The Latest in Homeschooling News

Homeschooling in Mississippi

Officials in Mississippi are taking a closer look at homeschooling. There is the worry that not all students are being well-educated at home, and furthermore, that some parents of homeschoolers are abusing their children. According to Hank Bounds, the State Superintendent of Education, “We want you to enjoy the freedom you have for homeschooling. But you must realize we all have this moral and ethical responsibility to deal with those situations where clearly it’s nothing more than a child abuse situation when parents pull their children out of school, say[ing] they’re being homeschooled just because parents ... don’t want to be involved with the education of their children.”

Officials also want to know how many people in the state are homeschooling. Bounds said there are homeschooling groups that are of a “high quality” and he wishes to ensure there are more such groups out there.

Homeschooling Miscommunication 

In North Carolina there was a brouhaha over homeschooling. The office of Ron Helder, who directs the Division of Non-Public Education, sent out letters to homeschooling families that requested parents go to the police station with their children. This was to review the work being done at home, and the way it was worded upset many people. Parents complained about the review’s being held at a police station. Helder apologized for this, saying, “I have to take the blame for what happened here. Usually it’s a library, a church, or a local government office [where we hold reviews].”  The North Carolinians for Home Education has since withdrawn its complaint.

Puerto Rican Homeschool

Recently the Puerto Rican House of Representations defeated House Bill 2754, which would regulate homeschooling. There were 27 votes against it, 20 for it, and 3 abstentions.   Many homeschooling families wrote letters and the issue has had a lot of publicity.   Nevertheless, because of a small technicality, it can return to be voted on again in the next legislative session.

Homeschoolers in Public School

On November 13, Norton public schools in Massachusetts voted unanimously that homeschooling students may take part in the extracurricular activities they offer. If a homeschool student wants to join something, he or she must get written permission in 90 days beforehand.  Permission needs to be given from a parent or guardian, the school’s principal and any director or coach of the group they wish to join. Kevin O’Neil suggested once this action is completed, the homeschoolers be given a student ID. The school committee agreed with his idea. This system works for grades kindergarten through twelfth.

Homeschool on Dr. Phil

On November 24, the popular TV talk show Dr. Phil had an episode on education. In it, parents discussed opinions on the best way to educate their children. Public schooling, homeschooling and not schooling were all discussed and debated.

Filing for Homeschool

Tammy Ross of Virginia filed paperwork of intent, only for an official to tell her that her request to homeschool had been denied. There was no explanation given for this denial, and Ms. Ross contacted a lawyer. When the lawyer called up the official, it was learned that the request had been denied simply because the children’s birthdays and grades had not been listed. As it turns out, listing that information is an optional requirement, so Ross’s request to homeschool was granted.

HEArts

HEArts (Home Education Arts) is a homeschool group in North Carolina that specializes in having children learn through the arts. All people are invited to attend and learn more about them.  HEArts has it own Yahoo! group to further extend its artistic reaches.

The All Together Now Family Chorus

Christina Kennedy has long loved music, and now she’s co-directing The All Together Now Family Chorus, which is gearing itself up for a special holiday performance.   The choir has more than 20 homeschooling families in it and has been meeting for 4 years.  This group, which is in Massachusetts, puts on concerts and aims to help people thrive in their love of music.  Their holiday 2006 concert will take place on December 9th at 3 PM in Westford.   It’s being called “Deck the Planets” and will mix together holiday themes with songs about the moon, stars and planets.   Money earned from the concert will go to a local charity called Loaves and Fishes, which gives food to the needy.                

Bowling League

Every Monday in Henrietta, New York, more than 60 homeschooling families regularly gather at the local bowling alley to socialize and exercise.  “People have a view of homeschoolers as unsocial, as not out in the world,” said Mary Krzyzanowski.  “Here, this is a pretty real world.”

Their league is doing very well and its popularity only continues to grow.  Homeschooling mother Robin Steron, who also moderates an email group called Simply Homeschooling, says that they may start doing this twice a week.

Homeschool Production

About 800 children are homeschooled in San Luis Obispo County, California, and 21 of them have come together to act in a production of A Christmas Carol – The Musical.  This is part of the Central Coast Homeschool Theatre Ensemble, which was started five years ago by a group of parents who met at a homeschool convention. 

The fund-raising, costuming and makeup are all being done by the students and their families. Justin Thieleman, who directs, is the only person being paid for his work. Ages of the actors range from 6 to 18, and they’ve rehearsed both at home and as a group. Susan Marks, whose son plays Scrooge, says, “This is an amazing group of kids.”  Productions will be December 15-13 at Paso Robles Youth Arts Center.

Balloon Rally

Approximately 2,000 people attended the “Wonders of Socorro” Balloon Rally near San Antonio. Festivals included 44 balloons being lifted into the air, playing golf and seeing floats people had made. There were about 70 floats altogether, and various groups took home prizes for what they accomplished at the rally.  Sage Homeschoolers won first place for their float, which had the theme Energetic Materials Research. Mike Shrum, who organized everything, said it’s one of the best rallies he’s seen.

Homeschooling Surfing

Chas Chidester, a 17-year-old homeschool student, took part in the 23rd annual Xcel Pro Surfing Contest Presented by No Fear at Sunset Beach. This competition had 132 of the world’s best surfers and began the big-wave season on Oahu’s North Shore.

“I couldn’t be happier to wake up and come surf a heat at Sunset,” said Chidester, who scored well. This is his last year of homeschooling, and after graduation it’s his hope to then hit the pro circuit full-time. The Xcell has long been a place for young athletes to prove their talent.