Several sources of support are available to parents who want to be their children's main educator.
By JON WILSON
Published August 29, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - Pinellas County is among the state's friendliest toward people who choose to teach their children at home, say some of the parents who do so.
As it has nationally, the homeschooling option has grown in Pinellas. About 2,400 students are registered with the school district, or about 2 percent of the school age population, said John Lash, coordinator of partnership schools and child care programs.
The percentage tracks the national figure of 2.2 percent, which represents nearly 1.1-million homeschooled students.
"It's becoming more mainstream. Numbers the past few years haven't fluctuated, but if you look in the past 10 years, yes (they've increased)," Lash said.
Still, on the national level, the numbers reflect a 29 percent increase since the last government survey five years ago, according to a recent Associated Press story.
Parents cite a variety of reasons for choosing the homeschool option. Chief among them are the ability to set curricula conduct, perceptions of safety at public schools and avoiding negative peer pressure.
"Many do it for religious reasons. They focus on character and biblical principles," said LaWanda Sutherland, director of a Florida Parent Educators Association that includes Pinellas.
Homeschooling perhaps once was considered the province of parents seeking a faith-oriented education for their children. But that is not always the case. Some parents want to set the pace of learning or focus on particular needs and interests of their children.
Sutherland, for example, has homeschooled three children, now 17, 14 and 12 years old.
The oldest child learned best visually and preferred textbooks, Sutherland said. The youngest learned by hearing and listened to books on tapes.
Her middle child, a boy, "is hands-on. He wants to be doing, he's constantly moving, which is fine, but maybe not in a classroom situation." When he was 5 to 7 years old, her son's fine motor skills hadn't developed, Sutherland said, and he struggled to do math or spell words or write to 100 on paper.
It took bouncing on a trampoline to set the right tone.
He could count jumps and, Sutherland said, bounces could translate to letters and spelled words.
The point, she said, is that homeschooling allows parents to choose the learning methods that will be of most help to their children.
Parents contemplating homeschooling have several other issues to consider.
One is deciding that they can spend the time necessary.
"It's a major commitment because you are with your children all the time. It's the No. 1 issue: Are you going to commit to it and just not half-heartedly do it," Sutherland said.
Parents also must consider whether they can be effective teachers. They have to worry about rounding up teaching materials. If more than one child must be taught, they must tailor curriculum to age levels.
Fortunately, there is considerable support available.
The FPEA, for example, includes 12 districts with contacts and support information available. Pinellas is in District 5, which also includes Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties.
Within counties, groups have formed so parents will have mutual support and to organize activities such as field trips. And the Internet provides wide choice in text and curricula offerings.
OVERVIEW: Parents can educate their children at home from preschool through high school. Methods include use of correspondence and online courses. Publishing companies and curriculum providers offer many options for course work. Parents must buy their children's textbooks; Pinellas County does not provide texts, instructional material or assistance. Parents are not required to hold a Florida teaching certificate. Opportunities to participate in college-credit dual enrollment and extracurricular activities such as sports, band and cheerleading are available. Homeschooled children are eligible for Bright Futures Scholarships and admission to community colleges and state universities.
REQUIREMENTS: Send a notice of intent to your district school superintendent. Maintain a portfolio of records, materials and samples of the student's work. Make the portfolio available for inspection by the superintendent upon 15-day written notice. Submit an annual evaluation for each child to the district superintendent. Keep the child's portfolio for two years. Submit a letter of termination upon completing a home-education program when enrolling in a public or private school or upon leaving the county.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: The Florida Parent-Educators Association, toll-free at 1-877-275-3732 or www.fpea.com/Guide/
GuideMainFrames.htm; FPEA District 5 information, LaWanda Sutherland, (813) 982-1288; John G. Lash, Pinellas County school district coordinator of partnership schools and child care programs, (727) 588-6209.
