Homeschooling

This page has been created at the request of parents, for the purpose of communication between, and with, families who are using Montessori philosophy, practice, materials, to homeschool their children.

No wonder the homeschooling movement–the most momentous educational development of the last few decades and one of the most hopeful signs for the future–is starting to catch on in a big way ... Does Ray believe that homeschoolers and their anti-tax ways are responsible for [a bloody rampage]? Might such violence have something to do with why parents are withdrawing their kids from the schools to educate them at home? ... [T]he Time article on homeschooling ... was terribly revealing ... Homeschoolers are diverse, they socialize, they excel academically, and they are sought by top colleges.

Herbert Spencer was born in Derby in the English Midlands ... Except for a period of three months, he never attended school, and was educated at home by his father and an uncle. Thus, his education was very uneven. He learned little or nothing of Latin, Greek, English, or history, but received an unusually firm grounding in geometry, algebra, trigonometry and mechanics. In fact, at the age of fifteen he was already reading Newton's Principia. Spencer's uncle wanted him to attend Cambridge, as he himself had, but Spencer declined, feeling that he was not suited for a university career.

Dissatisfied with the performance of government-run schools, more and more American families have begun teaching their children at home. Estimates of the number of homeschooled children vary widely; the best estimate is 500,000 to 750,000 ... There are two historical strains of homeschooling, a religious-right thread inspired by author Raymond Moore and a countercultural-left thread inspired by John Holt.

The results of Dr. Ray’s cutting-edge research defuse long-held false criticisms of homeschooling and seem to indicate that homeschooling produces successful adults who are actively involved in their communities and who continue to value education for themselves and their children.

All parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and friends are 'homeschooling' children all the time whether they are aware of it or not! The most important life lessons, including love of academic learning, come from the home, not the school.

Parents who choose to home-school their children ... have chosen to reject the government-run educational system ... Some find the government education system too secular, too politically correct, too inefficient, too corrupt, too crime-ridden, too sexual, too faddish, too bureaucratic, too incompetent, too dangerous, or any combination thereof. Some, known as 'un-schoolers,' find the entire concept of 'teaching' and 'schooling' to be impediments to real learning.

Any parent who is either homeschooling or planning to do so is quite aware of his own limitations, which is precisely why home-schooling networks provide information on tutorial services offered by fellow members. Those advertising to teach specific subject matter are usually homeschoolers themselves who have learned through personal experience that which Evans shrouds in mystery as the elusive 'teacher competency.'

If the state does not look after education, who will? ... When people are free, there has been and will be only one answer to the question ...: the family. The institution of family is an outgrowth of individualism and freedom. A man and a woman freely choose to build a life together and raise children. The idea of family without primary responsibility for education is ludicrous ... [A]t first ... schools claimed to value the family. The slow process of centralization and bureaucratization, however, has long removed whatever control families once had over education of their children.

ISIL: You have written 11 books, the "Uncle Eric" series ... I believe these are geared to the home school market? Have you had success in this endeavor?
Maybury: The ... series is read by adults ... but, yes, its main market is home schoolers and charter schools. The response has been amazing. Home schoolers know the government wants children raised by government-controlled schools, not by parents ... A lot of home schoolers do not feel their children are fully educated unless they have both sides of the story and, of course, these people are naturally attracted to the non-statist side.

Marshall Fritz: For about 200 years, Americans educated their children using a variety of church schools, home schooling, charity schools, and dame schools. I am hoping to see a resurgence of dame schools led by homeschool moms who find they really love teaching ...
[H]ome educators must continue to improve their own lives ... When [other parents] see loving, obedient, engaging children ... they know you are doing SOMETHING right ...
Dame schools were popular from the 1600s into the mid 1800s. A woman would have 3-8 children come to her home each day, usually ages 5-8. She taught them to read.