The Benefits of Family-Focused Homeschooling

Homeschooling has assumed many educational faces over the years, but the most personal and meaningful to parents and children alike is the family-focused homeschooling. Family-focused homeschooling centers on the basic belief that family is of the utmost importance in the educational process. Parents in particular are crucial in their roles as teachers, mentors, and academic coaches to their children. By their very nature, parents find themselves "natural" teachers of their children because they know them so well and are so deeply involved in all aspects of their lives. Therefore, homeschooling parents are deeply devoted to the family-focused strategy of homeschooling, and are totally committed to finding the right curriculum for their children, making adjustments as needed, and providing all the love, guidance, and support that enables children to learn successfully. Recognizing then that the family is paramount in the educational life of children, parents are happy to be the main support in helping their children learn and grow academically, personally, and socially. Their guidance and support fully matters, and their voices are heard in family-focused homeschooling.

Schooling Makes Sense, "Most of us recognize instinctively that parental commitment to education is easily the most essential factor in academic performance, and most of us would acknowledge that homeschooling parents, as a group, have this commitment by definition" (Guterson 16).

Indeed, homeschoolers as a rule, come from families that deeply value education and want the best academic experiences possible for their children. Parents realize the deep influence they have their children’s lives.

Because they know their children so well, and have been immersed in their upbringing and learning from birth on, parents tend to know the right path to take educationally for their children. Their children’s learning needs will give them the direction to take. Curricula and other individualized programs can be further changed and/or supplemented to meet the needs of the children involved. Parents as teachers are willing to invent or re-invent the wheel, so to speak, to assure meaningful, academic success. They are also more willing-and able-to grant the freedom necessary for exploration and thought. As the late John Holt, a leading advocate of homeschooling wrote, "What children need is not new and better curricula, but access to more and more of the real world; plenty of time and space to think over their experiences, and to use fantasy and play to make meaning out of them; and advice, roadmaps, guidebooks, to make it easier for them to get where they want to (not where we think they ought to go), and to find out what they want to find out" (Holt 168-169). Parents are the perfect providers of such a personalized learning approach.

A child-centered curriculum, then, fits the educational bill for most homeschooling parents. This means that parents, who fully realize their children’s learning needs and styles, select material that match the interests and requirements for educating them. There is a certain amount of inherent trust in the process, but one that is necessary to encourage children’s natural curiosity and yet give them the content they deserve. Learning and life are partners in this process. David Guterson in his book Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense, describes a day in the lives of his own homeschooled children: "Then one day, abruptly–perhaps it is just that a plane has flown overhead or that they have seen from the yard a crow fly–

Abruptly it is flight that interests them, the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, drag and lift and thrust and wingspan, the Museum of Flight, the Boeing plant, pitch, yaw, and roll…( Guterson 35).

Guterson, like most homeschooling parents, would use these golden opportunities to involve their children in relevant topics and have them explore and interface on their own. Public school teachers would rarely have these chances to entice their students to learn in such a natural environment, while homeschooling parents realize this and capitalize on the opportunities afforded them. This is truly a meaningful child-centered curriculum.

I conducted my own interview with a young man I’ll call Michael Sullivan (he asked not to be identified), age 23, from Southern New England, who was homeschooled for three years by his mother. The time roughly encompassed the equivalent of grades three through five. When I asked him what were the most positive parts of the homeschooling experience, he replied without hesitation, "The one-on-one attention, and having my mother be my teacher…the freedom to accomplish work at my very best and not a race against time." When I mentioned these factors as very worthy, he agreed and offered more, especially in terms of a family- focused homeschooling. His siblings entered the conversation, and again in a very favorable light. Michael continued, "I have two brothers and one sister, all younger. Their ages are 17, 15, and 13. I built a strong relationship with my brother that (sic) is now 15. The benefits for them?

They are three of the smartest children you ever met, and the most well-behaved, too. Example: my brother Jeff has his own website, actually a few of them, and he has just been offered by a Christian radio station $1200.00

A script that he writes for a show aimed at young kids." Michael’s pride in his three siblings is obvious, not only at their individual accomplishments, but at their family commitment and general all-around exemplary behavior as well. He credits the family-focused homeschooling and child-centered curriculum as the positive connections between outstanding learning and success.

Parental influence in helping their children learn starts from very early on. Studies have shown time and time again that caring parental involvement is the most important factor in early learning success. In an article entitled "Environmental Forces in the Home Life of Three-Year-Old Children in Three Population Subgroups," published in the Peabody Journal of Education, Phil and Maxine Schoggen compared and contrasted the learning styles of three-year-olds in terms of home life of lower, upper lower, and middle class families. Environmental Factor Units (EFUs) were studied and calculated, which included the mother, father, siblings, family relatives, or trusted tutors of the family. The Schoggens found that clear, warm instructions from the parents (usually the mother) ensured cooperative learning from the children. They note, "For example, a mother would say, ‘Now give your brother a turn,’ other than a general admonition to ‘behave’ (Schoggen and Schoggen 98-99). Mothers who did this received the results (educational and social) they wanted from their children, regardless of income or social standing. As the Schoggens concluded, "The intent was to give the mother an accurate picture of what participation in the study would mean to her and the family" (Schoggen and Schoggen 91). Therefore, her work and family focus could be validated as an encouragement to early learning success for young children.

Another study in the Peabody Journal of Education supports this idea that pre-schoolers learn best with a family focus. Jerome Bruner explains in his article "Play, Thought, and Language" that time and time again it is parental intervention and concern and not playthings or fun materials that make for a meaningful interaction with children. Bruner writes, "It was the presence of an adult" (usually the parent) that made the difference. He goes on to say, "I do not mean an adult ‘over the shoulder’ of the child, trying to direct his activity, but one who gave some assurance that the environment would be stable and continuous, but would also give the child reassurance and information as if and when the child needed it" (Bruner 67). Who better than the parents or family members could provide this type if information and concern for the child at the same time? Who but the parents or family members would allow and even encourage this type of play stimulation as young children learn and grow in a safe environment? Schools would be hard-pressed to provide this type of freedom in a classroom along with the one-on-one attention that helps children need to thrive. Families, therefore, are the logical source for this kind of personalized attention and child-centered play. Children receiving this type of stimulating play at a very early age are excellent candidates for home-

schooling and the personalized benefits that go along with it. Parents and family members are the "natural" teachers of their children, then, because they are so willing to put the time, attention, effort and individualization into the process. The family focus is key.

The Journal of Educational Research has also published the results of another study that supports the merits of parental involvement with pre-

school age children (ages three and four ) in terms of readiness for learning. Researchers Angela Teresa Clarke and Beth Kurtz-Costes studied thirty dis- advantaged three-and-four year olds in North Carolina. They sought to test the educational quality of the home and how it impacts on the learning capabilities of these youngsters. The three areas that were studied are parental instruction (parent-initiated learning activities for their children such as book availability and reading aloud), parental employment (if the parents are employed, the hours and days of work, and the difference-if any-the job makes upon the home life educationally), and television viewing (how much television both parents and children watch, alone and together). The results showed time and time again that if parents are involved with their children in a meaningful way, and interact with them in literary and thought-provoking activities, this time counteracts any "negative" factors in the home, such as long hours at work or even no work at all. Television viewing, regardless of the hours spent watching it, is also lessened in terms of impact when the parents have other challenging activities for the children to do. Even low socio-economic status is not a major factor when the parents are able to take full advantage of publicly funded programs that allow for intellectual growth and stimulation, such as libraries, children’s reading hours, and special programs geared toward learning activities for children, especially the ones that involve the parents as key learning partners. Clarke and Kurtz-Costes strongly emphasize that "both the quality of time the child spends with parents as well as the types of activities in which the parent and child engage jointly are critical in influencing the child’s development of academic skills" (Clarke, Kurtz-Costes 285). Therefore, the time and quality a family share in activities are the most important factors for determining at-home learning success. The merit of family-focused homeschooling is an important offshoot as well as continuation of this vital process.

Another important issue is the one involving extended family relationships. Families are the building blocks of society, and extended families teach children the joys of caring and sharing in a unique way. Children learn that family relationships other than just the nuclear family are also critical in their learning, development, and growth as human beings and family members. They learn to think through various life issues, prioritize, and make judgments not only about themselves but about other people as well. These are valuable life skills, learned and practiced early on in a safe, family environment.

Grandparents often play a critical role in the family-focused, home-

schooling process. They lend added stability and an extra special sense of well-being to the family structure. Children learn that not only their parents, but also their grandparents, will be there for them whenever possible. They are able to share their learning experiences with their grandparents and count on their knowledge and expertise as well. As Linda Dobson says in her book Homeschooling, The Early Years, "Grandparents enrich their home-

schooling grandchildren’s learning experiences in many ways. They read with the children, tell stories of their past, teach hobbies, and take field trips near and far" ( Dobson 53 ). It is impossible to expect parents to shoulder the entire homeschooling load, and what better way to extend the children’s experiences than to have the grandparents participate and share their sense of history, culture, and personal family experiences. The added contribution gives the children an extra learning dimension and a sort of window into their own family structure. The special gift of time together once again gives the family focus of homeschooling a unique and timely perspective.

Family-focused homeschooling also helps to debunk the myth that children are not much interested in learning unless adults of a professional nature (notably teachers and/or school personnel) "force" it upon them. The late John Holt of Holt Associates, an organization geared toward assisting homeschooling parents and adults, as well as other proponents of at- home education, insists that reading scores and mastery in other basic skills have gone up for children educated at home. John Holt found that when children are allowed to read what they truly prefer, and are given large chunks of uninterrupted time in which to do it in without the encumbrance of frequent testing, their reading skills advance in every area tested (Holt 1983). Homeschooling parents add that most public schools in the United States allow minimal, if any, time to silent sustained reading, thereby giving homeschooled children the edge academically. Giving both parents and children the continued option of choice in curriculum is a great benefit for children in terms of selecting interesting reading matter and spurring their choices into other relevant subjects. Reading, especially, needs to be encouraged and reinforced by caring adults. Reading aloud to children of all ages is a great incentive to help children listen to books and appreciate a good story and its literary elements, and who is better equipped to do this than the parents. As children hear a story, their listening skills increase as does their grasp of language and its structure and meaning. They make a positive connection between books and learning. Role models at home (parents and/or extended family members frequently reading and discussing that reading ) also aid children in seeing the importance of reading and learning, and they make that vital link real to children. Their example is noteworthy as they read for information and pleasure, and children internalize this important process and its values. As parents trust their children to make the right judgments in terms of books and book selection, children begin to trust themselves and make the right choices that inevitably lead to greater academic performance. A strong family influence began and continues to sustain this individualized but worthy process. Parental role modeling and encouragement can make all the difference to children grasping the concepts and joy of both academic and personal reading.

If a love of reading is encouraged and pursued by families, then many families believe it is critical to keep up this important learning process at home on an individual basis. Many parents believe that if they did indeed send their self-motivated children to a public school at any point, the children would be disappointed in the quality of teaching and instruction materials, and the result would be unadulterated boredom! Why is this? Most homeschooled children are used to one-on-one quality instruction, with concerned parents acting as teachers, and curriculum molded and amended to meet their learning styles and needs. With these positive factors in place, homeschooled children take more of an avid interest in learning and tend to learn and grow at a more advanced rate. As Connecticut educational writer Beth Bruno states, "quality education is not available for children who are able to progress at a faster rate than average. The public schools teach to the middle and everyone is required to go at the same rate" (Bruno 1). With this dismal practice in place for many schools, parents have decided to opt for their own programs that stimulate children and encourage their needs and talents in a more personalized way. As children progress, parents discover more resources and materials to accommodate their educational program and curricula. As John Holt and Diane Divoky, researchers in the field of at-home private education state, "The flexibility of curriculum and schedule, the closeness and emotional unity of the home, and the security possible in the home environment enhance educational learning and growth" (Holt, Divoky 395-398). Since these parents believe the public school systems have failed to meet their children’s needs, they feel the homeschooling option is the only viable route open to them. They want the public schools to know, as Beth Bruno succinctly puts it, that if the trend continues, "their schools will lose students, and teachers will be out of a job. This is the way it works in the real world. This is the way it should work in public education" (Bruno 2). Families of this mind are very serious about the worth and machinations of their children’s education. They want the very best for their children, and rely now on the family-focused version of homeschooling to provide the love, support, stimulation, and individualization that they feel their children need and deserve. These components, attended to by a loving family, make up a true educational experience in their eyes, and this is what they believe it is their duty to provide their children.

Parents teaching their children at home can also zero in on important information frequently being left out of public school curricula. One example of many is the study of geography. Being familiar with geography is a sign of respect toward understanding the earth, environment, and most importantly, the people that inhabit the planet. Contrary to popularly held beliefs, homeschoolers and their parents take a great interest in discovering knowledge about human interactions on the earth and how people and products affect the characteristics of places, and by extension, themselves. Yet, many children in the United States are falling behind in basic knowledge of geography and its relationship to human interaction. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) says that there are "alarming deficiencies in the geography learning of American youth" (ERIC Digest ED335284, 1). With this information in hand, parents are able to improve these statistics by educating their children in appropriate map skills, geographic awareness, and environmental studies. This knowledge can be taught by parents so that their children understand "why communities are located where they are, how people have shaped them into distinctive places, and how they have in turn, affected people’s lives. Geographic literacy also involves the use of knowledge to solve problems and make decisions in our daily lives" ( ERIC Digest ED335284, 1). Parents, as teachers, can instruct their children best when it comes to what it is meaningful in their daily lives.

Problem solving and decision-making are two skills children need to make themselves productive members of their own families as well as society at large. Parents, then, can go as in-depth as they deem necessary to promote the learning of people and places, and what they would like stressed and emphasized in relation to their own children’s learning and what they believe would be beneficial to them. Their children’s place in the world is thus shaped first in family terms, and then by their study of the community and world at large. Most family systems, especially those with a strong family emphasis, believe this is the appropriate way to educate children and make their lives and personal sense of society meaningful to them. Therefore, the homeschooling process with a family focus is an excellent avenue with which to teach children solid values that will serve them in the family arena as well as make them knowledgeable and caring community and global citizens.

Parents of homeschoolers also have the option of delegating some responsibility for their children’s learning to other reliable, suitable adults.

The difference with this option and the local public school is that the parents are able to choose the other "teacher" after careful investigation and not have to blindly trust the public school to gratify their needs. Some home-

schooling parents are finding that distance learning over the Internet meets their children’s educational needs in some tough-to-provide-for subject areas, such as mathematics and science. As stated in the ERIC Digest ED432456, "Each student becomes affiliated with a larger group that includes a facilitator who guides the students through lessons. With this arrangement, students are able to ask questions which are answered immediately by the facilitator." The speedy feedback is key for children to proceed with and understand their studies. Frustration levels would also be lower than having to wait for a teacher’s responses in a class of twenty-five plus students. Parents also feel that they had a hand in guiding their children to successful completion of tasks. This is an excellent example of parental intervention and management in the educational experiences of their children, regardless of age.

Gifted children also fare well in family-focused homeschooling. Parents of gifted children know their children well, especially in terms of their gifts, talents, and unique abilities. They have a natural desire to encourage their children and further their talents. Over-crowded, financially-strapped public school systems have little capability to meet the needs of these special children. Many homeschooling parents find that the homeschooling experience is ideal for fostering their children’s interests and gifts in a personalized fashion. As expressed in the ERIC Digest ED414683,

"When a student is interested in a topic, efforts can be made to ensure that the student talks with people of various backgrounds and viewpoints. A mentor working individually with the student may add stimulation and challenge. Professional societies and community organizations are a good place to start looking for people interested in sciences such as astronomy, visual and performing arts, and music. Libraries, museums, parks departments, historical sites, scout and sports programs, local businesses,

religious groups, and theater groups expand homeschooling programs."

The options are virtually endless, and parents are able to choose from many sources to help their children meet their gifted potentials. Without these types of family interventions, it is doubtful that most gifted students would receive this kind of personal attention, individualized focus, or entrance to specialty programs in the public schools. David Guterson, author of Family Matters, Why Homeschooling Makes Sense, believes that school systems should even help parents help their children to reach this potential; he writes,

"Meanwhile, as a matter of policy the district should persist in encouraging families to take the lead in formulating an education for themselves and to view the school district as a government agency providing assistance, resources, expertise, opportunity, and most of all support for the idea that education begins in the home" (Guterson 201-202). In this proposal, Guterson argues that parents would have many options open to them in terms of their children’s education, and all with the support of the local public school system. He envisions a public school system that works with families and realizes that need, focus, and gifts of children are highly personal and regarded differently by families, especially in such a pluralistic and diverse country as the United States. With both parents and school systems sharing their needs, resources, information, materials, and teaching personnel, children can become better educated whether at home or at school. Even William Bennett, Secretary of Education under President Ronald Reagan, writes in his book Our Children and Our Country, "The fact that we have established public schools is not a surrender by parents of their basic responsibility for education. Each parent still has that responsibility"

(Bennett 20). This statement seems to recognize the fact, as many educators have stated time and time again, that since education does begin in the home, it is also a strong possibility that it should continue in the home for many students. As homeschooling parents are willing to restructure their time, energy and effort to educate their children at home, so should public schools encourage and applaud that genuine and personalized effort. If students privately educated at home become good learners and responsible citizens, public education should be their supporters, not their detractors. Yet, homeschooling parents believe this is not the case, and therefore feel it is best for them as a caring family with their own needs to perform the educational tasks so vital to their children.

Parents who homeschool care deeply not only for the academic content of the curriculum, but also of the values imparted to their children from that curriculum. Most parents want educational material presented to their children that reflects their moral code and personal values. Educational researcher Maralee Mayberry found two sets of parents generally fit into the "moral" category: parents with strong religious convictions, and parents with a "New Age" humanistic philosophy. She reports from her research that parents’ responses "perceived home schooling as an activity that provided them a way to reproduce their ‘way-of-life’ by controlling the content of their children’s education." She also found that "the meanings and values embodied in public education were not the ones that aprents wanted articulated to their children" (Mayberry 1991). Materials of special concern were books/literary tools that reflect too much violence, drugs, sex, and general permissiveness. Parents also expressed a concern that their children would socialize with students from families with a more modern viewpoint in these areas and it may influence them in a negative fashion.

When I observed and interviewed the homeschooling Zwicker family (name changed for privacy reasons) from Southern New England, they said that a poor moral system exists in the public schools. The parents did not approve of the books and movies shown to middle school students because they felt they were too violent and too suggestive. Mrs. Zwicker stated, "I dislike all the pop culture information so prevalent in the schools as well. Even things like Disney and Pokemon bother me. It’s trash, and I don’t want my kids exposed to that." The Zwickers chose to shield their children to make them stronger, not weaker as they realize the children must inevitably face unattractive parts of their culture, but only when they are ready to do so.

Educational researcher Barbara Bliss contends that "Protection during early, developmental years for purposes of nurturing and growth is evident in many arenas: plant, animal, and aquatic. Why should it be considered wrong or bad in the most vital arena, human development?" (Bliss 304-

305). Parents homeschooling their children tend to shield them from "untoward" life difficulties early on, but with such a strong, positive family foundation, the children appear to benefit from the strength and security.

Their education and family focus remain intact.

The implications for teachers investigating students, parents, families, and homeschooling itself is critical in terms of understanding the people and the process. With so many studies verifying that homeschooled children lead productive lives in the educational, emotional and social arenas, teachers can benefit by opening their minds to the positive results. Perhaps they can even glean some tidbits (or more) for their own classrooms! Teachers can learn some lessons in flexibility, content management, ability to gather resources, and different ways to instruct various children. Homeschooled children who later attend public school have valuable lessons to offer with their own unique learning programs and experiences. Peer mentoring and give-and-take would be especially rewarding for these children to partake in. Teachers would have a wonderful bank of knowledge and experiences to draw from, thanks to the addition of the homeschooled child. Therefore, homeschooling offers many positive aspects to a public school teacher’s repertoire.

Family-focused homeschooling is a viable alternative to the public school system of education. Homeschooled children receive the benefits of family concern, a personalized approach, a child-centered curriculum, and little or no time restraints. Their education appears to be meaningful and directed. As education first begins in the home, homeschooling continues the process that enables families to share and impart knowledge and values in the personalized fashion they consider best for them. Family-focused homeschooling is a powerful answer to today’s educational dilemma.

Dec. 5, 2000

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