Since the 1985-86 school year – the first year homeschools were recognized as non-public schools – the number of students being homeschooled have gone from a little more than 800 students to more than 150,000 in North Carolina. (Source: doa.nc.gov) Across the country, homeschool students number in the millions according to The Washington Post.
The numbers have risen steadily since the pandemic as parents and guardians began to re-evaluate education options for children ages pre-K through 12th grade.
In fact, in Macon County and elsewhere throughout the country, homeschooling has transitioned from an “alternative” to a “mainstream” education option, according to National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), which states, “It may be the fastest-growing form of education in the United States.”
Homeschooling cuts across all demographics, including ethnicities, political affiliations, and incomes.
Many reasons can be found by parents and guardians choosing homeschooling for their children, noted NHERI, but one of the most common reasons given is to “customize or individualize the curriculum and learning environment for each child.”
Some families also homeschool their kids because it is an education style that provides flexibility with regard to traveling and military life.
“We started homeschooling and from day one, and it quickly became a great fit for our family,” said Jessica Merritt, director or Special Liberty Project, based in Franklin. “With Cory’s ([Jessica’s husband] demanding military schedule, we could plan school and activities around his commitments.”
“We have been homeschooling for nine years, starting with my oldest at the beginning and he is now in 9th grade,” said Karen Roush. “I also have one in 7th grade and one in 5th (and a 2-year-old that may follow one day). It has worked well for our family because we love to travel and have flexibility with our schedules, and it has provided us with a lot of freedom to do school from anywhere. We often travel in the fall as a family when others are in school, which makes travel easier and cheaper. If we travel, we just make sure to start the lessons earlier to accommodate a break, or we bring them along.”
Keeping it legit
In order to provide a home education, one main requirement by the state of North Carolina is that the primary home educator must hold at least a high school diploma or its equivalent. Home educators in North Carolina are accountable to the Division of Non-Public Education in Raleigh, accessible by visiting: https://www.doa.nc.gov/divisions/non-public-education. Much more about the state’s rules regarding homeschooling are provided on this site.
Accountability and reporting groups enable homeschooling families to stay on track in terms of education requirements. Plus, annual testing focuses on areas of weakness in a student’s education journey.
“We are registered with the state of North Carolina and do annual end-of-year achievement tests to keep on file,” said Roush. “And, we have done a ‘co-op’ of sorts with a group of friends in the past where we worked together on homesteading projects, foraging, survival skills, etc.”
Through its website, (www.nche.com), North Carolinians for Home Education (NCHE), offers information about its services to members, including a magazine, conference, legislative watch, athletic commission, graduation services, field trips, and more. In addition, the site lists specific resources and groups most readily available to Macon County residents homeschooling.
In fact, plenty of homeschool resources exist online and at annual conferences, such as the one held in late spring by NCHE. Education publishers offer school books in every subject and for every grade. Some home educators choose all books from a single publisher, while other home educators pick and choose from multiple publishers based on interests, reviews, feedback, and other considerations.
Free and subscription-based courses also exist online so that homeschooling children can blend traditional book-learning and interactive computer-learning.
“We have always followed a fairly rigorous curriculum using Sonlight as the base,” said Roush. “They do 36 lessons per year for completion over the course of two semesters, very similar to what the school schedule would be. My kids love that they can do school on their own time, at night, in their pajamas or whenever the weather is not as nice.”
Locally, Jocelyn Lister has been hosting the annual Smoky Mountain Homeschool Fair and Book Sale in Franklin since 2018. This gives home educators and those thinking about homeschooling a chance to view curriculum and ask questions.
Lister, who has been homeschooling her children for 14 years and is a homeschool graduate herself, has also been co-leading another home education group option – Franklin Homegrown Families.
“This is an inclusive homeschool group that meets every week throughout the year for social time, field trips, educational activities, and more.”
And then there are options such as Classical Conversations and co-op groups that meet regularly to offer classes in various subjects to students who attend. For example, if a parent or guardian is a professional in or particularly knowledgeable about science, he or she might teach a class once or twice a week to homeschooled students, who then continue that education at home throughout the week.
Classical Conversations, with a mission focusing on “curating curriculum, providing services, and training parents to build flourishing homeschool communities,” was established in 1997 by a group of North Carolina homeschooling families, but it is offered in communities nationwide, including in Franklin.
A group called Macon GEMS offers an opportunity for homeschoolers to study history and science together.
The socialization question
The number one question asked of homeschooled families by individuals whose children are in private or public schools is: “What about socialization?”
“They get plenty of interaction with other kids through church activities, a life group of families that we meet with regularly from church, rec league sports teams, camps, local kids’ programs, and also participation in some [Macon County-offered] after-school electives, such as the Macon Bots Robotics team,” said Roush.
She added that her children are able to pursue unique opportunities all-year-round. This summer, their high school-aged student attended Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute for the fourth year.
“They do two weeks of intense space and astronomical study and work as teams to simulate a Martian exploration. He loves to create, build, invent, and do his own thing, so I feel like this has allowed him the ability to do that and not be stuck inside a box – literally and figuratively.”
“We meet with Franklin Homegrown Families weekly and my children are all involved in a list of clubs and activities, including 4H,” said Lister.
The decision to homeschool
While many families commit to at-home education, through all grades, many also take a year-by-year approach and evaluate based on previous school-year successes.
“As of now we have decided to play it by ear year by year through high school, but would like to continue if it still works for their needs,” said Roush. “We may enroll our oldest at SCC [Southwestern Community College] when he is old enough just because he is highly technical and does want to have access to resources and technology moving forward that he would only get at a larger institution with funding. We have always given them a choice, but they have seen the perks enough that even if they think they want to go to school or sometimes wonder if they are missing out, they quickly change their minds and opt for the freedom and ability to stay here at home together.”
Shared Elizabeth Albers, “I’ve been homeschooling for over 18 years. My two oldest children have graduated through homeschool and our CC [Classical Conversations] Challenge program. My third child will graduate in 2025, and I plan to homeschool the rest of my children through high school.”
Benefits galore
“The benefits of homeschooling are evident, and the time and energy I put into it are worth every minute,” said Albers. “The educational benefits have been outstanding; my two oldest children transitioned smoothly into college and excelled in their coursework. My oldest graduated early from college and works as an ICU Pediatric Cardiac Nurse.”
Rebecca Stockdale’s perspective is that “homeschooling provides the ability to teach them the way they learn best. For example, I have one child that has dyslexia and was able to adapt his language arts to help him overcome this weakness. It’s been amazing watching my kids come alive with wanting to learn and asking questions. Also, watching one of my kid’s stress level come down after being in a public school setting.”
She added, “Because they are at home, they can learn how to apply school practically with cooking, baking, various skills, and tools used to do renovation. My littles can go look at bugs, and bird and lizards, and then look them up and learn all kinds of things. They can just explore the world of education differently than they could if they were in a public-school setting. Most importantly we can train them up in the Lord and encourage their character … to have a positive effect on the world around them. Also, I love the time that I am getting with my kids. Instead of being at school for seven hours they are at home with me and it’s time I will never get back.”
“Homeschooling has been an absolute blessing for our family,” said Merritt, “offering us flexibility and a deeper connection with each other. The best part has been truly getting to know my kids. I’ve always believed that I would never regret spending time with my children. Learning was and still is, a part of our everyday life; the world is our classroom. The kids have learned so much from our homestead lifestyle — milking goats, making cheese, growing our own food, and raising animals. These experiences gave them a deep appreciation for the beauty and fragility of life. Homeschooling has been a journey with its challenges and rewards. It’s brought us closer as a family, allowed us to adapt to life’s demands, and fostered a love for learning that goes beyond the classroom. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.”