European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 04, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Parents do the teaching at Home schools by Marta w. Aldrich associated press nine year old Austin Whitver of nashville.tenn., sits Bent Over a wooden desk surrounded by his unmade bed a fish lankan Model air planes As his Mother talks him through several Rath problems. But this is not just a Case of Mother helping son with Homework. Austin is attending Home school where bedrooms and kitchens become classrooms and parents become tutors. Forty eight states now allow learning at Home As an alternative to Public or private school classrooms. In May Tennessee joined their ranks. Only Kansas and Texas have not addressed the Issue according to a study by the education commission of the Stales the practice has caused some consternation in the educational Community. Home school curricula May be too narrow and children miss out on a valuable Socin setting the concept s critics say. Estimates vary widely on How Many youngsters Are getting Home instruction. The commission s study estimates that about 50.000 children Are instructed at Home a dramatic increase trom a decade ago when experts estimated the figure at about 10,000. But Home education proponents claim the number May be a million or More. Tennessee estimates Only 1,000 children or three tenths of 1 percent of those in Public schools will try Home schools. Tennessee s Taw legalizes what Many parents have been doing Lor years some openly and others in secret and establishes guidelines requiring children to pass state tests periodically to Monitor Progress. Parents must have High school diplomas to teach up to the eighth Grade and College degrees to teach High school students. For Colleen and Harry Whitver Home school offered a Chance to spend Moro time with their son after his hectic firm year in a Public school it s not that the school was  said mrs. Whitver. A former teacher. It s just that there was never any family time Lell at the end of the school Day. Our child was basically no longer a part of our family because of a school schedule that was being imposed  mrs. Whitver. Like Many Home educators chose to go that route because of deep religious convictions. But she said the Choice to educate Austin themselves was not an indictment of Public education. It s just that we can offer him a personalized curriculum and can do academically in two hours what the school was taking seven hours to do. And i can give him instant  the Whitver have found ways to Kep Austin from being isolated trom other children. They joined a support group that includes Lour other Home school families. He plays on a soccer team. Attend Church activities and plays in a neighbourhood filled with children who attend Public schools. Smi. Austin said he missed some aspects of Granbery elementary school. They got better hamburgers at Granbery he said with a smile. But critics say Austin and others like him Are missing out on More than cafeteria burgers. Organized school they say offers an irreplaceable slice of americana the Pep rallies the High school prom show and Tell. The excitement of reuniting with classmates after a Long summer vacation. They also say the Home educated children become isolated from youngsters of other races and socioeconomic classes. The National education association the nation s largest teacher Union neither supports nor condemns Home education. We still believe a child s educational and social needs Are Best met in a social setting. But we recognize there s a need for Home schools in certain circumstances said Nancy Kochuk. An Nea spokeswoman. Kochuk said the Nea did t see Home schools As a an estimated 10,000 . Families have withdrawn children from school in favor of Home instruction. Friday october 4, 1985 serious threat since 90 percent of school age children still attend Public school with the rest going to private parochial or Home schools. She said one of inca s major concerns was that parents May no Johnre the Public Jools Mission to Leach children to become productive citizens. Their children May be uneducated or mixed scaled and turn into problems that society will have to Deal with Kochuk said. Some educators Lear parents will use Home school Laws to avoid desegregation orders teach too narrow a curriculum or shield youngsters from experiences hat would help them mature. But Home school advocates say there s another Side to that argument. Everybody misses out on something somewhere along the  said Jeannie Ruth who teaches her three school age children aged 7 to 13. Through Home school she said her children can pursue excellence in ways that other children can t. For instance one son is a competitive ice skater and her daughter is a budding gymnast. She and her husband. John question the Validity of Many experiences some consider vital to growing up. Our children have unique needs. They re very Success conscious Ruth said. Public schools in general Are aimed by necessity at the Middle of the Road child. The problem we had was that our children were abjectly bored with school to the Point of not  children have mixed reactions to staying at Home. Ours cried a bit said Cassandra King of her 9 and 11-year-Olds. They Suid what about our friends and they were a bit sad and confused because Home school was a bit different. But they decided that if we Felt like it was Good for them then they d try  mrs. King said. The Kings took their children out of Public school in 1984 because the parents said they seemed to have picked up negative attitudes about people with backgrounds different trom their own. It was a Good school system and they did Well academically. But we began to see them make fun of people because they were Lerent they began to care less about the Quality of people and More about How expensive their clothes were mrs. King said. Tennessee s new Home education Law was prompted by Public outrage Over a t983 court decision that a Chattanooga couple were abusing and neglecting their children because they taught them at Home instead of enrolling them in school said Claiborne Thornton president of the Home education association a Nashville based group that supports Home schools. Although Tho ruling was reversed on Appeal the initial decision made it appear parents rights had become subordinate to government wishes he said. There was a grass roots level explosion of parents feeling they Are in charge of their children s  said Thornton. This desire had been building for decades he said. Smaller schools used to be scattered in All parts of the nation. But when government centralized education the Public schools seemed to lose their sense of Community and did t necessarily reflect the parents values. Thornton said. Most Home Scho by parents agree it s not Tor everybody. We re convinced that we re doing the right thing Tor  Ruth said. But we re equally convinced that Many people Are doing the Correct thing in leaving their Chi Dren in Public  it s not  mrs. King said. It you View it As just a fun Way to be with your child it s  the stars and stripes Page 13