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ore and more parents are choosing
home schooling in the United States. According to the North Carolina Department of
Non-Public Education the number of registered home schools in North Carolina has grown from
381 in 1985 to 25,800 in 2002. Marianne Carruth of Tryon, NC, a home school educator
since 1991, initially considered home schooling to fit the education of her oldest son
into their work schedule. Once she saw the many other pluses to home schooling she
continued the process with her younger children because it worked.
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“Home schooling is more a lifestyle than an academic quest,” said Mrs. Glenna Toney, a
home school parent in Asheville, North Carolina.
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In North Carolina, a parent begins home schooling by completing an application
with the Department
of Non-Public Education.
Records of attendance must be maintained and each student must take a standardized
test at the end of each year. Volunteer home school associations have formed in across
the state and provide a wide variety of support services from friendship and moral
support to supplemental classes for students. Glenna Toney, a 5-year veteran of
home schooling and certified teacher, is currently teaching “Home Schooling 101”
at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. Mrs. Toney provides practical
tips on organization and switching to the teaching role for new and prospective
home school parents. According to Mrs. Toney, she home schools because “it works”.
Home schooling allows her the freedom to create individual educational plans for each
of her five children.
With these increasing numbers the public and private sectors are beginning to consider
ways to provide services for these children and parents. Adventure of the American Mind (AAM)
is a grant from the Library of Congress that trains K-12 educators to integrate the digitized
resources on the Library of Congress web site into their curriculum. This grant provided
funding for computer labs in seven colleges and community colleges in Western North Carolina.
The AAM-Home School Cluster was created to provide technology training to K-12 home school
educators at these computer labs because of the growing population of home school educators.
Workshops are offered for parents and children using
the American Memory collections at the
Library of Congress. Visit the online information of the opportunities available with
the Adventure of the American
Mind Home School Cluster.
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Pamela M. Johnson,
Coordinator of the Adventure of the American Mind, Home School Cluster,
has taught individuals from 2 to 70 in
variety of areas, including typing, reading, English, math, social studies,
psychology, shorthand, bridge, technology, career development, and
student success. She is currently finishing her doctorate in Adult and
Community College Education at North Carolina State University.
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or some families, home schooling is the best choice. Approximately 1,300 home-schooling
families represent an enrollment of more than 2,000 students within
the S.C. Association of
Independent Home Schools (803) 454-0427.
The N.C. Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE) is authorized to monitor home schools in that
state (919) 733-4276.
Information on South Carolinians who home school is coming. Please visit us again soon.
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