Homeschooling: Education Without Labels
By Jan Upton, Ph.D.

Homeschooling offers kids who do not easily fit into the system an educational option that can be more readily tailored to their individual needs. A lot of people do not realize that Thomas Edison got kicked out of school and was homeschooled by his mother. We similarly expected the school system would either kick out our son or require us to label and medicate him. Instead, we chose homeschooling.

Our son has never been in public or private schools precisely because, more than anything else, my husband and I feared the labels that the system would place on him. It was obvious that he would have difficulty with any environment in which he would have to sit in one place for long periods of time, deal with a room of 25 or more people (most of them also children), be “taught” things that he already knew, and the list goes on and on. Instead of dealing with the school administration on a daily basis, we chose to educate our son on our own.

This kid could very easily be labeled ADHD (Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder), ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder), and LD (Learning Disabled) and likely traumatized by the experience. Instead, at age 10, he is learning pre-algebra, doing his own Powerpoint presentations, composing original compositions on his Casio keyboard, and developing an art portfolio. He has incredible self-esteem and is one of the happiest kids that I know.

I do not blame or have any anger at the school system. In my opinion, it is unrealistic to expect the system to successfully educate children like ours. He is simply too far off the normal curve. In reading, math, and science, he is operating several years ahead of his peers. Nonetheless, although he works well independently, social interaction with more than a couple of people at one time can still overwhelm him. As parents, we recognize his strengths and limitations, encouraging him regularly to work on his weaker areas. At the same time, we know better than to place him in a noisy classroom with 30 others, in which failure would be highly probable.

An increasing number of parents with such kids are quietly making the decision to either remove them or not enroll them in the system. Most of us are quiet about it because it is not the socially accepted thing to do. We are taking our so-called defective children and we are educating them, often without the use of psychotropic medications. In most cases, with effective parenting and education customized to their needs, these children are able to learn and feel good about themselves. Yes, it is controversial and although it is a very quiet movement, there is a growing community of parents who are protecting their children in this way. Many of us are weary from battles over IEPs (Individual Education Plans), and homeschooling is a much less stressful option.

Homeschooling allows parents to design instruction based on the needs of their children. For example, when you have a seven year-old who is reading at a 6^th or higher grade level, you really do not have to spend a lot of time teaching them how to read. In addition, you can cover a lot more material in a shorter period of time with one-on-one instruction (homeschooling is basically personalized tutoring). Finally, the kid can move around more–go to the bathroom as needed and ride his bike or roller-skate in the middle of the day (believe me, recess is essential for active kids). Homeschooling is one of the best decisions that my family has ever made.#