Homeschoolers in North Carolina are involved in real life activities, not "make work" tasks, as an integral part of their education, said Spencer Mason, president of North Carolinians for Home Education this morning. The socialization question is being addressed through outside activities, churches, and the numerous homeschool support groups across the state, and more homeschoolers head to college than their general population counterparts.
In a interview with Scott Fitzgerald on WPTF's N.C. Morning News, Mason said that a study by the University of Michigan found that 41% of the homeschoolers in that state went on to attend college. He said that NCHE's own survey of homeschooling parents a few years ago found that most chose home education in order to teach their values to their children; while some two-thirds file with the state as "religious" homeschools, a full third do not [choosing the "independent" option]; and the typical homechool family is a two-parent, single-income household with Mom doing the majority of the teaching. He pointed out that homeschooling can be much less expensive than private schools, though it is certainly possible to spend much more if the family chooses.
Asked about Wake County in the context of ongoing student reassignment controversies, Mason said there was a 2.4% increase in the number of Wake homeschoolers two years ago, and a whopping 8.3% last year. This year is still underway, he said, but there are indications it may actually show a drop in Wake County for 2008-9.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
NCHE President On Talk Radio Monday
Spencer Mason, president of North Carolinians for Home Education, will be interviewed by Scott Fitzgerald on North Carolina Morning News, the drive-time program of News-Talk 680 WPTF in Raleigh. The segment is scheduled for 7:10 a.m. and can be heard online at http://www.wptf.com (click the "Listen Live" button).
Thursday, January 22, 2009
SPORTS: Forsyth Over Cabarrus-Rowan
From The Salisbury Post:
The Cabarrus-Rowan Stallions varsity boys basketball team lost to Forsyth Home Education 80-60. K.P. Hicks (19), Christian Hicks (17) and Caleb Dietz (10) scored in double digits for the Stallions.
Weaverville Pastor Returns to Alabama Home
Bart Culpepper, former minister of music of North Point Baptist Church in Weaverville, has accepted the position of music minister for First Baptist Church of Troy, Alabama. Culpepper, a native of nearby Abbeville, Alabama, has two children in college and a 15-year-old daughter, Nichole, who is homeschooled.
(Troy (AL) Messenger, 1/21/09)
(Troy (AL) Messenger, 1/21/09)
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Limbaugh Asks If New SecEd Will Kill Homeschooling
On his Thursday show, Rush Limbaugh raised the question whether President-elect Obama's nominee for Secretary of Education, Chicago public school chief Arne Duncan, will trust parents with their children's education, or will take steps to eliminate homeschooling. The comment was part of a promotional announcement for the conservative Heritage Foundation's new website, "Ask Heritage".
Attempts to access the website during and after the program were unsuccessful until Friday night. The most relevant item posted there was Dan Lips' article, "Key Questions for Arne Duncan, Nominee for Secretary of U.S. Department of Education"; in it, he praises Duncan's record supporting local leadership and flexibility in administration of the public schools, but still asks how much support he is willing to give parents who want to choose their child's school.
Even this is quite far from a statement on home education, so it seems Limbaugh's comment was nothing more than a rhetorical question, after all.
Attempts to access the website during and after the program were unsuccessful until Friday night. The most relevant item posted there was Dan Lips' article, "Key Questions for Arne Duncan, Nominee for Secretary of U.S. Department of Education"; in it, he praises Duncan's record supporting local leadership and flexibility in administration of the public schools, but still asks how much support he is willing to give parents who want to choose their child's school.
Even this is quite far from a statement on home education, so it seems Limbaugh's comment was nothing more than a rhetorical question, after all.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
SPORTS: Homeschooled Pitcher Signs for Masters College
Daniel Schaeffer, who plays pitcher for the South Hurricanes team and is also a standout for the Surry Home Educators Runnin' Patriots basketball squad, has signed a letter of intent to play baseball with The Masters College in Newhall, California. He has been awarded an 85% scholarship by the college. Daniel is the son of Danny and LaDonna Schaeffer; his father Danny is a former major league catcher.
The Mt. Airy News has a lengthy write up on their website.
The Mt. Airy News has a lengthy write up on their website.
Pre-Teen Gets Involved, Saves Six
A story that is getting wide replay: An unnamed twelve-year-old homeschooler, walking to a Charlotte fast food restaurant for lunch, noticed smoke coming from the back of a home and notified the elderly residents inside. A fire official credits the boy with possibly saving six lives by his action.
(The Greenville Daily Reflector, one of many who picked up the original Charlotte Observer story)
(The Greenville Daily Reflector, one of many who picked up the original Charlotte Observer story)
S.C. Homeschool Family in Fatal N.C. Accident
A homeschooling family on a day trip from South Carolina ended the day in a tragic accident that left the mother and both children dead.
Patricia Bigger, 29, of Liberty, S.C., and her two children, Caroline, 7, and Anthony, 4, died Friday after their minivan crashed into a pond near Rosman, N.C. News reports said the cause of the crash is under investigation. The father, Brent Bigger, who was driving at the time, survived the 8:30 p.m. accident and helped pull his family from the water, but they could not be revived in time.
(Asheville Citizen-Times, 1/10/09)
Patricia Bigger, 29, of Liberty, S.C., and her two children, Caroline, 7, and Anthony, 4, died Friday after their minivan crashed into a pond near Rosman, N.C. News reports said the cause of the crash is under investigation. The father, Brent Bigger, who was driving at the time, survived the 8:30 p.m. accident and helped pull his family from the water, but they could not be revived in time.
(Asheville Citizen-Times, 1/10/09)
Monday, January 12, 2009
Homeschoolers take top prizes in Youth Authors Contest
Homeschoolers won top honors in several categories of the Piedmont Parent Young Authors Contest this week:
Grades K-1:
1st Place: "The Four Friends" by Michaela Hope Gross, first grade, The Shepherd's School (Home School).
2nd Place: "The Duke of Dork and the King of Kina" by Jasmine Marshall, first grade, Paideia Marshall Home School.
Grades 4-5:
1st Place: "Corey the Toad and the Adventures of Gredimous and Wibowbow" by Corey K. Smith, fifth grade, Smith Acres Academy (Home School).
Grades 6-8:
1st Place: "Gooba Plans a Surprise", by Harper Springer, sixth grade, Chestnut Hill Academy (Home School).
The grand-prize winner for story was "Corey the Toad and the Adventures of Gredimous and Wibowbow" by Corey K. Smith, fifth grade (home school) ...
The Piedmont Parent Young Authors Contest is sponsored by Lake Jeanette Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry, the Greensboro Public Library, the Greensboro Children's Museum, the Children's Museum of Winston-Salem and Barnes & Noble in Winston-Salem.
(Winston-Salem Journal, 1/12/09)
Grades K-1:
1st Place: "The Four Friends" by Michaela Hope Gross, first grade, The Shepherd's School (Home School).
2nd Place: "The Duke of Dork and the King of Kina" by Jasmine Marshall, first grade, Paideia Marshall Home School.
Grades 4-5:
1st Place: "Corey the Toad and the Adventures of Gredimous and Wibowbow" by Corey K. Smith, fifth grade, Smith Acres Academy (Home School).
Grades 6-8:
1st Place: "Gooba Plans a Surprise", by Harper Springer, sixth grade, Chestnut Hill Academy (Home School).
The grand-prize winner for story was "Corey the Toad and the Adventures of Gredimous and Wibowbow" by Corey K. Smith, fifth grade (home school) ...
The Piedmont Parent Young Authors Contest is sponsored by Lake Jeanette Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry, the Greensboro Public Library, the Greensboro Children's Museum, the Children's Museum of Winston-Salem and Barnes & Noble in Winston-Salem.
(Winston-Salem Journal, 1/12/09)
Monday, January 5, 2009
Homeschoolers' participation shows museum program is "community based"
The children's museum Hands On! in Hendersonville recently sponsored classes in model rocketry for beginners and intermediate level hobbyists, ages 8-12. The Hendersonville Times-News covered a recent launch day in a local park and spoke with several families as well as the class instructor. One interesting point is that homeschoolers' participation seemed to prove to the museum staff that their outreach was truly broad, perhaps that it extended beyond the elementary school system:
Around 40 beginner students and 15 intermediate students attended class. It was a blend of children, and a lot of the kids at the launch were homeschooled.
“That’s what we’re trying to be is community-based,” said Heather Boeke, executive director for the gallery.
“It’s wonderful to see,” she added. “We have this great classroom facility ... (we want) people to use our facility and help us accomplish our mission.”
Thursday, January 1, 2009
2008 Top N.C. Homeschool Stories
1st Homeschooler Named UNC Morehead-Cain Scholar
In March, Kelsey Rushing Farson, the daughter of Jak and Teresa Farson of Davidson, was chosen as the first homeschooler to receive the University of North Carolina's Morehead-Cain Scholarship.
Homeschooling Becomes A Campaign Issue
Home education became a campaign issue in the state's elections in 2008, with candidates from all three parties taking positions involving homeschooling. State Senator Fred Smith (R) and Duke professor Dr. Mike Munger (L) made homeschooling part of their platform and gubernatorial campaigns, as did several candidates for lesser office. However, the greatest controversy involved the support of Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory (R) for an educational tax credit or voucher for families of private- and homeschooled students. Lieutenant Governor Beverly Purdue (D) claimed this was an attempt to divert public school funding to homeschoolers and elite private academies, a claim that was repeated throughout the campaign although denied by McCrory and almost immediately refuted by the Raleigh News & Observer.
Child Fatality Report Calls for More Homeschool Regulation
The report on the abuse-related death of 4-year-old Sean Paddock of Johnston County admitted that social service agencies in both Wake and Johnston counties had failed to identify the problems and intervene with the troubled family that adopted Sean, but newspapers zeroed in on the report's call for closer supervision of homeschoolers generally. Sean's older siblings were homeschooled, although Sean himself was not yet school-aged.
Apologia Educational Ministries Purchased by N.C. Homeschool Leaders
In June, the company which publishes Dr. Jay Wile's popular Apologia Science curriculum was purchased by Davis and Rachael Carman, longtime homeschoolers and board members of North Carolinians for Home Education. Dr. Wile is continuing with the company as an author and speaker, saying he simply wanted someone with shared vision to take over the operation of the business.
Number of N.C. Homeschoolers Tops 70,000
Estimates released by the Division of Non-Public Education in August said that some 71,000 students were being homeschooled in North Carolina in 2007-08, an all-time high.
In March, Kelsey Rushing Farson, the daughter of Jak and Teresa Farson of Davidson, was chosen as the first homeschooler to receive the University of North Carolina's Morehead-Cain Scholarship.
Homeschooling Becomes A Campaign Issue
Home education became a campaign issue in the state's elections in 2008, with candidates from all three parties taking positions involving homeschooling. State Senator Fred Smith (R) and Duke professor Dr. Mike Munger (L) made homeschooling part of their platform and gubernatorial campaigns, as did several candidates for lesser office. However, the greatest controversy involved the support of Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory (R) for an educational tax credit or voucher for families of private- and homeschooled students. Lieutenant Governor Beverly Purdue (D) claimed this was an attempt to divert public school funding to homeschoolers and elite private academies, a claim that was repeated throughout the campaign although denied by McCrory and almost immediately refuted by the Raleigh News & Observer.
Child Fatality Report Calls for More Homeschool Regulation
The report on the abuse-related death of 4-year-old Sean Paddock of Johnston County admitted that social service agencies in both Wake and Johnston counties had failed to identify the problems and intervene with the troubled family that adopted Sean, but newspapers zeroed in on the report's call for closer supervision of homeschoolers generally. Sean's older siblings were homeschooled, although Sean himself was not yet school-aged.
Apologia Educational Ministries Purchased by N.C. Homeschool Leaders
In June, the company which publishes Dr. Jay Wile's popular Apologia Science curriculum was purchased by Davis and Rachael Carman, longtime homeschoolers and board members of North Carolinians for Home Education. Dr. Wile is continuing with the company as an author and speaker, saying he simply wanted someone with shared vision to take over the operation of the business.
Number of N.C. Homeschoolers Tops 70,000
Estimates released by the Division of Non-Public Education in August said that some 71,000 students were being homeschooled in North Carolina in 2007-08, an all-time high.
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