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Homeschooling |
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Schooling Outside the Box |
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Lori Myers
3/1/2008
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Twenty-one years ago, Karna Hoffman of Dillsburg noticed special potential in her first-born who was a 4-year-old at the time. Despite the fact that her husband was a public school teacher, Hoffman decided to take the big step and educate their child herself. She’s glad she did.
“I felt that I can do some of this at home,” recalls Hoffman. “I used a popular reading system. She learned to read so quickly. She might have been bored in a classroom.”
The results were so positive that Hoffman ended up homeschooling all six of her children who now range in age from 9 to 24. Most have graduated and are out on their own. She continues to homeschool her youngest two, ages 9 and 14.
“It was convenient to do it at home,” she says. “The older children helped the younger ones. They could read to each other or help the others with math problems.”
Jamey McClintock, a Dillsburg mother of seven and president of the Harrisburg Area Homeschoolers Association, wanted to homeschool because she enjoyed being with her children and felt that teaching them at home would allow each child to progress at an individual own pace.
“The reasons why parents homeschool is
varied,” McClintock explains. “It’s more related to being able to mold a child’s character more closely. There’s tons of flexibility in homeschooling and cyber schooling.”
She advises parents to ask themselves if homeschooling is right for them. Some of the challenges involve trying to maintain a home while teaching within it and driving children to homeschool-related extra-curricular activities.
But some parents decide that they either can’t forgo the paycheck that homeschooling demands or they can’t commit to the time required to teach. If that is the case, parents might want to consider another educational alternative taking place at The Circle School in Harrisburg.
According to staff member and co-founder Jim Rietmulder, The Circle School is a scaled-down version of the larger world. Here, the school’s 75 students — from pre-school to high school age — and 6 adults govern the school, devise its regulations and initiate the classes they want. They also have daily housekeeping chores.
“My vote is the same as a 4-year-old,” says Rietmulder. “We are closely regulated, but there are no report cards and no reporting of grades
to parents. Children here have a great deal of
independence. The main difference between us and homeschooling is that the children are more independent of family.”
Increasingly, parents are discovering that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to education. Homeschooling and other teaching methods are all finding a place on the school landscape and are growing in popularity.
Lori Myers is a freelance writer in Harrisburg.
Upcoming Events
March 17
Getting It All Done
Christian Life Assembly, Camp Hill, 7 p.m.
Homeschooling families will share information on a typical homeschooling day. For more information, contact Jamey McClintock at 432-3774 or jrmcclintock@paonline.com.
March 26
Information Night
The Circle School, Harrisburg, 6:45 to 9 p.m.
To register, visit www.circleschool.org or call 564-6700.
April 12
Thinking About or New To Homeschooling
Christian Life Assembly, Camp Hill, 10 a.m. to noon
Experienced school veterans will share first-hand information. For more information, contact Jamey McClintock at 432-3774
or jrmcclintock@paonline.com.
April 21
Having Fun
Christian Life Assembly, Camp Hill, 7 p.m.
Share ideas to keep homeschooling fun. For more information, contact Jamey McClintock at 432-3774 or
jrmcclintock@paonline.com.
May 10-11
Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania Convention (CHAP)
Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg
Speakers, vendors and workshops will be available. For more information, visit www.chapboard.org.
Useful Web Sites:
Pennsylvania Homeschoolers: www.pahomeschoolers.com
Harrisburg Area Homeschoolers Association:
www.hahaofpa.org
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