Excerpts

Here is one complete essay from Freedom Challenge ("Colors, Numbers, Math, and Greeks" by Whitney Sparks), and excerpts from two other essays: "Free at Last," by Donna E. Nichols White, and "One Father's Perspective," by Toby Rhue. On the Freedom Challenge main page, you can also read a shorter excerpt by Pamela Sparks.

Free at Last

When I started homeschooling my children, I wanted to out-school the schools. Whatever was taught in school, I planned to teach more of it. Whatever grade my sons were supposed to be in, I'd teach one grade higher. Whatever the national average was for their schooled peers, I'd try for better. I envisioned three- to six-hour school days in my home, with the children obediently studying from tomes that each weighed a minimum of two pounds.

Over the years I have discovered that this is how children are taught--not necessarily how they learn. I have concluded that it's schooling, rather than "learning disabilities," that impinges on a child's learning. I have also decided I will not waste precious time competing with the schools. Schooling damages black students the most; no other group of students fail in school at the rate they do. Why copy failure?

So, I decided that I would not harm my children by "schooling" them. I watched and noticed that they learned a lot on their own. At the ages of five and three, they spent their days exploring, using our encyclopedias to research the animals they encountered, building simple electronic circuits, and listening to lots of excellent literature.

Well, I thought, this is the road to unschooling. Now, what do I do with all the academic supplies I've already purchased? Are they completely useless to a self-directed learner? I had amassed an excellent collection of reading, writing, spelling and math textbooks--the very best there was to offer--but I wasn't using them. I felt like throwing them out or selling them, but fortunately, I didn't. I eventually found out that the books weren't useless; they just needed a new use! Let me explain:

When Khahil wanted to read, I taught him phonics, because I knew that I couldn't tolerate reading lessons unless phonics were included. Six months of occasional 15-minute phonics lessons did the trick. He enjoyed phonics drill, but eschewed the Sullivan Readers I had purchased.

When Latif decided to learn to read, Khahil pulled out an unused Sullivan reader (a phonics program) and sat with him for three days until Latif completed the book. When Latif did cartwheels, Khahil did cartwheels; when Latif sat, Khahil sat; When Latif jumped, Khahil jumped. By the end of three days, the 64-page book had been read--while the boys cartwheeled, sat, and jumped. (Rukiya, too, is now becoming an early reader; any phonics instruction that Latif receives, she participates in also.) And so, the curriculum has a use after all.

We keep math books that span grades K-college in our home, and the boys use them as resources. We've never completed a math book in the conventional sense; instead, we skip a lot of the drill work and do what they think is the interesting stuff.

We have many do-it-yourself type science books which promote independent learning. Do I feel a need to direct all of the science experiments? No, and I don't feel left out when they prefer to do things their way.

There is one type of textbook that I have not collected so far: the history textbook. Instead, I collect biographies and historical references. These I pre-read, because I do not want to hurt my children by presenting the popularized, incorrect view of world history.

My sons also research everything they're interested in by reading the encyclopedia or other reference books that we have in our home.

And throughout the years I have supplied the boys with books that supported their other interests, whether they were "old enough" for the books or not. For Khahil that has meant high fantasy, chess and electronics. For Latif, airplanes, earth movers, and cooking.

Do my children use our curricular materials and other books enough to disqualify us as "unschoolers"? I think not. Schooling, certainly, is not what we do. You see, we've turned the curriculum into resources. The books no longer hold sway over my home. The power of the almighty textbook has been reduced to the minor role of a less-than-perfect resource material. And that's exactly how it should be.

I've come to see schooling and its accompanying curriculums as a crutch. My children are not crippled now, and they will not have crutches to support them when they become adults, so why start out with them?

No curriculum should be allowed to hinder a child's education. The child is the learner, the curriculum a resource, and the parent a facilitator--not a teacher. I find things that satisfy my children's curiosity, and they do the rest of the work. I supply the tools and materials, and they do the building. I'm in the business of putting myself out of a job (as a parent), and therefore I promote self-teaching. Is it easy? Not really. I have had to learn to get out of their way; I have had to redefine my role: support, not leadership.

Are the boys performing at grade level? At least. Are they ahead or behind their school-age peers? I'm not sure. Do I worry about these things? Sometimes. But I no longer spend my days worrying about their standing according to standardized school-type measurements. Measuring up to an arbitrary standard of academic excellence, which has no bearing on how children actually learn, is what schooling is all about. Competitiveness is a mainstay in American education, but I am no longer interested in competing with the schools. Homeschooling is all about doing what works, and self-directed learning--unschooling--is what works for us.

Last week while talking with my mother-in-law, I learned something new about my husband's childhood. We were discussing how children should surpass their parents, and how the goal of parents should be to ensure this. We commented on how many of our friends' children seemed stuck and were not doing as well as their hard-working parents had done. My mother-in-law told me that even though she had not considered herself well read, she had purchased a set of encyclopedias for Cliff when he was in the fourth grade. Her own childhood had been devoid of books, and she was determined to give her son more.

Educators cite that the home is the best predictor of academic success. Good readers supposedly have parents who are good readers. In the case of my husband, this is not true. Neither of his parents are considered good readers--but he is, because his mother reached beyond her experience and supplied him with the tools he needed.

Her actions made me ponder, "Am I supplying the tools that will make my children better than I am? Am I improving the next generation of my family? Or am I encouraging my children to stay stuck at my level? What is my equivalent of my mother-in-law's encyclopedias?"

Our home is filled with thousands of books, which have been collected since my childhood. There are books that were passed down from my grandfather, books that friends and family found for me in used book stores, books we've purchased at library sales and book stores. These books include the works of Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, James Baldwin, Chaim Potok, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and countless others. Until last week's conversation, I had always assumed these books were sufficient for my children--after all, I knew that school libraries are not as extensive as mine. Now I realize that these books are merely a reflection of my own comfort level. Even though most people would consider this level highly literate, I need to find resources that expand beyond my comfort level. I need to extend my reach for the sake of my children's future.

One criticism of homeschooling is that the world of the family is too limited for children to learn the skills they will need in the future. Ironically, classrooms are small in scope and limited in area, resources, and adult interaction. Many teachers claim that they bring the world into their classroom, but this is not possible. I, on the other hand, am able to expose my children directly to the real world, not just a classroom imitation of it. The schools are trying to prepare children for a way of life that is already extinct. The skills they say children need are not preparing children for today's jobs, much less tomorrow's.

Educators stress the need to teach teamwork, and they insist they are achieving this goal. Interesting, then, that so much money is spent teaching grown up businessmen (who have presumably already been schooled) to respect women and people of different races, religions and ethnic groups. If your education is received from homeschooling, you cannot help but learn teamwork, because a homeschool family truly is a team.

Educators claim that they teach socialization--and that this is necessary. Instead, they should concern themselves with their students' lack of higher order reasoning and thinking skills. These thinking skills are more important than any adult-imposed pseudo-socialization.

I have thought this issue over seriously. I know that homeschooling my children, as opposed to schooling them, is already a world beyond that of my childhood. Still, it is only the beginning. I feel a tremendous responsibility to stretch beyond my world in order to prepare my children for the future. I must explore new ideas and resources that will enable my children to soar beyond my reach.

Colors, Numbers, Math, and Greeks

My name is Whitney Sparks. I am ten years old. I quit school when I was five years old in preschool.

I have an interest in nature, books (reading), writing, art, swimming, ballet, drawing, music, math and Greek myths. I like almost everything. I'm interested in many things. I like dolls and names too.

I know a very good doll maker, Lawan, whom I asked to make a doll especially for me. Almost immediately I started thinking up hairstyles, clothing, and looks. Lawan asked me to think of a name so she could decide who the doll might be. Well, I was thrilled at the idea because I do like thinking up pretty names. One reason I like names is because I like pretty words and their meanings. When you're choosing a name, you can choose a pretty sound and a pretty word and a pretty meaning.

Another reason I got interested in names (although I was already very interested anyway) is because of the Greek myths and the names that came from Greek myths. For instance, take the name June. The Greek goddess Hera (the Greek god Zeus' wife) had a different name in Rome--Juno. Juno was the goddess of women and marriage, so June is now the bridal month.

I also like the Greeks because I take an interest in math and numbers and the Greeks were famous for their skill in this area. To go even further, I think colors have a lot to do with math. And I like colors too.

I like the colors of the rainbow. There are said to be seven, but you more often see just six--red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Here's an easy way to put them together: take red, yellow and blue in this order and leave a space after each color. Then mix red and yellow and
put the orange you get in the space between them. Mix yellow and blue and put the green you get in the space between them. Now, imagine that red, yellow and blue are in a circle or triangle. Mix red and blue and put purple in the space between them. That's one of the many very neat tricks I've learned with colors of the rainbow. You can do more tricks with colors and math by arranging colors in circles and triangles. And by the way, the seventh color is indigo. It goes between blue and purple.

One of the reasons I connect colors, numbers, math and Greeks is because the Greeks had a color and a shape for every number. For instance, with the number nine, the shape had nine corners. This shape, of course, is called a nonagon. I can't remember the color for nine.

When I get interested in a subject, I normally look it up in the encyclopedia or other books I have, although it depends on what kind of topic it is. For instance, I got interested in castles recently. My brother Kyle was looking at some picture cards of castles, and I came downstairs. I saw the castles scattered about the floor and I said, “Oh! wow! I didn't know we had these." I'd always been interested in castles, but never really studied them. So now I found a picture card of the castle Neuschwanstein. And I said, “Oh! This is a beautiful castle." I love Neuschwanstein. It is located in Bavaria. I was immediately attracted to it because it is so beautiful. The picture we have is taken from the snowy mountains surrounding it. You can see a frozen lake, more mountains and beautiful snow-covered evergreens. I have another picture, closer-up, in a book, of Neuschwanstein in summer or fall. The lake is blue. And there are green mountains with snowy peaks and green covered hills. The trees are greenish red and the picture is darker than the winter one. The winter picture brings out the white towers of the castle. The summer/fall picture brings out the red and green base around the main entrance. Me and my brother Kyle were talking about this castle because both of us were immediately attracted to its miraculous beauty!

So after I'd finished admiring the winter picture of Neuschwanstein, I looked castles up in our encyclopedia. At the end of the article they had some other suggested articles to read in the encyclopedia. I wrote them all on a piece of paper. And for some of that afternoon and the next day I looked them all up.

That is basically how I explore my interests. Sometimes, though, it has to do with nature. So I will go on a nature walk, or I will look it up in the encyclopedia but then also check it out for myself.

In other things like ballet, I find out through friends. I started when I was about six. My friend Kai was already dancing and she invited me to see one of her classes. I went and I loved it. I met her teacher, Kimiko-san Sugano. And I told my mom that I would like to dance ballet. Soon afterward I started. I think I did pretty good. Kimiko-san seemed to like me. In fact, one day after ballet class, me and my mom had to go to the grocery store and when we were just about to leave, who should we meet but Kimiko-san, with her daughter Arlene, who is a professional dancer. After we finished saying hello, she asked me to take off my shoe and show Arlene my foot. She seemed to think I had a foot for dancing--at least she was telling my mom and Arlene that. I was very pleased. In just a little while I was in the second level class. But later I decided the class was too much for me and I quit.

I tried a new ballet class after that called Fantasy Ballet--and it was! From what I can remember, that class was not someplace you would go if you wanted to be a ballet dancer when you grow up, like I do. We did a junior performance of Copelia, which is a dance about a doll. All of us played Copelia. I recall the teacher saying, “Well, we don't want to have any fights so we'll all be the doll." I felt completely embarrassed dancing that performance. Afterward, I quit ballet for the second time. Much later, I went back to Kimiko-san. I was eight. I enjoyed the classes thoroughly.

I was just about to move on to the third level when we moved to Houston. Now I'm taking ballet classes at Shelly Power's Academy of Dance. I auditioned for the Houston Ballet Academy but I found they went a little too slow and it was impersonal because it was such a big studio. Well, they suggested Shelly Power's Academy of dance because Shelly Power used to be the director of the Houston Ballet Academy, and also danced with the Houston Ballet. Shelly Power's Academy of Dance is bigger than the class I used to take, but still just as personal. I'm enjoying it very much. And that is my ballet story. Now I'm thinking about taking jazz.

I have some advice for parents who are just starting to homeschool and that is: you don't homeschool like a school. Homeschooling is not parents tutoring their kids. When you homeschool, parents are simply sharing their experiences with their kids, ways to learn about new things, ways to learn about everyday living. Whereas in school, what you're doing is learning the basics--reading, writing, math, etc.--from a teacher who has little time to spend with each child and no time to teach or do things in different ways. There's only one way to learn math in school because the teacher doesn't have time to show you many ways to add or multiply or whatever.

The main reason you would choose to homeschool is so you can free your mind to do anything you want to do. You start off with the basics, but then you use these skills. In school you may not learn to use them, and so they become useless. Then, as Black homeschoolers, you might learn about famous Black Americans who used their skills to do things, like George Washington Carver, who invented peanut butter. You can tell that there was a lot more than his knowing how to read and write and multiply. He knew how to grow things. He knew how to combine ingredients to create things.

Homeschooling should allow you to see your child the way he or she is; and then to supply your child with things he or she wants or needs--even if what your child is interested in doesn't seem worthwhile or useful to you--because a child is always learning.

I much prefer homeschooling over schooling. I think homeschooling helps you see life, especially if you do it without lesson times or hours. But I don't think you should hate, hate, hate school. I think that if you want to find out about school then you should simply ask to try it out. After all, some people like it. And a lot of homeschooling parents encourage their children to go to college. Like me, I want to go to college. And my little brother Kyle asked to go to preschool. Now he's going to preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays and still getting his home education too. And I predict that he will homeschool after this.

Homeschooling is not all freedom. I still have a lot of work to do even though I'm homeschooling. Each morning I have to brush my teeth, make my bed and get dressed. Then I have to do my devotional reading and if I haven't done my journal the night before, I have to do that. And then, even if I'm hungry, I have to eat fruit first. I hate that. And then most times we do morning lessons which includes math and learning about writing. On Thursdays I have even more to do. I have to write two letters and I have to write out Spanish sentences because I take Spanish on Friday mornings.

This morning I have to write this essay. This morning I would like to work on a 1000-piece puzzle. I also might like to watch cable. And another thing I'd like to be doing is playing outside in the snow. And I really think I should because like I said, I would be learning something and I don't normally get snow where I live. But I guess this essay is more important right now.

Whenever I think I don't get enough free time, my mom says I get enough. Which is true I guess, because yesterday I did spend the morning playing in the snow.

I don't think I would have been able to get interested in names and Greek myths if I hadn't had time to follow my own interests. By studying names or Greek myths (I don't know which came first) one thing led me to the other. And once I got onto Greek myths I studied and am still studying all the gods and goddesses in the myths and their similarities and connections to Egyptian and Roman myths and gods and goddesses. And this helps me study the meanings of words. For example, the word arachnid, which names an animal group that contains spiders, comes from a myth about a girl named Arachne who was a weaver, and Athene the goddess of wisdom. All kinds of things have sprouted from studying Greeks and Romans and their myths!

The best thing about homeschooling for me is that I get to learn everything about everything, everywhere around me. And I get to make friends with people everywhere including friends who go to school.

I like peaceful thoughts. I do believe in God. And I believe there is Heaven. And I believe that there can be Heaven on earth. I like the thought that there can be a perfect world. I believe our world is like a pretty picture with a clear screen of shadows on top of it. And I believe to go behind that screen is to see everything as a perfect world. It doesn't mean that people won't die, it just means that we don't think of dying as so sad, and we don't think of them as apart from us. So we would be thinking more of people's souls than their bodies. And a perfect world doesn't mean that there won't be a dead leaf on a tree. It just means that the dead leaf will still be beautiful. You don't have to worry about other people if you see the perfect world. If you see the perfect world, you won't worry about somebody who can't see behind the screen because you realize that everything is O.K. really. It's hard to keep this perfect world going in your mind. But don't worry, it is O.K.! I think that if we do see the perfect world at least sometime in our life, we can see a little bit of what Heaven will be like.

I hope I have brought nice thoughts and perspectives to you by writing this essay.

One Father's Perspective

....My kids are free to be whatever they want to--maybe explorers, by looking through the pages of National Geographic or encyclopedias; maybe chefs, in which case I get the extreme pleasure of sampling their culinary works; or they may dream, inspired by books Chris or I have read to them. If my boys attended public school, it would be impossible to afford them large blocks of time to go deeply into any activity. We have learned that even "doing nothing" is important. "Doing nothing" allows the time needed to assimilate or put meaning to what they have learned during busier moments.

My role in homeschooling is to be as supportive and enthusiastic as I can in challenging the boys to want to learn through having fun--not through the drudgery I experienced in school. Chris and I are always on the lookout for learning opportunities. For instance, we have friends whose daughter was taking karate and doing well. Josh became interested, but at the time we felt he was too young to enroll. Meanwhile I searched, talked with people, and used my limited experience to select the karate style and teacher to focus on the development of students--not for competition, but rather for building physical confidence and learning self-control and self-care. I was lucky to find a teacher who is unassuming, has a relaxed teaching style focusing on what karate teaches you about yourself, and doesn't push too hard. So, this past summer I saw a change in Josh as he became more confident from practicing and from the support he receives from the adults in his class.....

....One thing we had to do in the beginning was to collect information on the legal aspects of homeschooling. This was intriguing, as I learned about how school districts received their funds, and the authorities granted to school boards, superintendents, principals, and teachers. I learned that, depending on which state my work took me to, I would have to deal with some or all of these representatives of public education. This feeling overwhelmed us at first, but then we started really using some of our resources- books, magazines, and our homeschooling friends. In 1991, we discovered a non-secular private school devoted to supporting home schoolers nationwide.* It offers suggestions for K-12 curriculum, a support teacher to bounce ideas off of, and an informative newsletter that describes, among other things, changes in different states' homeschooling laws. Possibly the most important reason we decided to enroll with this school is that they were willing to interface directly with a school district in any state that we might move to. Since we move often, this would allow us to devote our attention to the boys themselves, and not spend a lot of energy on learning about a new state education system every few years . . . .

* The Rhues are enrolled with Clonlara, which many homeschoolers find very helpful, flexible, and reasonably priced. Clonlara also insightfully and creatively awards credits and diplomas based on kids' real-life experiences. Information available from Clonlara Home Based Education Program, 1289 Jewett St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104, (313) 769-4515.

. . . . Homeschooling has helped me to see the importance of being available to both Chris and the boys. My family would like me to be even more involved, and I am improving. My involvement has paid off in calls during the day to find out when I will be home, and a real feeling that I am a part of their lives. However, the best reward is the smiles and the excitement my coming home creates, always having the boys greet me at the door in the afternoon.

I love the fact that my boys can come to my office and walk with me home for lunch. Although the walk is not far, we talk all the way and I learn a lot about their morning. And if I can't leave right away, the boys may get additional insights into my work. They have met many of the office staff, and from time to time I've been able to talk someone into sharing their work with the boys. I might initiate the discussion with, "Here is John; he works in fire management. John, could you tell the boys what type of work you do?" The boys have learned about wilderness, archaeology, ecology, and the different vehicles and equipment the Forest Services uses. Often, these experiences lead to lively discussions.

As my sons grow older, I hope they will understand my work and what I stand for. I believe that obtaining this understanding is within their capabilities, and that it will contribute to how they relate to others. I did not understand my Dad's work, or what he stood for. I am only now starting to get a glimpse of what he really values; not knowing has kept our relationship friendly but not close. I want more for my sons. Of course, this kind of involvement and learning takes time--my time. But I cannot think of another thing more important to do with my time. I am committed to giving the boys the best learning opportunities that I can find, and I am always looking.

The boys like to visit my office, and sometimes may spend an afternoon or morning there. Also, when I have a work opportunity to visit the forest alone, I like to invite the boys. These days are great. I cherish them because I am not confined by an office, the boys can freely explore, and they can learn more about my work.

As part of my work, I often speak to groups of people, and Joshua and Alex sometimes join me to see what I do. I allow them to make an informed choice about attending a meeting by explaining the type of meeting and how long it may last. Then I ask if they really want to go--it's their choice. If they decide to join me, I remind them about acceptable behavior at meetings. When we get there, I show them where they can talk freely, and I allow them to become familiar with the meeting room.

People have commented on how well behaved the boys are, and how it is good to see children at the meeting. This is uplifting, since many people assume that children do not belong in such situations. When someone comments positively, I take the opportunity to point out that the boys behave well because they are used to being around adults, and because they are homeschooled. They don't feel compelled to fight for attention, as many traditionally schooled children do.

Public school kids usually are not expected to participate in, or even be around, adult social or work interactions. In most cases the social behavior they learn from other kids is not appropriate in an adult setting--or in any setting. Yet, many people I've met feel that kids need a lot of social interaction with their peers. I disagree. Rather, young people need someone to look up to, and a safe environment in which to discover life. Parents should be more involved in planning and participating in activities that include other children.

In the past I've been amazed at how well Josh and Alex could mirror the behavior of adults at meetings. And it has been equally wonderful to see the behavior of some adults improve with the presence of young people. I believe that youth will always strive to meet your expectations, be it behaving or misbehaving, you will not be let down. Respect is a key word to remember around young people--homeschooling has taught me that. I am not close to being a saint; however, when I slip into old behaviors Josh and Alex are there to give me support.

Financially, homeschooling can be a bit taxing; however, I more than feel it is worth it. This is my contribution to my children's future, who will play a part in the future of our country. We don't subscribe to the idea of buying lots of textbooks and having school at home. We do have a large personal library, and we make weekly visits to the public library.

We are often asked to comment on the social handicap that homeschoolers supposedly experience. I remind my questioners of all the "wonderful" social interactions that we all had in school, and ask them to try to remember--by counting--the number of positive interactions they could actually recall. Many times they smile and say, "Yeah, school was tough. I'm glad it's history."

Other people say that I am prolonging the inevitable by keeping the boys out of school. I ask what this inevitable is, and they tell me that my kids need to learn how to deal with other kids' joking, the thrill of sports, the game of how the system works, and about pecking orders of things. But much child's play is oppressive and involves put-downs, and this is not the kind of socialization I want for my sons. Oppressive behavior is not natural, even if it is prevalent. Play can and should be supportive and fulfilling.

Many children's psychological development is stunted when they attend school at young ages. Even when a child excels in academics, his psyche may be developing poorly. I often recall a phrase I heard or read somewhere-- " 'To be smart' doesn't necessarily mean 'to have wisdom.' " When a person's inner development is stunted, security issues arise, and result in dominating, following, and/or anti-social behavior. A put-down cloaked in a joke, the do-or-die nature of most sports, the dominating nature of pecking orders, and even how society's larger system works--all are essentially based on a system of people creating security for themselves out of someone else's insecurity. In contrast, homeschooling allows my sons safe space and time to develop true security, a strength of character, and confidence.

At any rate, of course the boys are not in a bubble, and they do interact both with other children and adults. Furthermore, being a bi-racial family means that Chris and I have additional perspectives to offer our boys.

People sometimes inquire whether we homeschool because of racism in the school system, and I find this an interesting admission on their part. However, my first priority is to provide a positive and free-choice learning environment. Chris and I feel a strong sense of responsibility to be available to the needs of our sons, and homeschooling allows us to be there for them. It is really neat to see their growth and to experience what I can with them. I marvel in how they learn. . . and in how they don't learn. We plan to homeschool as long as the boys want to.