The CRHE Voice, Volume 2 Issue 9

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Volume 2, Issue 9 ✦ September 2016

Welcome to the CRHE Voice! This monthly newsletter will keep you up to date on what’s going on with the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, as well as letting you know about ways you can get involved with our mission of raising awareness of the need for homeschooling reform, providing public policy guidance, and advocating for responsible home education practices.

Inside this Issue:
- New Web Content
- From The Mailbag
- Meet Our Interns
- Teaching Moment:
Empathy & Volunteer Work

CRHE By the Numbers

# of Twitter followers: 355

Homeschooling was legalized in all states between 1980-1990

# of states that
do not require HS students be vaccinated: 26

# of required "instruction days" per year in WA state: 180

Donate!

A Note from the Executive Director

By Rachel Coleman

When I was 16 or so, a friend of mine had a problem. She wanted to get her driver’s license, but she couldn’t, because her parents had never gotten her a social security number. Fortunately, this was resolved without too much trouble---because she had a birth certificate, her parents were able to file what was needed and get her a social security number. This was not the only homeschool kid I grew up knowing who had to go through this, though, and not every story has such a positive (or simple) ending.

A new story on NPR’s Radiolab this month focused on the story of Alecia Pennington, a homeschool graduate who, without a birth certificate, social security number, or school or medical records, found herself in the unenviable position of having to prove her existence. We covered Alicia’s story when it first broke, and again when a Texas lawmaker introduced legislation to help ease Alicia’s path. But I think it’s worth taking a moment to put Alecia’s story---and the stories of many of those I knew growing up---in greater context.

When parents enroll their children in school, they have to provide certain documentation. A birth certificate is almost universally required. In addition, children who attend school are generally required to have a physical or other medical screenings, and doctor visits also require certain documents. Homeschooling allows situations where parents fail to obtain identification documents to go undetected, potentially until their children reach adulthood.

CRHE has a number of proposals to ensure that homeschooled students have the documents they need -- and we believe these proposals will benefit homeschooling parents, too! We advise states to require parents to turn in a copy of each child’s birth certificate to either the local school district or the state department of education, depending on who oversees homeschooling. We also recommend requiring the same medical visits for homeschooled children as for children who attend public schools. Finally, we believe homeschool parents should be required to keep academic records for their children.

If we work together, we can ensure that every homeschooled student graduates with the documentation they need to move on successfully to the next step in their lives.

- RC

New Web Content

This month we have two lengthy blog posts dealing with stereotypes, research, and reporting on homeschooling.

In Simone Biles and the Homeschool Prodigy Narrative, our executive director, Rachel Coleman, explains the problem with the homeschool “prodigy” narrative.
In Irresponsible Reporting on Homeschooling Benefits No One, Coleman takes on statistics and framing and looks at the negative consequences of reporting that lacks nuance.

We have several new articles in the works, so look forward to seeing more in the coming weeks!

From The Mailbag
This feature provides readers with a look at our replies to some of the many messages we receive from homeschooling parents or other individuals asking for information, help, or advice. Some details have been changed to protect anonymity. If you would like to contact us with your own questions, you can fill out our contact form.

QUESTION: "Hello! I am looking for some information. I have been homeschooling my two children for 3 years. Do you have any resources on how I should be keeping their records, especially when planning for college in the future?”

ANSWER: Thank you for contacting CRHE! Your question is an important one.

There are a variety of ways to handle recordkeeping. Frequently, parents create a list of subjects at the beginning of the year, with information under each on what curriculum, materials, or activities will be used to cover each -- an academic plan of sorts. Then, at the end of the school year, they compile a portfolio that outlines what was covered: the academic plan (updated to reflect any changes and to note grades); sample math sheets; sample writing assignments; a list of books that were read; a list of field trips or museums visited; a list of activities (library story time, an art or ballet class, etc.). This portfolio, then, serves as an overview of what the student learned during that academic that year.

Recordkeeping and grades become more important once a child has reached middle school and, especially, high school. What do colleges want to see? What do transcripts need to look like? We have several pages on our website that address these questions:

Homeschooling Your College Bound Child
H ow To Obtain A Homeschool Transcript

Hopefully this helps! Thank you for contacting us with your questions.

- The CRHE Team

Meet Our Interns!

We sat down for a fun Q & A with two of our Summer interns
to explore what drew them to CRHE, and where their passions lie.

Grace Seim Kate Schell
Research Intern Research Intern

Why did you apply to intern with CRHE?

KS: "When Kathryn Joyce's Homeschool Apostates article came out in 2014, I was surprised to see my own experiences with and questions about the homeschooling movement reflected, for the first time, in many of the individuals interviewed. I've followed CRHE and related organizations since then but hadn't known how to get involved. This seemed like a good opportunity to learn and contribute.

GS: "Because I've seen many educationally neglected homeschoolers struggle with life after high school, I know what the consequences of no homeschooling oversight are. I have been following CRHE for a couple of years and wanted to get involved in advocating for homeschool children."

What has been most meaningful to you in your work with CRHE?

KS: "Learning! I've been writing a state history of home education in Oregon (where I currently live), and it's astonishing how much of this history hasn't been compiled or recorded."

GS: "I've been entering homeschool test score data for a couple of states, and I'm excited that it will be used to provide a more accurate picture of how homeschoolers tend to do academically."

What is your own educational background?

KS: "My mom homeschooled me all the way from pre-K through graduation, though I also played basketball and took a few electives at a Christian school in junior high and high school. Homeschooling provided ample opportunity for devouring thick Victorian novels and inventing cuss words in Klingon (but let's not talk about algebra). I studied English with an emphasis in journalism at a small evangelical university.

GS: "I was homeschooled through high school, but from 5th grade on I was responsible for my own learning and had little to no adult supervision. My family highly values reading, so I read a lot of books when I was growing up and they helped fill in gaps in my education. I graduated with my A.A. degree from a community college and will be going back to school this fall to study psychology."

If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be and why?

KS: "Hannibal Barca was the most brilliant military strategist of all time, and I'm pretty brilliant when it comes to planning how to sleep in as late as possible while still making it to work on time, so I think we'd get along well. I'd also like to sit down with Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane to hear their perspectives on the controversial writing of Little House, complex mother-daughter relationships, and the dramatic societal changes they witnessed in their lifetimes. And finally, I'd like to just, like, hug Leonard Nemoy while crying."

GS: "Harriet Tubman, because she actively stood up to injustice in spite of great personal risk. She fought her entire life to make all human beings equal."

***

Teaching Moment: Empathy & Volunteer Work

Note: Our teaching moment section is developed with homeschool parents
in mind, but can be adapted for other audience as well!

Are you interested in activism or volunteer work? Both can empower your children to try new things and help others, and can also build self confidence when your kids see their actions creating tangible change in the world! Colleges and universities also look for volunteer work during the admissions process. You can encourage your child to be empathetic and model both volunteering and activism in the here and now. There are a variety of ways you can integrate volunteer opportunities into your homeschool!

There are two ways people usually come to activism and volunteerism -- Experience and Empathy. Exploring Experience-led volunteerism with your child shows them that their interests and hobbies can have a positive impact beyond their own lives. Empathy-led activism encourages your child to put themselves in the shoes of another, and opens their eyes to how the needs of other people sometimes differ from their own. Here are some suggestions for engaging in both types of activism with your child!

Ask your child what interests them, or what makes them happy. Dogs? Check out volunteer opportunities at a local animal shelter! Crafts? Find out if your area has a group that makes blankets or sleeping pads for the homeless. Does your child have a favorite park? Grab some gloves and take a trip to pick up trash and make that park more beautiful. What about sports? Take the kid who has endless energy to a charitable 5k or walk-a-thon.
Encourage your children to think actively about the people they value in their life - friends, relatives, a teacher at co-op or church, etc. Brainstorm with them an appropriate way to let these people know they appreciate and care about them!
If your child loves baking, arts and crafts, or has another marketable skill, they could try creating and selling a product to raise money for a cause they believe in. A lemonade stand, art sale, or lawn-mowing business is classic project-based learning, opening the doors to teach empathy, charity, money handling skills, planning, social skills, and much more.
Ensure your child has access to diverse books that expose them to the experiences of other cultures, religions, physical abilities, and social statuses. Look especially for books and media written by people who experience those things themselves! Instill the understanding that people’s stories should be heard firsthand, their identities are valid, and their experiences are valuable and worthy of respect.
If a member of your co-op, church, or other social group gets sick, have your child help look up recipes and cook chicken noodle soup, or research helpful items to put together a care package, and help them deliver the goods in person.

Scholastic and PBS both have tons of resources and articles regarding kids, activism, and volunteering -- complete with book lists! We recommend the following for further reading:

And remember, most of all - activism is not something anyone can be forced into. If your child is not naturally inclined toward volunteer work, no matter how you encourage them, remember that the loudest voice in their life is the example you set. Go ahead and volunteer on your own! Turn your own interests and passions into service will teach your children more about your values than forced volunteerism ever could.

New HIC Cases

- Late 1990s: Olympic gymnast Dominique Moceanu was abused by her parents emotionally and financially. She ran away from home and filed for termination of parental rights.
- June 14, 2015: Gypsy Blancharde was medically abused by her mother, a severe case of Munchausen by proxy. The abuse ended when her online boyfriend killed her mother.
- July 18, 2016: Eleven homeschooled children, adopted or fostered Daniel and Jenise Spurgeon, reported experiencing physical abuse, sexual abuse, and discriminatory treatment.
- July 25, 2016: Two homeschooled children in Arizona killed by their mother, who then committed suicide. The children had been involved in their local theater community.

Thanks for reading!

That’s all for now, but we’ll be working all month long on important homeschooling issues and research as they come up! If you have any questions or ideas for future issues, please feel free to contact us at info@responsiblehomeschooling.org.

To keep up with our latest news and updates, follow us on Twitter at @ResponsibleHS and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ResponsibleHomeschooling.