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Note: This article shares about the growing popularity of homeschooling in Fairfax County. It also refers to some of the changes that have come to homeschooling. (See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9IuJ2vQT_I for more of homeschooling’s history.) The requirements the article mentions for homeschooling are for the homeschool statute–for an overview of all the available options, see www.heav.org/law/flow1.html.
From the Fairfax County Times. Wednesday, March 31, 2010. Reprinted with permission.
Home schooling numbers on the rise in Fairfax County
Networking, flexibility make option more attractive for Fairfax parents
by Holly Hobbs | Staff Writer
Fairfax County parents are increasingly turning to home schooling as an alternative to public schools for their children.
Since 2005, the number of students learning at home in the county has grown 23 percent, said Lori Hershey of the Department of Special Services. This is compared with a 6.5 percent rise in public school enrollment during the same time, also recorded by the school system.
The reason for the increase is that home-based instruction has become easier, more acceptable and attractive in Fairfax County, local parents of home-schooled children said.
“These numbers don’t surprise me,” said Janice Lum, whose eight-year-old daughter and five-year-old son are two of 2,330 students being educated at home in Fairfax County. This is the family’s first year of home schooling.
“The area is becoming increasingly congested; some people are no longer satisfied with the system in general, including the financial decisions impacting the classroom setting,” Lum said. Lum also attributes the popularity to a growing body of knowledge about effective home schooling and “general myth-busting that is occurring within society.”
Like many area home-schooling parents, Lum belongs to a network of families holding classes at home, chatting online about lesson plans and meeting for group classes. Thanks in part to these networks, the days of spending lessons glued to the kitchen table are gone, parents said.
The educational opportunities available to children during school hours could fill weeks, said Mary Sutton, who home schools her eight- and nine-year-old daughters. She and her daughters take art classes, piano lessons, gymnastics, and more, Sutton said.
“The hardest part of home schooling is managing to stay at home and do school,” she added.
The flexibility of holding classes when and where they wish is one benefit of home schooling, parents said. But one drawback is that her daughter misses school, Lum said.
“She sees her friends and is still actively involved in school activities, but she would enjoy and prefer to be with her friends all day long,” she said. “This has been hard for me and has weighed heavily on me.”
Parents who home school their children must register the child through the Fairfax County Public School system each year and are required to submit an annual progress report to the system showing–through standardized test or composite score–that the child has progressed and is on track. At a minimum, the parent must hold a high school diploma.
Lum is a non-practicing registered nurse with a master’s degree in theology. Sutton holds a bachelor’s degree in geology and geophysics and a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Both mothers said they were not home-schooled and that they struggled with the decision to home school their children.
“I never wanted to home school,” said Lum, adding that she toyed with the idea for three years before deciding to “bite the bullet.”
“In a nutshell … it had just gotten to the point where [my daughter] wasn’t learning enough of what we wanted and too much of what we didn’t,” she said.
Kathy Kuhl, who helps run a science and biology lab program for the parent group, Centreville Homeschool Enrichment Support Services, began home schooling her son in fourth grade after a learning disability began interfering with his classwork.
“My son is bright, highly distractible, and dyslexic,” Kuhl said. “He was coming home from school emotionally exhausted and was starting to think he was stupid.”
What started as tutoring during the summer and spring break became home schooling, she said, adding that her son is now a student at Northern Virginia Community College.
Colleges are seeking home-instructed students because of the quality of education they get at home, parents said.
Local colleges and universities have seen a boom in the number of home-schooled applicants.
George Mason University has seen a steep increase in the applications from home-schooled students, from 38 in 2008 to 66 in 2010, said Dean of Admissions Andrew Flagel. Admission numbers are up in general this year, he said.
“But the applications from home-schooled students, while a smaller percentage of the total, have clearly grown at an even faster rate,” he said.
Home-instructed students are accepted at a slightly higher rate than public or private school students, Flagel said.
Officials from several state universities said their schools do not track the success rates of home-instructed students once they enter college.
Blog @ April 28, 2010
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General |
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HEAV has arranged to offer Homeschool Q&A workshops at select Barnes & Noble stores next week as part of their Educator Appreciation Week being held April 10 through April 18 (see this Update item for details). Come listen to a brief overview of homeschooling in Virginia, then ask questions of homeschool veterans. Invite new homeschoolers or those interested in home education to stop by!
Visit the children’s department in these stores:
Lynchburg – Wednesday, April 14 at 10:30 a.m.
4024-C Wards Road · 434-239-8688
Christiansburg – Monday, April 12, at 11 a.m.
110 Conston Avenue · 540-381-4923
Richmond – Wednesday, April 14, at 11 a.m.
5501 West Broad Street · 804-282-0781
Glen Allen – Monday, April 12, at 11 a.m.
Creeks at the Virginia Center · 9850 Brook Road · 804-264-6850
Midlothian – Wednesday, April 14, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
11500 Midlothian Turnpike · 804-794-6640
Charlottesville – Monday, April 12, at 10:30 a.m.
1035 Emmet Street, Suite A · 434-984-0461
Virginia Beach – Thursday, April 15, at 10:30 a.m.
4485 Virginia Beach Boulevard · 757-671-2331
Reston – Wednesday, April 14, at 10 a.m.
1851 Fountain Drive · 703-437-9490
Manassas – Wednesday, April 14, at 11 a.m.
8117 Sudley Road · 703-393-0910
Blog @ April 9, 2010
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Events |
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HEAV is working to protect the rights of religiously exempt homeschoolers in Warren County. HEAV’s director of legislative affairs, Yvonne Bunn, called the Warren County School Board office as soon as HEAV reviewed their new and restrictive religious-exemption policy.
In a conversation with Assistant Superintendent Dr. Louis Justis, who is the Warren County homeschool liaison, Yvonne learned the school board did not intend to restrict the rights of religiously exempt parents. Dr. Justis stated Warren County has never refused to acknowledge the religious beliefs of any family. However, with retirement in the near future and the election of new school board members, officials wanted to develop guidelines for new board members who may be unfamiliar with religious exemption. Although their motive was to protect the rights of religiously exempt homeschoolers, their policy went beyond the requirements of the law.
During the discussion, Dr. Justis asked HEAV to draft a policy that complies with the religious exemption statute and is acceptable to homeschoolers. He would like to submit the proposed policy to the school board for their review.
School boards have a duty to recognize parents’ bona fide religious convictions against attendance at school. A carefully written policy would guide the Warren County School Board in responding within the parameters of the law.
The Warren County School Board has since suspended the religious exemption regulation pending public input. HEAV is working with other organizations and Warren County homeschoolers to resolve this situation as quickly and quietly as possible.
Blog @ March 31, 2010
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Legislative |
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Maurice Vellacott, MP
Saskatoon-Wanuskewin
For Immediate Release
March 22, 2010
OTTAWA – A German homeschooling family is seeking asylum in Canada, and they are appearing before the Immigration and Refugee board in Alberta Tuesday to make their case to remain here.
Another German homeschooling family, seeking refuge in the United States, was recently granted permission to remain there. The law that these homeschoolers are being persecuted under is a 1938 piece of Nazi legislation. The law about compulsory school attendance from 1938 (Reichsschulpflichtgesetz) was the first general regulation in the German Reich without exceptions and with criminal consequences in case of contraventions (Habermalz, 2001: 218).
“Canada has a strong legacy of parental rights and home schooling has been an accepted expression of these rights in Canada,” notes Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott (Saskatoon-Wanuskewin). The family has already been in Canada for a little while and the mother is reported as saying that her two sons are thriving in Alberta: “For us, it’s a gift, a real gift to be able to home-school our children.”
Parents have different reasons for choosing the homeschooling option. For these parents, the primary reasons were freedom of conscience and concerns about the medical well-being of their children, reports their lawyer, Jean Munn.
“I commend these valiant parents for the commitment and devotion they have to the best interests of their children,” said Vellacott.
“I hope the Immigration and Refugee Board in Albert gives a favourable hearing to this case,” he added.
(See more information about home-schooling in Germany here: http://www.hslda.org/hs/international/Germany/201001260.asp)
For further comment, call 613-992-1966 or 613-297-2249
annemiller @ March 31, 2010
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International Homeschooling |
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Taken from http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/mar/10032601.html.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Brazilian Couple Receive Criminal Conviction for Homeschooling
Verdict given despite sons passing law school entrance exams — at ages 13 and 14
By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman, Latin America Correspondent
MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL, March 26, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Despite the fact that his children passed difficult government imposed tests, and even qualified for law school at the ages of 13 and 14, homeschooler Cleber Nunes and his wife Bernadeth have been slapped with fines equivalent to a total of $3,200 for refusing to submit their children to the Brazilian school system. However, Nunes told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) that he has no intention to pay the fine, although he says that he might have to spend 15-30 days in jail if he does not.
Although homeschooling is common in many countries, including the United States, and is associated with higher levels of academic achievement, it is completely prohibited in Brazil, the government of which has become increasingly intrusive in recent decades following the establishment of a socialist regime in the 1990s. Since Nunes began to homeschool his two oldest children four years ago, his family has been subject to repeated threats of fines, imprisonment, and loss of custody. However, he has resisted steadfastly, and his case has gained national attention.
The guilty verdict in the criminal case against Nunes, which follows two negative verdicts in a parallel civil case that ended over a year ago, was given despite
the fact that David and Jonatas Nunes had passed a difficult set of tests imposed by the criminal court.
“They had asked the kids to do the tests to check their level of knowledge, and also psychological tests to check their mental health,” Nunes told LifeSiteNews
(LSN). “It seems that the only valid result they expected was the failure of the kids.”
The tests imposed by the court on Nunes’ children were so difficult that one of the teachers who had designed it reportedly admitted that she herself could not pass it. However, David and Jonatas Nunes both passed the exams by margins of five and eight percentage points.
Despite his sons’ performance, however, the government has again ruled against Nunes, this time in criminal court, and ordered a fine. The total amount in fines owed by Nunes as a result of the decisions against him has mounted to over $3,200 in U.S. dollars.
“If they impose tests it means that two possibilities should be considered. They could be suffering intellectual abandonment, or not,” Nunes told LSN. “In other words, they were trying to prove they were victims. But they passed and they kept saying we were criminal.”
Nunes says that despite his success, the judge ruled against him because of his style of home schooling, in which the children direct their own learning, with Nunes overseeing the process.
“The judge said we left the children to learn by themselves,” said Nunes. ”He recognized that they passed the university entrance examination and the tests, but said that it was by their own efforts,” he added, calling that a “joke.” “They want to take control of them, of their minds”
Nunes says he has decided not to appeal the ruling, because Brazil’s Supreme Court has already refused to hear the appeal of his civil case. Although he has paid his wife’s fine to spare her jail time, he says he will not pay his own fine.
“The natural thing to do is appeal, but I don’t trust the Brazilian judges,” Nunes told LSN. “They already showed who they are and what they want. They are not interested in protecting our kids….They want to take control of them, of their minds, they want them out of their home.”
Although he has refused to comply with the rulings against him, Nunes currently faces no more legal difficulties stemming from the homeschooling of David and Jonatas, because they are now beyond the age of mandatory schooling.
However, his daughter could soon be subject to compulsory schooling in Brazil. She will soon turn four, the age at which compulsory schooling begins in Brazil.
Contact Information:
Cleber Nunes (he speaks English) can be contacted at cleber@andradenunes.org.
To contact the Brazilian Embassy:
Embassy of Brazil in the USA
3006 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
20008-3634
Phone: 202-238-2700
Fax: 202-238-2827
Email: ambassador@brasilemb.org
Embassy of Brazil in Canada
450 Wilbrod Street
Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6M8
Phone: 613-237-1090 or 613-755-5160
Fax: 613-237-6144
E-mail: mailbox@brasembottawa.org
Embassies of Brazil to other Nations:
http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/Brazil/Brazil1.html
Yvonne Bunn @ March 31, 2010
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International Homeschooling |
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The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) Legislative Summit was one of the best I have attended. We didn’t change the minds of our representatives about some topics, but we let them know about upcoming homeschool issues, and we tried to build relationships. We also lobbied for the Parental Rights Amendment and told them why we opposed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It was very interesting!
Yvonne Bunn @ March 24, 2010
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Legislative |
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Benjamin Dabney, a 12-year-old homeschooler from Radford was recently named one of the top two finalists in the Science and Engineering Category of the 2010 Rubber Band Contest for Young Inventors. His invention, the “ElastiBed,” is an easy-to-use framework for mosquito netting he hopes will help prevent malaria and save lives in developing countries. Read more about the contest here.
Below is a pictorial explanation of the “ElastiBed,” followed by a press release with more details.
A hearty congratulations to Benjamin!
A PICTORIAL EXPLANATION BY THE INVENTOR
My invention, the “ElastiBed,” provides a safe sleeping haven for children and infants in developing countries by protecting them from the harmful effects of mosquitoes, the primary carriers of the deadly disease malaria.
When a mosquito net is draped over the cube and tucked under the edges, this invention will keep mosquitoes out so kids have a bug-free place to sleep during the night.
The “ElastiBed” is a framework structure that consists of 12 pieces of PVC piping that fit into specially made sockets with rubber bands strung through, to make a cube. (These PVC sockets provide rigid joints and are the corners of the structure when in use.) The rubber bands are critical to this invention, keeping the cube flexible, allowing it to collapse and expand as needed.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RUBBERBAND CONTEST FOR YOUNG INVENTORS ANNOUNCES RADFORD YOUTH AS A 2010 FINALIST IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Benjamin Dabney (12 years old) from Radford, Virginia, was recently named a finalist in the 2010 Rubber Band Contest for Young Inventors. His invention, the “ElastiBed,” was chosen as one of two finalists in the Science and Engineering Category of this national competition. Sponsored by the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the Akron Global Polymer Academy, and the University of Akron, this competition encourages students in grades 5-8 to demonstrate their creativity and ingenuity by creating an invention that incorporates the use of rubber bands.
Using rubber bands as a key component, Benjamin’s “ElastiBed” was designed to help fight the spread of the deadly disease malaria among children and infants in developing African countries. Mosquitoes, which attack their victims at night as they sleep, are the primary carrier of malaria in those countries.
The idea for the “ElastiBed” came after Benjamin read an alarming article in Scientific American, which explained that even though a variety of organizations are sending mosquito nets to developing countries by with the intent to provide a safe sleep haven, many mosquito nets are used improperly or simply not used. Beds with high frames and posts are rarely seen among the majority of the population. Roll-up mats or low-framed beds are common. Because of this and the lack of overhead supports in the thatched roofs that dominate the region, there are no convenient locations to hang the nets. In addition, many standard mosquito nets are bulky, making their use in the relatively small homes a time-consuming and laborious task, both during set-up at night and take-down in the morning.
In essence, the “ElastiBed” is a collapsible frame structure, easily put up or taken down, that provides a framework for mosquito nets to be draped over. The contest required rubber bands to be an integral part of any inventor’s design. In this case, the rubber bands serve two purposes: ease of setup and storage, and structural size flexibility, allowing nets of various sizes to be used.
When a mosquito net is draped over the cube and tucked under the edges, Benjamin’s invention, to quote the young inventor, “Will keep mosquitoes out so kids have a bug-free place to sleep during the night.” In the morning, all that needs to be done is to take off the net, collapse the frame, and store it until it is needed again.
More information on the competition can be found on the following websites:
http://www.nmoe.org/rubberband.htm
http://rubberbandcontest.org
Additional information is also available from Gay Evans, Assistant Executive Director, National Museum of Education.
Address: 80 W. Bowery Street, Suite 305, Akron, OH 44308
E-mail: info@nmoe.org
Web: www.nmoe.org
Phone: 330-376-8300
Fax: 330-376-0566
Please feel free to contact Benjamin by email at dcdmail@hotmail.com, or by phone at 540-731-5281, if you would like to talk with him further.
Katherine Loop @ March 24, 2010
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Homeschoolers Did It! |
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In March 2010, more than 130 million addresses will receive a 2010 Census form by mail or hand delivery. The 2010 Census will document the changes in our nation since the last decennial census in 2000. The census data will affect how more than $400 billion in federal funding is distributed to state and local governments for the next 10 years.
Below are some of the things the U.S. Census Bureau says about the 2010 Census. We’re including them here to give you a better idea of what you can expect when the form arrives.
- The 2010 Census form asks 10 questions and takes about 10 minutes to complete. The individual in whose name the housing unit is rented or owned should complete the form on behalf of every person living there, both relatives and nonrelatives.
- Census data are used to reapportion seats in Congress and ensure proper district representation in state and local governments. Information from the census helps determine locations for childcare and senior centers, new roads, hospitals, schools, law enforcement, and community centers.
- By law, the U.S. Census Bureau cannot share respondents’ answers with anyone, including other federal agencies and law enforcement entities. All Census Bureau employees take an oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of the data. The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both.
The Census Bureau asks that you complete and mail back the census form in the postage-paid envelope between March 15, 2010, and April 15, 2010. Census workers will visit households that do not return forms to take the count in person.
Yvonne Bunn @ March 10, 2010
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Legislative |
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The evening meal can be a valuable training time, yet directing dinnertime conversations can sometimes be a challenge! Here’s a simple idea to try: Have each person at the table share a couple of praises from the day. You may find it also helps you think of things to be grateful for throughout the day! Some other ideas would be to pick a topic from history to discuss…or have each person share something interesting he heard or learned that day.
What does your family talk about around the table? Share your dinnertime ideas as a comment below for others to benefit from.
Blog @ March 3, 2010
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General |
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From Essence.com
http://www.essence.com/lifestyle/parenting/commentary_why_we_choose_to_homeschool.php
Commentary: Why We Homeschool Our Children
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 | 11:50 AM
by Aretha Taggart, as told to Yolanda Sangweni
When most people think of homeschooling, they think rich celebs and White families. But figures from the National Home Education Research Institute show that more Black families are gaining in on the practice. In 2007, an estimated 220,000 Black children were homeschooled, compared to 84,000 in 1999. Black students make up nearly 10% of the estimated two million students who are homeschooled nationwide–more than any other minority group.
Albert and Aretha Taggart decided no one could do a better job at educating their four children than they could. So Aretha left her corporate job and began teaching her children at home six years ago. Here she shares why her family made the choice to bring the classroom into their home.
Read more: http://www.essence.com/lifestyle/parenting/commentary_why_we_choose_to_homeschool.php#ixzz0gEPjEQ9P
Resources
National Black Home Educators (NBHE)
The National Black Home Educators is a nationwide organization dedicated to mentoring parents and training youth.
http://www.nbhe.net
Home Educators Association of Virginia (HEAV)
On the “Support” page, HEAV provides listings of Virginia support groups by county and city.
http://www.heav.org/support/index.html
annemiller @ February 27, 2010
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