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“Did George Washington’s mother have to join an association?”  

Homeschooling wasn’t always the hot topic it is these days. Teaching your children at home wasn’t a big deal, and there were no special requirements for doing it. Can you imagine? No need to register, no forms, no fees, no records, no hoops (for jumping through). And I’ll bet you recognize the names of some of the products of early homeschooling: Hans Christian Andersen, Alexander Graham Bell, George Washington Carver, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, C. S. Lewis, Mozart, Abraham Lincoln, William Penn, Mark Twain, George Washington, Daniel Webster, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Andrew Wyeth, and Orville & Wilbur Wright. Pretty impressive, huh? This list contains our two most famous presidents, plus inventors, authors, an artist and a composer, and all - at some point in their education - were taught at home. Their families managed to teach them to read, write and calculate without registering as a home school and without the wide assortment of books, tapes, videos, games, manipulatives and other supplies that are available these days.  

If you’ve just heaved a big sigh of relief, thinking that if George Washington’s mother could do it without the aid of electricity and pre-packaged science kits, then you have nothing to worry about, I want you to grab a pen and paper: It’s time for a pop quiz. Ready? Okay, now list your state’s requirements for legal homeschooling. I’ll give you a few minutes to work on this ...  

If you finished and feel confident that you passed, good for you! You must have done your homework! But for the rest of you who sat and stared at a blank sheet of paper until your eyes glazed over, I have one additional question: what are you going to do if/when the truant officer comes a-calling? A panicked flight around the house turning off the lights and hiding will not serve you well. You need a plan. You need more than a plan. You need to know what your state expects of you so that you don’t wind up on the wrong side of the law. 

These days every state has its own laws regarding homeschooling, and you would be wise to look into them and make sure that you are in compliance. I’ll help you get started with a summary of laws that may affect you. 

Regarding your personal qualifications, you don’t have to be certified, have a degree in education, or even have a college education for that matter! For instance, in North Dakota you can be your child’s teacher if you graduated from high school or obtained a GED, as long as you get a certified teacher to monitor your efforts for two years. In West Virginia, a parent with a GED or high school diploma may teach until the child reaches high school. (Home schooling West Virginians are expected to keep four years ahead of their homeschooled children.) Seven more states merely require a high school diploma or a GED, and they are: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Mexico. The other forty-one states have no specific qualifications; however, I think we can safely assume that there aren’t (m)any illiterate, second-grade drop-outs making like elementary school teachers in the privacy of their own homes. It stands to reason that those interested in teaching their children have a compelling interest in education themselves. It also helps to know that most teacher’s manuals tell us everything to do except breathe, which we can handle on our own, anyway. 

The approval factor may strike fear into your heart, but you may rest at ease if you don’t live in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, or Utah. Those are the only states that give local school districts, school boards, or state commissioners the honor of “approving” a home school. 

It’s almost 50-50 that you can’t escape standardized testing by keeping your children at home with you. Ten states require this testing: Arkansas, Georgia, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, and Tennessee. Sixteen others require some sort of evaluation: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. However, any child with dreams of higher learning will have to succumb to testing, no matter what state they reside in, but that’s a topic for another column. 

Those are the basic requirements. Be aware, though, that many states focus on accountability, and my advice is that you join a homeschool accountability organization and follow their guidelines. What it amounts to is that you pay the yearly fee, sign a pledge to complete so many hours of study in certain subjects, and agree to certain amounts of record-keeping; some organizations are more demanding than others. To find a homeschooling association in your state, I recommend logging onto the Home Education Magazine's website at http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/HSRSC/hsrsc_lws.rgs.html. Follow the links, and you will find the name, address, phone number, email address (if any) and website (if any) of each known organization in your state. Also, you can go to the Laws and Regulations page and get info on the laws and regulations in your state; there will be a summary of the law, followed by the actual law, with all mind-numbing verbiage laid out for your entertainment. It doesn’t get much easier than that! 

If you take care of all that, I can’t guarantee that you won’t still discover the local school superintendent, a truant officer, and a police officer on your doorstep one day. (It does happen.) For peace of mind, along with the best protection currently available against unwanted government interference in your home school, there’s membership in the Home School Legal Defense Association. If you are a member, and your right to homeschool is questioned or violated by local, state, or national government officials, you will be helped by experienced attorneys (the lawyers are all homeschooling fathers themselves). Whether you merely need a telephone consultation or require representation in court proceedings, your annual membership fee is like pre-paid legal insurance. It's well worth looking into, and this organization has been around since 1983. Check out their website at http://www.hslda.org, or call (540) 338-5600. 

Homeschooling can be so rewarding. Upon completing first grade several years ago, my daughter said to me, “I’m going to be a teacher just like you when I grow up. I’ll have 5 kids, and I’ll teach them math and phonics and Bible and science and gymnastics - everything I know!” I refuse to trade that experience for legal hassles that can draw out for years. I’d rather collect homeschooling anecdotes than court dates, and I’m sure you feel the same way. Education has become a lot more complicated since Mary Ball Washington’s time. So take my advice: be legal, and be happy. 

BONUS: “The Truth About Washington” 

In chapter one of “The Life of George Washington” published by historian David Ramsay in 1807, eight years after Washington's death, we learn that he lost his father when he was ten and that his education “devolved on his mother, who added one to the many examples of virtuous matrons, who, devoting themselves to the care of their children, have trained them up to be distinguished citizens.” Whether or not Mary Ball Washington actually taught her son is up in the air. The MSN Encarta Virtual Encyclopedia at http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761564084&pn=1#s12 has this to say of Washington’s education: “Young George seems to have received most of his schooling from his father and, after the father’s death in 1743, from his elder half-brother Lawrence.” Finding the answer to “Who was Responsible for our First President’s Education” might make for an interesting class project. In any event, he was taught at home, he led a revolution, and he became the Founding Father of the USA. Take another look at your children, and imagine the possibilities!

Copyright 2002 by Brenda B. Covert