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Page 12, Whltby Free Press, Wedinesday, August 23,1995 Alternative model PR OM PAGE1il education responsibility themselves. Socilizainl a major aspect cf home-based education. However, Simpson does not think it should be au issue simply because the chldren are lu contact with-different age groupsand are involved with so many other activities. Most believe that achool in necessary for eilidren te luteract, but -Gren argues that school lu "one cf the mont dreadful modela cf socialization that you can contemplate. "We do net imprison any other segment of our population against thelr .will sud that'. what cempulsery education is," says G reen, criticing the limitations cf being surrounded by only eue age group. 1 However,"Green realizea that it is net possible te eliminate the publicechàool system or compulsory education because it in still a necessary institution. Aithougli Green sud Simpson do not agre. on the policies of the publie uchool system, they encourage - education . and aOre *dedicated te extending home schooling te other families who may b. intereed. "in the early years of the next century, weMi see more than 10 per cent of ail chuidren of achool age being educated at home," relays Green, of a prediction of home- based education lu the U.S, She saya this prediction la clooely linked te Canadian figuresj.. Both Green and Simpson have lielped te organize the First Ontario Diversity lu Education Conference, sponisored by the Canadian Alliance cf Home Schoolers, the Toronto Waldorf School sud the Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents. Keynote speaker will b. New York State teacher of the yéar John Taylor Gatto. The conference, for anyone interested ln education issues, *will be held Saturday, Oct. 21 at the Toronto Waldorf School. There wil be a wide variety of workshops ranging from lacadei researchi on home-echoolers, geometiy lu the Mlddle Sehool and staudardized testing to watercolour paintinga. Gainingsupport FR OM PAGE il school system, being politically correct sud certainly the lack cf attention spent ou academica these day." Cleary disapproves cf students uing calculators for math tests and adds, "Most kIds these day. don't even have te learu the multiplication tables. My kids do. "We're concemned about the level cf quality cf education and not that we're baahing the system or teacliers, we thlnk tliey have a difficuit job aud personaily, we tblnk a lot cf the problei i maybe toc many working mom.su d nobodly overseeing thefr children's education." In McRae's case, lier chidren ~were never part cf the sehool "WhY should someone else have the job cf looking after your chidren sud teaching them wheu the parents cau, do just as good a job if not better?" Wlien lier chidren reached selicel age, she saw other home schooling families and, "was just ideal, the teaching that went on sud the learning that went on because you knew your children' very very wel and you could reaily follow their interesta sud when they wer'e ready, then you could teaciL" Both MeRae sud Cleary have identifled important advantages cf home education. "You build sfrongbcnds between ail family members, the chidren excelling lu their academicsansd they don't have te spend ail day doing it (sehool)," lista Cleary. Sometimes parents only speud two te three hours a day teaching, but Cleary adds, *you teacli your chidren at every teacliable moment." She compares home schooling te an apprenticeship because chidren eau learn even when parents are busy with daily ta"k or home projecta. Another advantage cf liomescliooling is that «you eau follow the interesta cf eilidren right when they're vezy luterested, when theyre meut peaked by curieusityi« uaya McRae. She points out that the kcids do net have te wait for, a curriculum to teacli them about a new interest, they ean resieansd learn at any time. AtogiPORE parents ses the pros cf home schoolixig, skeptics question the socializatien cf hidren as weil as their academie standards. "Sometimes home achoolers are aoeused cf uggaingo *-the childreu sud ieolating them," afflMcRae. However,. she adds, "when they'ré at home, you're in the commulnity, t.hey're more free to go out and volunteer and be an important part of the community.' "One nationwide study shows that the majority of home-educated cbildren receive regular contact with people outside the family through group sports., clubs, classes outaide the home, neighbourhood cbildren, volunteer work and church-related activities," assures McRae. Thore are regular excursions to various sites lu Whitby, sucli as The Station Gallery or the Sydenham Museum lu Oshawa. As for somne home school parents not having teacher's certificates, Cleary contenda that "certification la not a prerequesite even to be a teacher in the system, it i. a job requirement by the achool board." McRae, who does have a teaching background, la confident that her chidren "are already above academic requirement," wbich lias been proven through informal testing. Also, the chidren would be able te, at any time, attend mainstream schools. "There are some universities who searclh for home school chidren because they have very good study habits and are ueually quite advanced academically," she Baya. Even with the assurances of social aud academic success, home schocli.ng may not be appropriate for every family. "We don't get any fuuding. We pay taxes, but we don't get any kind ofmaterials from the board or any kind of funding reimbursing us for our education costs," says McRae, adding, however, that more resources are available now that home education i. becoming more popular. 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