By DAVID TELLER
Staff Reporter
Socialization is a critical element of education, and for children schooled at home, not only is it even more crucial, it is a weekly break from the drudgery of schoolwork.
Students in the HomeWorks program in the Cheney School District take a fieldtrip every Friday.
Shannon Lawson, the HomeWorks director, said some of the field trips are educational and have a lesson to be learned. Others are just for fun or are creative.
Lawson said the functions aren't paid for by the school district.
The parents of children participating in the HomeWorks program pay for them.
The school district arranges the activities, which gives the families opportunities to visit places most families cannot get.
Parents submit ideas for field trips in a brainstorming session at the beginning of the school year. At the end of the year, the field trips are reviewed in terms of which ones were well liked, which ones were not as popular and which ones fit in with the curriculum at home.
Lawson said the field trips are offered in the afternoon when schooling is done for the day and the kids are ready for some activity. Many of the trips stay within the West Plains area.
She said parents transport and supervise their kids on the field trips and the rest of the family is welcome to go along. Next week, HomeWorks is going to KHQ to learn about broadcasting and how TV is brought into people's homes.
Homeschooling has become a more popular option. Lawson said people are homeschooling their children for a variety of reasons. For some, they homeschool their children to be more involved in their education.
Some parents are not ready to let go of their children.
They want to spend more time with family. The mother is typically the educator. “It's really a full time job to stand and deliver and assess their child's education,” Lawson said.
For some homeschooling parents, they were unable to find a niche in the public school system to educate their child, so they decide to create that niche at home. Lawson added that some families have a faith-based background, which makes them inclined to work ensuring their values and beliefs are instilled in their children. Many of the parents believe individualizing the instruction for their child will give the child the best chance at higher learning.
Lawson said parents want to be more in control of what their child is learning and the activities the child is involved in, including social experiences, which is why the HomeWorks program does regular field trips. It's good for the kids, and the parents.
David Teller can be reached at [email protected]
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