Yes

by Larraine Bishop

Created on: September 21, 2008

I find that many misconceptions exist about homeschools. Many opinions are based on how traditional schooling works. Many parents teach homeschool without a degree with great success.

The question before us is: "Should parents without a degree teach homeschool?" My first question is what type of degree is this question talking about? For the sake of this article I will address it from the perspective that it is talking about a teaching degree.

1. The first misconception is that a child can not obtain an excellent education from a teacher who does not have a teaching degree.

Keep in mind that a teaching degree is built around traditional school. One only needs to talk to parents who homeschool that have a teaching degree. I homeschooled for ten years in three different states in the United States. I homeschooled in Florida, Kentucky, and Michigan. During this period of time I worked directly with people who headed up homeschooling groups. Most of the leaders of these groups were and are certified teachers. Within these homeschooling groups are not only a good amount of certified teachers but also college professors. I was shocked that over the years every single certified teacher related to me that when they chose to homeschool, they had to throw out most of the concepts of education and relearn how to work with children. A person without a degree does not have to "unlearn" areas that do not work for homeschooling. Teaching at home can not go forward until the student goes forward. The teacher must stop when a student struggles instead of moving ahead with the lesson plan. This forces the educator to sometimes dig deep to learn and then teach a concept. Sometimes books need to be changed, teaching aids must be added, or a tutor brought in. This is not to say that a teaching degree does not fill a need, it just means that homeschooling approaches learning from a different perspective than what is taught in college to teachers.

2. The second misconception is that there is no monitoring of the homeschooled child's educational progression.

a. Many states have laws governing homeschooling. Some states require that a child must fulfill the grade requirements each year to continue to be homeschooled. In other states you may find a truant officer on your doorstep if there is even a hint that the child is not on grade level or someone reports that your child is not in regular school. In these states a homeschooler needs to have a clear alliance with a backup school. Even in states where the law is lenient toward homeschoolers you will find on a whole that the homeschooling community does an excellent job of monitoring itself. The homeschooling community takes homeschooling very serious and values a good reputation. When you are homeschooling people everywhere in daily life including family, neighbors, friends, and the general public all know if you are homeschooling. This is a very hard thing to hide.

b. Most homeschooling children are tested. In our group the children are tested using the Stanford Achievement Test every other year. This is considered to be one of the best tests for evaluation in the United States. The test is administered in classrooms by certified teachers. Parents were not coached on what to teach so that students do not have a head start for good test scores. The tests are sealed and sent to the evaluation center by the certified teachers. On a whole most children taking the test, test out a grade level or two above their grade level. Very few parents are certified teachers or have a college degree. Most parents who homeschool put a lot of effort into teaching. While this test is voluntary, I can not recall even one parent not having their child take the tests in our group.

3. The third misconception is that the child is only taught by the parent.

While there are exceptions to the rule, most families that homeschool are a part of a homeschooling group. Over the years these groups have grown in number and sophistication. What used to be a few mothers gathering together to compare notes are now well developed groups that involve many facets of education. In our local city, one group alone services 350-400 families with over 1,000 children. I have listed just a few of the offerings from a typical homeschool group.

a. Sports: Homeschooling groups have sports teams which include baseball, volleyball, basketball, flag and tackle football, soccer, etc. Teams compete statewide on the elementary, Jr. High and High school levels.

b. Field trips: They include theater performances, touring of businesses, museums, historical sites, etc. Children and parents attend as a group and usually write letters to the facility to thank them after the field trip.

c. Academics: Activities like science fairs, plays, speech club, geography bees, and spelling bees are held at church schools when the schools are not in session. Classes are usually taught by volunteer certified teachers and even college professors in areas like writing, science, history, foreign language, art, and drama. There are resources for children to participate in band and choir also.

d. Community service: Parents and children come together as a group for community service. Things like taking care of pets at the pet shelter, feeding the homeless, picking up trash to keep the streets clean are all a part of the homeschooling group activities.

e. Learning resources: The group offers many learning resources from a lending library of books and science equipment to reading incentive programs and volunteer certified teachers to help with any type of learning concern. If you can not find help within the group, the group is well connected enough to make some good recommendations to others in the community that can be used. Each spring there is a swap meet for used curriculum.

One of the biggest problems for those who homeschool is becoming too busy. When the learning at home is finished (usually by early afternoon) the door to a homeschooling house swings open to a world of possibilities. Most homeschooling groups do not tolerate families that are not serious about learning. The peer pressure is a positive influence. If a family struggles in an area of learning, there are multiple resources available for help for both parent and child.

Homeschooling takes a lot of work on the parent's part, it is not perfect, and is not meant for everyone, but it is a community effort that most of the time yields above average results. If a parent does not have a college degree and even struggled through high school, there are also teaching curriculums available from various schools around the country where the child can learn via DVD, internet, or through correspondence. All the parent needs to do is monitor the studies. A teacher from an outside organization grades the work and stays in touch with the child.

For a child who struggles through a day in regular school, homeschooling can be the environment that can bring extraordinary results.

Learn more about this author, Larraine Bishop.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.