Home-schooling is an amazing alternative
Editor:
As a home-schooling mom, I am writing to share my excitement about and confidence in home-schooling, and to encourage other Valencia County parents who may be thinking about launching into this amazing adventure for their children.
In general, home-schooling is parents taking on the responsibility to educate their children, usually outside of the public education system. Parents choose to do this for many reasons. It is a scary, daunting decision to educate your children yourself, but it is possible to do very successfully.
Home-schooling comes in many forms, and one of the great aspects is that you, as the parent/teacher, can choose which type of home-schooling works best for your children/students. Home-schooled children experience daily what many education experts agree are the most important aspects of education: small class size, one-on-one attention from the teacher, a variety of learning styles, but also a focus on the learning style that best fits the child, plenty of outdoor and extra-curricular activities and community involvement and service.
Many people unfamiliar with home-schooling share concerns that the child will not be properly socialized. However, spend even a short amount of time with a home-schooled child and you will find they are comfortable and easily able to communicate with people of all ages, and usually have no difficulty whatsoever with socialization. Home-schoolers also have all the same opportunities as public schools, like sports, band, orchestra, chorus and science fair. According to the National Home Education Research Institute, home-schooled children typically score “15 to 25 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests.”
There are many resources available for home-schooling. There are lots of different curriculum programs, including online programs. There are home-school groups who meet to encourage one another, teach new subjects, go on field trips and provide time for children to play together.
In Albuquerque, there is the Education Resource Center, 12202 Comanche Road NE, where you can check out books, curriculum and microscopes, as well as get your home-school questions answered. There is the New Mexico Home-school Convention, held by CAPE NM, being held June 23-24, 2023. However, on June 22, 2023, there is a free “Getting Started” workshop for anyone new to home-schooling.
For information about this workshop and the convention, visit CAPE NM at cape-nm.org.
Home-school families share the common goal of doing the absolute best that we can not only to educate our children but to prepare them for life, and teach them how to be a successful adult and productive member of our community. To this end, we support and encourage each other in our education endeavors.
If you choose to home-school your children, I guarantee you will be supported and encouraged, too, and you will be amazed at what your children learn and accomplish.
Maggy Fitzgerald
Belen
The Valencia County News-Bulletin is a locally owned and operated community newspaper, dedicated to serving Valencia County since 1910 through the highest journalistic and professional business standards. The VCNB is published weekly on Thursdays, including holidays both in print and online.
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April 11, 2024
