Homeschoolers Follow Their Own Paths

While many Natick families prepare for the start of school in late August or September, a significant number of families with school-aged children are taking responsibility for their own education. This endeavor goes by many names: homeschooling, unschooling, self-directed education, and as Anne Kern, a homeschooling Natick mom, describes it, “life schooling.”
Kern has homeschooled her daughter Jamila since third grade. Jamila is now entering her senior year. “We launched into this adventure as an experiment – one year at a time with the option of discontinuing if either party wanted to,” Kern said. “We didn’t. It turned out to be the best thing either of us has ever done.”
Curricula for all subjects and styles are available online and in book form, but Kern and her daughter have never used a curriculum. Their approach is “interdisciplinary, project-based, not tied to a location, building, or specific time or season.... It’s a combination of her leading and me following and me leading and her following. It’s absolutely amazing.”
The choice to homeschool can be long term or temporary. Inspired by another wmom who did the same, Kyla P’an chose to homeschool her daughter Ella for fifth grade only. “Going to middle school is a big transition at any age but 10 was just too early for us.” Outdoor activities including sports and field trips enhanced their learning process, which covered fifth grade curriculum topics such as the solar system, weather, pre-algebra, and US history, in addition to Latin, grammar, art, birding, and ecology. “Homeschooling was definitely challenging in the beginning, for both of us. We had to figure out how much time to spend on each subject [and] to balance academics with brain breaks and down time. We had to make sure to do things with other kids.”
Parents who homeschool are often questioned about the social opportunities provided for their children. Kern responds to that concern. “Homeschooled children, like my daughter, are exposed to people in all walks of life—grandparents, other kids their own age, older siblings of their friends, younger siblings of their friends, parents, old people, young people, professional people, political people, interesting people, teachers, professors, nurses, philanthropists, scientists, friends of friends, venture capitalists—in short, everyone-- exactly like in life! This is a huge advantage.”
There are many resources for homeschoolers in Natick, including a farming program at the Natick Community Organic Farm and a science and nature program at Mass Audobon’s Broadmoor reserve. Several yahoo groups including metrowest homeschoolers (mwhsers@yahoo.com) provide forums for local homeschooling families to organize activities and offer mutual support. Some families form co-ops or regular gatherings.
Ben Draper lives in Natick and homeschools his six year old son, Tommy. For Ben, homeschooling was all he knew. “As a child I never spent a day in a traditional classroom.” When considering options for his own children, he saw a need for a self-directed learning environment, and with the confidence and agency of a homeschooler, established the Macomber Center in Framingham. “What homeschooled kids get at the Macomber Center, which is unique, is the opportunity to freely mix with kids of all ages as well as knowledgeable, helpful adults who have a wide range of experience. The philosophy of the Center is simply that every child is born with a drive to educate themselves, that is, to equip themselves with the knowledge and skills they need to engage with the world and progress through life in a way that is meaningful and fulfilling to them. The role of the adults, therefore, is not to redirect them towards things that adults deem important for them, but to support them on their own educational path.”
The Macomber Center provides computers and the tools necessary for making art and music, cooking, and playing games. It sits on 114 acres of land that adjoins the Ashland Town Forest.
Last year, 31 children were homeschooled in Natick. To register homeschoolers, the Natick Public Schools require an education plan, a mid year report, and an end of year report. Guidelines for requirements in Massachusetts can be found on the Advocates for Home Education in Massachusetts website, www.ahem.info. Assistant Superintendant Dr. Anna Nolin holds an annual meeting in August for Natick homeschoolers to meet and connect.
P’an, Kern, and Draper, at different points in their journeys, are equally enthusiastic about homeschooling. Draper, while new to homeschooling as a parent, embodies the results of the homeschooling path. “I had an incredibly beautiful, rich and fulfilling childhood. Afterwards, my friends and I continued to approach life in the same way. We have a strong sense of who we are, what we want, and the confidence to pursue our goals.”
“Both my daughter and I LOVED the experience,” said P’an. “We really grew closer and have such a deeper appreciation for learning and growing our minds together.” Kern added ,“When we began homeschooling, we chose a motto: ‘Life is learning and learning is fun.’ I think we have pretty much stuck by that these past nine years.”