HAMPSHIRE -- When Mark and Sandy Weber's daughter Lizzie Gow began struggling in seventh grade, they made the decision to pull her out of school and try a different path to her education.
Though bright, Lizzie had been falling behind in reading comprehension. Her mother saw it as a red flag and decided to take matters into her own hands.
(Gus Stuertze/For The Courier News)
Four of Mike and Michelle Hahn's six children are of school age. Peter, 11, plays Little League baseball and his older sister, Christina, acts in the Christian Youth Theatre and takes Irish Dance lessons at the Mayer School of Dance in Elgin. During the day, they study math, science and history and practice Catholic apologetics. They give oral reports on the lives of saints and take field trips to places of interest with their parents and other school-age children.
Despite being in a village with access to two public grade schools, a middle school, a private school, a charter school and a brand new high school, an alternative option is becoming an increasingly popular choice among some area residents: home schooling.
Utilizing an accredited curriculum, the Webers, Hahns and others have found a pace that works for their families, one in which they can practice their Christian faith in their every day lives and give their children the education they believe they need to tackle life's challenges.
"It is the best decision I have ever made," Sandy Weber said. "I love the fact that it's a very Catholic curriculum. We say the Rosary, go to Mass, that one-on-one time. We have a lot of laughs and a lot of fun."
Weber also home-schooled her son, Alex, during his senior year of high school; one of her daughters, Emily, from the time she was a junior; and her youngest son, Max, who has special needs.
Weber has utilized many different resources to enrich the curriculum for her children, including signing Lizzie up for some classes at Hampshire High School.
"As a taxpayer, I have the right to utilize the school. But as a home-school family, we have the ability to pick and choose," Weber said.
Keeping in the family
Not all of the home-school families opt for support from the local school district, however.
Dave and Debbie Hougland of Hampshire have eight children from age 3 to 18. Debbie said she and her husband made the decision to home school their kids from the time the oldest was 3 years old.
"My key, number one, is to discipline my children in the way of the Lord," she said. "It's not just quality time (kids need), it's quantity. If you train your children in character, education comes along."
Hougland said she emphasizes reading classic works, writing, memorization and poetry as a basis for her children's education. She said she has not felt the need to sign the children up for a lot of outside programs for socialization because, with eight children in the home, they are learning to relate to different age groups every day.
Hougland said her oldest daughter graduated from her high school program at age 16. Now 18, she is beginning her senior year of college and will earn her bachelor's degree in political science from Thomas Edison University in the next six months.
Of teaching her large family at home, Hougland said, "It takes a lot of commitment. It really is supernatural, the Lord really has to help you," she said.
Another home-school parent, Mary Cano, says it takes most people a while to wrap their minds around the idea that home schooling is a good thing for families.
"It just seemed so weird at first," she said. "But after meeting a family of 10 kids who were being home-schooled, I thought what a beautiful, powerful witness."
I always get kind of hinky about articles like these. Seems that religion is the over-riding factor. I understand, but it isn't why we homeschool, and I can't contemplate teaching apologetics to a child. That seems to be a little bit too strong in the religion field. While I am really big in apologetics, I can't understand teaching it as part of the curriculum.
