Homeschooling on the Hudson
by Ronnie Citron-Fink

"I could never do that." This was the overwhelming response from a few parents over breakfast one morning at Bread Alone when I mentioned the next article for AboutTown in the my school series was about homeschooling. One parent said, "With all the challenges of parenting, why take on that one?" Another mentioned that she was an only child and she felt homeschooling must be a similar isolating social experience. A mother of three exclaimed, " I love my kids, but wouldn't want to be with them 24/7... although the thought of no homework sounds appealing!" Then the questions came: "My kid loves sports, would he get a chance to play?" Concerns over finances were debated: "How could we give up one income?" One mom even said, "I can't get my work and the housework done with the kids gone all day. How would anything get done if they were home?" I mentioned all the years of teacher training I had to complete just to step into a classroom and teach. How would a parent know what and how to teach? One mom shyly chimed in, "Well…there would always be someone around to give me a hug during the day."

I Googled homeschooling and pored over some of the 9 million sites and articles. I found some fascinating facts. Studies conducted by the National Center for Education claimed that in 2007 "approximately 1.1 million children were homeschooled in the United States," a number that was "growing every year." The average income of homeschooling families was the same as non-homeschooling ones, while homeschooling parents generally had higher levels of education. Homeschooled students scored significantly higher than their public and private school counterparts in standardized tests and excelled in academic, cognitive, spiritual, and affective-social success categories—though not in psychomotor skills. The average annual amount spent on homeschooling per child in the US is $450. Over 75% of homeschoolers regularly attend religious services.

While the laws vary from state to state, in New York State homeschooling is legal. The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. HSLDA outlines New York law and gives parents the guidelines and rules for homeschooling, which include compulsory attendance ages, required days of instruction and subjects, regulations for filling out the Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP) forms, maintaining attendance records, assessment tests and information explaining how parents are deemed "competent" teachers if all the regulations are followed.

How about here in the Hudson Valley? Homeschooling families in our region come from all backgrounds, teaching styles and faiths. Parents choose to homeschool for a variety of reasons, some personal, some religious and some a combination of both. Homeschooling provides them an opportunity to incorporate their beliefs into the daily lives of their children.

I contacted local homeschool groups and got an enthusiastic response from Sylvia Diaz, a parent of an 11-year-old and a six-year-old. She is a member of Tri-County Homeschoolers, a support group for families in and around the Hudson Valley. The purpose of the group is to provide educational and social activities for children and networking opportunities for homeschooling families. I also spoke with Gale Wolfe, who lives in Barrytown and has homeschooled each of her four children, though currently the older two are in Red Hook Middle and High Schools. Neither Sylvia nor Gale homeschool for religious reasons. Sylvia has a limited practice as an accupressurist, seeing clients in the evening or on weekends; until recently Gale has not worked outside the house, but is in the process of starting her own business.

I met with Gale, her son Solomon (ten) and daughter Sadie (seven). When I arrived mid-morning, Sadie was doing some math problems on a laptop and Solomon was playing the piano. Why did Gale choose to homeschool? She explains: "I wanted to keep the kids out of the institution, to let them learn to think outside the box." She believes that "the luxury of time to think and to learn is a freedom that allows kids to explore and experiment. I don't want to squash their curiosity, and I don't want them 'managed' in a classroom. Childhood goes off in a flash. I want to keep them home because they are only with the parent for a little time. Anything I personally want to do, I'll do later, because my time with them is precious." About her oldest child Simon, who has since gone on to Red Hook High School, Gale says, "Simon became a voracious reader, and he knows how to advocate for himself educationally. When he was younger, if he wanted to learn about sailboats, he read everything he could."

Sylvia Diaz, meanwhile, started homeschooling because her son, Pedro wanted to. "He had been to school and thought he'd learn more at home and, after a full day at school, then homework, then dinner, there was little time left for family time. That felt wrong to me."

Schedules and routines can be challenging for any parent, but planning and teaching an age-appropriate curriculum is a whole other challenge. All homeschooling parents have their own styles and approaches to teaching, and finding the right groove for children can be a matter of trial and error. Sylvia has formulated a schedule that incorporates a co-op of other homeschool families on one day of the week and formal classes she teaches her own kids on other days. She is also registered with an on-line group.

Gale finds that, although she is organized and structured, her children's education is driven by their interests. There is no homework because that's what they do all day. She acquires the curriculums by grade level from the Calvert School, one of the best-established, fee-based homeschool providers. "It's very comprehensive and I don't have to reinvent the wheel. The teaching manual tells you what to do every day." Gale also has hired tutors from time to time to work with her kids when she finds gaps in their learning. One of the nicest parts of her home curriculum is that she finds her kids teach each other. Recently, Sol taught Sadie to tell time.

Sylvia decides what subjects to teach or what classes to attend (from the homeschooling co-ops) depending on her children's interest. "When we first began homeschooling, I had notions that we'd approach every subject with innovation and creativity. And that every subject would be a fun rollercoaster ride for my son. But all he wanted was what he had gotten accustomed to when he went to school, so all we did was worksheets. It wasn't until a year had passed that he expressed any interest in tackling subjects differently. I've decided to teach by knowing how my children learn best. Sometimes kids in the same family differ in the way they learn. That's a challenge. I do not have a teaching certificate, but all mothers are teachers. We teach our kids to speak, sometimes several languages, we teach our kids right and wrong, we teach them social skills, etc. I purchase subject books on line, Barnes & Noble and the Internet. I do not buy a curriculum."

How about tests? Gale gives national tests, not the New York State tests, and stresses that she knows where each of her kids stands academically. Sylvia makes up her own test after her children learn a new topic; she also tests Pedro through discussions.

One of the luxuries of homeschooling is being able to take educationally enriching field trips on a whim. Sylvia and her children visit local historical sites and they go to the library. Gale takes her kids all over the Hudson Valley and to NYC to visit museums. She and her husband Dean Bloch have traveled in the US and abroad with their children without having to worry about the confines of school district calendars.

I asked both Gale and Sylvia how their spouses felt about their decision to homeschool. At first, the husbands were very hesitant. Sylvia said: "He was less than thrilled with the idea of paying for school taxes we would never take advantage of, and about our son having access to other kids. But, over time, he has noticed Pedro's growth as a person and the great friends he has made. He doesn't see homeschooling as a social disadvantage anymore." Dean also was hesitant about Gale homeschooling the kids. He's warmed up to the idea now that, with the two older children in public school, he sees the positive impact homeschooling has had on them.

Both parents meet with other homeschoolers and feel strongly that their kids do not suffer socially. Both Sylvia's children take art classes and her young daughter takes dance. In any case, says Sylvia, "Classroom sizes are too big and too much is placed on a teacher's shoulders." Gale's kids are very busy with friends through soccer, gymnastics, baseball, art classes, a Woodstock homeschooling group and at their synagogue.

At the end of my visit with Gale and the Bloch children, I asked Sol what he likes and doesn't like right now about being schooled at home. "I like the luxury to do something else. My mom, Sadie and I went on a train yesterday to NYC. It was my first time on a train. I don't like that sometimes you have to do schoolwork on a day when everyone else is off, like on snow days."

Like many of the moms quoted at the beginning of this article, I was originally quite skeptical about homeschooling—mainly over questions of socialization and whether parents are the best teachers of their own children. My worries about socialization have been largely put to rest, at least when parents make it a priority—and most homeschooling moms and dads seem to do just that. As for parents as teachers: the two parents that I interviewed were extremely competent and seemed to have the same instinctual instructional sensibilities as my teacher colleagues. In my readings about homeschooling, however, I did find that teenagers sometimes have difficulty being under the constant scrutiny of their parents.

Meanwhile, a significant number of highly committed parents in our towns and villages are getting daily mid-day hugs from their homeschooled kids, and most of these kids are obviously thriving in the educational choice their parents made for them. Maybe you are the kind of parent who could do that too?

For further information:

New York State Homeschooling Law
http://hslda.org/laws/analysis/New_York.pdf

Calvert School curriculums
www.calvertschool.org

Tri-County Homeschoolers
Region served: Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, and Rockland Counties; also Fairfield County in CT and Bergen County in NJ
Email contact: tchs@optonline.net
Phone contact: Mary Ann Baiyor 914-631-4833, 781 Sleepy Hollow Road, Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510

Woodstock Home Educators' Network
Region served: Woodstock/Saugerties area
Email contact: Michael Sklaroff (msklaroff@ulster.net)
Phone contact: Michael Sklaroff 914-247-0319
Email list: woodstockhomeschoolers (to subscribe: woodstockhomeschoolers-subscribe@YahooGroups.com)