Home is Where the Learning Is
by Marty Layne


Homeschooling teens—just what do they do? What are the benefits of homeschooling to a teen? Is this something that could work for any teen?

I spoke to a number of homeschoolers to get answers to these questions. Most often, teens and parents alike mentioned time as the greatest benefit to homeschooling. Teens can set their own schedules and focus on their interests and passions. Many homeschooling teens find they can cover the same amount of material in much less time than their counterparts in school. This makes learning at home more efficient and gives homeschoolers time to pursue other interests.

In BC, it is legally required for homeschooling students to register with a public or private school or to enroll as a student with one of the many online and distance education facilities that have sprung up over the years. There are legalities and differences between registering as a homeschooled student or an enrolled student.  For more information go to: www.bchla.bc.ca/readarticle.php?article_id=17.  Many home-based learners in Victoria are enrolled in distance education programs.  These range from independent programs (Self-Design) to the more traditional South Island Distance Education School (SIDES) to other public school distributed learning programs (DLP). Access DLP information at: www.bced.gov.bc.ca/dist_learning/dl_program_list.htm.  Others register as homeschooled students and design their own learning programs. Some homeschoolers use a child-directed, unstructured approach to learning. Teens develop the knowledge and ability to find the information they need to know; they are then able to pursue whatever interest they have, from sewing to tennis, spelling, hockey, fencing, physics, music, climate change, etc. Experts in a field are often quite pleased to work with and mentor a homeschooling teen and help them develop skills needed to work in their field.

Every family with home-based learners finds a unique way to accomplish learning tasks necessary to achieve a desired goal. For example, a teen interested in going to university to study science may be enrolled in a DLP to earn the credentials he needs for university.

It has been shown that homeschooled teens are self-motivated and self-directed learners, and they are sought by colleges and universities in the U.S. Canadian universities are beginning to recognize the uniqueness of home-based learners and are rethinking how to evaluate these students. A number of homeschooling teens in Victoria have used Camosun College as a bridge between high school studies and a university education. They take classes at Camosun for a few years, then transfer to UVic or another university.

So, just what does a day look like if you’re a homeschooled teen?

“I often get up around 10 or 11 in the morning.  I like to sleep in and being at home allows me to do that. I do my academic work soon after I have breakfast. I’m signed up with a Distributed Learning Program and enjoy the work assigned by my teachers. I do my work and by about two in the afternoon, I’m finished. I have a part-time job. Sometimes my shift starts in the morning so my schedule changes. I’m saving up to go on a trip to Europe. Learning at home gives me the opportunity to work more and earn money faster while getting my high school diploma.”

“I’m a registered homeschooler. Right now I’m fascinated by the time period of Elizabeth 1 in England and I’m doing a lot of reading about that time period. I take martial arts classes. And I have time to play games with my friends and family.”

“I like to have time to do volunteer work.  Learning at home gives me time to do that. I can set up my schedule so that I can help in my volunteer job. I like knowing that what I do makes a difference. I’ve made some great friends through my volunteer job.”

“I play hockey, so learning at home gives me time to actually read and spend time with my family and friends. If I were in school all day and then had homework at night I’d never have any time.”

Parents of homeschooled teens revel in the positive relationships within their families.  Gatherings of homeschooling families often involve multi-age groupings of children, teens and adults playing together. One mother commented that she found her teenagers to be good company. “We have so much fun together. We like to watch a movie together and stop it at various points to discuss one of the characters or the history of an event.” Many parents observe that the conversations they have with their teens about books, current events, or happenings in the neighborhood are an important part of their teens’ education.

Current learning theories emphasize that learning is an active process of knowledge construction rather than knowledge recording or absorption. Learning is highly tuned to the situation in which it takes place, affected as much by motivational issues as by cognitive issues. Learning needs to combine theory and practice.

These theories may explain why teens find home learning and setting their own learning schedule to be so effective. A homeschooled teen who volunteers for an environmental organization sees and hears first-hand how certain actions result in an effect and how or what can be done to minimize that effect—such as biking instead of driving. Working with the environmental agency, the homeschooled teen has an opportunity to hear from a variety of people committed to the same cause about the impact this commitment has had on their lives.  While all teens can volunteer for causes that are important to them, practice martial arts or music, or hold jobs, homeschooling allows teens more time to set their own pace. Some teens have been learning at home since they were five years old while others start in their teen years.

Is homeschooling for everyone or does it require a special kind of person? While there is no definitive answer, here are some guidelines.
•    If you and/or your teen are considering homeschooling, sit down together and discuss why you want to make this change and what you hope to accomplish.
•    Make sure you and your teen have some clearly defined definitions about what learning at home will involve, such as time spent on schoolwork, music, sport, art, etc.
•    Stay in touch with your teen; do things together—talk, cook, go grocery shopping. Use this time to build a stronger relationship.

Veteran homeschooling parents say that it takes about a year to become comfortable with homeschooling. Many teens find it initially challenging to be in charge of their own time. Others take to it like the proverbial duck to water.  If you are interested in homeschooling in Victoria, you can join the Victoria Home Learning Network (VHLN) at www.vhln.org. The VHLN is a loosely knit group of home learning families; membership is offered only to families with a direct interest in home learning and provides access to an email hotline, online discussion group and membership directory. There is a VHLN binder at the information desk of your local library.

Marty Layne is the mother of four adults who learned at home and the author of Learning At Home: A Mother’s Guide To Homeschooling, available at www.martylayne.com. She also offers workshops on homeschooling.