Home schooling offers flexibility

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Dilon White
  • 341st Space Wing Public Affairs Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Home schooling offers parents of children in grades K to12 an alternative that may provide more family time and closer bonds for children who call service members mom or dad. 

Parents are required to send a letter of intent or notify the county superintendent in some fashion to legally home school their children in Montana. 

Home-schooled children in Montana must receive 720 hours of education per year for grades 1 to 3 and 1,080 hours per year for grades 4 to12. 

"There are about 13 families on base who home school and we are trying to make a constant support group," said Jo Oliveraz, mother of two and moderator of the group's Web site at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MAFBhomeschool/. "This helps families set up field trips and informs people who made a [permanent change of station] to Malmstrom." 

Home schooling provides specialization of curriculums to specific children and focuses on their specific needs, Mrs. Olivarez said. 

"My son doesn't move on until he has mastered a subject," she said. "He has structured learning for about three hours a day and realizes that learning takes place all day and not just when he is at a desk." 

Home schooling offers a flexible schedule, and 15-year-old Katlynn says she studies for about four hours each day, but doesn't have homework. 

"There are no cliques or teasing and I play volleyball and basketball through a home-school league," said the home-schooled teenager. 

Katlynn plays intramural sports offered to home schoolers in Cascade County, and teams compete against local and private schools in Montana. 

Home-schooled students can check out library books from the Great Falls public library for additional time, said Stacey Ryan, a home-school parent with nine years of experience. 

"We also use the base youth center a lot," Mrs. Ryan said. "The children have taken swim and tennis lessons as well as piano, violin and guitar lessons." 

The home-schooling environment appeals to Mrs. Ryan because she has a lot of one-on-one time with her four children and a schedule that allows the children to spend time with their father when he is home, she said. 

Picking a curriculum is a challenge for parents new to home schooling and parents can overload themselves and their children, Mrs. Ryan said. 

"When parents start home schooling, they can order so much material it is overwhelming, but throughout the first year they will become much more comfortable and find a rhythm," she said. 

When transferring a home-schooled student to a public high school, placement is determined by each school district. For instance, Katlynn plans to transition into public high school her freshmen year. If Katlynn transferred to the high school after she completed her freshmen year at home, the school would still require her to enter as a freshman. 

Laws regulating home schooling also vary from state-to-state and students take standardized tests to evaluate their progression. Scholarships and home-school admission policies are also available through certain colleges.