<< Back 5/8/02 Flexibility one advantage of homeschooling By Janelle Trevino and Jeff Minick The word homeschooling usually summons up an image of a child learning to read on her mother’s lap or chanting the times tables around the kitchen table with her older brother. While it is true that the majority of students taught at home are elementary school age, a growing number of young people across the United States are also choosing to spend their high school years studying at home. This national trend is reflected here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Evidence of this growth in the number of homeschooling teens could be seen at a recent meeting of the Teen Club at the Presnell home in Haywood County. On this particular Friday afternoon, 13 teens showed up to shoot pool, to listen to several older students talk about their experiences in college, and to visit with their friends. Members of this homeschooling club get together at least twice a month. The teens offered several reasons why they enjoyed homeschooling in high school. “I like having my own schedule,"” said Grace Bevilacqua. Miriam Stone agreed, adding “You can take as long as you want on your work and you can take school with you when you travel.” “You have the freedom to work at your own pace,” said Mallory Trasport, adding with a laugh: “And you can also work in your pajamas.” Other reasons cited for enjoying homeschool in high school were the lack of stress in completing most assignments, more time spent with family members, and the freedom to worship openly during the school day. “Homeschool has helped me have a better relationship with God,” said Kaytie Reppert. In addition to their academic subjects, these homeschool teens enjoy a variety of extracurricular activities. They participate in everything from snowboarding to basketball to music. Morgan Presnell and Sarah Watson both pointed out how much they enjoyed dance, while Mallory Trasport said that she really enjoyed writing. “It’s quiet in our house late at night,” Mallory said. “And homeschooling lets me stay up late to use that quiet time for my writing.” Megan Trasport, Mallory’s sister, said that she liked snowboarding, playing soccer, and spending time on the computer — “maybe a little too much time” Megan added. Josh Fleenor remarked that he delivered papers as one of his activities. Volunteer work is another part of the picture for homeschooling teens. Besides participating heavily in their churches, many teens have helped out in the community. The Teen Club helped paint an elderly woman’s house and also worked one day clearing contaminated hay out of a dog kennel. High school homeschoolers find it much easier these days to participate in solid academic programs. Homeschoolers over the age of 16 may take certain classes at Haywood Community College or other nearby colleges. Both Catherine Bevilacqua and Jake Minick have earned credits in pre-calculus and biology at the community college this year. “Biology would have been more difficult without the lab resources,” Jake said. Some homeschool teens join together to take enrichment courses in subjects such as Latin, Spanish, sign language, and chemistry. Homeschool supply companies offer a wide array of programs that assist high school students in more difficult subjects: video courses in subjects like math and history, online courses, and even teacher conference courses by phone. Some teens who gathered at the Presnell home cited certain drawbacks to homeschoolmg. Kaytie Reppert regretted the lack of varsity sports available to homeschoolers. Because of their homeschooling, Morgan Presnell and Joel Sellers pointed out that they see certain friends less frequently. And like their public school counterparts, several homeschoolers stated that they were often less than enthusiastic about school itself. When asked on a survey her least favorite thing in homeschoolmig, Megan Trasport wrote,“Mathflfl!” Yet the overall response of Haywood County teens to homeschooling was enthusiastic. Whether for the freedom offered by homeschooling or for the closeness of their families, these students clearly appreciate being educated at home.