Who says parents can’t be teachers?
In Ontario, a number of parents can and do home school their own children.
Michele McGrew, in Huntsville, Ontario is one of them. She teaches her three children in her own home. Mrs. McGrew’s reasons for starting this venture were varied, but a strong sense of commitment on her part as well as support from her husband, Jeff, have made home schooling work for five years.
There is a growing trend to home schooling as parents become disenchanted with the public schools, especially their lack of discipline and teaching of basic skills. Children are no longer encouraged to spell correctly or write neatly; rather their ability to express themselves is given more emphasis.
As the values of secular humanism replace Christian ethics in our schools, some parents are looking at alternatives. The independent Christian school system is the most obvious, but it is very costly. Encouraged perhaps by stories that appear in U.S. publications, a considerable number of Canadian parents have chosen the home school route.
In the era of public education, and in a society where an increasing number of women are driven into the workforce by need or want, home schooling seems to be a radical idea. There is also a general view that not sending your children to school is against the law. While thee are truancy laws which make schooling mandatory, there is also a provision in Ontario’s Education Act which states, “a child is excused from attendance at school if he is receiving satisfactory instruction at home or elsewhere.”
Be prepared
Although parents do not need a college degree to teach their own children, they should be well prepared before contacting the Ministry of Education and the local Board of Education.
Taking a child out of a public school can be a hard-won battle, since local authorities sometimes give new home schoolers a difficult time. Perhaps this is a valid concern in that they are making sure parents who home school are well prepared.
A professional curriculum is not an absolute requirement, but it is a good idea to have one, especially in the first year, since it sets the stage for planning, goals and an orderly day. It can cost a lot of money but need not if you can purchase one second hand from someone who is no longer using theirs.
The Mary Pride Big Book of Home Learning lists the schools and publishers which will supply home schoolers with material. Two well-received curriculum programs are the Mennonite program which is a good, basic program covering the necessary elements with a Christian emphasis and no added frills, and the Bob Jones University Press program. The latter has more colourful extras, which make learning fun for children.
Field trips and physical education classes should be as much a part of the home school day as in the public schools. There are many places in each community which are both interesting and educational. The local library is always available as a resource centre.
Social events and discipline
Two of the biggest problems facing home schoolers in Muskoka are missing out on social events and the lack of discipline regarding class time.
Always keep the class time at the same four each day. Do the housework before or after, even when a favourite relative drops in unannounced for a weeks’ visit. If you are firm, people are more likely to understand and admire you for it. Or else they will think you are crazy which they probably think anyway!
Missing out on social events can have an effect on everyone in the family, but generally children respond well to home schooling. Michele McGrew’s three children like it. One of the boys is not interested in public school at all while the other would like to go, but later. Michele’s daughter, Heidi, now in grade eight at home, has been home schooled since she left grade three. Heidi is very happy with being home schooled, but she says it was tough getting used to playing on her own. After she learned to find things to do she enjoyed it better. Still, she is looking forward to going to the public high school next fall.
Life skills
Wherever they are, children must learn life skills if they are to function as responsible adults. We cannot expect our public schools to teach our children how to make their beds, keep their bodies clean, learn how to cook and clean. These are functions of the home.
But learning to read, write and do arithmetic can be incorporated into home life if p[parents want it that way. When the child can more easily handle the social grind I the more mature pre-teen years, he or she can go to the public schools to learn specific skills.
Home schooling is not the easy way out. Having your children underfoot all day, every day, is not what most parents would choose. But if it will make the difference in your child’s ability to read well, spell correctly, write neatly and do sums successfully, it may well be worth the effort.
Jan Rossiter is a homemaker living in Utterson, Ontario.
