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Scranton Times Tribune

Home Schooling Catching On

BY GINA THACKARA THE SUNDAY TIMES

June 10, 2001

Eleven-year-old Rebecca DeCowsky, composed and confident, showed no nervousness as she strummed her harp for the audience of parents and friends in the lodge at Camp Harmony near Hart Lake.

Neither did Danny Luke, 8, as he stepped up to the microphone and sang.

One by one, other young people took the stage to read poetry, sing or play musical instruments during the short program. Student artwork decorated the walls of the room.

Later, the youngsters accepted congratulations from friends and neighbors who capped off the evening by socializing around a table piled with refreshments.

It could have been an end-of-the-school-year program at any school in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

But these students didn't get their education in a school, at least not one in the traditional sense. Their parents were their teachers. They were all home-schooled.

"People often think that home-schooling is a lonely thing to do," said Marjorie Kaufmann, founder of the 70-family Harmony Home Educators group. "It might have been years ago. But now just about every community has an active support group. The people share hints, bring in speakers, put together a variety of programs."

Parents get support, and so do the students.

KIDS GIVE THUMBS UP

Not going to a traditional school seems to appeal to the youngsters as well.

"I love it," said Rachel Cross, 15, whose mother, Nancy, has been the main teacher for her and her sister Beth, 12, since they were both pre-school age. "I like being at home. And we do a lot of interesting things."

Home schooling has increased in popularity over the past decade, said Bill Grochowski, director of special education for the Scranton School District. The home-school program falls under his jurisdiction.

In Scranton, at least 40 families have opted to educate their children at home rather than sending them to school, Mr. Grochowski said.

The numbers vary among school districts and from year to year. U.S. Census researchers estimate, however, that there are 1.5 million to 2 million home-schooled children in the nation, representing 3 to 4 percent of the school-age population. Not all states count home-schoolers and some states register them among private school students, muddying the numbers.

The reasons for home schooling vary -- illness, religious beliefs, disagreement with methods or practices in a school district, moving into a district that doesn't meet the child's needs or the parents' wants.

Some parents make the choice long before their children reach school age. Others opt to keep their children at home because of circumstances that change in their school districts or families.

It's not a decision made lightly.

"Home schooling is a real commitment, a real vocation," said Marie Rooney, who home-schooled her three children in Scranton. "It's not easy. And it's not for everybody."

NO SNOW DAYS

Home schooling isn't just a matter of deciding to keep the kids at home. And it has some disadvantages.

"For one thing, we didn't get snow days," said Matthew Rooney, now 21 and a student at the University of Scranton. "We didn't get sick days. When we were sick, mom added on the days. And you couldn't hide behind other kids in class."

Mr. Rooney got lessons from his parents until he was about 15. Then, because he wanted to play interscholastic baseball, he entered West Scranton High School as a junior. He said he was able to keep up, even surpass, his classmates academically.

Under state law, home-schooled children must meet the same academic standards as youngsters in the classroom. They must comply with the 180-day rule for the school year and learn the same subjects. At the end of the year, home-school teachers must present a portfolio of the student's completed work for review and written approval by a certified evaluator in the lo-

cal school district.

The students also must undergo the same health examinations and get the same immunizations as children in school.

A student planning to attend college must take the SAT and ACT exams if the college requires those scores. Some colleges and school districts require that the students pass general equivalency diploma exams.

College admissions counselors agree home-schooled students often perform as well if not better than "regular" students.

"They're good at time management. They are good at setting goals for themselves and working toward them," said Marywood University's Mary Ann Federick.

Part of the Harmony Home Educators' role is planning joint activities for home-schooled children, such as field trips and graduation ceremonies.

A few weeks after the end-of-school program for the elementary- and middle school-age groups, the group conducted a small, graduation ceremony for its home-schooled seniors, complete with caps and gowns but minus the pomp and circumstance found at the average high school.

"In spite of popular belief, nobody is isolated. The kids get plenty of social activity," Mrs. Kaufmann said.

With the help of school districts, churches and support groups, students participate in sports, attend dances and socialize. Some school districts, like Abington Heights, also allow the students to attend a class or two in a field like chemistry or calculus that might be outside a parent's expertise, Mrs. Kaufmann said.

But for the parents and youngsters who opt for the program, it can also be extremely rewarding, Mrs. Kaufmann said.

"The more I taught (my daughter) Jennifer at home, the more I realized how good it was," she said. "We could take time with the lessons she wasn't getting and didn't waste time on things she already knew. And all of our time was quality time."

Mrs. Kaufmann home-schooled her three children, now grown. She is an evaluator for the Abington Heights district and reviews portfolios for other home-school families.

Proponents of home schooling find no flaws in the system. They point proudly to the youngsters' achievements.

They also extol the advantages of keeping children out of the social mix that goes on in schools.

"Children are not spending the day with peers who have the same insecurities and problems," Mrs. Kaufmann said. "They're mixing with kids of other ages, with adults. They're out in the community."

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