Home Schooling

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We soon learned that we went to Mother any time we needed help with our grammar lessons (what a grip she had on English structure!). She even had the answers to the difficult questions that we couldn't find in the books. When I reached grade eight, the increasing load was so heavy that most of the responsibility for my lessons, with the exception of exams, fell on my shoulders. Mother or Dad would mark my work and grade it, but it was up to me to do my lessons properly and on schedule.

By high school, I began to take on some of the teaching load, helping out my younger brothers. I had to; there was only so much work that Dad and Mother could handle with everything else they had to do. This meant that when my brothers ran into difficulty they came to me for tutoring. This not only helped them but also me—there's nothing like tutoring someone else in order to reinforce the fundamentals of math and grammar in your own mind.

ENGLISH LESSONS

Dad read aloud to me because he loved to share the experience. What I didn't know at the time was that this experience was a vital part of my education.

Legally Speaking

Many people are amazed to find out that home schooling is legal in all 50 states. However, the laws regulating home education vary considerably from state to state. "Some states and school superintendents abuse their authority and excessively regulate home schoolers," says Chris Klicka of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). Founded in 1983, HSLDA provides free legal counsel to member families and fights legal and legislative battles.

According to Klicka, the U.S. Supreme Court determined in 1972, in the case of Wisconsin v. Yoder, that parents do have the constitutional right to teach their own children, based on the first Amendment (freedom of religion) and the 14th Amendment (right of liberty). This was interpreted by the court to include parental liberty.

The states are categorized into three groups, according to the type of law they have. The first group, which encompasses 34 states, has a homeschool law. "They actually use the word 'home school,' says Klicka. "They define the rights of the family and the rights and limitations of the states. In those states, you know where you stand." In half of these states, home schoolers have to file notice of intent annually with the state. They all require certain subjects to be taught, and they require 180 days of in struction. The other half add to that required testing or evaluation every year, or every other year, to monitor progress. Apparently, these laws work pretty well.

The second group of states (there are 12) has no homeschool law. These include: Alabama, Alaska, California, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. "They say you have to attend 'public or private' school," Klicka says. "Home schoolers try to fit into the private category. They have a lot of freedom in most of these states."

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