LETTERS: Home-schooling defended
To the Editor:
I felt compelled to write after reading the article in the Jan. 2 Marion County Record. I am frequently asked why I home school. I find it the easiest question to answer. Although there are many reasons, the foremost is that we wanted to provide the best education. Superintendent Gerald Henderson is aiming for only adequate. Webster's dictionary defines adequate as: able to satisfy a requirement suitable, barely satisfactory or sufficient. That is not good enough for me. I want more than mediocrity for my children, don't you?
Most of the area home school families have declined to use the public schools for testing. Many of the families in the area association do test their children. Until QPA, most public schools tested and filed the results. With the recent scandals involving the testing, how effective are these tests in evaluating students. I don't know of any situation where a child has repeated a grade after standardized testing. What was the purpose of testing? Should only home-schooled children entering the public system be placed according to tests?
We should be concerned about children who are not being taught and prepared to go on. Our concern should not be limited to only home school students. In October 2000, 10.9 percent of young adults, 16-24, in the United States were not enrolled in a high school program and had not completed high school. Adequate should not be enough. Parents must be accountable for their children's education in the system or at home. It is proven that children succeed when parents are involved.
Superintendent Demitry Evancho was quoted as saying, "School is more than academics, we need to learn how to interact and deal with others." I never worry about how our home-schooled children will behave in a group setting. Kids in the public system learn from other children. That does not guarantee good "social skills."
Whether it is with their peers, younger children or adults, most home-schooled children have been taught to treat others with respect and kindness. They are taught how to behave by the adults around them. I wonder if Mr. Evancho or any of the other superintendents have attended a function with a group of home schooled children or talked to an adult who has shared their time teaching at a coop or activity with the area home-school association. I think they would find that our children are not lacking in social skills. Many of the children are also involved with Cub/Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, and are active in their churches. They also have the flexibility and desire to volunteer some of their extra time to help at area nursing homes.
There is more to a well-rounded education then reading, writing, and arithmetic. Home school children can focus on their education. They do not have to worry about peer pressure or peer ranking. They can build a good foundation in those three subjects and find success in their future. The class sizes and the teacher to student ratio is not a concern in a home setting. I don't know any area home schools with a 24-1 ratio. One-on-one teaching is always better than learning in a large group. Many home school students that return to the public school are often at the top of their class. Home school students rank high nationally and are often winners of the national spelling bees and geography bees.
Melissa Stuchlik
Lincolnville
