Home school group creates alternatives for students

ts deciding to home school their children, a home school support group began in Ritzville to create more opportunities for the students in the area. The support group hosts meetings once a month, giving the students a chance to socialize and learn about a certain topic together.

The support group began when a group of mothers who home schooled their children decided to begin a group that allowed the students to meet each other. It also gave the parents a chance to exchange ideas for teaching curriculum and learn about certain successful programs.

Once a month, the students and parents meet at the Church of the Nazarene to host a group class, as the group is Christian-based. Each meeting focuses on a specific topic and many of these meetings are field trips that take the students to various businesses.

The home school support group visited The Journal in November, where the students learned about the creation and production of a newspaper. The trips that the students take are created to teach the students about various careers and aspects of everyday life.

The activities for the whole year of meetings are planned every year at a summer get-together and barbeque in the park. The parents combine resources to create the best opportunity and widest variety of activities for the students.

Some of the activities that the group participated in the last few years range from learning sign language, playing chess with a professional chess player and wool spinning. The activities are also based around the community and the students take trips to locations such as the post office, the Ritzville Railroad Depot Museum and the Frank R. Burroughs Home Museum.

The activities that help the students learn the most about the community are the day spent learning the history of Ritzville and the day the group makes bread. Lisa Peterson brings her wheat grinder and the students go through step-by-step, learning how to make bread while simultaneously learning about how wheat is grown and harvested.

Every year, the home school students perform an oral report to the other students in the group. This gives the students an opportunity to practice public speaking in front of large audience.

The students have the freedom to pick any topic that they find interesting and create a presentation. Some of the most memorable presentations include history of the sandwich, a bullwhip demonstration, how to care for puppies, mummification and classification of birds in the Ritzville area.

In preparation of the report, many of the students create hands-on or visual examples of their topic. During the presentation of the “history of a sandwich,” the student not only described where sandwiches originated but also simultaneously made a sandwich during the report.

When the home school support group began, only a few Ritzville community families comprised the group. Over the years, word of mouth and chance encounters with meeting other home schooling families, expanded the group to include students from Ritzville, Lind, Benge, Washtucna and Odessa.

Every family decides on their own curriculum, schedule and topics to teach their children. Many of the families chose to home school because of the flexibility it gives to the family and allows the opportunity to accommodate to each student’s interests.

The home school students can attend classes part-time in the school district and still be considered a home school student. The classes that home school students usually register for with the school district are higher math, foreign language and driver’s education courses.

Each parent that is instructing their children in a home school atmosphere must apply and qualify to teach by meeting certain requirements. Parents of home school children are only able to instruct their own children and keep records of the annual test scores each student is required to take.

Home school students are required to take state tests each year to determine and record where each student is at educationally, which is similar to the school districts requirements. If the student does not take the test, a certified educator must make an assessment of each student’s academic progress.

The support group for home school students allows the students to engage in a topic together and expand their knowledge in all fields of study. The group hosts informative meetings on topics like music appreciation and photography to help educate the students on topics the parents might not be experts in.

During January, the group is creating an Italian lunch in which all of the students participate. The age group of the students ranges from preschool to grade 12, and all of them work together to create the meal.

The students rotate through various stations in the kitchen, learning about the different ingredients and proper cooking methods involved in making a meal. The older students generally help the younger students in understanding and preparing the lunch.

The home school support group is always grateful to the community and school districts since both areas of individuals work with the group to create the best experience for the students.

Community members volunteer their time to attend the meetings and teach the students about their field of expertise.

Every year, the school districts send a letter to the families to inform them that the students are welcome to participate in sports, clubs or enroll in any courses that they want, while still remaining as home school students. A few of the home school support group students are currently active in the drama club in Ritzville.

As the group continues to grow, the parents are constantly looking for activities for the students to engage in.

The support group continues to hold their monthly meetings and activities to remind each other of the importance of family and to encourage new ideas for the students.