Homeschooling is all grown up

SEATTLE – Students at the tiny, nondescript public school building in North Seattle have no playground, no formal cafeteria, no sports teams and no bells signaling the end of class.

They come and go as they please, and the nearly 250 who pass through the halls don’t even consider themselves public school students.

They’re among the more than 20,000 children statewide who opt out of public schools each year. They and their parents are drawn instead to the flexibility and freedom of homeschooling.

In the two decades since Washington families successfully fought for the right to teach their children themselves, thousands of kids have been educated at their own kitchen tables. But in the last 10 years, homeschooling has quietly evolved.

Now, more parents are joining public school partnerships, or “alternative learning programs,” to supplement their home lessons – and more school districts are reaching out to them, offering programs like the fast-growing Homeschool Resource Center in North Seattle.

This decade, the number of students using the center has grown – and they represent just a fraction of those learning at home.

At the resource center, homeschooled students can drop by to use the computer center or library or to choose from a rotating menu of classes to attend, including math, science, quilting and robotics.

“You can custom-build your education,” said Polly Johnson, whose six children have been homeschooled and attended some classes at the center.

Besides helping her connect with other homeschooling families, Johnson appreciates that the center offers courses she and other parents might struggle to teach on their own, such as upper-level math or computer science. “It lightens the load for me,” she said.

Debbie Kyllo, who is homeschooling four of her children, said she enjoys being able to play such an active role in their education. When they’re at the Homeschool Resource Center, she’s able to sit in on classes and discuss academics with teachers, without feeling like she’s interfering or pestering them. “I don’t know if I would be that involved if they were going to another type of school,” she said.

Like many other parents who homeschool, Johnson started because she wanted to spend time with her young children and wanted to ensure they received the special attention they needed. Now, she’s hooked.

“I’ve learned so much,” she marveled. “My seventh-grader is doing stuff in math I have no recollection of learning. … You just learn along with them.”

Former elementary teacher Sue Knapp concurs. Before she joined the Homeschool Resource Center as a teacher, she homeschooled her son and daughter. The experience helped her stretch her skills as an educator, to find lessons even in routine trips to the grocery store.

“There were days when it was overwhelming, there were days when the kids were being kids, and I’d wonder why I ever started,” she recalled. “But when I look back, we had field trips, we had fun together … I don’t regret it at all.”

Families who homeschool say the practice has become more widely accepted since 1985, when the state approved it as an education option for families. There are more resources, support groups and curricula available today, making it easier than ever to homeschool children, said Janice Hedin, a member of the Washington Homeschool Organization advocacy committee.

Still, Hedin and others who pioneered homeschooling in the state during the 1980s are dismayed at the number of families shifting away from true home-based instruction. They worry that districts are offering hybrid homeschool programs simply to lure students back into the public school system to boost their enrollment figures and to receive more money from the state.

“We’ve proven it works for the past decade,” Hedin said. “And now the state is saying, ‘We want you back.’ “

Cynthia Barrientos, who manages the Homeschool Resource Center, said the goal there has always been to connect with and offer support to parents.

“It’s a way to honor the families who choose to be the primary educators for their kids,” she said. “We let them carry the ball as much as possible. … We want to be allies and partners with parents.”

She points out that almost every staff member homeschooled his or her children or were homeschooled themselves.

Even the most ardent supporters of homeschooling agree it’s not right for everyone. It can be a financial strain for some families to have one parent stay home with the children, though advocates say there are ways to homeschool on a shoestring.

Veterans say the biggest challenge is adjusting to being a full-time teacher for your children.

“It’s stressful; it’s hard work,” Johnson said. “But I know when I’m done, I’ll look back and be glad I homeschooled.”

Hedin, who homeschooled her two children entirely on her own, said she’s developed a presentation titled “14 Things I’d Do Differently.” Tops on her list: “I would not worry so much about the end result,” she said. “I’d enjoy the process more.”