Homeschooling on the rise in Oregon... PORTLAND, Ore. - —
Social media and advances in in technology have sure made homeschooling a lot easier -- and therefore, a much more viable option for families. That could be one of the reasons why it's on the rise in Oregon. "I have an 8-year-old who loves robotics and he gets to take classes in robotics. I have a 10-year-old who's learning French. I have a 3-year-old who's going to start Taekwondo," Lauren Iscoff said. That 3-year-old is "Bash," short for Sebastian. He's Iscoff's youngest, and the final child she will homeschool. But that's not really the word she likes to use. "'World-schooling' is probably more accurate," she said. "World-schooling," meaning not from a text book in a traditional classroom, she wants her kids to study what they really want. "I don't care what grades they get. I care that they love what they're learning," Iscoff said. The number of homeschoolers is rising in nearly every district in Oregon, according to a look at the data from the past 10 years. There are currently more than 22,000 students registered as homeschoolers in the state, that's according to the Oregon Department of Education. KATU News learned from both parents and the state that the number is likely even higher because not all parents register their student with their local ESD. "It is finding out what works for your kids and works for your family," said Rosalyn Newhouse is with Oregon's Home Education Network, which supports families. "Many community centers have homeschooling sports classes, homeschooling swim teams," she said. KATU Reporter Jackie Labrecque interjected, "Which helps with the socialization, which is a concern for some of the parents?" "You said the S word," Newhouse responded, playfully chastising for asking about "socialization." That's because it is controversial. She argues that homeschoolers -- who often interact with adults and the real world regularly -- can be far more socialized than traditional students, who in some public school settings can get ostracized and marginalized. "In public schools this is where you see a lot of the societal problems with kids. The bullying, and discrimination and the violence, frankly," Newhouse said, noting that's a controversial statement. We caught up with Newhouse at Village Home in Beaverton. It's a place where kids can take all kinds of classes. "The classes are chosen by consensus and people put in proposals... 'I want to teach this thing,'" Newhouse explained. The elective school system is very popular with families that homeschool, like Lauren Iscoff's kids who learn as they wish. "It's unconventional but education's not one size fits all," Iscoff said. https://katu.com/news/local/homeschooling-on-the-rise-across-oregon As always, for homeschooling ideas go to Blossom Learning. Happy homeschooling! Comments are closed.
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