Forum gathers home schools - State laws, models discussed at event

Forum gathers home schools - State laws, models discussed at event

8/24/04

TUMWATER, WA-- During the next two weeks, dozens of local schools will hold back-to-school events. On Monday night, an Olympia-based home-school group held new parent and student orientation.

About 25 people attended the Life Education Activity Resource Network's introduction to home-school forum at Tumwater Timberland Library to learn about the state's home-school laws, the home-school models available and perspectives from parents who have opted to teach their children at home, for a variety of reasons.
The event also gave families an opportunity to network with other home-school families.

"There is not a set path," Tracy Loyd of Olympia told the audience. "It's whatever works for your child and your family."

Across the state, home-schooling has grown slightly in recent years. But the numbers essentially have remained flat in South Sound.

During the 1998-99 school year, there were 19,353 students registered as home-based with the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, compared with 19,554 students in the 2002-03 school year -- the most current year available.

In Thurston County, most districts stayed about the same, except for the Rochester School District, where the number of home-based students grew from 45 to 84 during the four-year period tracked by the state.

Susie Aasen, who has five children ages 10 to 19, said there are two extremes in home-schooling -- "school at home" in which a parent replicates almost every aspect of a school, such as desks, time periods and lecture; and "non-schooling" which is the complete opposite, when home-schooling is used as a way to neglect a child.

Other options include planned curriculum programs -- where parents can buy lesson plans for every subject, and "natural learning" (sometimes called "unschooling") where a parent designs every lesson plan around the child's interests.

Aasen said most parents combine elements of planned curriculum programs for subjects such as math and grammar and natural learning for science and history.

Among the tips she provided to those considering home-schooling:

- Find support in other home-schooling parents. There are several local, church, state, national and Internet-based resource and support groups for home-school families. They provide a variety of services from used curriculum sales and testing resources to field trips and training events.

- Provide social activities for your child through local, school, church or community organizations. Scouts programs, 4-H, are among the most popular home-school activities. Band, theater and sports programs also are popular. Home-school groups also offer clubs and activities.

- Explore public school options that are open to home-schoolers, such as the New Market Vocational Skills Center and Running Start college program.

Lisa Pemberton covers education for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5445 or lpembert@olympia.gannett.com.

By the numbers

Registered home-based students and families by district:

North Thurston Public Schools