I was thinking about the fall, the start of this year's homeschool, and wondering what might be appropriate for the first Town Square column. So many possibilities exist. Then I started thinking about comments I'd been reading recently in emails, in homeschooling magazines I subscribe to, and in various news sources, and pieces started falling into place. The puzzle being built, comment by comment, item by item, and piece by piece, created a picture of the homeschooling teacher. Who is this person? Is this person worthy of the title of homeschool teacher? Is this person possibly capable of teaching children? Let's plunge in, take a look, draw some conclusions, and see where we end up.

A quick look at how far-reaching these questions are in terms of numbers of children. First, to get a perspective of what we're talking about here, that is, the direct impact this homeschool teacher has, various sources provide estimates of how many children are currently being homeschooled in the United States. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, estimating numbers from parent surveys, about 1.1 million students (or 2.2% of the school-age population) were homeschooled last year, a 29% increase since the last government survey in 1999. Dr. Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) estimated the number to be between 1.7 and 2.1 million children during the 2002-2003 school year. According to Education Week, approximately 2.7 million children are currently homeschooled. These numbers are clearly inconsistent, and more than likely are lower than actual homeschooled children numbers, but they are the best we have at this point in time.

What do these numbers mean in terms that we can relate to? I found an interesting statement in an eMediaWire article on just this question: This would indicate that more kids learn at home than attend all the public schools in Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming combined. Whew! That's a lot of children when thought of in terms of states. And that's a lot of children under the tutelage of the homeschool teacher.

Who is the homeschooling teacher? Our TOS survey, conducted in early 2004, showed that 99% of our mothers were the primary homeschooling teacher. Therefore, for purposes of this column, focus will be on the homeschooling mother with the caveat that the statistics presented can be generalized to others since we realize there are fathers and grandparents, as well as other relatives, who are also performing, or sharing, the responsibilities of homeschooling in many homes.

Fifty-six percent of TOS mothers are 35-44 years old and 41% have at least a bachelor's degree. Eighty-nine percent are homeschooling elementary schoolers, and 81% of our families are homeschooling for the long haul. Ninety-six percent of TOS homeschoolers are independent or private homeschoolers, and 98% want their children to pursue higher education.

Our mothers' favorite subject to teach is history (39%), with the least favorite being math (43%). And 50% of our mothers teach year 'round and 50% adhere to the regular school year calendar.

The majority (36%) of TOS families make between $31,000 and $50,000 per year, 45% of the families live in the suburbs, and 99% own at least one computer.

Looking at national statistics, Rudner (1999) has found that the majority (88%) of homeschool parents continue their education beyond high school, compared to 50% for the nation as a whole. Many homeschool parents have been formally trained as teachers with about 24% of homeschool students having at least one parent who is a certified teacher. And almost all (98%) homeschooled children are in married couple families where the mother does not work.

But, is this person capable of teaching children? Let's take a look at the data, first looking at the homeschooling teachers' education level. Several studies have been conducted to look at the parent's education background and whether that had any effect on their children's homeschool academic performance. Figure 1 shows that homeschooled children's test scores remain between the 80th and 90th percentiles, as compared to the 50th percentiles for public school children, whether their mothers have a college degree or did not complete high school. Conversely, for public school students, a parent's education level does affect their child's academic performance. Ray reports that the public school students' standardized test score is directly related to the parents' education level. This means that the more educated the parent is, the better the test score. Why the difference here? The level of education of a parent has no effect on the homeschooled child's' achievement, but it does have an effect on the public school child's' achievement. It's possible that the more educated a public school parent is, the more attentive that parent is to their child's educational process, and hence, the better the test score realized.

What about teaching credentials? Are only those parents with teaching credentials effective homeschool teachers? The data from Ray (1997), shown in Figure 2, clearly demonstrate that teacher certification makes absolutely no difference when looking at a child's achievement on a standardized test battery.

And then there's level of income to consider. Surely level of income would matter when it comes to a homeschool students' achievement. Ray (1997) looked at family income as a predictor of academic achievement for homeschool students and found that family income does not significantly affect homeschool achievement. Regardless of the family income bracket, shown in Figure 3, homeschool students score between the 82nd and 92nd percentiles on standardized tests.

Before we attempt to reach conclusions as to why our homeschool children are doing so well, and what you might have to do with that, let's consider some other data that seems interesting. Rudner (1999) has reported that almost 25% of homeschool students are enrolled one or more grades above their age-level peers in public and private schools. And students who have been homeschooled their entire academic life have higher scholastic achievement test scores than students who have attended other educational programs. A recent survey of over 7,300 adults who were homeschooled, commissioned by the Home School Legal Defense Association in 2003, found that 95% of those adults were glad they had been home schooled, and 92% believe their home schooling has been advantageous to them as adults. Further, over 82% say they would home school their own children (Ray, 2003).

Conclusions, or what should you take away from this column? What do these data mean? Is it possible that a parent with little formal education can really teach high school? Is it possible that a parent without a teaching certificate can effectively teach children of many ages? Is it possible that a parent with minimal financial resources can provide their children with a solid education? Yes! How is that possible?

I wondered that too, especially considering all the things that I read that said that mere parents should not be allowed to teach their children because they are not certified, they don't have a state approved curriculum, they are not subject to enough regulation, etc. The list goes on and on. Then I thought that I should find out what makes a great teacher. Isn't that what we're after in a way? We want to be great teachers to our children, but we often question whether or not we are even adequate for the task before us.

I found a book titled Stories of the Courage to Teach, by Smith College education professor Sam Intrator, who quotes his father, a 30-plus year teacher, as saying, "We need teachers who care about kids, who care about what they teach and who can connect with their students. On top of that, they need to have faith in the importance of their work." What a great quote. And isn't that what we, as homeschool teachers do? We care about kids, our kids and others. We care about what we teach and whether we connect with our kids. And, most importantly, we have faith in the importance of our work. That"s what makes a teacher great. That"s what makes homeschool teachers able to do what they do in spite of what others might perceive as limitations.

Great teachers are the ones who care. Well, who cares more than anyone else for a child? That child's parents! Thus, de facto, a parent will be a great teacher for his or her child, because the parent cares more than anyone else. Also, what is the other necessary ingredient for success that is present in our great homeschooling teachers? Love. We love our children and that is more important than anything we might teach from a book. Caring and love! What a combination for success.

The homeschool teacher is a success because she cares for and loves each and every one of her students. Her focus is on the things most important: the heart and soul of that child first, and knowledge second. Thus, you don't need to have a lot of education, nor do you need a lot of money, you just need a lot of caring and love and you're a great teacher and measure up in all ways necessary and sufficient to homeschool your child successfully.

The homeschool teacher: just who do you think you are? You are one great teacher!

References

Education Week on the Web. (June 23, 2004). Home Schooling. Available on-line at http://www.edweek.org/context/topics/issuespage.cfm?id=37

eMediaWire (August 20, 2004). Homeschooling continues to grow. The reasons may surprise you. Available on-line at http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2004/8/emw150509.htm.

Intrator, Sam M. (2002). Stories of the Courage to Teach. Jossey-Bass.

Ray, B. (1997). Home Education Across the United States. Purcellville, VA: Home School Legal Defense Association. Available on-line at http://hslda.org/media/statsandreports/ray1997/index.stm

Ray, B. D. (February, 2003). Facts on Homeschooling. National Home Education Research Institute. Available on-line at http://www.nheri.org/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=21

Ray, B. D. (2003). Worldwide Guide to Homeschooling: Facts and Stats on the Benefits of Home School. 2002–2003 A Quick Reference. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Rudner, L. M. (1999). The Scholastic Achievement of Home School Students. ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation. Washington, D.C. ED435709.