When you're looking into enrolling your child in a home school academy or helping them pursue a Christian home school education, you want all the resources and testimonials you can find. Editor Joanna Roepke Bode profiles Kathy and Craig Giddings of Iowa, whose children are receiving a Christian home school education. Roepke Bode notes that home schooling is now legal in every state, and with Christian home school resource options like the Internet, CDs, DVDs and videos, a home school academy is a terrific educational tool. The editor also touches on the importance of involving local school districts in home schooling in a positive way. Too often in the past, school districts and home schoolers have been at odds. Working together can maximize the potential of the home school movement and enlighten both parties.
Adam Wachholz goes over a lesson on his own while his mother administers a spelling quiz to his brother.
Editor's note: This is the first in a three-part series.
Political science discussions are held around the family dinner table, reading is taught in the living room, and the most memorable science experiment so far was when the local vet gave an ewe an emergency c-section and everybody got to watch.
These lessons may seem unorthodox when compared to the structured classes of a public school system, but for the children of Kathy and Craig Giddings it's a typical day in the life of a home schooler.
The Giddings began home educating their children in January 1996. It began after they sent their first child off to school and met with some unexpected feelings.
"When our first kid went to school I cried, and it wasn't tears of joy," Kathy said. "There was nothing wrong with the school. We really wanted to do it ourselves."
Now, eight and a half years later, two of their children have gone onto college programs at Iowa Lakes - one in aviation and the other in nursing. They have four other children that are also being educated at home.
"We who are doing it now are not pioneers," said Kathy. "The people who did it in the 1990s and before it was legal were pioneers."
Just a few short decades ago, home schooling wasn't considered legal. Children who didn't attend school at a recognized institution were considered truant, said home educator Cindi Wachholz.
Wachholz teaches her two boys Adam and Isaac and operates a bookstore for home school resources.
Today home schooling is legal in every state. Local and statewide networking groups provide support and guidance for the parents, as well as social and leadership opportunities for the students. Access to instructional materials and resources have also changed greatly in the last 20 years, due to the internet and an increase in the use of DVDs, CDs and videos.
"In the old days people really had to scramble for materials, but these days we have access to everything," Kathy said.
WHY A FAMILY CHOOSES to home school varies with every household.
"It's really hard to make generalizations about something like this, but one of the generalizations you can make about it is that home schooling, when it's done correctly, takes a tremendous commitment of time from both the children and the family," said Algona Community Schools superintendent Dr. Harold Prior. "The people who home school generally tend to be pretty conservative folks, and have lots of different reasons for home schooling - to create a different culture for their children... to be able to be more accountable for their learning... those are pretty legitimate reasons."
"In the early days of home schooling most people home schooled for religious reasons, but I think that's changing," said Craig Giddings.
Others may choose to accommodate a special needs student, frequent travel or unique work situations such as families in the military, professional sports or politics.
"Some of us are ultra right wing and some of us are new agers" said Kathy Giddings.
Wachholz sent her older children to a Christian school, but decided to home school her two youngest sons after the family moved from Detroit, Mich., to an acreage outside of West Bend.
"We like to be together - that's a big motivator. We really feel it's a parent's responsibility to teach them, and not just teach them right and wrong," Wachholz said.
Part of what she enjoys most is watching the light go on when her sons understand a lesson or concept. She also appreciates the individual flexibility it allows.
"If they get it right away they can go on, or take more time if they need to. It's always successful, even if it takes twice as long," she said.
For some the mention of home schooled children conjures up an image of an introverted, shy child, doomed to a life social ineptness. A few minutes spent with a handful of home schooled students in this area contradict that image.
Ten-year old Adam Wachholz is anything but introverted. He exuberantly describes his future plans (which include going into the Air Force), his latest project that involves rocks, vinegar, and a few other household items, and plans for his rabbit meat business.
Kelsey Giddings, now a nursing student, remembers getting stomach aches when she went to public school, and emphasized that people with a quiet personality aren't unique to home schooling.
"I'm more social now than when I was at public school," she said. "Some home schooled kids are quiet, but some kids who go to public school are quiet, too."
National and local support for home schoolers is growing. The Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators (NICHE) is a statewide organization that offers events and resources for home educated students, graduation ceremonies, drivers education programs, conferences for educators, answers to legal questions and more.
Locally, support groups for home school families exist in Algona, Humboldt, Emmetsburg, and Britt.
The Giddings have attended the NICHE conferences and enjoyed being a part of it.
"We just felt lifted up," said Craig.
"You didn't feel like such an oddball," said Kathy.
THE GIDDINGS CHILDREN learn lessons from textbooks and tapes, but many things are taught "as we live" said Kathy. The kids help on the farm with the animals, learn about the workings of the machinery and assist with the garden during the summer months. Most farm kids would agree that biology and science lessons are abundant when livestock are around.
"They've seen pigs be born. They've seen cats be born. They learn that stuff by doing it," said Craig.
One day this fall Kathy packed everybody into the car and drove to the Union Slough where they helped gather seeds. But not every day is spent on outdoor activities. Hitting the books is unquestionably an important piece of home education from the Giddings' perspective.
"We just kind of go through the book. Nothing is done until it's right. They might have to redo a lesson a couple of times," Kathy said. "They are all on their own individuals schedules. If they want to do math first, we do math. I don't count a day of school unless it includes math, grammar and reading."
"We're both very firm believers that if a child can read, they can do anything," said Craig.
The family subscribes to the Des Moines Register, the Algona Upper Des Moines and weekly reader types of publications. They use mealtime - which they gather together for three times a day - to discuss the issues of the day.
"We spend a lot of time together as a family. That's where we do a lot of the political discussion," Craig said.
Wachholz starts the school day at her house by having her two boys copy a Bible verse into their notebooks, focusing on both handwriting and content.
"The philosophy that we follow is by copying good writing and using your best penmanship, it puts that kind of writing in your head," Wachholz said.
Spelling usually follows, language is next and then math.
Math is a favorite for Isaac, who likes the break from reading and writing.
"Most of my subjects are reading," he said.
For the history lesson the trio adjourns to the living room and squeezes into the big easy chair. In this cozy spot Wachholz reads a history book and then they discuss it together.
"It's very much a discussion thing. We're in the dark ages right now. We read the history book and about (historical figures)."
Having just a couple of students rather than a whole class often allows for greater time efficiency said Kathy Giddings.
"They don't have to wait for the bell to ring. They don't have to wait for everybody to quiet down. It's more intense," she said. "(The home school schedule) really allows the kids to pursue a personal interest."
Usually the reading, writing and arithmetic are completed by the end of the morning, leaving the afternoon for more creative pursuits such as music, art, special projects, or time on the computer.
Wachholz appreciates having the time for her sons to explore their interests.
"If they went to public school they would get up, get on the bus at 7, get off the bus at 4:30...it doesn't leave a lot of time for that creative stuff. It sparks that curiousness that kids naturally have. If they have curiosity for a certain area, I'm going to encourage them to go with it," she said.
Compulsory years of education in Iowa are six to 16 years old. When a student "graduates" from a home school situation, most don't receive an accredited diploma. Some choose to get their GED.
"Our kids didn't get a certified high school diploma. We didn't feel that a high school diploma was that big a deal," said Kathy Giddings.
College bound students can also take the ACT and SAT. Some home educators also use the Iowa Test of Basic Skills as a gauge to see how their students are doing.
Wachholz plans for Adam and Isaac to take the ACT and SAT when they get older and would like to start using the PSAT with Adam soon.
ACCORDING TO IOWA LAW, home schooled students must either have a supervising teacher monitoring their progress or have an annual assessment by test or portfolio. Both Wachholz and Kathy Giddings serve as supervising teachers for home educators in the area. As former Exceptional Opportunities teacher, Kathy Giddings has a teaching certificate and a substitute teaching license for grades kindergarten through 12. Wachholz has a background in American Sign Language and Linguistics. She also has her substitute teacher's certification.
"I like the accountability (of having a supervising teacher)," Wachholz said. "We tell her this is the plan we're going to do. She has the boys read to her and she talks to the boys. She makes sure we're hitting all the bases."
Students can also be dual enrolled in a home school and with a public school. This allows students to tap into certain classes or extra curricular activities in the school system while also taking some of their lessons at home. In a dual enrollment situation the school receives funds for the student.
Kelsey dual enrolled while in high school so she could take chemistry and Spanish at the public school. Adam is currently dual enrolled with West Bend so he can take trombone lessons through the music program.
Working with the local schools seems to be a key component of home schooling.
"I don't want to ever be us against them. The whole goal is to educate people, whatever it takes," said Kathy Giddings.
"West Bend is so great. It's a nice working relationship," said Wachholz.
In the Algona district home educators have the benefit of a home school assistance liaison, Donna Kitzinger.
"Dr. Prior has been very easy to work with," said Kathy Giddings. "He upholds the rights of parents. Mrs. Kitzinger has also been very easy to work with."
This year the Algona district has 20 children involved in home schooling in one way or another. In addition to a licensed instructor, Algona also makes available materials, school supplements and assistance with testing for school progress.
"We want to be a helper rather than an opponent," said Prior. "We try to honor and respect peoples' wishes about how they want to educate their children, and second of all we want to try and provide some positive supports to help them do that."
That said, he would still prefer to see the students attending public school.
"We still believe strongly that you can't get a better education than a public school education here in the Algona public school district. There are a lot of educational opportunities and we respect people's right to choose those, but I still think the best education is in an accredited school."
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