where.

Case in point: several home­ schoolers on Cape Cod were experi­ encing non-cooperation, each after th eir "t oken " first year of approval .

Th ey were dealing wit h several dif[er­ ent sc ho o l districts . One family was flatly refused a second year ' s approv­ al after their child failed the math SRA tests but scored 98% on all the others. They wanted retesting and had a number of correspondences with the school superintendent to no ava i l .

The next step was court (which they could not afford), so they enrolled their daughter in a private school and withdrew h er af t er two months to quietly schoo l at h ome illegally . At this point myself and another home­ schooling family were experiencing problems with our school districts because of slow reading, etc .

The group of us met and I couldn't understand why we couldn ' t start a private school . One of the mothers had already thought of that and had gone t o the State Board of Education building to find out what you need t o do to start a private school . They shif t ed her to seven different offices a nd finally said she wou ld hav e to call her local school superintendent and he wou l d tell her . Of course none of us wanted to call our superin t endents.

I thought there mu st be some state guidelines fo r estab li shing a pri vate school . So I called the State Bo ard of Ed . and af t er half an hour on hold and three different people th ey assured me they would send us th e details. We then received in the mail the details ... the beds had to be so far apa rt, the sin ks so high, etc . - a ll codes of health for board­ ~ schoo l s . So I ca ll ed the Stare-­ House and they assured me that they would get the information for me . We th en rec eived a copy of the Mass .

Attendance Laws ' 1 Then while reading, I believe it was He rbert Kohl's FR EE SCHOOLS, I saw in th e appendix the address for the CENTER FOR LAW AND EDUCATION (Har­ vard University, 14 Appian Way, Cam-

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING t 43

bridge MA 02138; 617-495-4666). There in th e appendix was a listing for a book they printed called ALTERNAT IV E SC HOOLS: A PRACTICAL MANUAL . I called them and they said the book was fair­ ly old (1973) but that they could send me a copy . This book ~as the real key to starting our school as it covered Mass. laws and guidelines. We went to the Boston Public Library and checked the laws, which had changed minimally if any in the 10 years . We then started ABBINGTON ACADEMY by incorporating as a non -p rofit corpora­ tion (more research and sel[ - educa­ tion), writing and submitting our papers ourselves for $30 .

The n we wo rk ed cp a proposal to the local school board for approval .

We listed two certified teachers who were willing to help our school out and a long list'of " consulting staff " persons with varying degrees and experience. We proposed our curricu­ lum and out li ned the hours, our phi ­ losophy, etc . When we felt it looked professional enough we submitted it and we held our breath. Thev sent us a formal letter wanting to meet with us in person. So we got into our pro­ fessional clothes and I acted as spokesperson . They simply wanted to know how we were going to cover drug abuse, alcohol education, P.E . , etc .

We were ready and answered crisp and clear . We chatted for a while and they left. (I still feel they really just wanted to see if there were peo­ ple behind the proposal and if so, how ~any heads they had . ) We knew that couldn ' t be the end of it . It wasn 't. They said in a let­ ter that our curriculum ~as approved but that they wanted to see the school in session . So we invited them to come and our "cert Lfied teacher" was haVing fun with the kids as she does quite often when we visit her .

They talked with us a bit more and then they left . We were then sent notification by mail of our approval.

By the way, all of this took place in a private home, as Mass . law states any school with less than 9 students does not need an R-4 Cuilding .

A yea r later we ran into some trouble when they found out that not all of the classes take ~lace at the same building but at satelljte class­ rooms. They were also disturbed that some of the parents were involved in teaching, God forbid, their own child­ ren . This resulted in a lot of corres­ pondence . We emphasized that nowhere in Mass. law does it sav that all staff in a private scho;l must be cer­ tified (thus we hire parents with a contract) . Also it states nowhere that compulsory attendance means attendance in a school building but rather in a school program. We ended up contacting Eugene Burkart, one of your "Friendly La'''yers'' [ GWS #42 J, who helped keep everything out of cou rt.

The school district said that they were responsible to monitor all home education and I told them that was true in part, that they were responsible to monitor any home educa­ tion in the public sector of educa­ tion but that if a private school decided to have as part of its pro­ gram parent/child enrichment or home study that they were not answerable to the public school authorities and that this issue had already been decided on a Supreme Court level in Pierce vs . Society of Sisters where it states that the pub li c sector of education could not run a monopoly on a cer t ain type of education, such as h omeschooling . They seemed to back down and we have since carried on

courteous, friendly conversations, with them reassuring ~e that they are just doing their jobs.

I think three things that helped us most are : 1 . A group of families with energy.

2 . A professional appearance, stationery, bank account, corporate papers, etc .

3 . A belief that our parenti child education ~r~ of our pri­ vate school program along with group classes, field trips, teache r consul­ tations, etc . And not the belief that

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6 we are homeschooling hiding nervously under the guise of a private school .

We are legal, we are not just pretend­ ing-eo be. This realization was the last to come and proved to be the most helpful to us in avoiding intim­ idation .

I would later like to write about what we are doing with the school and why it has actually proved advantageous for our families to start it .. .

SPEAKING TO TOP OFFICIALS Kathleen McCurdy (WA) wrote in

the Family Learning Exchange:

... On December 7 we presented testimony to the Senate Education Com­ mitte at a public hearing. We identi­ fied our statewide organization, the WASHINGTON ASSOCIATION OF HOME EDUCA­ TORS, and mentioned some of the results of the Survey [DR: available here, $7 ] ... On Dec. 8 we presented similar testimony to the House Educa­ tion Committee ...

We spoke to quite a few legisla­ tors while in Olympia. We found that there is even more support now than before; obviously homeschoolers have been doing their political homework this year. We spent some time with the legal counsel for the House Ed .

Committee, who is working on " our " proposed bill that will be introduced in the House.

A highlight of our visit was get­ ting to meet with Governor-elect Booth Gardner . Joseph r McCurdy ] , who went along to carry his mother's briefcase, slipped into a meeting room where Gardner was making a speech. There was standing room only, but he found a place to stand where he could see clearly (and be seen, too, as it developed . How many 9­ year-olds does one expect to see on a Friday morning in Olympia?)

When Mr . Gardner finished his speech and started to leave, he stopped to ask Joseph why he wasn't in school. Joe flashed a big smile and said, "I'm being homeschooled ' " We explained that we were there to lobby for a homeschool bill and were hoping he would give uS a chance to discuss it with him. He said, "By all means, I want to understand the issues so that I can sign it intelli­ gently when the bill gets to my office . " He promised to give us that opportunity, and then chatted some more with Joseph . After he left, some of the crowd that had gathered con­ gratulated Joe on his good fortune in getting to speak to the new governor.

As for Joe - he was ecstatic' During the last couple of weeks we have met with top officials o[ the Spokane Education Association. One of them promised to speak on our behalf to officials of the Washington Educa­ tion Assoc. We also met with legisla­ tors of the 13th district at a home­ schoolers' meeting in Moses Lake.

Rep. Glyn Chandler, who is more know­ ledgeable than most, having attended a lecture by Dr. Raymond Moore, etc., said, "You know, America used to have a lot of heroes. People like General George Patton and Thomas Edison.

Funny thing is, most of them were homeschooled. And now how many heroes does America have? I can't think of any. " The response came quickly : "We're trying to raise some!"

The homeschoolers in the Moses Lake area have been complaining about troubles with their superintendent, so we offered to meet with him . The first half of the hour we spent with

him was quite frosty. He didn't want to discuss, he had no questions for us, he was not at all in sympathy with our concerns . We pointed out that, nevertheless. the legislature was likely to pass a bill soon, and then the issue would have to be faced.

We proceedea-tO raise questions that we knew were likely to be on his mind, and then to try to answer them in a way that would be satisfactory to him . Gradually he began to thaw out .. . We used Wendy Wartes' analogy of the home birth movement: the obstetricians were not put out of work by it, but society has benefit­ ted from a more humane approach to birth and family involvement. We sug­ gested that home school would be just as revolutionary : most people would still send their kids to school, but the parents would be more responsible and involved. That seemed to appeal to him.

At one point the superintendent almost seemed to be asking for sym­ pathy. It was difficult, he said, to mass produce education and still take care of the individual needs of each child. We agreed, and pointed out that handcrafted products always exceed the quality of mass produced items. Handcra[ted, or homeschooled, children would be an asset to anv com­ munity. (He actually nodded in agree­ ment') He said he would try to main­ tain a more neutral position . ..

TEACHER/ HOMESCHOOLER TALKS TO SUPT. Mary Maher ( MAl wrote: . . . My husband, Tom, is a teacher in another town. We heard [rom sever­ al homeschoolers that the school sys­ tem he works [or was making it very difficult for people to homeschool .

Mv husband made an appointment with the superintendent of schools with the express purpose of letting him know that he was a homeschooling parent, and had been one for [our years, and how Wakefield and other surrounding towns were cooperating with homeschoolers. He brought copies of homeschooling guidelines that oth­ er districts had drawn up, plus a copy of the "Mass . Memo" [ available here, $1]. Tom explained that home­ schooling parents were very sincere in their efforts to want to provide alternative education for their child­ ren, and usually did an outstanding job. In other words, he tried to be a peacemaker and get the superintendent to see that homeschoolers were really not a threat to him at all. After all, one of his own teachers was one.

Although the superintendent didn't commit himself one way or the another, it did give him something to think about. Since their conversa­ tion, one family has obtained per­ mission, and although it ' s not the easy-going, relaxed feeling that we have with our schools, it's a start .. .

ALL-DAY KINDERGARTEN IN OHIO? [DR:] Jim Shaw (OH) sent two clippings from the Dayton Journal­ Herald, 12/10 and 12/11/84 . The num­ oers-Tn brackets refer to my comments following the articles : ... The State Board of Education on Monday unanimously endorsed all­ day kindergarten classes in Ohio schools ... The kindergarten propo­ sal . .. will be sent to Gov. Richard Celeste and state legislato r s in January.

The proposal would also mandate completion of a kindergarten program before advancement to first grade .

State officials estimate about 5% of the state's kindergarten-aged children do not attend kindergarten .

[1] . ..

The state board hopes the propo­ sal will be approved by state legisla­ tors and signed by the governor for implementation in September 1985 .

Franklin Walter, Ohio superinten­ dent of public instruction, said man­ datory kindergarten attendance wi l l better prepare students .. .

He said $300 million in addition­ al state aid would be needed for the state's public school districts t o implement the proposal.

William Phillis, assistant state superintendent, said the proposed state subsidy might not fully fu n d an expanded kindergarten program .. . [He] could not estimate how much local school districts might have to spend .

"They'll just have to do it (if it is approved)," Phillis said. "Nobody said this would be easy. " [2] Phillis said most school dis­ tricts welcome the idea. He estimated about 4,000 new teaching position s would be created statewide . [3] Several other states are consid­ ering increased kindergarten require­ ments, he said. [4] . . . Wayne Schaffer, vice presi­ dent of the state board ... headed the state board legislative committee that is recommending all-day kinder­ garten . But Schaffer said it is " not realistic " to expect the c h ange soon.

Schaffer said he would be satisfied "if we do it by 1990." ... His committee was particular ­ ly impressed by a 2 l -year follow-up study of 123 children in Ypsilanti, Mich. The group enrolled first in pre­ school Head Start classes. Then they were funneled into all-day kindergar­ ten. The study concluded that these youngsters received higher grades, were more likely to complete high school and attend college, and were more successful than contemporaries who did not attend all-day kindergar­ ten. [5] Schaffer said the kindergarten recommendation is in line with the trend toward "more time on task" in the pattern followed by European and Japanese schools . [6] .. . The Northmont (Englewood) School District tried all-day kinder­ garten on an every-other-day sc h edule [or two years. In September, kinder­ garten became all-day every day.

"It's working out very well," said Northmont Superintendent Richard Whistler . " I think the parents feel very good about it."

But Northmont kindergarte n c h ild­ ren do not attend for the five hours plus lunch time that is the Ohio mini­ mum for a full day for elementary school students . They atte n d for four hours and 15 minutes, including a lunch period, said Whistler ... [7] The "shorter attention span " of kindergarten children is recognized, [Schaffer] said, so it is expec t ed they would " have more recesses and so forth."

But school tra n sportation sys­ tems are expected to " dictate t h ey would have to be at school for the same hours " as olde r children, he said . . . [8] [DR : ] (1) First of all, i f o n ly 5% of Ohio children do not attend kin­ dergarten when it is optiona l , how can anybody think that making it man­ datory (whether or n ot it is in -

GROWING WITHOUT SC HOO LING #43

creased to all-day) is going to sig­ nificantly improve the educational level of the state?

Second, is there any evidence to show that these 5% are the children who do worse in school? I doubt it.

Perhaps some GWS readers who have access to educational research could look this up for us . And if there is no research on the question, well, sometimes grad students and others ask us what research needs doing .

There would be a very "do-able" ques­ tion to study, since all you would need is access to student records at various grades .

(2) It is true that one reason the compulsory-kindergarten proposal was defeated in Massachusetts [GWS #42] was that several years ago, " Proposition 2~" began requiring the state to pay for any programs that the state mandated . It could not blithely, as these Ohio officials seem to be doing, pass the cost along to local levels. This made the cost question much more immediate .

(3) This hardly needs comment, except that it reinforces what we have said before: that the desire to create jobs for teachers, no matter what the effect on the children, is a major cause for the push to extend compulsory education . Another factor, of course, is working parents' desire for (apparently) free childcare.

(4) Yes, and other states are turning it down, especially after homeschoolers and others protested Arizona (GWS #38), Connecticut (#39), Mass. (#42) . We have not heard that any other states have actually approved such proposals, though they may wel l have done so without anyone informing us .

(5) About the Head Start study, which was conducted by a group calied HIGH SCOPE on the " Perry Pre-School" in Ypsilanti, MI. In an article called "Do We Really Want Preschool for All of Our Children?" Ravmond Moore points out that Head Scart pro­ grams were for poor and " deprived" children, and so it is simply not true that what worked for them is necessarily good for average child­ ren . He quotes Washington D.C . child analyst Dale Meers as saying that such reasoning is l ike hospitalizing all children when a few are sick .

Note the eaSily overlooked word " contemporaries " in the Ohio article.

This sounds 1 ike it means "other children the same age, " but in order for the study to have proven anything at all, it must have compared the Perry Pre-school children to others of similar background as well.

Dr . Moore also writes, "The 'Perry Preschool Project, ' as they call it, began with the typical Head Start approach - known commonly as a 'store-front operation ' because of its humble use of any available facil­ ity . But as time went on Perry made several changes from standard P.ead Start models, spending more and more time in homes and less in preschool centers . The Perry teacher-child ratio of 1 to 6 was more favorable than most programs . And the Perry staff was unusually 'highly motiva­ ted.' I n short, the Perry sampl ing was not typical of Head Start across the nation . The home tutorial sys­ tem . .. came into play as ~staff­ ers heAped mothers become-reacners-in t heir omes ...

-----n A Community Services Administra­ tion study of school entrance laws and policies in the 50 states could not find a single early entrance man­ date which was based on replicable research' Even High Scope co n cedes

GROWING wITHOUT SCHOOLING t 43

that its research does not constitute ' an unqualified endorsement of pre­ school ' - even though this is widely assumed either in ignorance or lapse of integrity. In a remarkable Head Start experiment, Anne O ' Keefe organ­ ized a 'Home Start' component which grew to more than 650 programs. Yet, according to a leading Head Start official, it was not 'politically via­ ble' because it concentrated in the home, and as a result it did not pro­ vide the free dar-care-wnTCh many motners-deffianaea . . . Even a famed Pead Start founder, Benjamin Bloom, now admits that the home is most powerful in determining how a child will do in school . .. " I am sure the Moores would send a copy of the complete article to any­ one interested: address, PO Box 9, Washougal WA 98671. Enclose $1 or so to cover costs.

(6) I don't know what " more time on task" is a reference to - perhaps some readers could enlighten us. How­ ever, I ' m sure that what counted here was the magic reference to Japan. As we ' ve pointed out be(ore, there is a misguided line o( reasoning that says " The Japanese do this, and look how successful they arc." ~hybe "'e should all eat raw fish, because after all the Japanese do it, and look at how successful they are.

(7) How in the world can this be touted as an example o( a successful "all-day kindergarten?" If the kids arrived by 8:30, they would be gone bv 12:45, and at least 45 minutes of that would have to be lunch. That is regular kindergarten with a lunch period added.

(8) So much for the short day o( the successful ~orthmont program . · Furthermore, I am continually amazed that the educational sYstem so bla­ tantly lets adu l t convenience and cost determine what goes on in schools, hardly bothering to pretend any more that it's (or the good of the children.

Since it appears that state after state is going to take cp this issue of mandating school at younger ages, please send us any information you can that will help those who want to fight it.

WHY JOHN WON'T TESTIFY To a homeschooler who asked John to testify in state legislative hear­ ings, Joh~ wrote : .. . The problem with my being an "expert" is that I have no creden­ tials that would impress any legisla­ tors who are disposed to be skeptical or hostile to homeschooling . (The ones who are favorable don't need any such testimony.) I have no degrees in education, have no teaching creden­ tials, and have never taught in a pub­ lic school, let alone one in your state .

Forgive me for saying so, but am amazed at your statement that the onlY-experts in both education and homeschoo l ing that YOU know of are myself and Ray Moore. r enclose a copy of our I atest list of "Profes­ sors and Other Allies" from GWS 1!42.

We have been running these lists twice a year for some years now, and most of the names on it have been on for some time ... Some of them would have more clout than either myself or Dr. Moore. We put these names in the magazine so that folks like your­ se l ves will make use of them, not just to look good in the magazine .

Aside from these people, you

should have by now assembled at least a small list of educational "experts" in your own state who are favorable to home schooling.

Persuading your legislators to give some legal protection to home­ schoolers is not a job that I can do for you from Boston. What I and my colleagues at GWS can do for you is what we in fact do - assemble and make available the largest possible list of ideas, arguments, resources, helpful people, etc. that we can. But it has to be up to you, and your coun­ terparts in other states, to make use of all that ammunition. I have no secret information; everything that I know-or learn, we put into GWS as fast as we can. Make use of it.

I suspect, as I certainly hope, that your own testimony will be effec­ tive and sufficient . If not, you should begin, as you should have begun a year or more ago, to assemble a body of testimony and expert wit­ nesses that will be effective next time the legislature meets . Good luck, and let us know how things work out. If you submit written testimony, and it proves effective, please send us a COPy, so that we can make your experience and expertise available to other states ...

CANCER & MY FUTURE To the many readers who wrote letters saying how glad they were to hear about my recovery from my cancer and surgery, my warmest thanks. Many of you said that you hoped that I would write more about the whole ex­ perience, and since I had promised to do this anyway, I am glad to comply .

First, let me say that my recov­ erv continues. As perhaps some of you may know, mv main exercise for about fo~ty years now has been weightlift ­ ing (exercising with barbells), and I am now using them again regularly. So for I have been using on each exer­ cise only about two-thirds of what I would have ca lled ",y "norma 1 " we ight , but I am gradually increasing the weights I use and expect to be back at the normal weights, or better, before next summer. What I am recover­ ing from mostly now is not cancer or surgery to remove it, but about five months of much reduced activity. In other words, I am working on getting back into shape, which is harder when you are in your 60s than in your 20s.

But I'll get there .

One of the thoughts that kept coming to mind as I struggled with this cancer was, "Why me?" Traveling on planes in July and August, now and then I would look around and see peo­ ple smoking, drinking their two cock­ tails before lunch, and generally eat­ ing and living unhealthily, and I would think, not so ",uch in resent­ ment as in simple curiosity, "How come I got this thing and they did not? " I continued to think about this in the hospital and in the two or three weeks after surgery when I didn't have much to do except think.

I ike many, I had believed for some time that cancer is caused by, or at least made much more likely and de­ structive bv tension, stress, unre­ solved conflicts. But at first this didn't seem to have much to do with me. I was not working for some large organization, scrambling desperately to keep ahead of the pack. I did not think of myself as being part of that sort of rat-race . I liked my work and the people I worked with . In spite of some worries about the state of my country and the world, I felt, I

~--.------- --------

8

think accurately enough, that most of the time I was happy and enjoying life very much. So what could these tensions and unresolved conflicts have been about?

It's hard to say exactly when and how I came to find the answers to this question . It wasn't so much a matter of having a sudden revelation as of very slowly having faint hunch­ es, which became clearer and more cer­ tain the more I thought about them and talked about them with others. By a week or two after surgery I felt that I knew what had been the unre­ solved conflicts in my life, and how I would change my life to resolve them.

The first and most serious con­ flict that I found was between my work (with children, parents, and the homeschooling movement) and my grow­ ing love for music and need to make music. For years I had been saying, " Somed~, when I get less busy, I want-ro really work hard on the cello and see how far I can go toward becom­ ing a good player, som~day I want to take up the violin, someoay I want to learn something about piano, somfida y I want to help other people, per aps children but even more adults, to play stringed and perhaps other instruments." But I never did get less busy, and this "someday" kept disappearing into the future . I decid­ ed that this had gone on long enough, and that I had to starting turning someday into today. The first thing my cancer told me is that it is an absolute and urgent necessity for me to begin to make a serious effort to find out what I am capable of as a musician, what I can learn about mak­ ing music, what I can learn about learning to make music, and in what ways I may be able to share some of this with others. This means that I must plan and organize my life so that instead of, as had been the case, playing the cello perhaps an hour or two a day, when I could find time to play it at all, I could have on the average not less than four hours a day for work on music and ~re­ ferably more than that.

The second thing I found out about myself is that I am tired of talking to school people, educators, meetings of teachers, educational con­ ferences, and all that, tired of talk­ ing to people who are not really look­ ing for new ideas or ways to improve their work, and who do not take seri­ ously what I say and never did . Not only am I fed up with talking to school people, I am fed up with talk­ ing, reading, even thinking about schools. For some time, to people who have asked me, "Why have you given up on schools?" I have said that I haven't given up on them, that I was as interested as I ever was in making them better, if only I could see a way to do it . I learned from my can­ cer that even if this was true for a while it is not true any more. I have indeed given up on schools. According to Dr. John Goodlad, Dean of the School of Education at UCLA and auth­ or of the book A PLACE CALLED SCHOOL, they have not changed in any impor­ tant respect in close to a hundred years. They certainly haven't changed in the forty years of my adult life­ time, except to get worse bigger, more rigid, more bureaucratic, more fake-scientific, more incompetent, more full of excuses, and above all more greedy and ambitious - the N. E . A. now wants compulsory school to begin at ~e four' As I said in INSTEADIOF roucATION, they are bad be­ cause they start with an essentially

bad idea, not just mistaken and impossible, but bad in the sense of morally wrong, that some people have or ought to have the right to deter­ mine what a lot of other people know and think. As long as they start from this bad idea they cannot become bet­ ter, and I don't want to take part any longer in any public pretense that they can . I am not going to waste any more time or energy - and have wasted a great deal - trying to change them or make them better; all I want is for them to let those peo­ ple who want to, teach their own children, and to bother these people as little as possible.

The third thing I found out about myself was something that I had perhaps known for some time but had tried to ignore, namely, that I need ~2a£e in my life, and really dislike Ene reeling with which I have been living for many years now, that even with twice as many hours in the day I could never manage to do all that I have to do, but would just keep fall­ ing further and further behind. Even if I have not been in a money rat­ race I have been in a time rat-race.

I learned that I had to get out of the time rat-race, and not just for the sake of making more music. I had to define my work in such a way that, without spending every evening and weekend in the office as I had been doing, I could actually get it done.

Instead of thinking "Maybe someday I'll catch up," I would actually catch up. I realized that for some years my anxiety dreams were no long­ er, as many people's are and mine had been for years, about being in school with no work done and a big exam com­ ing up, but about running out of time, having to be somewhere and hav­ ing a whole lot of little things go wrong, so that my time margin was cut smaller and smaller. I am going to try to live so that I don't have these dreams.

As a result of these discover­ ies, I decided to make changes in the way I live and do my work. In the first place, I am going to get myself mostly or entirely out of the commer­ cial lecture business, by asking such a ridiculously high fee (though less than many big-name lecturers get) that few organizations, if any, will pay it - $2500 plus expenses for the first day, $1000 for each additional day. I don't expect any educational organizations to pay me that much, and it's fine wi th me if they don't.

Friends have said to me, "Maybe rais­ ing your fee will bring you more lec­ ture requests than ever." I said I thought it was most unlikely, but that if I were to get more than, say, four engagements at that fee I would raise the fee still higher. I might rarely speak for a smaller fee if the subject was something I loved talking about, like music, but for education­ al organizations or conferences want­ ing me to talk about educational sub­ jects the $2500 fee will be firm .

I am also going to do much less, indeed very little traveling to talk to groups of homeschoolers. This may be a disappointment to some of them, as indeed it is in some ways to me. I always love meeting homeschoolers and their lively, happy, and affectionate children, and I wish there were enough hours in a day (say a hun­ dred), days in a year (say a thou­ sand), and years in the rest of my lifetime (say another hundred) so that I could meet and get to know all the homeschoolers, or at least groups of homeschoolers, in the country. But there aren't, and I can't . Much as I

might like to be, I can't be and can't even try to be a friend, counse­ lor, defender, and extra uncle - or is it getting to be grandfather? ­ for every homeschooling family in the country. There isn't enough time, and it isn't the best or even a good way to spend such time as I have. There must be hundreds of you out there who can answer just as well as I can (or better) such questions as "Will they ever learn to read? " "What about their social life?" and " How can I be sure they will get into college, get a good job, etc." I can be most use­ ful to the movement by doing what I do in Boston and like to do best ­ thinking, reading, and writing, in GWS and in books, about children, their learning, and how best to help them grow up and find their useful and interesting place in the world, and adding to our catalog materials that may help that to happen .

This doesn't mean that I will never talk to groups of homeschool­ ers, but only that I will not do it very often . To save agonizing deci­ sions about when to say Yes and when to say No, I am going to say that for meetings of homeschoolers, or public meetings organized by homeschoolers to talk about homeschooling, I will charge a fee of $1000 plus expenses for the first day, and $500 and addi­ tional expenses for each additional day. I do this not to take money from homeschoolers but to make sure that if I travel to talk to meetings of homeschoolers they will be big meet­ ings rather than little ones. There are already too many homeschoolers for me to be able (even if willing) to go round the country talking to them fifty or a hundred at a time . I have to add, too, that I will be very cautious about agreeing to speak in cases where people say, "We'll hold a public meeting and charge admission and pay you out of the receipts . " A lifetime's experience of lecturing has taught me that the number of peo­ ple who actuall~ sho~ up at a meeting is rarely even alf as many as the number who promise, swear, cross their hearts and hope to die, that they will come. Exceptions to this are always a happy surprise, but they are very rare, so let's not count on them . Raise the money for my fee be­ fore the meeting, and pay yourselves DaCK out of the receipts.

So there is some, but by no means all, of what I learned from my cancer . Some might feel from what I have said here that in a sense I have deserted homeschooling just for the pleasure, perhaps selfish, of being able to spend more time on music . I don't feel it ' s that way at all. In the next GWS I plan to say more about the ways in which I think my interest in music and the learning of music are strongly and centrally connected with my concerns about children and homeschooling . --- John Holt

SPEAKERS BUREAU In GWS #42, we offered to print a "Speakers Bureau," a list of peo­ ple who are willing to talk about homeschooling and related subjects, in hopes of lightening John Holt's travel schedule. Here are the respon­ ses so far, in alphabetical order; if interested, contact them: PROFESSOR HAROLD S . BAER Rd, New Braunfels TX

-----T4~ruene

78130; 512-629-3372 .

Director, THE PROF. BAER SCHOOL; educational consultant; homeschooling

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #43

9 con su lt a nt a n d d i r ec t or of h omeschoo l ­ i ng ser v i c e.

Age : 60.

Former l y : Unive r sity professor, s upe r viso r of s t ude nt teache r s , e d uca­ t ional con s u l t a n t , supervisor of E . S . L ., own er/ t eac he r of private s c h oo l s : Ha l vi & ~agic Va l ley New Sc h oo l .

Au t h o r: Peer Tu t or§ng , Baer ' s Co n ve r sa t io na r-EngITSfi erie -s -.---­ wi ll t rave l a n ywh ere .

Expe n ses plus reasonable, flexi­ ble fee .

Spea k i n g experience : Conducted i n st it u t es and in-se r vice training; spea k er , Un ited World Federalists; S peec h & journa l ism major; high sc h oo l deba t e team . Various special s peak in g e n gagements .

RI CHARD & PENNY BARKER Rt 3 , Mill ers b urg OH 44654 ; no ph one .

Since 1 977 we have integrated b r eadwi nn ing and family enrichment ( h ome educa t ion) for the seven of us .

Ou r i n spi r ation derives partly from Helen and Scott Neari n g's plan in LIV ­ I NG TH E GOOD LI FE wherein t h ey pro­ pose a 4 -h our " work day ." We have suc­ ceeded i n achieving t his balance of work and play ...

We also have ideas and experi­ e n ces to s h are concer n ing (1) the les­ son of fa r m life (the child and n atu r e); (2) social health in contem­ po r a r y societies (the Amish and Hut­ t e r i te com pr omises wi th the demands of c urren t wes t e r n civilization ­ non - sec t a ri on observat ions); (3) what it' s lik e growi n g up t ogether as a fam i ly si nce 4 of our children have n ever bee n t o school, and our 16­ year-o ld quit at age 9 . We have a sup­ portive s l ide presentation, photos, and lots of personal experiences for fie ld i n g questions .

We wou l d be happy to share these wi t h any non-sectarian groups in Ohio, weste r n PA, Mi ch . , W. V. No fee excep t we ~ould like accomodations for t h e family at someone's home plus g as reimbursemen t , which should amoun t to no more than $30.

Penny-an a-r-are-rormer Montes ­ sori t eac he r s. Penny grew up on a Mis­ so uri farm, her family was into car­ pe n try and raising horses ... I come f r om a USAF family and lived o n mis­ sile a n d SAC bases a r ound the world .

JANET M. BENNETT

Xv, Boo n ton NJ 07005;

201 - 334 - 7090 .

Subject: Homeschooling with some­ o n e wi th Down ' s syndrome . Down ' s Syn ­ d r ome in general .

My daughter Kathryn is 22 and h as Down ' s syn d r ome. Even before I contemplated homeschooling, I had pur­ sued an al t er n ative kind of education fo r h e r , wi th pr ivate schools, some t uto r i n g, a n d an experimental open­ sc h ool project carried on by a public sc h oo l.

However, since she was not quite 1 6, s h e has been out of school com­ pl e t e l y . He r program has va r ied from a combina t ion of homeschooling and classes around the community to this year ' s sys t em wh ic h is mos ~lY classes a t various places and not too much overt work at home - though of course some-of t h a t goes on even when we don't know it. ... Down's sy ndrome not only does n o t r e q uire " pr ofessionals," it is, t o my way of t h i n king, preferable to avoid th ese people, no mat t er how n ice a n d in t e l ligent and well-meaning th ey may be ...

My nee d s : Expenses . Fee not esse nti a l - but would n' t be tur n ed ~~ Essex

GROWING

~ I T HOUT

SCHOO LING #43

down . I nformal gatherings prefer r ed.

I t migh t, under certain co n di­ tions, be possible to bring Kathryn along as well, again with expenses paid ... She does not know she has Do~!: -'-~~!:5!E9m~~ d oe s SFi e-Kno~ SFie is , aC~9rd~!:g_to usual st~ndard~~ retaroea ... Tfie su~ect wou fd not be diScussed as such if Kathryn were along . She herself would be enough to illumi n ate many of the ques t ions peo­ p l e might have . ..

Qualifications : . . . Lots of years dealing with (and for the most part not enjoying) a variety of public and parochial schools ... A lot of arti­ c l es and book chapters about Kat h ryn which I ' ve written since the 1970 ' s . ... In addition, I was the hostess of a 6 - show se ri es for Channel 11 in New Jersey, and a panelist on 4 programs in WOR-TV . ..

PETER BERGSON

----J ITl3I'Yfi Mawr Av, Bryn Ma,"r PA 1 9010 .

1 h ave spoken on beha l f of h ome­ schooling or. several occasions as both a homeschoo l ing parent and as o n e who earns a living helping others wi th educational issues (esp . 2-8 year olds) . 1 am now the general co­ o r dina t or/editor of PENCIL, the east­ ern PA network with a quarterly news­ letter, and have done several radio and TV shows . We have a slide present­ ation on the subject of Real Work Pr9j~~~2 and also Flexible- ThInKIng i n You ng Children .

My standaratfee is $150 for eith­ er an evening or a half-day presenta­ tion, plus trave l expenses if not in ocr imrrediate area.

Background : Parent of 4 child­ ren, eldest of whom is 8~ . Profession­ ally involved in the education of young children since 1968, including position as co-founder and executive director of non-profit organization to support children's natural invent­ iveness, cooperation, and self-motiva­ tion (OPEN CCN~ECTIONS, INC . ) ANN CAMERON-SCHICK Av, Stroudsburg PA 18360 ; 717-421-5022.

Director and founder of POCONO HOMESCHOOLERS ASSOCIATION. Travel distance: o~en .

Fee : room/board; travel expen­ ses; free-will offering ( to be used for POCON O ~OMESCHOOLERS ) .

Special programs : During my dis­ cussion with the parents, my husband prOVides a music workshop for child­ ren. Bob has been a musician, compos­ er, teacher, etc. for over 20 years .

His programs are always a great suc­ cess' Bob's fee : room/board, travel expenses, $100 .

---- -r~Kono

JOSEPH A. CIANO ----R~~20,

Ava MO 65608; 417-683-3094 .

Single male ~arent of two sons, ages 10 and 12, who have a l ways been homeschooled . 1 have a B. A . in Psych­ ology from U. C. Berkeley, M.A . from S . F . State U. , Ai r Force veteran, ex-Peace Corps, 7 years an air traf­ fic controller, private pilot, previ­ ously a real estate broker . 20 years in New York City, 20 in San Francisco area , 1 year in Austria . Children and I speak both English and German (theirs is better than mine). Now l i ve on a ranch in Missouri Ozarks .

Will travel 200 mi . Member of MENSA. DR . STEPHEN J . CORWIN Gree n woods Road East, Norfolk CT 06058; 203-542-6087 home, 379-8543 ext. 263 or 542-5181, work .

For most of the past ten years,

I have worked as a college professor ( Psyc h ology) in the Mi dwest and New England . In addi t ion, 1 se r ve as Dir ­ ector of the Norfolk Pastoral Counsel ­ i n g Ce n ter , which invo l ves counseli n g with adults and children . Prior to this 1 worked for several years as a publiC school teac h er (K-12) . I firs t became aware of the concept of h ome ­ school in g, as a viable option, in t h e mid-1970's . It was a t th at t ime t ha t I began reading John ' s books and arti ­ cles .

When TEACH YOCR OWN was pub­ lished in 1981 and my name was listed as a friendly professor, I started hearing from many peop l e . Thi s led to a great deal of corres ponde n ce wi th families throughout America who were interested in homeschooling . It also resulted in my be i ng asked to add r ess groups (families, educators, etc . ) with regards to homeschooli n g. It has been a wonderful experience for me ...

The topics 1 have been most often asked to discuss are Why to Homeschool and How to Homeschool .

Presently 1 am availab l e to spea k th r oughout New England and t he sur­ rounding states . If I am given enough advance notice it is possible to travel down the East Coast or even across the country occaSionally . I would ask for expense money plus a modest fee . The fee is certainly nego ­ tiable, based on the time and dis ­ tance required and the funds which the group has at its disposal ...

JOHK M. GILLETT --- --rD~W- Highland

Av, Chicago IL 60660; 312-465-22 4 9.

I have two daughters, who have always been homeschooled . (1 deliv­ ered both of them, also at home) . It was at my prompting that my sister, Mrs. Dorothy Werner, a prime mover in the homeschooling moveme n t he r e i n Chicago, got into homeschooling. . .. 1 took in a boy of 1 5 when his [ather put him out on the street nine years ago . He is now a student at the Art Institute of Chicago a n d has a full scholarship . . .. 1 have considerable experi­ ence on radio talk shows and am very good at those 20 second spots ...

MARK

& HELEN HEGENER

-POI3oXL~TOnasket

WA 98855.

Editors and publishers of HOME EDUCATIOK ~AGAZINE. Our extensive knowledge of homeschool i ng comes f rom teaching our own four children, our experience in working towards home­ schooling legislation in Washing t on State, and from prodUCing our monthly magazine for homeschooling families.

We'll travel anywhere within 1,000 miles of Seattle, WA for expenses or $350, whichever is less . Please write for our informational packet on wo r k­ shops, seminars, and special prog r ams ,"e can offer .

10

KAREN KIMBALL 163 Hingham St, Rockland MA 02370; 617-878-8093.

My 16-year-old daughter has learned at home for 7 years, and my ll-year-old son has never been to school. I was the first parent in our town to get permission for home­ schooling, cutting the path for others. About five years ago, I start­ ed the support group SOCTH SHORE HOME­ SCHOOLERS. I would be willing to speak to meetings about homeschooling - in fact I did so two or three years ago to a local group of college women . I covered everything - why people home­ school, how to get approval, what you do with the kids, suggestions for books and materials.

Because of my work schedule, how­ ever, I'd have to pretty much limit it to daytime, but you could check with me on other times as I do have quite a bit of time off - school vaca­ tions, etc. I wo~ldn't charge any fee and would travel through eastern Mass. - perhaps further.

PAT MONTGO~lERY, Ph.D .

-----cronlara ScnoorTHome Based Educa­

tion Program, 1289 Jewett, Ann Arbor

MI 48104; 313-769-4511. Home address:

1416 Granger Av, Ann Arbor MI 48104;

313-665-7415.

... 1 can oEfer insights in the following areas: 1. Home Schooling, How To 2. The Legality of Homeschooling 3. Valuable Resources for Home­ schoolers 4. The Clonlara School Home Based Education Program 5 . An Introduction to the Many Programs Available Throughout the Country 6. The National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools 7 . Starting Alternative Schools 8. Dealing with School and Social Services People 9. Diplomas and Student Tran­ scripts 10 . Networking for Homeschoolers 11. Hands-On Workshops for Home­ schoolers ... My fee is $500 per day plus travel costs. I am accustomed to stav­ ing overnight in the home of the per­ son issuing the invitation or with someone else whom s/he delegates; con­ sequently, there is no cost for accom­ modations or food. I am willing to travel to any destination .

Work experience: Founder and ~ir­ ector of CLONLARA, Inc., an alterna­ tive school . Teacher in grades 5-8 in Mich., Pa . , Ohio.

Other professional activities and responsibilities: Instructor, U. of Mich. Education School . Guest lec­ turer, various universities. Coordina­ tor, "Alternatives in Education Learn­ ing Fair" and "Options in Education" conference . President, National Coali­ tion of Alternative Community Schools, 1979-83. Lecturer at invita­ tion of Japanese educators and par­ ents, in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Sapporo, Japan, 1982. Numerous TV appearances including "Donahue."

BOB SONNENBERG 1001 Marshall Dr, Erie PA 16505; 814-833-7875 .

I am 32 years old. Most of my work experience has been in sales (office equipment, World Book/Child­ craft). I ' m Single.

I have read and reread all of Mr. Holt's books. Most of what I know I learned outside school . Since high school I have tried to get on my own what I would have gotten from col­

lege . I have read and kept track of what I have read in the following categories: Education, Psychology, Philosophy, Science and Technology, Biographies, Social Change/Anthropolo­ gy, Economics & Political Science, Fiction, Poetry and ~rama .

I attended the Shelter Institute in Bath, ME in 1982 ... In the summer I sing at the Chautaqua Institution . ... We usually sing before 5-6000 peo­ ple so I'm used to being in front of large groups and with mv sales experi­ ence, small groups. I would reallv be happy to spread John Holt ' s good word ...

HOMESCHOOLER JOINS PTA Katharine Houk (NY) wrote: ... Last month I attenrled " "hook f,,;r " at the elementnry school with a friend whose son is in kindergarten.

Refore I could pay for the book I chose, I had to sit through a PTA meeting ... All they dealt with at the meeting \,as "enrichment." I found my­ self signing up for their program com­ mittee - to bring interesting visit­ ors into the school for assemblies, etc. You can be sure I got some curi­ ous looks from people who know ~e are a homeschooling family' The PTA also sponsors after-school programs for the children, and I would love to lead one of them and bring ~v kids along .

I am hoping my limited involve­ ment 'vi! I hel p to foster a better relationship between the local school and homeschoollng families. Yester­ day, I took rry children to one of the assemblies the PTA arranged. A man brought some of his animals for the kids to see, Including an African eagle and an Indian python! I bor­ rowed a ~ideo-camera and a friend and I taped the program . If our home­ schooling group is interested, they can watch it - and [ thought [ might offer a COPy of the tape to the school. It's too early for me to know whether mv efforts wiil be welcome or resented . ...

THANKS BOARD AFTER 5 YEARS

these things we thank you.

During their three years of home­ schooling, the children progressed satisfactorily . They scored quite well on standard achievement tests, even though in some sub-tests of practice-oriented performance their skills were less than we mig h t have hoped. We were willing to trade off such performance for the greater per­ sonal freedom and broader opportuni­ ties that homeschooling, as suppor t ed by our family and intellectual commun­ ity, permitted them .

When work took me to France for a year, Rob and Miriam ended their homeschooling by attending a biling­ ual private school . This was a mixed experience whose main benefits for the children were social . Being in France for a year and visiting other countries was important to them in life-shaping ways .

On our return to Guilford last fall, Rob entered high school as a freshman and Miriam the Baldwin Mid­ dle School . This year has been their first serious re-entry into the aca­ demic system of America, and they have done themselves proud. Miriam received a prize as the outstanding all-around scholar of her grade at Baldwin. Rob's grades were not per­ fect but were nearly so. He achieved high honors in each of the four re­ port periods. (Rob received a B+ not an A in French. His fluency a nd vocab­ ulary placed him in the junior year course for which he did not have the grammatical background . ) We congratulate you for partici­ pating with us in this successful ex­ periment, for being willing to recog­ nize that different objectives and different ways can be as rewarding as what the state requires as a minimum to protect children in danger.

Having known several members of the board as indiViduals, I know you serve in the public interest because you care about the well-being of the children in our town. I thank you for my family, and I believe t h at all our townspeople can be proud that such public service has gone forward with the mixture of concern and tole r ation which is the common character of what's best in both the conservative and liberal traditions of America ...

From Bob I.awler, now in Mass.: .. . I think the enclosed letter here will interest you. [t is a final report on my children's unschooling experience.

When [ asked mv daughter Miriam if she knew ~hy I wrote that letter, she guessed that I was showing off.

There may be a bit of truth there, but mv s~n was closer to the mark with his suggestion that I was trying to ~ake it easier for oLhers to have the freedom we Kere granted because of special circumstances. Should you think it useful, feel free to publish this letter in CWS: The Board of Education Cui! ford, Conn .

Dear Past and Present Boardmembers, This is a note of thanks, con­ gratulations, and a final report on a long term educational experiment .

Five years ago, my wife and I pro­ posed to the board that we should undertake the education of our child­ ren at home. Our arguments were heard with respect and met with thoughtful consideration. Yo~ understood we Kere caring parents, serious about our children ' s well-being . You approved our home education proposals. For all

A " PROGRAM OVERVIEW' Freda Davies (Ont.) wrote: ... 1 was contacted again by school authorities after over a year.

The first thing they wanted was a "program overview" containing "the intended course of study for each term, a list of instructional materi ­ als, the schedule for instruction, and the process for evaluation. " I wrote the following letter - thought you might be interested in parts of it. Haven't had an answer yet, so don ' t know if it ' s been approved .

Dear Mrs . Mason: The account which follows is intended as a program overview as requested by Mr . Gehriels .

After one conversation I made some attempt to chart a subject-by­ subject tabulation as practiced by some teachers. I soon realized, how­ ever, that this method simply does not give an accurate picture of how our home education program ope r ates .

As it has been in previous years, the most effective route to maximizing both the quality and quan­ tity of Kevin's learning is to al l ow him to set his own directions, whil e

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOO LING #43

11

providing some input in the form of opinions, and furnishing the means as far as is possible for him to obtain the information, skills, and/or tools he needs to conduct his investiga­ tions or carryon with his creative endeavors. Here is a brief descrip­ tion of one kind of approach I plan to continue : Kevin remains involved with the game Dungeons and Dragons, and varia­ tions of it. He uses this type of game as a vehicle for creating ever more sophisticated imaginary worlds.

Recently it led to an interest in some rare metallic elements (e.g. iridium, rhodium, beryllium) and also to Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology.

In the case of the elements, I was able to help him find the information he wanted in the HANDBOOK OF CHEMIS­ TRY AND PHYSICS. For the information on mythology, several books were found at a library, the most useful of which proved to be a mini-encyclo­ pedia of myths of many cultures.

Although this approach does not pro­ vide the same information at the same time as the set curriculum of the school system, it does result in an assimilation of knowledge which is personally relevant to Kevin and which he is able to integrate with previously acquired information to form a meaningful whole. What he seeks he uses, and what he uses he remembers . All the while he is gain­ ing more practice in the techniques of investigation and separating out relevant material, skills which are increasingly useful in these times of exponential increases in quantities of data.

A slightly different kind of approach which is compatible with Kevin's way of learning, and which plan to continue, is to involve him to varying degrees in my own work .

For example, this fall, I constructed a small building. Kevin helped at times, and together we learned about structural design, carpentry, proper­ ties of various building materials, principles involved in the use of insulation and vapor barriers, elec­ trical circuits, and so on.

Kevin has not ceased to be re­ pelled cy the introduction of pre­ scribed school curricula and texts, and I don't foresee that this response will change since it seems to stem from a deep-seated sense of his right to determine the direction of his own life, a sense which I do not discourage since I view self­ direction as a positive attribute, the only modification being that this self-direction does not interfere with others' rights to do the same.

In any case, I have, from time to time, provided school texts and work­ books for Kevin, and I will continue this practice, though it has not had very productive results so far. In fact it has sometimes been counter­ productive. Often these books convey to us monotony in tone or a con­ descending attitude, and tend to pre­ judice Kevin (as well as myself) against the subject material . Thus a preference has developed for educa­ tional books intended for an audience beyond the bounds of the school sys­ tem . Following are examples of such books which are presently on hand or on order: (I will try to arrange them according to school subject): Mathematics and Science MATHEMA1ICIAN'S DELIGHT POWERS OF TEN ASIMOV ON PHYSICS CONCEPTUAL PHYSICS HANDBOOK OF CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #43

National Geographic magazines and maps Peterson's Field Guides NAT. GEOG. ATLAS OF MAMMALS WORLD ATLAS OF BIRDS LIVING FISHES OF THE WORLD FRESHWATER FISHES OF CANADA ATLAS OF HUMAN ANATOMY Creative Computing magazines Several other computing ~agazines Equinox magazines English - Anthologies of British and American literature - Numerous novels, short stories, poetry collections, plays - WEBSTER'S NEW WORLD THESAURUS - LIVING WEBSTER DICTIONARY - WORLD BOOK DICTIONARY - OXFORD POCKET DICTIONARY Other Languafes - phrase 00 s: French, Spanish, Ital­ ian, Dutch, German, Danish, Swedish, Nonvegian - French-English dictionary - Latin-English dictionary History and Geography National Geographic magazines and maps PENGUIN ATLAS OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY THE NATIONAL DREAM, THE LAST SPIKE Equinox magazines MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ALL NATIONS As well as these books, there is a continuously rotating supply from various libraries as well as many oth­ ers on hand but not listed. The text­ books presently on hand which are also used by Kevin's contemporaries in school are: ENGLISH SKILLS Program 2, Plattor et al; MATHEMATICS 7, Del Grande et all; CALL US CANADIANS, I.L. Martinello. I plan to exchange these in a few weeks for another sam­ pling of textbooks from Whitefish Valley School, if this is acceptable.

Thus far my plans have been out­ lined in rather broad terms. It is Virtually impossible to translate these plans into the language and framework of the Ministry's curricu­ lum guidelines since such a large por­ tion of the specific content of Kevin's learning is determined cn very short notice, as it proceeds in a step by step fashion, with several choices at each step. For example, yesterday Kevin made a list of Norse gods and goddesses and their particu­ lar specialties. This could lead . today to perhaps one of the following directions: (1) an investigation of one specific deity, e.g. Thor; (2) an examination of other aspects of Norse culture; (3) looking up gods of other cultures; (4) leaving this subject entirely for the time being to work on a system for building a sea wall (part of an adventure game scenario); (5) something other than any of the above. With this in mind, I would much prefer, as in the past, to report on Kevin's activities after they have taken place, when a much more accurate picture can be given as to how these activities fit into the Ministry's subject categories. Here is an example: I can report after the fact that Kevin built a miniature cable transport system out of string, a small electric motor, pulleys, and Lego parts. This would fit into the category Science: small machines. I did not plan this activity, nor would I have wanted to. Kevin learned more and derived far more satisfaction and pride from having thought of the idea himself than he would have if I had initiated the project.

I can plan to have on hand all the regular school textbooks and as many materials relating to the school

curriculum as possible, and I can introduce these topics to Kevin, but the priority still remains (as stated in Ministry policy) to meet the unique needs of the individual, and in Kevin's case this involves encour­ aging the kind of learning he is best able to do. As mentioned before, this is based on his need for self­ direction and for integration of the many pieces of information as it is ~athered into a meaningful and compre­ ensive whole. The steps in choosing which information is most relevant follow unpredictable courses based on the interaction of people and events, and primarily on the workings of Kevin's own creative imagination, an imagination which I believe is his greatest strength and which must be nurtured and fortified.

A final note on evaluation: base my evaluations on Kevin's posi­ tive or negative feelings about him­ self and ~is achievements. If he is excited or enthusiastic about a cer­ tain activity, I know that his mind is busy learning and creating, and I encourage him to continue with that particular line of pursuit. If, how­ ever, he seems bored or lethargic, I know it is time for a change, and try to help him think of new directions.

With the one-to-one "student-teacher ratio," 1 have close personal contact with Kevin and from regular conversa­ tions and observations of his activi­ ties I am able to know most of what he knows.

I hope this outline will prove satisfactory, and please take note of my offer to provide a report later in the school year of Kevin's activities categorized according to curriculum classifications.

Sincerely, Freda Davies

TEE NS AT HOM E Janey Smith (MO) writes: ... 1 sent to AMERICAN SCHOOL in Chicago for information about their course. I was not impressed. It looked as thougn-those brochures had not been updated for twenty years, and they had such a public school tone that I and the kids were very turned off. So we've decided to wing it. If the kids get really involved in an idea, be it art, piano, wri­ ting, we are very flexible in let­ ting them go ~ith this.

Last year, for example, Lindsey (almost 13) decided to enter an essay contest for a women's fair at the Uni­ versity. She was to pick a contempor­ ary woman who she thought would find a place in future history. She chose Margaret Thatcher, read a difficult biography of her, had to figure out lots of stuff about British govern­ ment, wrote the essay, and won first prize. This consumed her interest for a couple of weeks. It was great' I love it when the kids get very absorbed in their own interests. This doesn't happen all the time, however .

So we decided to get busy reading some books we tend to put off reading alone, working on some algebra, and the kids wanted to study out of a bio­ logy text \Ve have. So that's our "cur­ riculum . " Seth may take typing at Vo-Tech next semester. Our current book is ROBINSON CRUSOE - the biology text is a teacher's edition and is so much more useful than a student's edi­ tion. All students should have the teacher's book.

Seth did an interesting thing recently. He became interested in

12

cycling and joined a bike club last spring. He's the youngest member by far . He trained for a race and did well last spring, goes on long rides with them (25-70 miles, 100 this Sun­ day), bought some needed equipment : helmet, gloves, new bike rims, biking shorts . This was getting expensive for him, so he made a deal with the owner of a local bike shop to work out purchase of things at cost . He won a summer race and came in third out of fifty (some experienced racers) a week ago. He reads biking magazines and books and plans his training and strategy. Really inter­ esting although 1 worry about him some . I do think the intensity of this increased when he decided against high school and the tennis team. He's an excellent tennis player.

You know, if homeschooled kids opt for school (and Seth might at some point), I bet it's almost univer­ sally out of loneliness. Seth thinks a lot of the kids are really imma­ ture, but he gets lonely. Even if you don't make good friends, a small town's social structure for teens re­ volves around the high school. Our older son has never been home schooled and at this point (junior) wouldn ' t want to. We didn't honestly give him the option until he was old enough that he wanted the trade-off of more social interaction. He's a real " people" person ...

And from Evelyn Tate

(~V) :

... We are receiving letters [rom homeschoolers who read about Amy ' s schooling in GWS #41 ... We are plug­ ging along . The pressure is terrific.

So much has to be done . The high school course from the ~niversity of Nebraska is heavt I can help "' i th English and psyc ology but we hire help for French and algebra. They don't tutor regularly, just when she ' s stuck on a point . It takes four hours a day, minimum, to keep up with the schedule the University set up .

Amy is so happy, however, there is no problem with it.

We work in "field trips" to break routine, and movies of historic or scientific value on cable TV help too. She feels she's learned more so far than she's learned in a school year before. . .. Amy has a new cockatiel and since it's very young, she is having fun putting her psychology course into action : classical conditioning, reinforcement, conditional responses, etc . Better than the books' .. .

PET STORE UPDATE More from Mary Maher (MA): ... Last year Scott (14) wrote to GWS about his job at our local pet s h op . I'm happy to say that during the past l~ years, Scott has made him­ self very useful in his work . . . . There have been many times when Steve, the owner, has called Scott at home and asked him to please come down for the day because he very much needed his help . On several occasions, Steve has had to leave the store for several hours and he has l eft Scott alone, in charge . When Steve opened a second pet shop in a nearby city, he often took Scott with him at night to get things unpacked or to set up displays or even to have Scott help put up paneling and in­ stall ceilings. Once in a while, Scott travels with Steve in the even­

ings to service or set up very large fish tanks fo r r estaurants or private residences.

Customers don't seem to mind that Scott is so young. They will engage him in lengthy co nv ersations on how to take care of a particular pet or how to go about properly set­ ting up a fish tank. One fellow, an older man, took all Scott's advice on what fish were compatible for his new tank.

Recently, Steve has decided that he would like to sell pet supplies at a Sunday flea market in another town, and Scott will be in charge of the whole operation ...

SUCCESSFUL DROP-OU T The Sacramento Bee, 5/2/83 : ONLY 16 - AND MAKING $2,000 A WEEK . .. Jeff Gold learned ~athematics at age 4, read the encyclopedia at 6, studied meteorology at 11 and con­ quered the computer at 14 .

Now the 16-year-old high school dropout is earning $2,000 a week in his latest venture: helping companies prevent thefts of computer programs. ... Jeff ditched his junior year at Saratoga High School in January after placing first in a statewide mathematics contest and winning a scholarship to the Vniversity of Cali­ fornia at Santa Barbara .

But long before he left high school, he started on the road to his current enterprise by buying an Apple computer . "I got the computer system two vears ago last summer and began learning a little bit about prog r am­ ming, that sort of thing, " says Jeff.

Finding himself adept with compu­ ters, he set up a company to develp software - the programming that tells the computer, or hardware, what to do. He called his company Double-Gold Software.

"First, I did a little consult­ ing, writing business packages for Apple," Jeff says. Bv :-':ovember 1981, a month after his 15th birthday, he was marketing his first major program for computers, a $25 item allowing users to unravel the mysteries of the popular "R ubik ' s Cube"·puzzle ...

Jeff ' s program has sold more than 1 ,000 copies.

"The next program I ,,,rote, ,"hich is still our best selling program, is called' Lock-It- l'p,' a $225 program to prevent people from pirating other programs, " Jeff savs . It has been bought by more than 500 software com­ panies ...

Jeff says he re - invests most of his income in Double-Gold, but he did use some of his first earnings to buy a turbo charged Datsun sports car ...

In second grade his teacher was disturbed because Jeff would not take books home from the classroom . "He read the World Book from cover to cover . .. like a novel" about that time, says Mrs . Gold, who assured the teacher she had nothing to worry about.

Jeff's passion turned to entomol­ ogy a few years later, and the youth recorded the growth of the Monarch butterfly before turning to meteor­ Ol ogy . At age 10 and ll, he was the youngest weather watcher used by three major television stations in Framingham, Mass . , phoning data to the stations in a blizza rd.

"He seems to devour his subjects in two years," his mother says, add­ ing that he skipped from meteorology to carnivorous plants and began col­ lecting succulents when th e family

moved to Ca lifornia five years ago ...

He says he does not know what his future holds. "Th e industry is changing rapidly a nd it's really hard to say what's going to be happening next month or next year, " Jeff says .

"I just set up goals and strive for them." ...

INSTEAD OF A DIPLOMA From David Kramer (CA) : ... A number of parents have writ­ ten to GWS expressing their concern about their children growing up with­ out th e proper " credentials . " As a possessor of a useless Master's degree, I can state that degrees , grades, and school certificates are not all they're cracked up to b e . But the " world runs on paper," as th ey say, so I 'd like to suggest some alternatives to the usual s tuff fo r homeschooled kids: 1. Letters of recommendation.

Every time you do a vert good job for someone, ask not o nl y i you may use their name as a reference, but for a letter (or note) of recommendation.

Si n ce your first few jobs probably won't pay too muc h, th ese letters may be the most valuable " payme nt " you receive .

2 . Published articles . It is not hard to get short pieces published, especially since editors don't know how o ld you are (and so can not dis­ criminate against you) . Perhaps your local paper n eeds a h andful of humor­ ous, origi n a l thoughts or reports of happenings to fill up odd spaces on their pages . Also, practically every hobby-craft magazine has a " hint s a nd tips" section. The best procedure in both cases is to write ideas down as they come to you and then, when you have a dozen or so, choose the eig ht best, type them up, and send th em in with a stamped, se l f-addresse d envelope .

3 . The GED . I believe that some­ one called this the high sc h ool diplo ­ ma fo r dropouts, but it's not r eally true. Remember that kids have gradu­ ated from high school functionally illiterate, but I bet you could n't pass the GEO in that condition!

4 . Photographs . If you were photographed as a member of a communi­ ty play, fund-raising drive, etc., clip the photo and accompanying arti­ cle out of the paper . This is good proof of your "social" abilities .

5 . Test sco r es . As a homeschoo l­ er, you might still be required to take a yearly ac h ieveme nt test. Ask your folks to demand copies of the test scores for your files.

6 . More photographs - of thin gs you made . When I started out as a n electronic technician, 1 began (wit h the company ' s permission) to tak e 8xlO color photos of the projects 1 worked on . These, along wit h copies of a couple short ar ti c l es I wrote, finally landed me a job as an associ­ ate engineer. Any really we ll-m ade object (utilitarian or hobby-craft) should be photographed.

Now, wh at do you do with al l this paper? You make copies of every­ thing, put the originals in a safe place, sor t the copies int o a fo ld er, and - presto ' - you have your ow n per­ sonal tortfolio . This, a l ong with a list o ' references, is wh at you use in hunting for a job. The power of this portfolio, even if you 're one of the younger homeschoolers looking for babysitting jobs, is that it shows you are mature e nou~h to plan ahead .

How many h1gh sc h oo graduates even

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #43

13 know what a portfolio is?

A final note for older job seek­ e rs . WHO' S HIRI NG WHO by Richard Lathrop is the best job-finding book on the market. Itlna s brought in thou­ sands of ex tr a dollars for me, and the instructions on how to write a qualifications brief which will make the standard resume look sick are to be found nowhere else. Invaluable ' . ..

MORE ON DIPLOMA/ CERTIFICATES In GWS #41 , Miriam Mangione (NVI called an 8 th- grade diploma " a neces­ sary tick et, " and John asked what it was good for . Miriam phoned to say that in Nevada, one clause in the law says that a juvenile court may permit a child who has completed 8th grade to leave school. If her daughter had had such a diploma, which she did not, Miriam would have pursued this exemption .

On a related matter, Mir i am said that she asked her husband, who works in a hotel and hires many employees, whether th ere was any prejudice agai nst people who have passed the GED test instead of graduating from high school. He said it makes no dif­ ference, that either one shows that the prospect is capable of following through to completion . - DR

TEENS WHO CHOSE SCHOOL

schoo ls and I wro t e t o some . Mean­ while, Tahra co ntinu ed to learn at home.

Then last month we got a call from an alternative school we had written to in Burlington, Vermont, the Shaker Mountain School . They said they were hosting a Vermont Home­ schoolers meeting and would we like to come? So we drove to Burlington and Tahra fell in love with the school . She wanted to stay, so we l eft her there for a trial period .

The school is very small (about 20 studen t s altogetherl and Tahra is staying at their residence, a farm­ house in the mountains outside town .

It is such a sudden change for all of us' ... If it works out it looks as though Tahra will ,be living in Ver­ mont for the rest of the school year .

Shaker Mountain School is what the headmaster Jerrv ~1intz called "th ird generation Summerhill" - very demo­ cratically run by students and staff .

Tahra can structure her own curricu­ lum there, and travel i s a big part of the school's program. The city of Burli n gton with all its colleges and young people will be a new and exci­ ting place for her to be after life in a small to"n . I can ' t help feeling wistful, though. We will miss having her around here - this all happened so suddenly' . ..

From Ann Murdv (CAl:

Katharine Houk (NYI wrote : ... Tahra (lSI learned at home all last year . She resisted being " taught" and insisted on doing !Tost learning her own way . Some things she did: we arranged German lessons for her which she enjoyed at first - she started by composing stories in Ger­ man, but became discouraged when her tutor started vocabulary drills, etc.

She taught h erself algebra with the Key Curriculum series . Also, she worked with some film-makers as pro­ duction assistant on a HUD film about housing discrimination.

The rest of her time was devoted to reading a tremendous variety of books, writing her poetry (five vol­ umes' I , and working on her music (gui­ tar and bamboo flutesl .

In November of this year , Tahra's poetry brought her a paid job! She was one of sixty ~ew York State poets who read their work at the State Museum in Albany . We went to hear her and listened to some of the other poets as well . From what we cou ld see s h e was the only "child" reading, and people assumed she was 18 or 19. She read very well and met some interesting people - a valuable and enjoyable experience for her. She puts in countless hours on her writ­ ing because she loves it . . . . When the school year approache d this year, Tahra began say­ i ng that she wanted to go to a school aga in - not necessarily right away ­ but eventually. She said she wanted to meet more people and be in a dif­ feren t and stimulating environment .

We tried to think of some way she could tra vel or live someplace else that wasn 't necessarily a "s chool " ­ why doesn't someone offer apprentice­ s hips for young poets?

Since my sister lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I talked to Pat Mont­ gomery from Clonlar a School, and it sounded like an alternative school in a stimulating City might be good for Tahra . But Tahra felt that Michigan was too far from home. Pat Montgomery sent me a directory of a lt ernative

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING p43

. .. Chad (141 went back to school this year after a three-year home­ schooling experience . He is the old­ est of four kids . Corrina (121 staYed out part of t"o vears. Ian (71 is 'for the first time attending a small (6 kidsl private school in his art teach­ e r ' s stud i o . And As i a (4 l i s h a pp y with "10m .

We decided to trY homeschooling partly because we were very unhappy with the local public school - our kids were bored and hated the social life - and partly because good friends were trying it and we had always wanted to . We had real ups and downs . I mostly avoided structured schooling , [ didn't ",ant to be any more of an enforcer than mv parenting role already called for . The kids got bored but I was not going to be their entertainer and with two little kids and the home we were still working on, I was always busy enough for me.

I tried to provide lots of book vari­ etv, art classes, dance classes, and getting together with friends, mainly letting them be . I was always there to talk to. They never created any wonderous proje~ts but [ feel the; got more comfortable ~ith themselves and that was very important' Public school had roEDed Chad and Corrina of that and also their desire to learn. ... It has been very interesting to watch Chad fit back in after miss­ Ing 5t h, 6th, and 7th grades . He ~ant­ ed to go back to see what he was miss­ ing . At first it was very hard . After the enthusiasm of the first day, he missed five days the first two ",eeks and was ready to call it quits. We felt we would be creating real prob ­ lems for him if we let him stop going because he was afraid he couldn 't do it. Of all the reasons to quit public school it would be the wrong reason for him at this time . In fact , on the n ight of his 14th birthday he was in tears, but we insisted; he stuck to his decision to try it and he has since told me he is glad he did . It was very hard t o hold him to that be­ cause I ' m not crazy about publiC

schoo ls but this had gotten to be about more than school and it was so impor tant fo r him to get over that hump. I hav e told all of them that go­ ing to school is mostly their own de­ cision and will be in the future, but when they are there they go by the rules. I'm very glad we now have that option for everyone when they wa nt to try it . I have no idea what next year will find us doing, we will see when it comes around ...

Sally Chamberlai n, who wrote in GWS #18 and 19 about homeschooling her twins in Northern California, no w writes from India: ... In January of '83 my husband got an emergency call to come take care of his 94-year - old father in Min­ nesota ... Sara,'Sam, and I had a hard time trying to keep everything togeth­ er during a very heavy winte r on our remote mountaintop : battling the ele­ ments, nursing sick animals, trying to keep up the schooli n g, etc . I don ' t know ~hether it was their age (151, their father ' s absence for th e first time in their lives, or the struggles we were having, but Sa ra and Sam began to question everything we had been doing, asking "How do we know that you are teaching us right, will we ever be able to get into a good college, are your good inten­ tions r uining our lives? " This was before the Grant Colfax success story [ GWS #35 & 36 hit the press.

When my husband returned from Minnesota we had many discussions on what to do . Sara and Sam said that up until now they'd been satisfied wi th our life but both felt now they want­ ed to branch out and go to schoo l ­ but not the local public school . We considered private schools whe r e fam­ ily and friends had gone and called and ",rote to a few . Interestingly enough, the reactions from schoo ls like Dana Hall , St . Paul's, Deerfield and Choate were : "H ome schooled kids?

Great, 've'd love to have them." But then we'd read and heard so many de­ pressing stories about the drugs , drinking, and boredom in the Eastern prep schools and hesitated to plunge Sara and Sam into that sophis ticated " space-ship" atmosphere .

Then we remembered the Woodstock School in India, founded in 1850, located 150 miles north of Delhi in the foothills of the Himalayas . Dur­ ing our years in India we 'd met some very interesting students a nd gradu­ ates of that sc h ool and heard a lot about its high academic sta nding and how it prepared children to enter uni­ versities allover the world. So we wrote to Woodstock, explaining that Sam and Sara had lived in India as children (aged 2 to 7~1, were mos tl y homeschooled and added that we had no grades or school records to send in .

Woodstock replied warm ly, asking that the children each writ e and send in a complete autobiography and sug­ gesting that they take the SSAT held in June . Before they even took the SSAT, we received a letter saying they had been accepted in the 10th grade for the semester beginning at the end of July 1983 . Apparent ly their autobiographies were so inter­ esting, literate, and well - wri tten, that the school decided to take a chance on them.

Leaving our place in the hands of a young English couple wit h two children (now being homeschooledl, we hurriedly packed up, f l ew to India, and managed to rent a cot t age about 20 minutes walk from Woodstock. At

14 their own request, Sara and Sam en­ tered boarding with the understanding (and approval of the school) that they could spend any or every weekend with us or live full time at home .

It was quite an adjustment for Sara and Sam who'd never been separ­ ated from us or each other: Sara in a dormitory with 86 other girls, Sam in a dorm with 90 boys (ages lS-18). One third of the students come from Korth America, one third from the sub­ continent (including Pakistan and Bangladesh), and one third from the rest of the world. They also had to get used to the formalities of school (daily classes, schedules, tests, papers, etc.) but both loved the other kids, their courses, and the change from our isolated life. The young, enthusiastic international staff of teachers went out of their way to help Sara and Sam adjust, learn the ropes and feel at home.

Because they had such an unusual back­ ground they received special treat­ ment and in a modest way became "celebrities . " Shortly after school began, we received their SSAT re­ sults: both scored over 93 t in the verbals and over 8S% in the Math ­ certainly a vindication of our home school (and a big relief to the teach­ er-parents). They finished the year with respectable B averages and Sara even won a certificate for "most improved student in the 10th grade." . . . The biggest adjustment has been for the parents. Having been with our children constantly and shared everything with them, at first it 'vas very difficult for us to "let go." But Sara and Sam often come out of boarding for a week or two at a time, they bring friends home and our house has become a center [or child­ ren from allover the world . . .

[DR: The family was recently in the U. S., visiting various colleges in the Northeast, and Sally told us on the phone that the admissions peo­ ple were very friendly toward them.]

COMPARING CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS An Ohio family wrote to Donna: . . . We will not be sending our daughter to kindergarten this fall .

We are aware of many resources and correspondence schools through our reading of GWS. We have written to some of them for information. How­ ever, even with the information we have received, we don't feel we know enough about these schools to be com­ fortable with enrolling Hope. Is there some way of being able to evalu­ ate the different schools so that we can make a wise decision? What criter­ ia would you suggest be used in this evaluation?

[DR:] I wrote in reply: ... 1 can appreciate your dilem­

ma. We have heard very little from people about their experience with various correspondence programs .

First of all, are you clear about what it is you are looking for in a program? Do you want a struc­ tured, textbook-oriented program' Or are you merely looking for a legal cover to keep your children out? Or something in between - a little gui­ dance when you want it, but basically to be left alone? Do you want Christ­ ian-oriented materials or not? Do you expect to deal with the local school people yourselves, or do you want to avoid that?

Some other things to think about and to look for: How does the cost relate to the services provided? What is included and what is extra? How does that relate to your needs? Is there a discount offered for addition­ al children in the family? How availa­ ble is the director (or teacher) for educational and legal questions? Can you talk to them on the phone? Do they provide standardized testing if you want it? Are they close enough so your child can go to the school some­ times? Do they have "satellite" resource centers? How much record­ keeping do you have to do [or the school? How much experience have they had, and with what kind of success? ..

[DR: If anyone would like to survey the various private schools and correspondence programs (address­ es in GWS #42 or our Home-Schooling Resource List, $1), asking them these and perhaps other questions, we would be very interested in seeing (and, most likely, publishing) the results.

HOMESCHOOL CENTER HIRES TEACHERS Kathy Stevenson (WA) writes: . .. f have a suggestion for the Cincinnati teacher who wants to make helping home schoolers her main source of income (GWS #40) .

It is the FAMILY CENTER LEARNING ALTERNATIVES, formerly the STILLA­ GUAMISH LEARNING EXCHANGE (26611 SR 530 NE, Arlington WA 98223; 206-43S­ 5015 ) . The Familv Center has branches in towns and cities throughout Wash­ ington state. Each center is staffed bv a certified teacher who meets with parents and students once a week to go over lessons and to provide assis­ tance to the families. The teacher is paid a certain amount for each stu­ dent (1 don't know how much). At this time it is sanctioned by the Washing­ ton state school board .

There are many communities with­ out centers. The nearest one to us is about 100 miles away.

Because of its legality, it is verv appealing to many home school­ ers. Whether a person could make it their main source of income would depend on the number of families involved in a center ...

[DR: OAK MEADOW SCHOOL (PO Box G, Ojai CA 93023) and the HOME BASED EDUCATION PROGRAM (1289 Jewett, Ann Arbor MI 48104) have told us in the past that they hire certified teach­ ers to help home schoolers.]

FAM ILY BUSINESSES Cynthia Bigelow (PA) wrote in Western PA Homeschoolers: . .. When we moved back to PA from Louisiana, for a variety of reasons, we chose to turn our hobbies into home businesses . Chuck refinishes fur­ niture, and designs and makes furni­ ture ... I make dolls (mostly soft sculpture) and related items, and I design doll patterns for mail-order.

All of the children (ages 3-14) "play" in our workshops . The younger ones play with wood scraps in the wood shop, or pound nails in scraps, or sand wood, etc. The 8-year-old (Josh) made a very impressive set of shelves last year, and has his own set of tools. Mostly, though, he just putters around. Jamin (11) designed a new cage for his toad this week, and has the wood laid out with which to

make it . He also has shown some inter­ est in stripping furniture and I be­ lieve has helped on some of the stages of stripping. Shawn has ex­ pressed resentment that he's not allowed to help, but he has not been responsive to instruction (he's a teen-ager) and stripping chemicals are dangerous. Mostly, he uses the workshop as a place to repair things like his radio, record player, etc . ; or a place to get the equipment for electronics experiments he does . . .

In the doll shop . . . Aeb (3) is our official tester. He gets to hug each item to see if it is marketable.

Both he and Liza (S) play with the scrap bag, cutting up scraps and stitching randomly in fabric with a large needle and heavy thread. Josh makes crude stuffed animals and pil­ lows, and sometimes helps me glue items . Shawn doesn't spend much time "playing" in the doll shop, but he has a good artistic eye and helps me a great deal on my deSigns. He is also interested enough in the mail­ order end of my business that he is designing paper car and truck model designs for mail-order. Jamin has made stuffed animals for several years now, and about six months ago he began designing his own patterns.

Just recently he began an apprentice­ ship program with me, making dolls.

I do feel that a home business offers a great deal to children . They can see that people work (gives them more of a feel for what people ~o); they can learn some basic skills and they can understand more about basic skills and goal-setting as a part of living and growing . As far as child­ ren helping in the actual functions of the home business, I can't explain the joy of working beside Jamin, shar­ ing, and well, it's like explaining breast feeding to a mother who has always bottle-fed her children .. . In fact, it's a very similar bonding, and it does go both ways . . . Also, I have received some very valuable criticism, ideas, and design cha n ges from all of the children ...

From Karen Schadel (NY): .. . We have our own business (woodstoves/energy products) so the boys often spend the entire day with their father at our retail store .

They keep themselves occupied and gen­ erally know when they are expected to be quiet, such as when Daddy is on the phone or with a customer. There are gobs of stuff for them to dabble with: tools, office supplies (rubber stamps, pencils, paper, etc.), toys, paints (spray paints for stove touch­ ups), a mechanical lift, wood. They love being "'ith Daddy and having "spe­ cial time" alone with him, since they usually eat out together in addition to taking their own snacks and drinks. Being homeschooled offers them the opportunity to spend extra time with their (ather . Also they see people interacting outside the family and are learning valuable social skills from these "real life" experi­ ences . . .

DEAF CHILD: PART-TIME SCHOOL From Kim Schive (MA), who wrote "Deaf Child & Parent - At Home," GWS #41 : ... Earl's still attending school in the mornings and leaving after lunch to work at home with me . First, the drawbacks. Well, one thing I

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #43

15

don't like is the way we must work our schedules around school hours .

Going to bed early because of school the next morning is a drag . It also means th at we have something sched­ uled for every Single weekday which means that we are not so free to pick up a nd go on a fie ld trip or take a day off . For a while, too, every morn­ ing was such a rush to get out of the hou se and get to school on time . Near­ ly every day, I would wake Ear l and le ave him to dress while I went to take a shower and get dressed myself.

25 minutes later, I'd return to his room, only to find him sitting on the bed in his underwear and socks, engrossed in a book and totally obliv­ ious to the passing of time or the lateness of the hour . I'd start screami n g at him t o get going and there would be a big scene and we'd both l eave the house late and feeling lousy. After about a month of this, I finally told him that he would go to school if he was ready to leave at 8 :15, otherwise he could just stay home or come to my office with me .

After that, he did end up missing ffiay ­ be two days of school because he wasn 't ready to go on time, but other than that it's been fine. He knows th at the decision to go to school and stay in school is his and that's the way I want to keep it . ... Earl ' s classmates are becom­ ing fairly proficient signers . No ne of them would pass for deaf, but they're able to communicate well enough to bypass the interpreter in many instances. Earl really enjoys the other children and loves his teachers. .. . All of the children in his class ke ep a journal ... Earl does his journal at home in the afternoons using our computer . He really enjoys wri ting now and has been writing some short stories on his own . He has come such a long way . At the beginning of the year, he would sit in front of the computer for nearly two hours s trugglin g to put his thoughts in writing ...

In the afternoons at home, Earl reads and writes . We read together and work on English grammar and vocab­ ulary, usually in the context of some­ thing he' s currently reading or writ­ ing . He also does a lot of reading on his own - usually several hours worth each day . He reads mostly biograph­ ies, hi story books, historical fic­ tion, and classic adventure stories, such as TREASURE ISLA~D and KID­ NAPPE D, which have been specially adapted for younger readers. He con­ tinually amazes me with his ability to l~arn new vocabulary through his reading. He has become quite adept at figu ring out the meaning of new words through the use of context ... Once he ' s acquired a new word in that way, he immediately begins using it in his own writing . . . . It's possible that next year we may change th e school schedule to two or three morni ngs or full days a week to eliminate the daily grind . ... The IAPD Newsletter never did publish my paper [GWS #41J although the y said they would . I'm going to c heck on it. I can guess that some pe o ple ~ould rather not see it in print ...

HARD TO LIVE WITH A re ader writes : . .. We are having a very hard time with our 9-yea r- old son, to the extent that we sought professional GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING 1·43

1

counseling for him and us. For a long time I put off seeking help for fear of the authorities blaming his prob­ lems on homeschooling . And indeed the therapists and psycho l ogists have suggested, however gently, that per­ haps he'd be better off in school .

But when they saw that my husband and I were going to stick to our guns, they no longer pushed the issue .

Our son went through several hours of intelligence and psychologi­ cal testing which told me nothing I didn ' t already know - he's extremely bright (IQ 150 or more), low self­ esteem, low self-confidence, perfec­ tionist, has a great deal of diffi­ culty relating to peers (he has NO friends, kids don 't like him) . He's very rebellious (well - so am I!) and lives in a world of his own 98 ~ of the time. 1 know all 'that doesn 't sound so awful but , believe me, try­ ing to raise a kid like that to be able to cope with reality is very, very difficult. Many times I feel like I'm at a loss - desperate, can 't reach him - he's unhappy . Do I think school would help him? You ' ve got to be kidding. He 'd be l abelled "gifted underachiever - top troublemaker " so fast his head would spin .

Primarily through counseling ~e are hoping to relieve some of the tensions within our familv and also help him l earn to relate to other kids . Like many gifted kids, he gets along great one-to-one with adults but he puts kids off with his vocabu­ larv and interest level . There's a book entitled DIAMn~DS I~ THE DeST which I've found quite useful. It had a chapter on common behavior problems of gifted children and I could have written that Chapter . It was very re­ assuring to discover his problems are not unique .

The hardest thing is just being with him all day long . He is constant­ Iv finding fault with his sister, me, himself. or teasing, or just general­ ly being ornery . If not that, he ' s talking - which is fine. I know - but believe me, it hard to listen to one person talk all day long' He needs other people to talk to but l"'Iilf11e only one here' I think I've found som~ help there - we're looking into an adopt-a-grandparent program at a local retirement home. He gets along great with the elderly.

It's nearly impossible to get him to do the Simplest things, brush­ ing his teeth, keeping himself clean.

If left alone. he will spend all his time taking things apart and rebuild­ ing, or reading . I kno~ that's fine but on the other hand, I leel as his parent I have the responsibility to prepare him for the realities of life - no matter how ffiundane - like chang­ ing your underwear more than once a week' I knO\, this probably sounds silly to you, but it can be a strug­ gle beyond my endurance and often 1 long to send him to school just to get him out of the house' (A diffi­ cult confession . ) T persist in keep­ ing him home because I know all too well what school does to a kid like him. However, in the meantime, our day-to-day family life is often pLain miserable and L'm near a nervous breakdown - hence the therapy . Hope it helps! Any suggestions or comments would be very welcome ...

[JH:J A very small suggestion.

Try not telling him about one or two of tnose things you have been telling him about - perhaps t ooth-brushing, perhaps something else. Don't tell him in advance that you're going to

stop telling him about this thing, whatever it may be. Just stop . Drop the subject completely; don't even hint about it . Try this for a mon th or so . Tell us wha t happens. If he should happen to start brushing his teeth every so often without being told, stop telling him about some­ thing else . Maybe he won't crush his teeth for a month, though I doubt that very much . Anyway, let us know wha t ha ppens .

LI FE AT HO ME A reader writes: ... My son (10) has no desire to go to school . Eve n though he is an only child he rarely gets lonely . I provide childcare for working parents so there are always children here .

Plus he has a dog . A few friends from the neighborhood come over almost every ~ afte r school . I ' m not too crazy abOut that. I see that his play is less creative when he's with them .

They never want to draw or play made-up games. Most of the games they want to play involve weapons and violence . When they play board games they fight over who 's cheating . If they're losing they quit, then they fight over that' We did introduce them to " Save The Whales" by ANIMAL TOWN GAME CO . (PO Box 2002 , Santa Barbara CA 93120). When they play that, things are always more peace­ ful ...

This year my son got himself a paper route. He delivers the papers at 7 AM every day . I confess to doing it fo r him some mornings, when he's been up late the night before . He makes S15-20 a week . In four mon ths he's managed to save over $200 and still have money left over to buy tovs. He loves counting his money.

Right now he's interested in seeing how many hundred dollar bills he can collect . When he ' s tired of that, I hope to convince him to open a bank account to watch the interest grow .

This summer he read his first long novel, THE NEVER ENDING STORY. It took him three weeks to finish it .

Then for days after he discussed it in detail. In ~ovember for his 10th birth­ day. a friend gave him a book of poems, WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS by Shel Silverstein. I thought the poems were great. but he didn't show much interest . For Christmas I got him the record, "Where the S id ewalk Ends," recited, sung and shou t ed by Shel Sil­ verstein . What a difference! Now he listens to the record and reads along in the book. In a week he had half the poems memorized with feeling . ~ath and writing in his diary are the only things 1 make him do on a regular basis. He complains about doing it, but loves reading his old diaries . So far, he has a collection of eight . If he ca n't think of any­ thing to write in his diary, then I make him write to a friend . He has three friends that he writes to.

Math is our biggest problem. I hate it. I'm looking for someone to teach him a love for math, in ex­ change for childcare .

TV a nd video games are a con­ stant battle here . When my son was little we didn't even have a TV . Now School Books, Christian Oriented, K·12

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16 we are overwhelmed with TV, Atari video games, and more recently, the VCR . I bought that thinking at least he would be saved from all those com­ mercials. But there's still the fight over how much sitting in front of the TV screen is allowed . It's really hard to control, now that he's get­ ting older . When he goes visiting friends in the neighborhood they watch TV or play video games, plus eat junk food .

A few of my friends that work in education are advising me to get my son a computer. They think he's going to be at a disadvantage without one.

More TV viewing, more wires, another thing to find a place for and to fix .

No thanks, I'm resisting. If he wants one, he'll have to buy it.

Every summer we go camping for a couple of weeks in Algonquin Park, Ontario. This is a wonderful place for homeschoolers. They have all kinds of educational programs . There are nine great hiking trails, ranging from 1 to 11 km. At the beginning of each trail there's a booklet to take along .. . As you walk you read about the history, geology and ecology of the park ... We found August to be the best time in the summer - there are a lot l ess mosquitos and deer flies . . .

Last year we saw a family of moose .. .

From Sharon Boyd (IL): ... Brandy and a friend (both 5) have "school" at our house two after­ n oons a week. I started off with a combination of academics and crafts.

But I found that when I tried to teach the academics, I turned into a " teacher" - the kind that I am trying to keep my kids away from by not send­ ing t h em to school. I wanted to be in c h arge' And if t h ings did not go the way I had planned, I found myself get­ ting irritated . So I have gradually almost eliminated the academics.

Brandy has learned so much on her own so far without any pushing from me that I know she will learn those t h ings no matter what I do. We also have more fun when we do reading/math type activities on an impromptu, one - to-one basis .

Now for school we bake things at least once a week. Most of the rest of the time is spent on creative pro­ jec t s which I do right along with the kids . We all have more fun, and it ' s easier to include another visiting c h ild or my 2-year-old when she wakes up from a n ap . The " school" gives Brandy and Shau na (Brandy's friend) an easy answer to the question con­ s t a nt ly asked of S-year-olds: "Where do you go to school?" . ..

And from Vicki Haverland: . .. Last summer we had a thriving tomato business in which our girls h elped wipe and grade tomatoes, carry boxes, etc. They also are learning about the bee business when they accompany their father . We have app r oximately 20 hives . They're learn­ ing some of the whole process, from the robbi n g of the hives and the care of t he bees to the extracting (and lic k ing) of the honey.

We read together a lot, talk a lo t a nd we enjoy their company. Yes­ terday we read a book about stones and fossi l s in which the girls were ve r y i n te r ested. So tomorrow we're goi n g to start growing some salt crys­ tals as a n expe r iment we found in the b ook . ... Erin (8) is still not readi n g

or having a whole lot of interest in math . She can identify a few sight words, knows her consonant sounds, prints Very neatly - and even though she isn't yet reading I see a subtle process happening . . . The other day she spelled her baby sister ' s name to me - Molly. Then I asked her if she could spell jolly, dolly, and so on .

She could .

If I ask her simple addition, she usually ~ "Oh, that's easy," and can usualljcome up with the right answer. But the answers don't come easily yet . .. She is learning a IOtabout money value by spending her allowance, setting up play stores and flea-markets, etc . ..

ESTABLISHMENT ADOPTS " HOME LEARNING" We've learned of three pro­ grams lately where the educational establishment is trying to modify th e "home school" idea to fit its own framework. First, Pam Pacula (CA) sent us a grocery bag stamped "Par­ ents are Teachers, Too," and wrote in her newsletter Home Centered Learning : ... The State Department of Educa­ tion has recently published a bro­ chure entitled "Parents are Teachers, Too." The brochure states : "That's right. Parents are teachers, too . In fact, parents are their children's first, most long-lasting, and most important teachers. As a result, par­ ents have an enormous influence on their children ' s learning and school success ... Because you are your child­ ren's first and most influential teacher, their ideas about education and its significance begin with you .

Your children learn from you whether or not to value education and whether or not to respect achievement, intel­ ligence, and learning . .. " Then we received a clipping from the Peoria, IL Journal Star, 12/3/84: . .. Parents went homc from par­ ent-teacher conferences Thursday and Friday with a brochure called "Home Team Learning Activities," published by the AMERICAN FEDERATIO~ OF TEACHERS. Want to hclp your child improve her reading? Read to her often, keep an eye out for newspaper and magazine articles about favorite cartoon char­ acters and sports stars. Play word games to strengthen vocabulary, get a library card for her.

To focus in on math, the bro­ chure suggests setting up a small store or lemonade stand which gives children experience with counting money and making change. The grocery store provides a chance for children to compare cost per ounce of items and determine which is the best buy .

Ask them how many apples are in a pound .

Writing exercises are many.

Tracing letters, numbers or pictures will encourage good penmanship. Cl ear thinking and good writing skills can be developed by encouraging a child to discuss the topic of a theme assignment before writing, asking him to read his writing out loud and en­ couraging him to keep a diary.

Science concepts can be intro­ duced in the kitchen by allowing children to use graduated measuring devices, and by helping them to iden­ tify what makes appliances in the home work.

In all, the brochure contains 60 ideas that are desig n ed to help par­

ents teach their children at home and create a positive educational environ­ ment in the home .

The AFT is promoting the bro­ chures nationwide. More than 13,000 are going to District ISO elementary school parents. Dan Walther, field service representative for the AFT in Peoria, said he hopes to dis­ tribute the brochures to other schools in the area.

"We ' re trying to get more par­ ental involvement in the educational process," Walther said.

The pamphlet " Home Team Learning Activities" is available from AFT/ HOME TEAM, PO Box 1930, Washington DC 20001 . Single copies are free ; multi­ ple copies S¢ each.

The third story, from an article in the Chicago Tribune, merely sounds like assigning homework in 3rd grade: WASHINGTON - The NATIONAL EDUCA­ TION ASSOCIATION [NEAl announced Wed­ nesday that it would step up its effort to improve public education by undertaking a pilot program to get parents more involved in teaching their children .

Mary Futrell, president of the 1.7 million-member bargaining unit for teachers, said "home-style" tutor programs, aimed at aSSisting 3rd grade pupils, would begin next month in 12 cities, including Rockford and Elgin in Illinois.

"This is the first systematic national effort ever designed to help parents help their children learn," Futrell said at a press conference.

She said the ~EA eventually plans to expand the program to include all ele­ mentary grades. Futrell said the pro­ gram would be administered without cost to either the parents or the school systems participating in the program.

Under the plan, teachers will give students a "learniEg activity sheet" on Fridays designed to augment class work. In some instances, the work sheets will help students master lessons taught in the classroom, and at other times the assignment will be totally unrelated to classroom stud­ ies, Futrell said. " These activities don ' t dupli­ cate schoolwork, " she said . " They sup­ plement it by helping children devel­ op learning skills and a sense of responsibility. " One example of how the program might work ~ould be (or a parent to instruct his child to read classified advertising in a newspaper and then require the child to compose his own ad. Futrell said such an exercise would help students put ideas into words as well as assist in helping develop their thinking ...

[DR : 1 It's amusing to think that perhaps someone in these enormous institutions - the Calif. Dept. of Education, the teachers ' unions ­ thought, "If we can't beat ' em (at least for now), join ' em . " I f home education is such a hot issue that the U.S . Dept. of Education held a national conference on it in April '84, well, then, time to incorporate these latest buzzwords into the rhetoric.

We should all keep an eye on these folks, to make sure that their efforts do not somehow boomerang and discredit homesc h ooling . And like other fads taken up by the establish­ ment, this will quite likely have a short life-span. But meanwhile, we

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #43

17

might as well take advantage of it, such as by quoting their literature in letters, proposals, interviews, etc. As John points out, any talk about how important the home and par­ ents are to child r en's learning is go­ ing to help us.

IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS From Jennifer Seip (VA), who wrote "Maverick L.D. Expert," GWS #22, and "Perceptive Teacher/Learn­ er," GWS #23: .. . It's been so long since I've written, but I have not faded out of the homeschooling movement . I've got­ ten deeper into it' Where to begin?

I've finally made my move out of New England and out of cosmopolitan centers . I am deep in the heart of rural life - the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia' I've been dreaming for many years of this kind of life and just over a year ago I finally decid­ ed to realize those dreams . I d cided I would move south to the country, so, together with a friend, I began to look for the place . We agreed fin­ ally on southwest Virginia, explored around it, discovered Floyd, and made the move this past June. it all came together magically. I've always believed it was true but now I know it: if you begin to take a'ction-­ towards your dreams, with faith and conviction, they will come true. And it gets easier once you take the first step.

Every day I am amazed at how beautiful it is here. It looks a lot like Vermont which I have always loved - only warmer . Floyd is a very tiny little town but it has some very exciting things happening here. This year there are about 20 families home­ schooling their children . They are organized into the Education Resource Corp . - the goals being to make learn­ ing a life-long shared experience among all ages - something I have long dreamed of organizing when [ would someday life in the country.

And it's already going on here' I immediately offered any help they felt I could provide. I am presently on the Evaluation Committee which is an attempt to provide a viable alter­ native to standardized testing. We have applied for homeschooling as a group and hope to be allowed to use our own evaluation system as a group a Iso .

After all those years teaching in public school and the past five years without immediate contact with homeschooling people, I can't tell you how exciting this is to me, to finally be around people who dare to educate their children by other than the established method, and to be part of an ever-changing, ever­ growing, creative process ... Each morning I am overwhelmed by how much I want to do and learn that day . Some examples of my own "homeschooling": 1 . Weaving - including new tech­ niques, natural dyeing, color theory, clothing construction, selling and marketing.

2. Forestry - I want to know everything and I know nothing. Tree identification, woodlot management, growing Christmas trees.

3. Wild plants and flowers ­ natural dyeing techniques, growing and identifying wildflowers, etc .

4 . Wildlife - identifying all animals from spiders to bears.

S . Home construction - including everything: solar concepts, insula-

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING 143

tion, post and beam construction, etc.

6. Home repairs: plumbing, appli­ ance, electrical, etc .

7. Organic gardening.

8. Car repair.

9. Children ' s learning (and all ages') - how do children teach them­ selves to learn; viable alternatives to standardized testing, etc.

10. Carpentry.

11. Community life.

I could go on and cn - it's never-ending. I am constant Iv asking people questions, going to the lib­ rary, exploring ... I am always on the lookout for people who are eager to learn the same things as me and ~ho are excited about their own learning process.

I love watching ~yself and oth­ ers learn . I also love watching how people teach others something. I con­ stantly make ~istakcs and forget what I've learned . I often see myself as "learning disabled" (some things take me a long time) and yet I can learn anything I wish if I want to enough.

The term "L.D." becom~s more absurd to me every dav' The most exciting skill I have learned in the past two years is weaving . . . It all happened \ery sud­ denly. 1 had always been fascinated by the American Indian way of life ­ philosophically, spirituail y . So ~hen 1 heard about an American Indian auc­ tion 1 went eagerly. All of a sudden I had signed up for a weaving class (the floor looms I wanted are very expensive and I had to find out if 1 really \,ould like \,eaving) ... It is an incredibly exciting craft - the variables are numerous and so the possibilities endless . So 1 invested in a loom and spent mv last year in Portsmouth. ~H intensively teaching myself to weave. I am amazed at the patience I had - it can be unbelieva­ blv frustrating ... I learned a lot about myself - when [ give up on some­ thing, what risks I'm willing to take, how ~uch time 1 can stay at a task ...

I jusl sold my first weavings at a craft show this past weekend - what a feeling' It's a hard craft to make a living at because the materials are expensive and the labor is long, but I plan to at least usc it as one of many incomes and definitelv it is great for bartering - evervone seems to have a love for handwoven items though most cannot afford to buy them. My skills have always been intellectual - now [ finallv have something tangible to barter with' It also brings out the natural teacher in me. I love to share what have just learned and weaving is no exception . It's so much (un to explain the weaving process to people and to have other weavers to share my learning with .

There are many artists here in Floyd, making their living through selling at craft fairs. The general goal is to earn a I iving ~orking at home, so that familv and communi tv life is the center. I waitress part time and I can feel it sucking out my creativity when I'm there. Now that I've realized my goals to move south and live in the country, I am working toward the goal of making a living at home and/or with like-minded people . . .

Of course, this all makes me think about children's homeschooling.

Should there not be less focus on what the children are learning and more focus on evervone's learning? I don't have children (though I taught for six years) so of course I don't know the reality of it. But I don't

think so much any more about what I would teach my chi l dren, rather what we could learn together. I take wa l ks and think about how if I had a child I could learn to identify trees fast­ er because there would be two of us doing it - I would want to gather leaves (as r have) and paste them and label them to remember and study in the winter. I want to know the names of the increaible number of spiders that live in my house and to research how to cut down on the fly population in my bedroom for next spring, and how to get rid of the wasp nests ­ all naturally without killing them. want to hike over that ridge across my house without getting lost . . .

I will learn a lot more about the reality of this as I'm involved in homeschooling here . . . Apparently we have more homeschoolers than any other county in Virginia, a nd a lot is happening as a result of the new law. What's interesting here in Floyd County is that we are acting as a ~

.. .

LEARNING ABOUT NATURE-NATURALLY lynn McCulloch (CA) sent this quote from THE SENSE OF WONDER by Rachel Carson: ... When Roger has visited me in Maine and we have walked the woods I have made no conscious effort to name plants or animals nor to explain to him, but have just expressed ~y own pleasure in what we see, calling his attention to this or that but only as I would share discoveries with an older person. Later I have been amazed at the way names stick in his mind, for when I show color slides of my woods plants it is Roger who can identifv them. "Oh, that ' s what Rach­ el likes - that's bunchberry'" Or, "That's Juner (Juniper) but you can't eat those green berries - they are for the squirrels." I am sure no amount of drill would have implanted the names so firmly as just going through the woods in the spirit of two friends on an expedition of exciting discovery . . .

FAMILY TAKES SPINNING CLASS Karen Schadel (NY) writes: ... This past weekend I had my

first of two spinning lessons. Joshua

(7,,) and Sadrah (almost 3) went with

me .. .

Prior to taking the class, I had rented a spinning wheel (only $10/ mo.), bought some wool (our lambs will be sheared this coming spring), a pair of hand carders and a "how-to­ spin" book. With next to no know­ ledge, we set out to card some wool and ~pin it into yarn - well, almost!

All three kids got into the act with little Sadrah sitting on my lap while I treadled the wheel and tried to help her spin when I was only just learning ~yself. I decided lessons would be helpful when my yarn wasn't turning out quite as I'd expected it to' The class began with Sadrah play­ ing outside with the instructor's two children for about the first half hour . Joshua sat on my lap and lis­ tened attentively as the history of spinning was discussed, along with the various types of wheels used throughout the years, the types of sheep and their grades of wool, and general care of the sheep and fleece to produce a good wool for handspin­

18 ners. Somewhere during this lecture time Sadrah came in and replaced Josh­ ua on my lap, cuddled up, and fell asleep.

Next Sadrah was laid on a couch to continue her nap while Joshua and I and the other three women who were also taking the class watched how to test the staple of the yarn and looked at samples of different types of spinning material such as dog hair, rabbit fur, cotton, silk, etc.

The instructor showed us how to pick or tease the wool and then to go through the somewhat confusing pro­ cess of carding. Since Joshua and I had had some experience, we were a little ahead of the others, but we hadn't been carding entirely proper­ ly, so had to add the new steps to the old ones . Joshua kept up with all of us and, as two of the other women were bleeding at the knuckles from scraping themselves against the point­ ed surface of the carders, Joshua breezed through this part without a scratch.

We used drop spindles next, and, true to their name, most everyone was having trouble and dropping them.

Joshua, who was standing on a chair to give him more height for spinning, was doing just that - spinning' The instructor was amazed at Joshua's patience and stick-to-it-ness ...

Sadrah woke up and after using the bathroom and getting a drink, was content to sit on the floor and use my hand carders and a hunk of wool I gave her . The rest of us took to the spinning wheels and made some yarn of sorts. Joshua tried spinning for the first time while doing his own tread­ ling (prior to this I managed the treadle for him) . Everyone, including myself, was impressed by how well he did, and you could tell by the expres­ sion on his [ace that he was plenty proud without any comments from anyone' Since the lesson he has been carding wool and using the drop spin­ dle we bought for $4. The wool wasn't expensive either, so he is finding something important and interesting to do for a very small investment. ... 1 think Joshua was maybe inspired by the history portion of the lecture that related how the younger children in families were often responsible for carding the wool and preparing it for spinning while older children (primarily young women - thus the term "spinster") were responsible for the actual spin­ ning of the wool.

I was just so pleased with the way our afternoon went . Initially I was hesitant because I thought the presence of my children might be frowned upon as is often the case when children attend adult functions.

Instead I saw the other women glan­ cing at Joshua to note his progress and commenting on his ability. I also found Sadrah to be a pleasant addi­ tion ... She filled in the quiet, un­ comfortable moments when none of us, all strangers, knew quite what to say to one another . . .

CUSTODY DISPUTE CASE [DR : ] In GWS #24 and #35, we re­ ported on two custody dispute cases, in which one parent tried to use the other parent's homeschooling as the reason for gaining custody of the children. In both cases, not only did the homeschoolers succeed in keeping custody, but the courts were also impressed with the quality of educa­ tion t h ey provided. However, we have

now learned of two more such custody dispute cases, and in each of these the homeschoolers were forced to put their children in school to keep from lOSing them.

We only have a few details of one case, which is that of Sean and Joan Bearly of California . Sue Avalos wrote in Calif. Network News that even though the court ordered tests showed the children to be advanced academically, the judge ordered the [ather to put the children in school, and said the father could not make any major decisions concerning the children without the approval of the natural mother. According to Sue Avalos, the judge said that the definite moral values of the father and wife ~ere a harmful influence' The second case. is called Field v. Field, although the former M~ FTeICfls now ~1rs. Allan Cronshaw, liv­ ing in East Meadow, ~Y. The ruling is

by Justice DiPaola of ~ew York State Supreme Court of ~assau County. Here are excerpts from the judge's ruling, as reported in the New York Law Jour­ nal, 7/9/84: ----­ ... Based upon allegations of bizarre conduct on his former wife's part, including a desire to home edu­ cate Jennifer, the child in her cus­ tody, the change of Jennifer's cus­ tody was sought by the plaintiff­ father.

The plaintiff remains single, caring [or his son and at the present time he is engaged to be married.

Janice Turchin, plaintiff's fiancee, is a registered nurse who has im­ pressed the court with her maturity and willingness to accept responsibil­ i ty.

The defendant is currently mar­ ried, and with her current husband has three children, being three daugh­ ters, Reaba 4~, Elizabeth 2~, and another girl born during the trial.

Mr. and Mrs. Cronshaw own their own home in Nassau County.

The basic thrust of the plain­ tiff's complaint is that the defen­ dant is a foolish, misguided woman who has embraced bizarre beliefs and lifestvle of a man who is a virtual "Svengilli" and that they are "rearing the child in an environment that is highly unconventional and actually dangerous . " The defendant counters this argu­ ment by arguing that she, her husband and the entire family live by sincere spiritual convictions which are based not upon the tenet of anyone particu­ lar religion, but upon the teachings of the Bible.

Based upon these religious be­ liefs, the defendant set specific standards that were to be complied with by the public school authorities during the period of time that Jenni­ fer was in their custody at school .

Among the restrictions were : 1) Jenni­ fer would not pledge allegiance to the flag. Their allegiance is only to God . 2) She would not celebrate Eas­ ter, Christmas, Flag Day or other national or religious holidays, in the traditional sense. 3) She would not participate in competitive sports. 4) She would not view TV, film strips, books or participate in discussions that mentioned animals as food, or doctors and medicine.

In addition, the defendant's fam­ ily is committed to partake of a strict vegetarian [diet] that necessi­ tated the child in bringing her lunch and snack from home daily. She was only permitted to drink ~ater brought fcom home. ~his dietary restriction is also adhered to when the plaintiff

has Jennifer on visitation.

It became evident that with these instructions, it was becoming increasingly difficult for Jennifer to remain in public school and for the authorities to respect the wishes of the defendant. The~efore, the de­ fendant opted to provide an education for her daughter at home which is not prohibited by New York law. It is alleged by the defendant that she has created a one-room school house in her home where Jennifer is being taught by her mother utilizing corres­ pondence courses from the Home Study Institute, a program formulated by the Seventh Day Adventist Church. The home "classroom" provided by defen­ dant has a blackboard, books, art mat­ erials, a globe and teaching aids. In addition, defendant has submitted Jen­ nifer to standardized testing by the Superintendent of Schools of that par­ ticular district wherein the defen­ dant resides.

One of the plaintiff's area of complaint was that the religious beliefs of the defendant were jeopard­ izing Jennifer's health in that she was not immunized by innoculations.

This was a valid objection initially, but the defendant produced a medical certificate indicating that Jennifer has in fact been innoculated.

It was further adduced that the East Meadow Union Free School Dis­ trict administered an achievement test to Jennifer on Feb. 1, 1984 with the following interpretation being conveyed to this courl: "Jennifer Field appeared to be a happy, well-adjusted, cooperative child during the testing situation.

"The testing was administered on a one-to-one baSis, as opposed to a group testing situation . This factor has to be taken into consideration in the test results because children usu­ ally score higher on individually administered tests.

"Although the test results indi­ cated she is approximately on Grade Level in areas tested (reading, arith­ metic and language arts-3 areas) this does not always reflect the actual level of performance that might be achieved in a classroom setting." (sec Court Exhibit 2) .

It has become crystal clear to this court that while peripheral issues and claims have been raised by both sides, the paramount dispute cen­ ters around Jennifer's education .

Both sides have elected to lay bare before this court claims of ques­ tionable personal traits of the other in an attempt to persuade this court of the other's unfitness to be the custodial parent. Much to the dismay of both sides, none of this material impressed the court to that degree that it would direct either a change of custody or custody to remain as it is on that lone issue ...

IInder the "best interest" test, a totality of factors must be given consideration. Among them, and consid­ ered in this case, are the stability of the respective parents; the atmos­ phere of the homes; the ability and availability of the parents; the mor­ ality of the parents; the prospective educational probabilities; the par­ ties' own agreement and the initial award of custody and the possible effect of custodial change on the child ... The fundamental question is in which environment the child will have the best opportunity to prosper and mature into a constructive member of our society .. .

The court has no quarrel with the defendant's religious election and decisions as they affect her

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #43

19

daughter. The defendant has displayed a genuine sincerity in her election grounded on personal beliefs and a de­ cision of her choosing . This is her prerogative and right which this court will respect . Freedom of reli­ gion which necessarily includes the right to follow the tenets of one's faith is one of the most basic and fundamental concepts of a democratic form of government ... Her election of a vegetarian diet free of chemicals, additives or artificial supplements does not appear to have adversely affected Jennifer. and other than a personal objectioll by the plaintiff, no medical proof ~as been offered by him that this course of action is detrimental to Jennifer ' s well-being and future.

The decision to self teach Jenni­ fer, however, pre oents problems.

While that decisi lO is a permitted one, in the sense that nothing in our law prohibits the same, it now appears to border on a course that if continued, will prove detrimental to Jennifer's well-being.

A parent need not avail herself of formal education facilities for a child in order to satisfy the require­ ments of the law, it being sufficient that a systematic course of study be undertaken at home and that the par­ ent render qualified quality instruc­ tion (Lash, 92 Misc . 2d 642, 401 'YS 2d 124-rFamily Ct., Nassau Co . , June 1977]). It is the right of the parent to provide home instruction, but the onus is on the parent to show that the education provided is substantial­ ly equivalent to that which is given in the public schools (Falk, 110 Misc . 2d 104, 441 NYS 2~5 [ Family Ct., Lewis City, 1981 ' ; Franz, 55 A.D . 2d 424, 390 NYS 2d ~2nd Dept . , 1977 ] ).

The defendant is an individual of good intention, but of limited ability to adequately perform the functions and role she has cast her­ self in. The defendant's current hus­ band likewise is not suited to this task.

Testimony adJuced supports a finding that defendant, despite her sincere efforts and hours of prepara­ tion is inadequate to be a "competent teacher" as required (Educ. Lmv, sect. 3204 subdiv. 2). She has mini­ mal educational preparation and re­ ceived a commercial diploma from high school where she studied beauty cul­ ture . She has never studied tiology, geometry, creative writing, and the other academic courses that would have prepared her for teaching duties. She does not regularly read a newspaper and her letters, indicated by the school records in evidence, indicate a poor grasp of the English language, and its spelling and grammar.

Defendant's responsibility to the care of her home and her children (four youngsters under the age of seven) and the attempted need to pre­ pare meals, shop, clean, tend to sick family members, occasionally drive her husband to his job in Queens, as well as study and prepare lesson plans for her teaching responsibili­ ties and run a school is, to say the least, a Herculean task . It is improb­ able that defendant can teach the re­ quired number of hours and subjects given her other family responsibili­ ties and it is not in the best inter­ est of Jennifer for the defendant to attempt to do so .

It is the court's opinion that the education Mrs . Cronshaw (defen­ dant) provides to Jennifer, is not substantially equivalent to that

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING N43

which the public or more traditional schools can afford Jennifer. This, in the opinion of the court, is so de­ spite the results of achievement test­ ing. It is not in Jennifer's best interests to remain at home in a one room, one student schoolhouse with no interaction with her peers and limit­ ed educational stimulation .

All indications are that Jenni­ fer is an exceptional child who has managed to perform as well as she has with the limited resources placed at her disposal, for the most part, due to those God given talents upon which she has drawn . However, to test the fates and to continue to keep Jenni­ fer at home, in this restricted course will only make credible the fears and predictions of both psy­ chologists who examined Jennifer and testified before this court . ... It is the determination of this court that unless the defendant re-enrolls and returns Jennifer to meaningful attendance in elementary school either at the school Jennifer previous Iv attended in the East Mea­ dow School District, or in the defen­ dant's option, enrolls Jennifer at another New York State Education Department approved private or paro­ chial school (such as the elementary school maintained tv the Seventh Dav Adventist Church ) by no later than ' the date for enrollment and/or com­ mencement of attendance of Jennifer at such elementarv school for the fall 1984 term, the appl ication of the plaintiff for a change of Jenni­ fer's custody from the defendant to the plaintiff shall be granted ... [ JH: Two lessons to learn from this : 1 ) Judges are human and vote their prejudices, as William 0, Douglas said about the Supreme Court.

2) When dealing ~ith officials, apaearances count' Type your letters, an if you don't spell well, get help from someone who docs.

FOLLOW-UP ON CUSTODY CASE DR: I recently asked the Cronshaws how things stood, and Flo Cronshaw replied: .. . We received vour postcard and we hope that our storv can in some way help others so they would not have to go through a similar tragedy.

My daughter, Jennifer, was test­ ed on June 15, 1984 bv the East Mea­ dow Public School ... Her math grade seemed quite low. She had complained about the excessivelv noisv halls .

She had a problem thinking'during the testing tecause of the noise. I've discovered the reasons for the excess noise in the testing room were : (1) it was kindergarten registration day, (2) the faculty had a party, and (3) the math room is near the cafeteria .

The reading room is located in a dif­ ferent part of the school . On July 2, I had her tested in math through a program at York College. This was the Stanford Diagnostic Math Test and Jen­ nifer's test results were her grade 1eve I, 1. 9 . ..

In August we entered a stay into appeal court. We already owed our lawyer $10,000 and could not afford another $5,000 for a lawver to write up stay papers, so we did them our­ selves out of desperation .

The stay was denied and we reluc­ tantly enrolled Jennifer in McVey Elementary public school in Septem­ ber . At the time of enrollment, I asked to see Jennifer's records. It

was at this time that I found that the school had withheld more than one dozen letters subpoenaed into court .

I asked the principal, Mr. Aiosa, to notify the court. He refused. I also asked for an explanation and Mr. Aiosa could not give me one .

Our once outgoing, frie nd ly, and curious daughter has learned the social activities of second grade pub­ lic school. We had ~ennifer's eye­ sight tested in October and found she needs to wear glasses . This need was never noticed by her teachers . Jenni­ fer was so excited about seeing so vividly the leaves on the trees, and how she laughed about seeing the twigs in a nest . Her excitement last­ ed two days as the children in school cruelly told her she looked " disgust­ ing" and called her "handicap" and "retarded." The school principal spoke to the children after we report­ ed that Jennifer had been pulled, pushed, and hit for " looking disgust­ ing." These children now tell Jenni­ fer she is a "dirt bag, " "scum bag," "douche bag," and a "snot" for tell­ ing on them.

Four weeks after school started, I began noticing Jennifer ' s behavior change. Her hands and body seemed jerky. I feared the dreaded M. S. and took her to a doctor. Her handwriting became barely legible - some of it backwards, sometimes letters on top of each other. Last year when I was homeschooling her, Jennifer wrote neatly, even with unlined paper .

Also in October, Jennifer ' s teacher started complaining that Jen­ nifer was disobedient and she was not following directions. I felt Jennifer was becoming hard of hearing. We had her ears tested and she had hearing loss (again, not noticed by her teach­ ers). The school has not been helpful with this problem. Jennifer's hearing is clearing up with treatment, as the fluid in the middle ear is draining .

On October 4, the school retest­ ed Jennifer in math (the same Stan­ ford standardized test she took at York College in July) . This time her grade level was 1 . 0 . I asked her math teacher how could she get a 1 . 9 grade level in July and in October it deter ­ iorate to 1 . 0. Jennifer's teacher had no answer. Jennifer is now in remedi­ al math.

Jennifer ' s report card in Novem­ ber was all C's and one B in spel l­ ing, along ~ith a note that indicated that Jennifer did not listen to her teacher .

Jennifer has been hurt three times on the school bus and twice on the playground because of insuffi­ cient supervision. She has been taught by her peers all the famous four-letter words and she has also witnessed an attempted rrurder on her school bus, where two ten-year-olds ended up in the hospital.

Jennifer is wetting her bed about once a week and has frequent nightmares (about three a night) . She cries easily and has started to ex­ press anger through temper tantrums.

She refuses to wear her glasses to plav and only sometimes wears them in school to see the blackboard . Jenni­ fer is in this court-ordered fiasco to have a "more enriched childhood " ­ such a joke .

We have no money for a lawyer to OUR TOWN, EXPLORERS, MOUNTAINEERING

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20 make an appeal. We were referred to a young lawyer who is looking into the possibility of suing N.Y. State.

Right now this is only a possibility.

We are getting desperate, seeing our daughter get worse with each week, and not knowing what we as her par­ ents can do to stop the horror of this nightmare that the court has so frivolously seen fit to bestow upon us . ..

[DR:] We suggested to the Cron­ shaws that they document the hard­ ships Jennifer is going through, using test scores, doctor's reports, etc., and send them to the judge. If GWS readers can think of anything else that might help, or if you just want to write a letter of support, their address is 480 Maitland St, E Meadow NY 11554.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE THROUGH LISTENING From Barbara Stoutner, who offers a mail-order service called FOREIGN LANGUAGES THROUGH SONG AND STORY (PO Box 293, Coeur d'Alene 10 83814) : ... Recently I decided to tackle a second foreign language. Since studying French, I had learned about Suzuki and about how he had taught the violin to very young children. I also read that he had devised his methods after observing how easily German children spoke the German lang­ uage. Being a Japanese native, he had found the study of German to be very difficult. He decided to try to teach music by using the same techniques a child uses to learn his native tongue. The main ingredient was lis­ tening - listening to someone who could play the violin correctly and well . . . I began to wonder if we could learn foreign languages in the same way we learn our mother tongue - by listening to someone speaking it cor­ rectly and well.

Moreover, I had become intrigued with the "right-brain" theory which postulates that certain types of know­ ledge are processed on either the right side or the left side of the brain. Art and music seem to be func­ tions of the right side of the brain while mathematics and logic belong to t h e left side . If this analysis is correct, it would seem that spoken language is a right-brain function while the formal study of grammar is a left-brain function. Espousers of the right-brain theory say that left-brain function does not fully develop until around the age of 12.

If this is so, during the years a young child is acquiring language, he is functioning almost exclusively on the right side of his brain ...

I began my own approach to learn­ ing a foreign language [Spanish], as an infant might learn its native tongue, by listening to the speech of natives . . . The vocabulary increased quickly as it is drawn from a broad base of natives speaking to tell a story without any pretense to make it more simple for one who does not know the language. The grammar I leave for the brain to sort out, as it seems very adept in doing this . The meaning of what I am hearing is more simpli­ fied for me than it would be to the infant, since I make use of other skills I have developed over the years . .. . 1 began by obtaining on tapes or records a book with which I am already well acquainted in English .

For my current study, I am working with a book of scripture. The grammar in this book is more formalized than that used in regular speech but the vocabulary is in no way simplified for the beginner. I listen to the tapes even as I read the text in the foreign language. In this manner, the pronunciation becomes associated with the spelling. The accent I hear is an authentic accent .. . Although I would be hard-put to define grammatical rules, it falls into place and I have no trouble sensing the underlying rules. When I am unable to discern the meaning of a word from its con­ text, I make a vocabulary list and check rry English version of the book . ..

Another invaluable tool in learn­ ing the foreign ~anguage is music ...

I have been working with a tape of children's songs ... The music and lyrics are very simple. Very quickly, the music begins to run through my mind like a catchy TV commercial. I have a written copy of the lyrics as well as an English translation. I learn the songs by reading the for­ eign language lyrics as I play the tape and sing along ... Once I feel I know a song well, I can then tape my singing and have a chance to listen to myself when I am not talking simul­ taneously. [ JH: see Note 1. ] Now the challenge is to begin speaking . This is the point I am at now. Ideally, I would like to find a native speaker with whom I can meet frequently and just simply converse in the foreign tongue. I don't want grammatical instruction but just everyday chat about everyday things so that I can hear the language and be placed in a situation where I can formulate questions, answers, and com­ ments and actually voice them ...

Granted, I might on occasion ask a question on a grammatical point for my clarification but the situation I would seek to avoid is that in which all discussion is actually about gram­ mar despite the supposed topic of dis­ cussion . This happens when the native or teacher seeks to correct each gram­ matical error ... 1 firmly believe that my grammar will correct itself, not by each error being corrected as it is made, but, rather more quickly, by being exposed to tapes, records, and conversations with natives who speak correctly [ JH : ~ote 2 ] . A par­ ent who consistently corrects each error made cy a child can turn that child into one who hesitates, or even one who declines to speak at all ...

In teaching children a foreign language, I would begin with music.

I would play tapes or records of songs in the language until the child­ ren become familiar enough with the songs to begin singing them. I would not trouble the child about what the songs mean unless the child is con­ cerned about it and asks . Also, I would play tapes of stories in the language and provide picture story books of the same . Still, I would make no outward effort to instruct except to perhaps use the vocabulary in real situations. As the child be­ came immersed in the sounds of the foreign language and begins to use it in songs and some conversation, I would try to locate a native with whom he could meet regularly and just converse.

I have been using this foreign language approach in Spanish for sev­ eral months now and 1 am very sur­ prised and pleased at the rapidity of my progress and that of my children .

I feel that it is a far more effec­ tive approach than the more tradition­

al grammatical method.

PS - I just advertised in a local paper - the kind that adver­ tises garage sales, etc. - for all interested in a Spanish conversation class with native speakers to call me. I'm getting a good response, both from native Spanish speakers and those desiring to practice their Span­ ish .. .

[DR: See the Book Review section in this issue for a French picture book and cassette available from Holt Associates.]

[JH:] (1) When I visited my par­ ents in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, many years ago (before it became rich and famous), they told me that the local schools, which had no money for fancy materials, taught reading to young children by writing on the blackboard songs that most of the children knew or would quickly learn, and having the children sing them in chorus, which they were happy to do.

(2) This is what happens with my Scandinavian friends . Their English improves just because we have real conversations together.

IN AN ART FAIR From Mary Maher (MA): ... Last summer Mandy's art teach­ er thought it would be a great idea to let her students display their paintings at the annual Festival of the Arts on the Wakefield Commons.

The teacher feels very strongly that the children are real artists, and she wanted them to experience the feeling of having their work on dis­ play and possibly even selling some of it.

The children had their own indiv­ idual tables and easels and were free to choose whichever and how many of their paintings they wanted to exhib­ it. All the paintings were framed.

It was so exciting for them when people questioned them on certain techniques they had used or praised one of their works. Mandy (9) was offered $10 for one of her paintings, but she wouldn't sell it because she remembered that it was my favorite (I wouldn't have minded if she had sold it). However, another child sold one of hers for $10 and she was over­ joyed . It was so much fun for these children to be selling paintings just like some of the well-known artists were doing. I might add that these children spent six hours sitting in the hot sun (it was 90 degrees that day) without a single complaint . . .

GEO LOGICAL SURVEY MAPS When Frank and I honeymooned on Nantucket Island, we picked up a couple of U . S. Geological Survey maps of the island, and it was so much fun using them on our walks across the moors and along the dunes. The scale was very generous and we had no trou­ ble in spotting landmarks. Since then we have gotten one that shows our own neighborhood and the area north, especially the conservation land .

It ' s fun to study such a detailed map, for it shows much more than a regular street map - contour lines (to show elevation), cliffs, woods, trails, waterways, abandoned train tracks, ponds, quarries, and even individual buildings outside of towns. As a kid I remember enjoying looking at a Geological Survey map of

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #43

21 the neighborhood in California where I grew up; I think my family had got­ ten it because my brothers were in Scouts.

You can get these topographic maps for any area in the U. S. through the mail for only $2 . 50 each, plus $1 postage on orders of less than $10.

In order to get the right map, you will probably need to ask for the Index for your area . This index shows your state covered with little squares, and you pick the square or squares you are interested in . For states east of the Mississippi (inclu­ ding Minnesota), write to : EASTERN DISTRIBUTION BRANCH, US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 1200 South Eads St, Arlington VA 22202. For places west of the Miss­ issippi, including Louisiana, write WESTERN DISTRIBUTION BRANCH, US GEO­ LOGICAL SURVEY, Box 25286, Federal Ctr, Denver CO 80225.

Their price list also has many other interesting-sounding items, most $4 or less, such as county maps, state maps, world maps, and even " Satellite Image Maps . " I should also remind you of an item John wrote about in GWS #10 ­ the relief maps of HUBBARD CO (PO Eox 104, Northbrook IL 60062) . These are similar to the US Geological Survey maps with the added attraction that the higher elevations are actually raised relief that you can feel with your fingers. - DR

SPACE PROJECT NEEDS KIDS A reader sent this notice from the PARK SEED CO. catalog: . .. Park Seed became the first commercial user of NASA's "Get Away Special," sending seeds into space to test the effect of exposure to vacuum and radiation on their germination and performance. Our preliminary indi­ cations are that seed is remarkably viable after brief exposure . To learn more, we've sent more seed into space aboard NASA's Long Duration Exposure Facility, where seed will remain for a whole year. When it returns, in the spring of 1985, our Research Depart­ ment will study the effects of long­ term exposure.

We are very excited to announce that Park Seed, joint l y with NASA's Langley Research Center and Education­ al Services branch, will conduct a student involvement Rrogram with these seeds, in whic as many as 4 million students from grade 5 to col­ lege level can participate. For a real learning opportunity for your children, ask their teachers to con­ tact: SEEDS PROJECT, Educational Ser­ vices Branch/LFC, National Aeronau­ tics and Space Administration, Wash­ ington DC 20546.

Request should be made by April 30, 1985 . Seed "ill be available in the fall of 1985 . ..

NOTES ON TYPING .. . We have a new computer with a printer and we love it! You were right - the kids love to type and our son hardly ever liked to write be­ fore . He, by the way, put his name in GWS for a pen pal not long ago and has received eight pen pal letters.

He is thrilled . - KATHY REILLY (CT) . . .. After GWS recommended type­ writers so highly, we kept our eyes open for a cheap, strong electric one . We were told we wouldn't find o n e c h eap . Then friends visited who

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING ,43

were moving to Moscow in a week, with an old IBM in the trunk. My husband just happened to mention we were look­ ing for one, and 10' it was ours for $25' A Godsend to be sure. It's a bit rough but we are all learning how to use it. - HELEN SENTESY (ONT). ... How frustrating for the type­ writer to be broken again' We are definitely trading i t (a manual) for an electric . When we had an electric on loan for six months when Noah was 2>" he played on it for hours with minimal supervision and no problems.

This is the second time he's broken the manual, I think by trying to force it past the margin control. ANDREA KELLY-ROSENBERG .

ON READING AND WRITING From Megan Nordlund (WA): ll/84 : ... 1 especially enjoyed GWS #~th all the information about late readers. Our son, age 7, does not read yet (heaven forbid').

I've never encouraged him because, although his father and I are both avid readers, I've always felt that reading is a passive activity, even escapist sometimes . Philo has pro­ jects going at all times. thinking, planning, drawing out plans, sawing, drilling, nailing, measuring, etc .

The garage is a disaster, with all of his (real) tools and supplies all over . Reading is just not important to him yet. Grandparents and neigh­ bors ask him about schooling and read­ ing, and he is so tired of explaining it all to them.~rv telling a retired lst and 2nd grade teacher that read­ ing just isn't important' ~v husband had started to pressure him a bit to at least !:..E.Y.. Now ,,'e've backed off, and the tension has eased consider­ abl v . . .

1/85: . .. This past "eek, Philo announced that he ,,;ould read a book to us for a change, and he did' He now-nas two books under his belt. He is so proud of himself. He made cne rather long one (64 pages, very easy reader) his goal for the day, and read it, a little at a time, all through the day, finishing after dinner ...

From Gretchen McPherson (CA): ... When my first two children were two and three years old, we en­ joyed reading games. Magnetic Letters were always on the refrigerator, and while I cooked the children would form nonsense or real words for me to identify . If one of them made the word "pat," 1 might say, "Put an Ie' in the middle and see ,,,hat yOU get," and so on . While driving in the car we would play rhyming games, which taught phonics, too. I have always loved words and it was fun to share my enjoyment with the children ...

Our third child came three years later and I followed the same course with her, and it was fine until about age 4 ~hen her reading ability was very good, but then her emotional dis­ tress surfaced. She was so afraid of not knowing a word which she thought she should know, that she began cry­ ing when we read together. At this time I read TEACH YOUR OWN, and BET­ TER LATE THAN EARLY by Ray Moore, as my husband and I were considering the idea of homeschooling. Moore's book so confirmed my growing belief that children will learn and succeed and

be well-adjusted in good time, if they are nurtured and given access to the daily activities of home life . I realized that I did not want to force preparation for an arbitrary school entrance age, and I was afraid of mak ­ ing her hate reading' We dropped the reading sessions completely .. .

A week or two after the reading sessions stopped, she was sitting nearby writing some words while I washed dishes. She asked me how to spell "wow" and after I told her, I pointed out that "wow" is the same spelled forward or backward . This bit of information didn't seem to disturb her - rather, she was very interest­ ed, so I went on to tell her about several other words like that, and she wanted to write them all down.

She wrote them very large on a big piece of paper. There were about ten words . Then she left to go play out­ doors, and later I wondered whether to save the paper or not . I decided that the "doing" of that paper was the most important thing, and threw it out. The next day Harmony had a friend over and told her friend about these words which were the same for­ ward or backward. She never even asked where her paper was but all on her own got another piece and wrote out all the words perfectly, forget­ tingr;othing. I don't think she even knew I was there.

Within two weeks after the end of our reading sessions, Harmony be­ gan to devour words, reading every­ thing in-srght, Silently, privately, refusing to read out loud and refus­ ing to believe that she could really read. She would lie on the living room floor and study Highlights maga­ zine, then come to me and say, " I can read this sentence, and this one."

Sometimes I would ask her if she want­ ed to read it to rre; usually she said no . Occasionally she could be heard reading out loud to herself, and re­ centlv she has begun reading out loud, confidently and very beautiful­ ly, with so much expression and enjoy­ ment . She reads at least an hour a day, probably more often two hours .

She is reading in bed when I get up in the mornings. I really wish she wouldn't read so much at 5>" but her brother and sister do a lot of that for their "schoolwork" and she some­ times reads just because there is no ­ thing else to do, she thinks . ..

Since reading GWS, I have let the children know that they do have my permission to use most of the re­ sources around the house: the tape recorder, the art supplies, the kitch­ en - and Harmony is delighted. She took the tape recorder into her room the other day and recorded herself, a list of things to do when she didn't know what to do' "Have a tea party, play with my [toy] horses, read, paint ... " etc. It '''as a long list .

She has been amazing us so, with her reading ability and memory, I found myself saying " Very good'" several times in a few days . Harmony put an end to this by saying, " Mama, stop saying that' It's all right if you think it, but don't say it." ...

Ruth Matilsky (NJ) wrote: . .. Sara (5) is learning how to read pretty much the way John says in much of his writing ... She learned the alphabet at two . Then last year she started writing a little and typ­ ing a lot. Now she is asking us how to spell words and writing books . She will also see words o n milk cartons and wallpaper and ask us what t h ey

22 spell . And some of the words stay with her. At first she wrote words putting one letter in one corner and anot h e r letter underneath and the third letter in the opposite corner .

Terry and I never said anything about this or about the fact that many of h er letters were backwards. Well, she started rea li zing that the letters s hould go in a certain order (over a period of almost a year) and she is n ot writing them backwards so much.

We continue to have some of our best discussions at lunchtime about read­ ing and other topics . ..

Jeris French (NY) writes: ... The " Spelling B" put out by Texas In struments (about $30) is a battery-operated, hand-held keyboard for spelling words pictured in the accompanying booklet. There are three levels of difficulty, and the player gets three "misses" be fore the cor­ rect answer comes on . There's also a clue button which gives you a letter at a time and will spell out the whole word if desired.

At age 4, Rebecca took to it ent hu siastically . It fit in nicely with her background of Dr. Seuss and easy Berenstain Bears books. Actual­ ly, she got more phonics from it by watc hin g a nd playing the more ad­ vanced games on it : Missing Letter, Scramble, and Mystery Word . The lat­ ter two are especially fun for adults . Sh e enjoyed and l earned from watching us grown-ups stew over word problems ...

From Cindy Barnett in New York: ... An ongoing goal for Matthew is to be able to write his name small enough to get his own library card (ridicu l ouslv small, I might add). Yesterday, he was practicing this. The first time he wrote it about an inch high, in well-formed letters spelled correctly . Then he decided to try to get it even smal­ ler, a n d succeeded in reducing it somew hat, but the letters were shakier . Still not satisfied, he told me he was going to write it "even teenier," and with obvious tension a nd strai n, proceeded to do so . When h e s h owed ~e what he had written, it was indeed smaller . Also, it was com­ pletely reversed, a perfect mirror image of his name' This incident made me wonder how many so-called learning disabled children are simply being asked to do t asks for whi ch they are simply not ready. What a difference more time at home could make for them' ...

(5~)

J.P. NEEDS TO BE ACTIVE From Kathy Mingl (IL) : ... J . P. 's "schoolwork" is going pretty well (though we've just about decided to dump Calvert). I had noticed that I was doing a lot of yelling about the bouncing and jig­ gling that went on every time J.P . h ad to read something, so I tried out an idea I invented out of some Scien­ tology artic l e or other, that said that children can't learn well unless they can have an equal balance of men­ tal a nd physical work ... The next time we tackled his phonics book, had him do one line, and then run around the noose like a nut, then another line and have him run around agai n, etc . At first I told him exact­

ly what to do: "Run into the hall, hop three times, spin around twice, and then run back. Ready, set, go' " But after he had the idea, I had him tell me what he was going to do, and then go do it . In between times, I had him try to totally relax his body, and then when he had that down, I showed him how to move only his eyes to read, and let the rest of his body be loose and comfortable . Be­ lieve it or not, there was an instant jump in his ability to read and con­ centrate! ... Just getting the idea that he can positively control his body and attention has cheered him up (and calmed him down!) enormously.

I'm not making him do a lot of "busywork, " by the way, but wer.ave been plugging through his phonies workbook because he's so overwhelmed bv the arbitrariness of the written l~nguage. I thought having a few rules to back him ~p would give him a better chance in the clinches. When we do the test pages, 1 tell him any word he's not sure of - hlways after getting his permission, e gets awful­ ly mad if you tell him when he wanted to figure it out - and have him make a little mark next to those . Then we write each uncertain point on a separ­ ate sheet of notebook paper and go over it until he's got it, and then he crases the mark . I try not to---­ drill him too much, but i have him "practice" (\.Jhi ch only means "do" or "apply," you know, in the sense of "practice ,,,hat yOU preach") by doing things like giving him a grocery list of his own to read as he finds stuff for me in the store (this really helps keep him out o[ my hair when I'm shopping, and I let him pick out a little toy or something in ex­ change). And of course, we playa lot of games - J . P. loves games . . .

HIGHWIRE MAGAZINE, NATIONAL STU­ DENT MAGAZINE (COMMUNITY PUBLISHING SERVICES, Box 948, 217 Jackson St . , Lowell, MA 01853). Publishes fiction, nonfiction, and fillers for high school students .

JACK AND JILL (P . O . Box 567 , Indianapolis, IN 46206). Stories, poems, riddles, and jokes written by chi ldren are considered .

JUST ABOUT ME (JAM) (ENSIO INDUS­ TRIES, 247 Marlee Ave., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont o Canada M6B 4B8) . A maga­ zine for girls; accepts fiction and poetry from girls twelve to nineteen .

PROBE (BAPTIST BROTHERHOOD GOM­ MISSION, 1548 Poplar Ave . , Memphis, TN 38104). Wants personal experience stories by teenage boys from twelve to seventeen.

PURPLE COW: ATLANTA'S MAGAZINE FOR KIDS (110 E. And rews Drive NW, Atlanta, GA 30305) . Publishes fiction and fillers for twelve to eighteen year olds. .

RANGER RICK (1412 16th St . NW. Washington, DC 20036) . Includes fic­ tion, nonfiction, puzzles for chil­ dren on nature/ecology theme.

SEVENTEEN (850 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022) . Nonfiction, fictio n, poetry by teens; also inc ludes a teen-written column, " Free for All" with profiles, essays, reportage, book reviews, and puzzles.

THE SUNSHINE NEWS (CANADA SUN­ SHINE PUBLISHING, LTD., 465 King St .

East #14A, Toronto, Ont., Canada M5A 1L6). A "participation magazine " for high school students .

YOUNG AMBASSADOR (GOOD NEWS BROADGASTING ASSOCIATION, INC . , Box 82808, Lincoln, NE 68501). Wants short fillers from twelve to sixteen year olds ...

RAVES FOR OUR CATALOG ITEMS OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG WRITERS THE YOPNG WRITER'S HANDBOOK by Susan and Stephen Tehudi (Scribner ' s, $12.95) lists these writing opportuni­ ties for children: COl\n:STS THE CRICKET MAGA7.TNE FOR CHIL­ DREN (Gricket League, Box 100, LaSalle, IL 6130l) . Story-writing con­ tests [or age thirteen and under.

ELIAS LIEBERMAN STUDENT POETRY AWARD (POETRY SOCIETY OF AMERICA, 15 Gramercy Park, New York, NY 10003) . $100 awards given to high school stu­ dents .

GPIDEPOSTS Magazine Youth Writing Contest (GCTDEPOSTS ASSO­ CIATES, INC . 747 Third Ave . , New York, NY 10017 ) . For high school jun­ iors and seniors. Scholarships of $1000-$4000 given for best personal experience stories .

Pl:BLIGATIONS ALIVE FOR YOL'NG TEENS (CHRISTIAN BOARD OF Pl'BLICATION, Box 179, St. Louis, MO 63166). Puhlishes fiction, nonfiction, poetrv, puzzles, riddles, tongue-twisters, daffv-nitions bv twelve to fifteen year olds .

ALL AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL MAGA­ ZINE (Box 254800, Sacramento, GA 95865) . Wants fiction from high school students .

BOY'S LIFE MAGAZINE (1325 Walnut Hill Lane, Irving, TX 75062).

Readers' page for interesting ideas and a column on hobby projects.

CHRISTIAN LIVING FOR SENIOR HIGHS (DAVID C . COOK PUBLISHING CO ., 850 N. Grove, Elgin, IL 60120) .

Encourages submission of fiction and nonfiction for teenagers .

... I'd like to tell you how much we have enjoyed the art materials we have gotten from GWS . We received the PENTEL ~ATER COLORS last spring and I can remember a wonderful afternoon on the front porch the day after they arrived with all three kids (and me, too) painting sunsets and trees and faces and horses and designs - all done in those very rich colors. So many of the tubes were empty before Christmas that I ordered more .. .

I also ordered a set of the FINE POI NT FELT PENS, which became a bi rth­ day present for Emi l y (12) . The plas­ tic holder they come in makes them seem very special and Emily, wh o has used ~any colored pens in her many projects, loves them . - MADALENE Ml'RPHY (PA). . . . The children and I were en­ thralled by the story of CONNIE'S NEW EYES and the adventure of her li fe as a blind person, and we are all de­ lighted with ROOTABAGA STOR I ES, so we are ordering these books for Christ­ mas presents .

We are using ARITHMETIC MADE SIMPLE for most of our math studies - and it is comprehensive . Amanda ( l O) and Jesse (9) don't seem to be able to get what information they need from the explanations in the book, however. I think they are used to having a person explain a concept or method to them . Then they catc h on very quickly. They do as many of the exercises prOVided as necesary to show themselves that they understand the principle, usually fewer than half the problems.

SGIENCE EXPERIMENTS YOU CAN EAT has been fun. No matter h ow simple the experiment, they love messing

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #43

23 around in the kit chen and haven't even minded cleaning up. Their favor­ ite experimen t so far involved making a dye from red cabbage in order to test substances for acid/base re­ actio n. - GRETCHEN MCPHERSON (CA). . . . 1 was in Mom's room when I saw GREENLEAF. I had been wanting to read it. I love it. I am up to "The Year Six." I am not a good reader and Gree nleaf has helped me a lot. I really enjoy it. I recommend it to be ­ ginning readers every place. It helped me becaus e I want to read to find out wh at ' s happe nin g . - ANITA GIESY (VA) . ... BLOOD AN Il GUTS is wonderful .

It e xplain s thin g s in exciting and basic ways . We I ' ve it!

ALL NEW DIN ( SAURS - very inter­ esti ng , the pict ll res are great . But I do wish they had pronunciations . BARBARA GAUTHIER (Ont.) ... 1 have just finished reading Nancy Wallace's wonderful book, BETTER THAN SCHOOL . It was hard to put down in order to a tt end to the myriad of activities that happen in our home. - MARY JANE DIAMOND. . . . We received our violin from Holt Associates and are so pleased. worried that the price was just too good to be true - but it's lrue . Our violin teacher tried to talk us out of purchasing a violin made in China in eve ry way she could, but when she played it - a whole new impression.

Our teacher said " It has fine tone" and was " beautiful with its light color." I was so relieved because our 8-year-old had earned the entire $lOO herself a nd she was so proud the teacher liked her good bargain ...

When the time comes, we'll be order­ ing another. - CHARLENE WINGER­ BEARSKIN (OK) .

FAMILY ATTHE PIAN O From Denise Hodges ( WI) : ... This sum",er we bought a used piano. Except for a b it of playing around on the dulcimer, I have never studied music but have always had the desire to. Lucas ( 9 ) , Maia (5 ) and I all began taking lessons. Our teacher happ ens to be a family friend and o pen-m i nd ed about educational philosophies.

After a few lessons it was obvi­ ous that Lucas was not interested so I suggested he stop lessons for now, being careful to suggest th at in the future he may be interested in the piano or some other instrument ... I don't want Lucas to get the impres­ sion that because right n ow he seems t o have more pressing developmental tasks, he is UN-musica l' (I don 't think anyone really is unmusical ­ maybe music is just not one of their top priorities.) . .. From the moment we got the piano, Maia has been the one who most often sits down and plays it - cre­ ating reall y quite lovely me l odies using both hands simul tan eous ly. She real~y wants to p l ay a nd play well, as s e has told me many times. She actually cries when she sees her old­ er cousi n play because she wants to play like th at so badly. So - we h ave the desire, the motivation, the appa r­ ent ability (as judged by t h e musical­ it y o f h er made-up songs). She adores our teacher a nd wants to please him.

In s pite of this s h e did not practice between lessons. If I suggested it,

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #43

she would sit down and play her own songs but wou ld not ope n her "re adi ng music book." When I asked her why she said, "It' s too hard." I let thin gs go like this for a whil e, unsure of how to handle it, thinking maybe she's too young to lean to read music - maybe she needs incentive - maybe, maybe, maybe' As this is going on I am also learning to read music ana play . And it is hard, excruciatingly hard, for me . But I love it. I literally sweat with concentration, trying to figure out what tho se strange symbols are trying to tell me . I have to go ever and over and over every little piece before I feel the slightest comfort with i t. But I enjoy the struggle and the final rewa rd of being able to play that piece .

All this struggle makes me acute­ ly aware of what it must be like for Maia. She is 5\ years o l d, after all .

The st rugg l e is probably all she can see . She doesn 't know yet the feeling of getting beyond that strugg l e . So, I finally decided on intervention, re­ luctantly. I s t ill believe in self­ motivation . But, well, it's just one of those many contradictions we all live ,.ith .

I remembered in Nancy Wallace's book BETTER THAN SCHOOL that she (also reluctantly) offered Vita a treat after, or during, practice. So I decided to try this with Maia . l5 minutes of practice seems to be enough, although sometimes, recently, she ' s gone on for 30 minutes. And, wonder of wonders, it seems to be working . She comes to me and says, "I' m going to pract ice now , set the timer." The struggle is gett ing rr'uch easier and she is happier about that ... I'm hoping she will get to the point, as Vita did, when she n o longer requires the treat, but it ' s only been a few weeks.

Am I comfortable with this? Not totally - but then the important thing seems to be that she is gaining in confidence that she can interpret those symbols in her bo~ I think that is very important. Sometimes I still get ver y frustrated and feel that those notes are just floating around, mocking rre' It still amazes me when my fingers ignore me and play them! What fun ' I am reminded o f a children ' s book, can ' t rememb e r the author, but I'm pretty sure the name of it is WHEN WILL I READ? It's about a little boy in first grade who keeps asking his teacher, "When will I be able to read ? " He can , with a struggle, sound out some words, and sight-read oth­ ers, but he doesn't believe this is really reading. Finally it all fits together for him and he can s it down and read a book without all that sounding-out struggle . It just flows . ... Now I am wondering if learn­ ing to read music is at all compar­ able. I feel I'm at the sounding-out stage and 1 long for it to flow. l' ve asked rry teacher about this but he doesn't really know cecause he's always taught kids and they have never really verbalized the process they go through - they just do it' .. .

JOHN PAYNE ON SA X CHOIR Pat Farenga continues his inter­ view with John Payne, saxophonist and teacher. Here John begins by e xpl ain ­ ing how he got th e idea for the Stu­ dent Sax Choir, which Pat wrote about in GWS #38 : ... 1 always had the idea that I

wanted to get my students out there playing ... I got a lot of my ideas about learning from Ron Hubbard ...

When someone's learning to do some­ thing, first you get them doing it.

If you have too long a runway before you let someone fly, there's a great­ er chance there'll be tacks on the runway and your tires'll blowout.

If you want to teach someone some­ thing, you get th em doing it, and I mean almost immediately, in a few minutes . Then you teach them some­ thing to get them doing it better.

Then you te ac h them something to get them doing it even better than that, etcetera ...

Most people, somewh ere in the back of their minds, when they want to learn music, they also want to be a performer . Well, if you get them t o perfor~ within a year, it' s reall y cutting that runway down.

I also know that you'd be cov­ ered somewhat in a big group. You'd have enough people so that if you made a mistake on stage you'd be covered .

So there we r e these thoughts in my head, I was forming my own band again, and I was listen ing to the Joe Sample tune, " Put It Where You Want It ." There was this little h orn l ine in it that I liked and I thought, " That would sound pretty good with a couple of dozen saxopho ne s . " Knowing that my eventua l dream was to hav e a Saxophone Choir that wou ld perform regularly and r ecord, but not telling anybody that so I would be way out o n a limb, I said to the band, "Wh y don't we make an arrangement out of this and haul some of the stude nt s down to our next gig? " We did it and I asked the group if they'd like to do it next week, they said "Y es ." ~ext week we asked them if they want ­ ed to do it regularly and they said "Yes." It's been meeting regularl y for nearly four years no w .

I think the Sax Choir is o n e of the better ideas I've had in my whole life . It's just nutt y e n oug h, and c r azy enough, and real enough, and proving a point enough, and sou nd ing good enough to really go somewher e .

I'd like it to be on tour buses and have the State Dept. se nd us over to Africa. And putting out an album a year .. . The records wi II say, "Th is is open to anybody. All you have to do is show up for rehearsals." If we get a thousand saxophones, then we get them! We might have to reorganize things because there might be prob­ lems once you hit certain numbers . ..

But that ' s way off . ... The Camb ri dge Harm o nica Ch o ir was inspired by us. But they only have part of the idea, whic h is t o

Ability

Developme11t

through the use of

Records, Cassettes, Books, Music, Accessories, and the Suzuki method.

Standard student repertoire on records and cassettes

1-800-221-9254

(614) 594-3547

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in Ohio

Athrns , Ohio 45701'42W U.S.A.

24 get a whole bunch of one instrument together . They don't have the idea that it's made up of students, that it ' s open to anybody, that it's an ongoing thing, that it performs with pros . . . . Everyone improvises with words, and with great abandon, follow­ ing rules that are much more complica­ ted than music rules . . . Therefore they have the ability to improvise music . The ability ' s there, there just has to be a way to untap it . You don ' t need a script to speak' . . . The only student I can't get anywhere with is someone who won ' t try . They ' re too scared to improvise.

But I've taught the slowest learners imaginable and I've gotten them to improvise. If it takes someone fifty years to do it, so what? Everyone learns at various rates ...

Most of my methods, 98 % of them, were figured out right on the spot when something came up with a stu­ dent . Only 2% were figured when I was thinking about them or working on methods outside of their lessons .

Everything started from a specific situation where if one thing didn't work, I'd say, "Let ' s try this in­ stead . " And if it works with one per­ son, I' l l try it on others, and if it works with them I make it part of my basic floor plan . . . My methods are still evolving' .. .

NEW RECORDS AVAILABLE HERE JOHN PAYNE SAX CHOIR ( 45 rpm first commercial recording, I hope the first of many, of the student sax c h oir in which Pat Farenga plays and about which he has written in this and other issues . The choir, backed up by John Payne's professional jazz quartet, plays two pieces, "South," a traditional jazz tune, and "Tell ~le That You Love Me," a rrodern piece . On t h e latter, John Payne takes the solos; on " South, " some of the mem­ bers of the choir also take them.

The record, like reost 45 rpm records, has a center hole an inch or so wide . To play it, you will probab­ ly need one of those plastic adap­ ters, a disc that fits in the hole and itself has a smaller hole to fit most record player spindles . Pat says that John Payne told him that if your turntable has a rubber mat and a light tone arm, you can play the record without the insert. Just put the record on the turntable, center it by starting the turntable and ad­ justing the record so that it does not wobble as it turns. But the insert discs are not hard to find; almost any record or electronics store, such as Radio Shack, will have them .

This is a wonderful introduc­ tion, in excellent sound, to this lively and inspiring musical group, a kind of living proof of what we have so of t e n said, that virtually anyone, of whatever age, is capable of making music, and from do it, both getting and giving pleasure. recor~~er:-Here is the

RESPIGHI/MAHLER/BIZET, performed by the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, under Eiji Oue (2 record set, $15 + post) . For some time we have carried on our list two record­ ings of the astonishing Tapiola Child­ ren's Chorus from Finland, and now comes a chance to hear what some of t h e finest young musicians in our own country are doing . I do not yet know of any children ' s choruses in this country that can equal the one from

Tapiola, but I suspect that our youth symphony orchestras are the equal of any in the world, and GBYSO (pro­ nounced " gyp-so") is surely one of our best . Here the orchestra plays fine performances of some of the greatest works written for the sym­ phony orchestra : "Pines of Rome" by Ottorino Respighi, "Symphony No. I"

by Gustav Mahler, and "Carmen Suite # 1" by George Bizet .

While many youth orchestras in this and other countries are made up of college-age musicians - the age limit varies from country to country - GBYSO is made up only of high­ school students or younger. Hearing this recording, you may find that hard to believe, but it is true.

1 should add that at their 1984 Christmas concert, GBYSO played Stra­ vinsky's "Sacre du Printemps" ("Rite of Spring"). After the performance, their young Japanese conductor, still in his twenties, said that as far as he knew this was the first time that any high school orchestra, anywhere in the world, had ever played this phenomenally difficult piece . Not only did they play it, but they played it very well. It was a very exciting performance in its own right, and I hope that before long we will be able to offer a recording of it, on a record or cassette. Mean­ while here is a chance to hear these young musicians at work . The perfor­ mances are good enough to be worth hearing in their own right, but I think they might be especially inter­ esting and inspiring to other young

musicians.

By the way, if any youth orches­ tra in your area has made a record­ ing, please let us know about it, and send us a copy or tell us how we may get o ne - we would like to add other recordings of young musicians to our catalog .

KOKKONEN 4th SYMPHONY, performed by the Finnish~io Orch. under Okko Kamu ($11.98 + post). Adding this recording to our list is a bit of a gamble, or at least an innovation, since it has nothing to do with child­ ren or learning music. 1 am adding it simply because I think it is one of the most original and beautiful sym­ phonies written in this or indeed any century, and because I suspect that if you don ' t hear it about it through GWS you are not likely to hear about it at all. The late Sir Thomas Beech­ am said quite rightly that great music is music that penetrates the ear and sticks in the mind, and for me at least this has been such a piece of music. It does not sound like any other composer's music, and in that sense is completely original; but I find it none the less haunting­ Iv beautiful. .

Since it is a 20th century work, you may be ,,,ondering, how "modern" is it? If you don't like Stravinsky's FIREBIRD or PETROUCHKA, or Debussy ' s LA ~ER, or the symphonies of Sibelius or Mahler or Shostakovich, this will probably not be for you . On the other hand, if you like those works, and in addition, say, the Bartok CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA or Prokofiev's SYMPHONY #5, then I think there is a very good chance you will like the Kokkonen, which, though very different, is cer­ tainly not more dissonant or complica­ ted than these and perhaps a hair less so.

The other side of the record is his 2nd Symphony, written in 1961, ten years before he wrote his 4th . It is a fairly typical " modern" work, less harsh than most and very well

written for the orchestra, but (for me) without any of the extraordinary melodic quality of the later work .

Joonas Kokkonen is probably generally considered one of two of Finland's leading composers (the other being Aulis Sallinen) . He is 64 years old, and it seems to me that only in the last fifteen years or so has he found his true voice. Since 1971 he has also written a wonderful opera, THE LAST TEMPTATIONS, and two other very beautiful works, a cello concerto, the best recent one I have heard, and a work for chamber orchestra . If many of you try and like the 4th symphony, we will probably add these other recordings to our list . Meanwhile, if you like at least some of the symphon­ ic music of the 20th century, I urge you to try this lovely piece - which is, by the way, very well played and recorded; the Finnish Radio Orchestra is a world-class outfit and, just (rom the point of view of quality of sound, the Finns make some of the best recordings I have ever heard .

FOR CHILDREN, by Bela Bartok, performed by Zoltan Kocsis (2 record set, $19 . 96 + post). So many people have already ordered the written music of FOR CHILDREN that we have decided to add the record to our list, so that, as Dr . Suzuki so strongly recommends, people may be able to hear, and perhaps learn, what these often charming, sometimes strange little tunes sound like before they start trying to play them.

The tunes or songs are performed in the same order in which they appear in the book. The pauses be ­ tween them are long enough so that you can tell when one song ends and another begins, but on the surfaces of the record itself the bands be­ tween one recorded section and the next are narrow enough so that you may at first find it hard to know where on the record to put down the stylus (needle) in order to hear the song you want. However, as you become familiar enough with the tunes to know them by name, and to know their locations on the record, this should not be much of a problem .

The songs are performed by a young musician (born 1952), one of Hungary's most gifted and famous pianists, who at the age of 18 won the biggest nationa l piano competi­ tion and has been active on the con­ cert stage ever since. Since he is an expert on the music of Bartok, who in turn derived reuch of his own music from the authentic folk music of his country, we hear this music performed very much as the composer intended .

The album includes the words (in Hungarian) of many of the songs, and a brief commentary on the music, writ­ ten in Hungarian, English, French, German, and Russian . Classical record albums produced in Europe, particular­ ly operas, are places where you are fairly sure to find the same text written in several different lang­ uages, a small bonus added to the beautiful music . - JH

NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE HERE THE VILLAGE TREE, by Taro Yash­ ima (~5 + postl . This is a lovely story for young c h ildren about a tree, a special tree that grew by a river in the Village which was the childhood home of the author in Japan. The tree is very much a child­ ren's tree - to climb in, to play under, to jump into the water from, to meet friends by . The book has ve r y GROW I NG WITHOUT SCHOOL! NG #43

25 sof t -looking, colored illustrations that really involve the reader in the life of the children at the tree . We also get a little feeling for the Japan ese village life in the not-too­ distant past. A nice book for parents and children to enjoy together . It wil l probably remind a lot of us of special days in special places from our own childhoods . --- Mary Van Doren BLANCHE NEIGE ET LES SEPT NAINS [book & audio cassette~.98 + postl . In GWS #38 we wondered how ~e could obtain ch i ldren's storybook/ cassette combinations in foreign lang­ uages, since, as Barbara Stoutner writes elsewhere in this issue, lis­ tening to such tapes while looking at the pictures would seem be a very easy and natural way to pick up the language. Tips from readers led us to evaluate several such book/tape com­ binations, and the Walt Disney tapes from French Canada appeal to us the most so far . This version of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is the first we ' ll offer, and if it sells wel l we will add more titles later this year.

The tape uses a narrator with a pleasant and serious voice, and sever­ al different actors for characters.

One thing this tape has that other publishers did not put on theirs is a page - turning signal, always useful for non-reading children, and in this case for adults, too . Unlike some of the other publishers, the Walt Disney French books do not provide any Eng­ lish text - however, if it really makes a difference, the English book/ cassette is readily available.

There are pictures on every p age, scen es from the cartoon movie .

The text is not Mickey Mouse French, so to speak - it is not intended for foreigners trying to learn French, but simply to entertain French­ speaking children . Thus, the first two sentences read : 11 Y avait une fois une Reine tres belle qui brodait sa fenetre . " Comme je serais heureuse si j ' avais une petite fille'" pensait­ elle.

a

In a first-year French course you would be likely to learn only a few bits of this - " une fois," "tres belle, " "a sa fenetre," "une petite fille . " However, as the picture on the page shows a young woman in a long dress and crown, sitting by a cas t le wi ndow, with a needle in one hand and an embroidery hoop on her lap, the meaning of the first sen­ tence at least is clear.

There are some minor irrita­ t ions: for example, the next-to-the last picture shows the witch offering the poisoned apple to Snow White, and the f i nal picture, Snow White in the arms of the prince - all of the inter­ vening action being described in a few hasty paragraphs. But even though these book - tapes are not perfect, we thought it was important to start making t h em ava i lable to GWS readers, since they are hard-to-find and poten­ tially so valuable . Please let us k n ow how you and your children like t h em. - DR WHITEY'S NEW SADDLE, by Glen Rou nd s ($1 . 95 + po~nother in the fine series of stories (see GWS #37 for reviews of the first two) about a boy, about ten years old, who lives wi t h h is Uncle Torwa1 on a Western cattle ranch and does much of the work of a grown - up cowboy. In this story he d i sobeys his uncle ' s advice

GROWING WITHOU T SCHOO LING .43

and takes a chance that could very easily have cost him his life. But some luck and his own cool head and skill help him to survive, and then to find the cattle rustlers who stole his own personal steers . A good story about a boy whom many children might well envy for his easy access to the adult world and adult work . - JH THE SEVEN CRYSTAL BALLS, PRISON­ ERS or-THE SUN, and THE CALCUurrs--­ AFFAIR, by Herge (each $5 + post). ~ree more Tintin books, with the usual mixture of complicated plots, mysterious dangers, narrow escapes, sinister villains, lively action, slapstick humor, and wonder­ fully composed and detailed pictures, almost a thousand of them in each book, by one of the' finest artists, if not the finest, who has ever worked in this form. I would love someday, somewhere, to see an exhibit of some of the originals of these paintings .

The three books should be read in the order listed above, since PRISONERS OF THE SUN is an immediate sequel to THE SEVEN CRYSTAL BALLS, and (in Tintin time) THE CALCULUS AFFAIR happened later. Since these strips were first drawn in the 40's and 50 ' s, the cars and airplanes will look a little old fashioned to observ­ ant children who know about these things, though some young experts may have extra fun trying to identify some of the cars. - JH GOOD IMPRESSIO~S CATALOG ($2.00 + post) . A terrific collection of rub­ ber stamps that can be used to person­ alize and embellish your own corres­ pondence, labels, memos, etc . , or to illustrate work created with our Print Kit. The samples we have here in the office are very sturdy and secured to a wooden mount . You can get your stamp mounted flat or on a rocker; the latter eases the stamping of large images. The stamps are made from turn-of-the-centurv illustra­ tions: animals, flowers: people, objects, buildings, cars, trains, ornamental designs. Thev have amazing­ ly fine detail that is reproduced well by the deeply etched die made of specia I rubber .

The catalog is fun to browse through, not only for the pictures, but for the helpful hints on creating "a good impression, " care of your stamp, special effects. etc. One would think a rubber stamp is a sim­ ple tool, but these folks have ana­ lyzed the situation so much they sell a "Handbook for Stampers" as ,,Ie 1 1 ; you get this handbook for free with your first order [rom them. We won't be selling the stamps, just the cata­ log, so when you order from Good Impressions (or any other catalog we offer), be sure to tell them GWS sent you. - PF I NEVER SAW ANOTHER BUTTERFLY : Children ' s Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration carny 1942-1944, edited by Hana Vo1avkova $6 . 95 + post). This is a very powerful book of art and poetry by Jewish children in a Nazi "model camp," supposedly a show place for foreigners, but actual­ ly a waystation to Auschwitz and oth­ er death camps. Of the 15,000 child­ ren at Terezin, only 100 ever re­ turned home. From these works we get a clear and painful look at life in Terezin. We also see the indomitable spirit, the adaptability, and the will to live of these children . The selections were chosen from a large collection for their artistic merit .

It's difficult to give any more of an accurate description of this very strong book. In the editor's words, "These drawings and poems speak to us; these are the voices which have been preserved, the voices of remind­ er, of truth, of hope." - MVD THE OXFORD BOOK OF POETRY FOR

by Edwa rcr Bl~s h en, illustrated by Brian Wildsmith ($12 . 95 + post) . This is by far the best collection of poetry for child ­ ren that I have come across. I like it for two reasons . In the first place, many of the poems are old ­ ballads, folk songs, and the like.

For me, a great deal of more modern poetry written for children is too miniature or too cute . These old poems deal with big themes of love, death, mystery, theater . They are full of wonder, and the language has the weight and resonance of o l d organ music.

Second, the illustrations are astonishingly beautiful . Wildsmith is deservedly one of the most sought after among today's illustrators of children's books . He paints in broad strokes and vivid colo r s . I do n 't know of any book which gives so many of his illustrations for this price; indeed, I can hardly imagine how the publishers were able to give us so much beautiful color at such a price, unless of course they printed a very large run . In any case, the book would be very much worth having if only for the illustrations. Together with the splendid collection of poems, these should make a treasured addition to a child's bookshelf . - JH CHILD~ ed.

THIS IS THE WAY IT USED TO BE IN THE EARLY 1900 ' s, by Marjorie Kah l Lawrence ($4.50 + post). Here is another and delightful example of a kind of history book that we like here and that we think many children will like, a book about how ordinary people, that is people who were not rich, powerful, or famous, lived their daily lives . The author, who prepared this book for the Clinton County Museum in Frankfort, Indiana , in 1980, must have been quite old when she wrote it . She writes as if she was telling these true s t ories to children, and indeed probably did tell them to many children before she finally wrote them . In her introduc­ tion she says: ... This little book is a his ­ tory . It tells how things were in the early nineteen hundreds . That is not a hundred years ago, but it will be before long, and the people who lived it will not be here any longer to tell you how things were.

That is why I have prepared this book; to let you know how it was when I was a little child, so these things will not be forgotten. When you have lived a while, then you can begin telling how things were when you were little ... So, if you would like to hear about it, I will tell you what it was like to be a child early in the 1900's ...

The chapter titles suggest what an amazing amount of fascinating information there is in this little book . The Non-Urban Household ; Our House; A Schedule for the Week's Work; Rag Carpet; Those Darn Flies; Something to Eat; Bread and Butter; Making Butter ; The Garde n ; Taking Care of the Chickens; Going to the Store; Grandmothers Were Important; Grandfathers; Baby Clothes (a delight ­ ful chapter'); Being Sick; Horse

26 Power; Making Hay; Corn; Jelly and Jam; Quilts; and so on .

What an extraordinary amount of t hings those country people knew how t o do, and do well, and what pride, satisfaction, and happiness they obvi­ ous l y go t [rom doing them. There are very few of today ' s commercial farms on which families raise and preserve much of their own food, or even know how. But these skills are slowly com­ i ng back, of t en due to people who have moved away [rom cities. With luck, the skills will not be lost.

Mrs. Lawrence, from the sound of her voice as we hear it in this book, is a wonderful old lady - a little tart, not inclined to stand for much nonsense, but full of knowledge, enthusiasm, and affection. She obvi­ ously enjoyed life when she was a child, and she obviously enjoys it now. Lucky are the children who had or have such lively and knowing grand­ mothers to listen to and learn from.

For many, this book, idea L for read­ ing aloud, will have to be the best possible substitute . - JH SHAWNO, by George Dennison Over the years, dogs and their relationships with people have inspired many fine books, of which I have read all I could get my hands on. This new one, by the author of THE LIVES OF CHILDREN, is the most truest and most beautiful I have ever read, the one that gets closest to t he essence of what dogs, as a spe­ cies and as individuals, are really like . It is also - and here it is taken closely from life - about peo­ ple, in particular people living in a once lively and thriving but now de­ caying town in a decaying countryside .

I can think of no better wav to convey the astonishing power, beauty, and depth of feeling of this book than to quote Dennison ' s first (as we r ead the book) encounter with his dog. ($10~post) .

... Abruptly 1 heard and saw him, and though no creature is more fam­ iliar to me, more likelv to be taken for granted, I was thrilled to see him again, and gladdened, more than gladdened, filled for a moment with the complex happiness of our relationship that is both less than human and utterly human.

Certainly I was made happy by his show of love for me . .. 1 leaned for­ ward and called to him and clapped my hands, and he accelerated, arch­ ing his throat and running with more gusto . He ran with a powerful driving stride that was almost that of a greyhound, and as he neared ~e he drew back his lips, arched his throat still more and let out a vol­ ley of ecstatic little ~. This sound was so puppyish, ana his ensu­ ing behavior so utterly without dig­ nity, so close to fawning slavish­ ness that one might have contemned him for it, except that it was so extreme, so extreme that there was no hint of fawning, and certainly not of cringing, but the very oppo­ site; great confidence and securi­ ty, into which there rose up an ecstasy he could not contain and could not express rapidly enough to diminish, so that for a while he seemed actually to be in pain . I had to help him, had to let him lick ~y face protractedly and press his paws into my shoulders. And as sometimes happens in such early morning solitudes, there came over me a sense of the briefness of life, and of my kinship with all these other creatures who would soon be dead, and I almost spoke

aloud to my dog: how much it mat­ ters to be alive together' how mar­ velous and brief our lives are' and how good it is, dear one that you are, to have the wonderful strange passion of your spirit in my 1 i[e' ...

Are your children learning to THINK Give them games and activities that challenge THINKING IS FUN! 1920 Winterberry, Fort Coll ns CO 80526

How could one say more than that? But he savs much more. This short book has the content, the weight, the resonance of a large novel, and indeed it shames most of the novels now being written, which seem as I read or read about them to be mostly about spiritual pygmies.

Dennison later describes some men running through snowy woods to help a neighbor who has had a stroke:

HOMESCHOOLERS' REQUEST! 1-2~ months learning activities packets in specific subject areas, reasonably priced. Out l ines of school curricu ­ lum objectives.K-6.More information se nd $1 to: LEARNING AT HOME, Box 270-G Honaunau HI 96726

.. . Something priceless was visi­ ble in their faces, and T have been moved cy the recollection of it again and again . It was the puri­ fied, electric look of whole­ hearted response. The men came run­ ning toward us vigorously, lifting their knees in the snow and swing­ ing their arms, and that unforgetta­ ble look has on their faces . . .

HOME SCHOOLING from Prof. Baer School. Flexi ­ bility, low cost. Send S.A.S . E. 245 Gruene Rd., New Braunfels, Tx. 78130. (512) 629-3372 .

FROG MOUNTAIN SOFTWARE offers the most creative software to GWS readers at substantial dis ­ counts from normal retail prices - all major programs avai l able. This issue we recommend 3 imaginative home school -tested programs, all with excellent graphics, that expand with your children: DELTA DRAWING (age 4-adult) & ROCKY'S BOOTS (age 7- adult) for IBM, APPLE & others: retail 550 GWS readers $40 & READER RABBIT (age 5-7) IBM, APPLE: retail $40 GWS $32. Write for our other recommendations for non-violent qual ­ ity software for all ages or for specific pro­ gram you wish. Send check for retail price minus 20 + $1.50 for shipping to FROG MOUN ­ TAIN SOFTWARE, 1442A Walnut St #227, Berkeley CA 94709

Whole-hearted response to life, all too rare in the supposed Lv ad­ vanced societies of our times~ is what this lovely book is filled with, and is about. It may well become and should become a classic . I urge yOU not to miss it. - JH

CHILDREN'S RECORDINGS Free catalog of hard-to­ find records and tapes has award-winning music, stories, songs, poetry, top recording artists .

Write: CHILDREN'S RECORDINGS, PO Eox 1343, Dept. H, Eugene, OR 97440 .

ORDER INFORMATION

Brother EP -20 (GWS #33) for sale . New . $105. L. Weiss Rt8 Bx167, Eville IN 47711; 812-867-5603.

New postage c~orgr 1, 2, or 3 items or more, 40c per except records: SI. . item. Postage for records: $1 for 1, add 50c for each additiona~ Overseas surface mail : 1, 2, or 3 items, Sl.20; 4 or more, 50c per ltem.

Mass. residents, add 5 sales tax .

Make check (US bank) or money order for books, reprints, records, tapes, instruments, and art materials payable to HOLT ASSOCIATES, INC. Payment for subscriptions, ads, T-shirts, the YOUNG CHILDREN supplement, and back issues of GWS should be made out separately to GROW­ ING WITHOUT SCHOOLING. CORRECTION: The HEARING PROTECTORS that we se 11 in our cata 1og (the kind John has used for years) are rated for 20 decibel noise level, not 30 db.

We are no longer able to obtain inexpen­ sive cellos. Until good quality, cheap cellos can be found, we will refund any orders.

On request, we will photocopy and mail the GWS review of any item in our catalog.

Send 50c plus a S.A.S.E. for one; add 25tt for each addit i ona 1 .

For a copy of our latest catalog, send us a self-addressed stamped envelope.

WHEN YOU WRITE US

Please - (1) Put separate items of busi­ ness on separate sheets of paper. (2) Put your name and address at the top of each letter.

(3) If you ask questions, enclose a self­ addressed stamped envelope. (4) Tell us if it's OK to publish your letter, and whether to use your name with the story.

WANT ADS Rates for ads: 55 per 1i ne (up to 47 spaces).

Pl ease tell these folks you saw the ad in GWS .

- -- -- ------------- - ------- - --------------- - ---FOR.LANG.TAPES THE LEARNABLES - Span. Ger. Fr. Eng. & Russian taught by audlo-picture system .

From GWS #31 " . . . promotes the fastest learn­ ing ... most enjoyable." Also excel. Eng . read­ ing prog available. From International Linguis­ tics, 401 W89th St, Kansas City MO 64 114 - - --- ------ --- ----------------- -- -- - - - - - - ------

Childcare: Edison,NJ weekdays, 7am-5pm 287-5335

Curriculum guides K-6 S5 each. Helps you know what concepts to teach or if your child is a­ head/behind public schoo l. Many resource ideas.

S.Ashcroft 13 Gloucester Ct, Mt.Holly, NJ 08060 Man,40,nature-loving atheist,intense&articulate thinker,goodwithhands,fit nonsmoker stilldreams of somewhat similar woman of child-bearing age to share in planning/homeschoo l ing large rural fam.-mylife's purpose.Bill,Boxl153,Wash.DC20013 BOOKS ON HOME EDUCATION

Here is a list of all books on home­ schoo 1i ng ~/e know about. The * means we se 11 the book here at Holt Assoclates (see "Order TriTormatlon"). Other books should be available from addresses shown , though prices may have changed.

The Carota Family, MOMENTS IN AWARENESS, Or, After 35 Years of HometOucatTCin~~ Box 6, Summerslde, P:t.!., Canada .

Mary Kay Clark . CATHOLIC HOME SCHOOLING .

52 . 55 . Christendom Publlcatlons, Rt 3 Box 87, Front Royal VA 22630. 32 pages. 1983. * John Holt. TEACH YOUR OWN. Dell Pub ­ lishing Co. $8.95 + posta~og-pages. 1981. * Joan Hunter, Ed. PETERSON ' S INDEPEN ­ DENT STUDY CATALOG . High SChoo l , col lege, and graarcourses . $5.95 + post. 114 pages. 1983 -85 Edition .

Patricia Joudry, AND THE CHILDREN PLAYED. Now out of print.

-----Ingeborg U.V. Kendall, SCHOOL AT HOME : Teach Your Own Child. l.C . E.R. Press. 180 pages. 1982. * Kate Kerman. SHOULD I TEACH MY KIDS AT HOME? $4 + postage . 4-gpage5 . 1983 .

- - * Kerman, WHO DOES WHAT WHEN : Curricu lum and Record Plannlng ln the Rome SGhoo l. $2 .~ + post. 28 pages. 1982.

Dick and Joyce Kinmont, AMERICAN HOME ACADEMY: Journal of a Private Rome School . $6.70 . 2770 S 1000 W, ~~~ * Maire Mullarney, ANYTHING SCHOOL CAN DO, YOU CAN DO BETTER. $5.95 + postage. Arlen Rouse Pub il shers. 128 pages. 1983.

Raymond and Dorothy Moore, HOME GROWN KIDS . $10. Hewitt Research Foundatlon, PO Box ~ashougal WA 98671. 1981.

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #43

27 Moore, HOME SPUN SCHOOLS. SID. Hewitt Research Foundatlon (address above). 181 pages. 1982.

Moore, SCHOOL CAN WAIT. 510. Hewitt Research Foundatlon (address above). 281 pages. 1979.

Moore, BETTER LATE THAN EARLY. 58.00.

Hewitt Research Foundatlon (address above).

1975. * Mario Pagnoni . THE COMPLETE HOME EDUCATOR. Larson Publications. $10.95 + post . ~ pages. 1984.

Dr. G. Howard Poteet, THERE'S A SCHOOL IN YOUR MAILBOX. $5.00 . National Home Study ~~8th St NW, Washington DC 20009.

1979. * Donn Reed, THE FIRST HOME-SCHOOL CATALOGUE. Brook Farm Books. 510 + post. 232 pages. 1982 .

Frank Turano, THE NEED TO BE FREE: The Fight for Home Educatlon. Rev~dltlon. $5.00. Modern Medla Publishers, PO Box 299, Provo UT 84601.

Theodore E. Wade, Jr. THE HOME SCHOOL MANUAL. 318 pages. 515.50 . Gazelle Pu~ tlons, 5580 Stanley Dr, Auburn CA 95603. 1984.

Theodore E. Wade, Jr., Dorothy Moore, & Richard Bumstead, SCHOOL AT HOME: How Parents Can Teach Their Own Chlldren. $6.70. Gazel Ie Publlcatlons (address above). 1980. * Nancy Wallace, BETTER THAN SCHOOL. Larson Publications. 514.95 + post. 256 pages.

1983 . * John Whitehead &Wendell Bird. HOME EDUCATION &CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTIES. S~ + post. Crossway Books. 143 pages. 1984.

Darcy Williamson, SCHOOL AT HOME: An Alternative to the Public School System.

S7.95. Maverlck Publlcatlons, Drawer-5U07, Bend DR 97701. 1979.

MK 147DQ, England; Brownies, horse-riding, animals --- Tammy-BARRICK (12) 20806 94th St E, Sumner WA 98390; swimming, reading, hair-styling -- - Anne BERRY (11) Rt 1 Box 55, Johnstown NE 69214; music, stickers, penpals --Cory FISHER (9) 843 Oneida Tr, Jamestown OH 45335; sports, nature, rocketry --- Sara MAlURI (6) PO Box 125, Pleasant Valley CT 06063; cooking, stuffed animals --- ALEXANDER, PO Box 7, Charlotte VT 05445: Jessica (6) stickers, rollerskating, music; Chuckie (5) matchbox cars, animals --- STALLINGS, Box 165, RD 4, Easton PA 18042: Benjamin (11) karate, reading, soccer; Jenny (9) cooking, calligraphy, reading; William (8) reading, fishing, carpentry --- Richard ROSE (8) 3817 Island Home Pk, Knoxville TN 37920; crafts, bikes, tree-climbing --- Amanda GERHART (8) 2420 S Placita Hohokam, Tucson AZ 85746; horses, reading, cooking

BRITTON (Daniel 6, Michael 4, Elizabeth 2) 10368 Kenyon Ct, Riverside 92505 --- George & Donna MILLER (Jennifer 4) 35591 Ave B, Yucaipa 92399 --- Phil & Nanci PATTON (Tad 15, Loyetta 13) PO Box 313, Ramona 92065 --- Kathy RILLING (Shane 5, Evan 1) 192 Valley Rd, Oak View 93022 --- Linda & DeWitt RUSSELL, 5423 Annie Laurie Ln, Bonita 92002 -- - Vicki WOOD (Ooug­ las 4, Briann 2) PO Box 491, Yucaipa 92399 CA: North (Zips 94000 & up) - Margaret & Michael ARIGHI (Louis 5, William 2) 6015 Mauri­ tania Av, Oakland 94605 -- - Adrienne NEWMAN (Damodara 14, Govinda 9, Nimai 7, Syama 5, Jayananda 4) 980 E 7th St, Chico 95926 (change) --- Sharon & Steven PLYLER (Jeremi/80, Jennah/ 83) 14906 Donner Dr, San Jose 95124 --- Linda & John SCHMIDT (Monica 9, David 4, Steven 2) 1214 Auburn Dr, Davis 95616 --- William & Pat ­ ricia SCHWARZ (Jennifer 2) 2128 Vallejo St #3, San Francisco 94123 FL - Jan & Charlotte McCANN (Michael 10, Sarah ~ Katy 7, Polly 5, Mary Margaret 3, Robbie 2, David/84) 7149 Fitzpatrick Ln, Jackson ville 32218 --- Billy & Fran SPARKS (Stephen 11) 1127 Gerona Av, Deltona 32725 (change) GA - Robert & Peggy TRUETT (Joshua/81, Isaac/SJ) 8137 Tyree Rd, Whitesburg 30185 HI - Tim & Kim BRIGHAM (Jobie/76, Jenica /77, Jory/79) 4701 Kawaihau Rd #36, Kapaa, Kauai 96746 (change) --- HAWAII HOMESCHOOLERS ASSOCIATION, PO Box 591, Hanalei, Kauai 96714 --- Monica McCAULEY (Marcellus/80, Peony/84) PO Box 1071, Hanalei, Kauai 96714 --- Michael & Karla ROWAN (Keoni/82, Makana/84) PO Box 1001, Hanalei, Kauai 96714 --- William & Deb­ bie WONG (Megan/78, Keola/80, Kona/82, KaiNoah/83) 4633 Apopo Rd, Kapaa, Kauai 96746 10 - Orlando &Bonnie GONZALES (Michael 13, Matthew 10) THE LEARNING CONNECTION OF IDAHO, HCOI Box 70-E, White Bird 83554 IL - John & Lois DOLL (Sarah 6, Mandy 4) 1515 MaTn St, Crete 60417 --- Van & Sue RADOSTI, 2814 Townway, Danville 61832 (change) IN - Crystal CARTMELL (Skyler/78, Jerod/ 82, LaKe/84) 5931 E St Rd 46, Bloomington 47401 --- Tom & Andrea DAVIDSON (Tommy/75, Andrew/76) 133 WJefferson Av, Chesterton

46304 --- EAST CENTRAL INDIANA HOME EDUCATORS ,

Rt 1, Daleville 47334 (change) --- Sherry &

Dick HAMSTRA (Jamie 7, Joey 5, Katie/84) 2723

Pomona Ct, Indianapolis 46268 (change)

KY - Ruth McCUTCHEN (0 15, R 13, All)

3310 ITTinois Av, Louisville 40213 (change) --- Gary & Linda TEETS (Geoffrey 13, Denise 12) 924 Todd St, Columbia 42728 ME - David & Karen DETTERMAN (Brook/76, Andrea778, Shawman/81, Emily/84) PO Box 450, Kennebunkport 04046 --- Donald & Linda WISMER (Sarah 5) PO Box 207, Kents Hill 04349 (change) MA - Diane COFFEY (Matthew/78) 5 Susan Dr, HOPKinton 01748 (change) --- David & Camille FCSTER (Daniel 8, Rachel 7, Nathan 4, Laura 2, Emily 1) 20 Cetrina Dr, Marlboro 01752 --- Karen & Richard FRANKLIN (Adam/77, Jessica/80, Christopher/83) 26 Noyes St, Need -

ADD ITIO NS TO DIRECTORY Here are the additions and changes that have come in since the complete Directory was printed in "42.

Our Directory is not a list of all subscribers, but only of those who ask to be listed, so that other GWS readers, or other lnter ested people, may get in touch with them. If you would like to be included, please send us the information.

Please tell us if you would rather have your phone number and town listed instead of a mailing address.

If a name in a GWS story is followed by an abbreviation in parentheses, that person is in the Directory (check here and in =42). We are happy to forward mai 1 to TIiOse .,hose addresses are not in the Directory (mark the outside of the envelope with name/description, ~and page number).

ADDITIONS TO RESOURCES When you send an address change for a Complete Resource Lists are in GWS =42. subscription, please remind us if you are in Certified Teachers willing to help home- the Directory, so we can change it here, too. sChoolers: Margaret ARIGHt, 6015 Maurltanla Av, Oakland CA 94605; 415-635-5098; K-12 --AL - Charles & Lee Anne LYNN, BIRMINGHAM Ruth BOTHNE, 17355 Melody Ln, Los Gatos CA SUPPORr-GROUP, Rt 4 Box 29-C, Trussville 35173 95030; 408-353-3620 --- Rebecca BICKNELL, PROS- --- Ed & Sharon PANGELINAN, PARENTS FOR EOUCAPERITY SPRINGS SCHOOL, Rt 1 Box 221, Anderson TIONAL AWARENESS, PO Box 1688, Decatur 35602 IN 46011; Spec Ed & Deaf Ed AK - Elaine FENTON (Tzeitel 11, Tasha 10) Gen-Del, Kotzebue 99752 --- Jeff & Debbie TURKINGTON (Jaron 4, Jorai 1) PO Box 3534, SolThese former organizations are to be deletea-rrom our Resource L1StS: CALIFORNIA dotna 99669 ~UCATION CLEARINGHOUSE --- ASSIST (Ten­ AZ - PHOENIX SPECIAL PROGRAMS INC, 3132 WClarendon, Phoenix 85017 --- VENTANA OPEN nessee) --- ALTERNATIVES IN EDUCATION (WV) SCHOOL, 825 N 3rd Av, Tucson 85705 (change) AR - Mary COWAN (T . J. 10, Nathan 7, Josh-Paul 4, Jake 3) Rt 9 Box 93-0, Jonesboro PEN PALS WAN TED 72401 --- Elizabeth & John HILLBRANO (Rose 9, Children Who Want Pen Pals should send Anna 5, Selena 3) 8ass 72612 us name, age, address, and 1-3 words on interCA: South (Zips to 94000) - Karen & ests - Marie ZIPFEL (8) 535 Enfield Ctr Rd, Bruce BAKER (Aron 7, Ben 5) 12568 Bryant St, Ithaca NY 14850; reading, cooking, art --Yucaipa 92399 (change) --- Kevin & Judy r ___ _ Charlie CURBO (girl, 8) Box 584, Lorenzo TX 79343; animals, rollerskating, music - - - Mary BROWN (10) Box 363, Lorenzo TX 79343; reading, I music, swimming --- Louis ARIGHI (5) 6015 I,aur- RENEWALS itania Av, Oakland CA 94605; dolls, music, com- I puter -- - PATTON, PO Box 313, Ramona CA n065: I On the reverse side of this page is a form you can use to renew Tad (15) computers, fishing, games; Loyetta your subscription. Please help us bv renewing early.

(13) music, stickers, animals --- Damae How can you tell when your subscription expires? Look at this

JONGKIND (8) RR 2, Southview Rd, Powell River sample label:

BC Canada V8A 4Z3; Barbies, reading, bee-keep­

ing~AVIOSON, 133 WJefferson Av, Chester- I

ton IN 46304: Tommy (9) reading, writing, 0&0;

Andrew (8) sports, animals, space --- ANDREW,

12345 661 Billow Dr, San Diego CA 92114: Karen (9) JIM 8 1"ARY JO"ES CampFire, horses, dancing; Sarah (6) CampFire, I 27 01 44 guinea-pigs, Piggle-Wiggle --- Joshua WHITE 16 MAli\ ST (8) 10201 Adams Rd, Galena OH 43021; nature, PLAI"VILU:: i\Y Ollll G. !.Joe, cats --- Kai HALEY (12) 645-62nd St, Oakland CA 94609; skiing, horses, M.Z.Bradley --- STENERSEN, 11823 NE 212th Av, Brush Prair- I ie WA 98606: Sam (9) camping, reading, bicyc­ The number that is underlined in the sample tells the number of ling; Kevin (12) forts, reading, animals --­ the final issue for the subscription. The Jones' sub expires with Issue REILLY, 157 Webster Ct, Newington CT 06111: #44, the next issue. But if we were to receive their renewal before we Maura (6) bears, dancing, horses; Bridget (3) sent our final account changes to the mailing house (early April), bears, dancing, books --- OETTERMAN, PO Box they would qualify for the free bonus issue.

450, Kennebunkport ME 04046: Brook (8) read­ Renewal rates are the same as Eor new subscriptions: SIS for 6 ing, science, sports; Andrea (6) travelling, issues, 527 for 12 issues, $36 [or 18 issues. If that number in the reading, piano --- Heather CANNABY (8) 117 third line of your label is 43, 44, 45, etc, please renew now - rates Cl eavers Av, Connibarow, Milton Keynes, Bucks will never get any cheaper .

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING =43

28 ham 02192-1818 (change) --- John & Carolyn JORDAN (A1ex/75) Phone 617-529-6246, Upton Gus & Beatrice MEDEIROS (Betty-Ann 5) 146 Irving St, Fall River 02723 --.- Ron & Susan OSTBERG (Emi 1y 9, E1 i zabeth 6,' Chri stopher 3, Mary 1) Box 246, Harvard 01451 MI - Nick & Carolyn NELSON (Cati / 75, Nicho1as/79, Nathanae1/83) 433 Cherry St, S Haven 49090 MN - TEACH, 4350 Lakeland Av, N Robbins­ dale 5~22 --- WESLEY ACADEMY, 9825 Aquila Rd, Bloomington 55438 MS - Robert ALLEN, MISSISSIPPI HOME SCHOOLrRS ASSOCIATION, 119 Bryant St, Ocean Spgs 39564 MO - Steve & Ellen MICHEL (Patrick 6, Mandy ET 611 Roberts, Washington 63090 NY - BUFFALO HOMESCHOOLERS, 573 South St, E NUrora 14052 --- Karen & Mike BUSCH (Richie 9, Morningstar 7) 5077 Federal Rd, Hem­ lock 14466 (change) --- Skip & Barbara GUERIN (Joshua 11, Elizabeth 3) 2105 Westside Av, Schenectady 12306 --- Terry & Vinc SCHOMMER (Adam 5, Joseph 2) 30 N Main St, Monroe 10950 --- Gerry & Rosemary WEINBERG (Jonathan 3) 335 Barton Av, Patchogue 11772 OH - Mark & Dolly FISHER (Cory 9, Audrey 3, Sterany 1) 843 Oneida Tr, Jamestown 45335 OR - The CHERSONSKY (LYNCH) Family, PO Box 99~Se1ma 97538 --- Steve &Kay GOODSELL (Kim 11, Kelly 8, Lindsay 5) 8121 SW Seminole Trail, Tualatin 97062 (change) --- Steve & Debie GURZI, 15201 Hoerster Ln, Rogue River 97537 --- Anna QUINN-SMITH (Kristin 14) 2338 NE 15th, Portland 97212 (change) --- Leslie REDPATH (August/76, Brooke/78) Rt 2 Box 113-A, Monroe 97456 --- Sally SHUMAKER (Echo / 78, Jasper/81, MarVi/83) PO Box 895, Port Orford 97465 --- Gay1a & Richard SLATTON (Cord 3) 2729 SE Malcolm, Milwaukie 97222 PA - Linnette & Jeff GANAPOSKI (A1ia / 76, Kagan(7g, Mica / 84) 85 Dillon St, Wilkes-Barre 18705 (change) --- Adam LEVINE, 507 Woodland Ter, Philadelphia 19104 (change) --- Anne & William O'BRIEN (John 6, Catherine 2) 1342 Monk Rd, Gladwyne 19035 SC - HOME SCHOOLERS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 138 Jean Wells Dr, Goose Creek 29445 (change) TN - Janie & Butch ROSE (Richard / 76, Christopher/78, Danie1/81, Ho11y / 83) 3817 Island Home Pk, Knoxville 37920 TX - Vicki DENNIS (Matthew/79, Andrew / ­ 84) PO~ox 67, Gorman 76454 --- Bob & Paula SINGLETON (Stephanie 4, Jordan/84) 507 Aqua Dr, Dallas 75218 UT - Ken & Laurie HUFFMAN, 160 S 600 East, )a1t Lake City 84102 (change) VT - Seajay & Steve BRICK (Zachorayia / 83) POtlox 217, Warren 05674 --- Ce1ine CLARK (Ben 8) RD 1 Box 810, Starksboro 05487 --- Mar­ tha OSMUN (Meadow 8) RD 1, Bristol 05443 --Jean SHARP (Adair 8) 2590 Shaker Hill, Starks­ boro 05487 --- Patti & Greg SMITH (Jenni11e 6, Eli 4, Ash1eigh 2, Averi / 84) PO Box 7, Char­ lotte 05445

VA - Jennifer SEIP, Rt 2 Box 113-B, when they were printed, and we do not plan to Floyd 24091 (change) --- Ed & Linda WILHELM repeat the information in them.

Our rates for back issues: any combina­ (Bob 10, David 7, Mark 5) Rt 1 Box 30-C, Floyd tion of back issues, mailed at one time to one 24091 (change) WA - Linda & Leonard GOOD (Nancye 17) PO address, cost 75¢ per issue, plus $2 . For exam­ ple, GWS 11-42 would cost $33.50. (42 x 75¢ is Box 13~ Langley 98260 --- Peter & ~egan $31.50. $31.50 + $2 = $33.50.) These rates are NORDLUND (Phi10 / 77, Asiyih / 84) 916 Blue Heron for subscribers only; non-subscribers pay Rd, Bow 98232 --- Margaret TOFTE (Jesse 4, $2.50 per lssue.

Erin 2) PO Box 1299, Oroville 98844 An index to GWS #1-30 is also available WI - CHRISTIANS FOR FREEDOM IN EDUCATION IN "ISrITNSIN, PO Box 86, Neillsville 54456 --­ for $2.50.

Peter D'AGOSTINO & Linda HUGDAHL (Devon 4) Address chanaas: If you're moving, let us know your new a ress as soon as possible.

6027 Sunva11ey Pkwy, Oregon 53575 (change) Please enclose a recent label (or copy of WY - Susan SWAN (Fraser 5, Erin 3) Box one) . Issues missed because of a change in 278, Green River 82935-0278 (change) address may be replaced for $2 each.

Group subscriptions: all copies are CANADA ---ALTA - Lynn & David MIDDLETON (Andrew mailed to one address. Here are the current 14, Jonathan 11, Benjamin 7, Katie 4) 11415-43 group rates (lX means you get one copy of each Av, Edmonton T6J OY2 (change) issue, 2X means you get 2 copies of each BC - Frank & Helen CAVE (Ruth 11, Margar­ issue, 3X means 3 copies, etc.): et 9, Diar1a 6) 23 Ch'ancellor Av, Victoria V82 1 year 2 yrs.

3 yrs.

1R1 (change) 6 iss.

12 iss.

18 iss.

NB - Mary Ann COLEMAN, RR 4, Sussex --­ $36 Susan PITMAN & Paul JACQUES, RR 3, Norton EOG 1X 515 $27 2NO $20 $34 $45 2X ONT - Karen DIXON (Caroline 5) 143 Ber­ ner TralT, Scarborough M1B 1B5 (change) --­ 3X $45 $67.50 525 Mary & Alex MOLNAR (Nicholas 10, Emily 7, Rach­ 4X $30 $60 $90 e 1 4, Martha 1) 23 Di 11 St, Ki tchener N2L 1L2 QUE - Sue & Tony BEAUREGARD (Gunnar / 77, 5X ~37.50 $75 $112.50 Frieda]7g, Lief / 84) Gen Del, Como JOP lAO --­ $45 $90 $135 Pat WALSH & Stephen MORRISSEY (Jake 6) 4359 Rt 6X 138, RR 2, Huntingdon JOS 1HO 7X, 8X, etc: $7.50 per person per year.

OTHER LOCATIONS - BRISBANE HOME SCHOOLING

GROUP, 148 Henson Rd, Salisbury 4107, Austra­ lia --- Brian & Miriam COOK (Tomas 3) rnemTn EaStidasse, 06550 La Roquette sur Siagne, France - -- Suzanne & Richard ALEJANDRE (Niko ~ 6) Artesa de Segre, 3, 08022 Barcelona Spain SU BSCRIPTIONS

Our current policy starts all subscrip­ tions with the next issue published. Rates are: $15 for 6 issues, 527 for 12 issues, 536 for 18 issues. GWS is published every other month. A single issue costs $2.50.

For all subs or orders of GWS (not books), please send check or money orDers pay­ able to GROWING WI THOUT SCHOOLING. Foreign payments must be either money orders~funds or checks drawn en US banks. We can't dfford to accept personal checks on Canadian accounts, even if they have "US funds" written on them . Outside of North America, add $10 per year for airmail (other­ wise, allow 2-3 months for surface mail ).

Bac, issues: We strongly urge you to get the back lssues of GWS, especially if you plan to take your children out of school. Many of the articles are as useful and important as

Please send in the names and addresses of members of your group sub, so that we can keep in touch with them. Thanks.

Editors - John Holt & Donna Richoux Managing Editor - Patrick Farenga Subscriptions & Books - Steve Rupprecht Ross Campbell Office Assistant - Mary Van Doren Co yri ht Holt Associates, Inc.

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RENEWAL FORM Use this form to renew or extend your subscription to GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING. Place the label from a recent issue below, if possible. If not, print the info. Thanks.

Account Number:

Name:

Expirati on code:

Address (Change? Yes/No):

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City, State, Zip:

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YES, PLEASE EXTEND MY SUBSCRIPTION FOR: 6 issues, 515

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18 issues, 536

issues, $_ _ (see chart)

(Clip and send with your check or money order in U.S. funds to: GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING, 729 Boylston Street, Boston MA 02116.)

GROWING WITHOUT SCHOOLING #43