Homeschooling Provides Another Educational Alternative

Abraham Lincoln, the Wright brothers and Frederick Douglass all found greatness after being educated in the home.

But who are today’s homeschoolers?

“There is no average homeschooler,” said Manfred Smith, president of the Maryland Home Education Association. “They are all shapes, sizes and colors.”

Although the concept of homeschooling deviates from what many call normal, some make it a way of life.

“A large chunk of people who pulled their children out of public and private school want a different educational experience for them,” Smith said.

Smith speaks from experience. He and his wife first considered homeschooling in 1977 when their daughter was born.

“I came across an article by John Holt,” Smith said of the man credited with revolutionizing American education with famous works such as “Growing Without School.”

Smith started communicating with Holt and gathering information. Then he did something daring.

“In 1979, I met with four families in my home and founded the Maryland Home Education Association,” said Smith. “We are the founding organization for homeschooling in Maryland and we fought for the right for homeschooling parents to educate their children.”

Smith and his wife conducted science experiments, took their children on field trips and made sure they had enriching academic experiences.

These days the Maryland Home Education Association acts as a “watchdog” organization, Smith said. The association is always on the lookout for proposed laws that would unfairly inhibit the rights of homeschooling parents.

“We watch the legislature,” Smith said.

From A Family Perspective

In January 1993, Michael and Myra Robinson, two working Joppatowne residents, chose homeschooling for their four children for religious reasons.

“The secular school system did not provide an educational foundation that was based on Christian principles,” said Myra Robinson.

The Robinsons wanted their children both raised and taught with biblical principles.

“We felt those first eight years are the most impressionable years,” Myra Robinson said.

Homeschooling also offered them an opportunity to use every experience as a learning tool.

“I will never forget the year we studied Jamestown,” said Myra Robinson, reminiscing about the freedom to choose resources beyond the text. “We obtained a video on Jamestown for children at the library and we made replicas of an Indian village and colony.”

That summer the family planned its vacation in Virginia.

“We stumbled upon the same exact site where the video was made and we met the actors,” Myra Robinson said. “The setting made their textbook studies come alive for them.”

But the challenge of being a full-time teacher while working a full-time job became overwhelming, she said.

Myra Robinson, a registered nurse, would teach the children in the morning and then work evenings at a hospital. But when the children had questions they wouldn’t wait until the next day of class.

“I remember my son calling my job and saying, ‘Homeschooling means you need to be at home teaching us,’” Myra Robinson said.

When their youngest son was 8, the Robinsons returned their children to public school. When tested, the children all placed within their grade level except for one—he placed one grade ahead.

Myra Robinson considers homeschooling a more “flexible” choice for education.

“You have the opportunity to curtail the curriculum to your child's learning style,” Myra Robinson said. “Public school sticks the kids with books that they choose for everyone, and sometimes that child just does not gain from that instructor any more than when they first started.”

Homeschooling is also less expensive, she said.

“Yes, the homeschooling curriculum is purchased by the parents. However, the books purchased can be sold again,” Myra Robinson said. “We had to drive them to school. And, we still had to pay for lunch, trips, uniforms and materials for public school also.”

Myra Robinson said the decision to teach her kids at home helped her and the children.

“Our young people had many hands-on learning opportunities that enriched the knowledge found in the textbooks,” Myra Robinson said. “It lends itself to the opportunity for family to learn and grow together.”

Public Concerns

Some may wonder if for every family like the Robinsons—who legitimately wanted a better education for their children and chose home education—there aren’t parents just trying to skirt their responsibilities.

Smith said there are good and bad people involved in everything—including homeschooling. Some parents may not be as interested in homeschooling as they are in not putting their children on a bus at 7 a.m., he said.

“Homeschooling has become a mainstream phenomenon,” and that has brought mainstream problems, Smith said. But he said the MHEA works to expose individuals and organizations that make false claims on their homeschooling status.

One of the most common concerns about homeschooling is that the students might not be well adjusted socially. But that doesn’t have to an issue, Smith said.

“When we started there were five homeschoolers in the state and if there weren’t any problems then, there certainly aren’t any now when there are over 30,000 homeschoolers,” Smith said.

Smith said he believes one of the main problems in public school is over-socialization, “too many distractions.”

And there are many forms of support for the homeschooling family, said Smith, speaking of groups that address the social and academic needs of homeschoolers by providing group settings in which to learn.

A simple search online reveals the multitude of opportunities in Maryland. There are websites such as home-school.com, thehomeschoolmom.com and homeschoolfacts.com, all dedicated to providing support for homeschool families.

The Main Focus

Many parents who participate in homeschooling have said that option gave them freedom to educate their child according to their needs.

“No more boxes,” Smith said. “If people try to grab a little box it will have nothing to do with how their child learns or their immediate needs.”

Myra Robinson agreed.

“In the public school setting, I was limited in the areas of volunteering and participating in activities because of work, time constraints, and the need for my services,” Myra Robinson said.

“Overall, homeschooling was a rewarding experience,” Myra Robinson said.