I blogged about this. My comments were too long for the comments section here.

Dan,
I have enjoyed your blog for some time now. I agree with you and many things and many of your posts have been inspiring to me. However, I have to agree with Spunky on this one. We need the distinction between those who take total control and authority over their children’s education and those who work in partnership with the public schools. One is not better than the other, but the law needs to treat the two options differently. If we, as a homeschool community, do not treat these two options differently then we cannot expect our lawmakers to do that. I have been doing this homeschool thing for 15 years and I have seen the changes in the environment. It has been great that homeschooling has become almost mainstream, but we cannot let our guard down for a moment. We are always one bad law away from losing the freedoms we worked so hard to gain. That is why clarity and distinction are so very important.
Respectfully,
Kelli

I agree with Spunky and Kelli– We’re all so quick to point out that homeschooling does not mean that a kid is trapped in the home all day, with no outside contact. So, “homeschooling” is not simply ANY kind of education done in the home. By that definition, ALL parents are homeschooling, when we help the kids with homework, etc. Homeschooling as a phenomenon is a completely different way of thinking about education, honoring the parents as the leaders and innovators in their child’s individual education program.

Confusion like this– asserting that a child enrolled in a public, private, or online school– will lead to messier legislation that will adversely affect homeschoolers everywhere.

Dan, congratulations on your first day of school!

I am not a homeschooler, but I have many, many friends who homeschool and who find it fulfilling. I wish the same for you.

If I understand the comments of the folks above, they are against being accountable to anyone but the Lord for their homeschooling practices. Being accountable to the Lord is of utmost importance, but I have known parents who homeschool who need to be held accountable to more than just the Lord, because their children are not being taught well. In fact, sometimes their children cannot read at their grade level despite being of above average intelligence. I would say that in their committment to the Lord regarding their children’s education, they are failing. I am not saying this is true of previous commentors, but it is true of a few families I know. I have heard their children take their turns reading in Sunday School class.

I have family members and other friends who homeschool and who follow recommendations of a home school group or a state group. These folks are voluntarily being accountable to rules regarding attendance and subjects (they can choose their own curriculum) needed to have a well-rounded education.

I agree with the previous commenters that increasing legislation could be detrimental for those homeschoolers who are doing an exempliary job. But I am concerned about those who just decide that their children don’t need to study a certain subject such as math. Legislation might be avoided if homeschoolers would voluntarily be accountable to organized homeschool groups. Being involved with an organized group should be considered because of its great benefits rather than its limitations. I applaud you for choosing such a program.

Blessings!

I appreciate your spirit in your comments at Spunky’s blog. IMHO you ARE definitely homeschooling. I don’t think Spunky gets to define homeschooling! Sounds like you have a bright child–I wish you only success as you homeschool him.

Dan, as I made clear in my post, but to reiterate here. This isn’t about what I believe or what I think. The fact of the matter, is that your son is counted as one who is enrolled in the public schools from the state’s perspective. That’s the one that counts. To them your child is in public school. If you don’t believe me just ask them.

From the website for your curriclum,

http://ohva.org/who-chooses-oh.....hools.html

“OHVA is a public school that happens to operate within the walls of your own home. As public school students, your children will be expected to spend a certain amount of time each day engaged in schoolwork.”

If they call your child a public school student, why don’t you? It is not I who made this up, they wrote it, I quote it.

I have no personal animosity towards you or the decisions you make. I would welcome you into my home and any homeschooling events that took place in our area. This is not a personal distinction but a legal distinction that is necessary to keep the boundaries between homeschooling and pubic schools understood by all particpants. One cannot be both a homeschooler and a public schooler. The state understands that, and that is why they put this on their website.

Dan,

I completely made it clear that his isn’t a personal issue. I hope that you can as well. This has nothing to do with moving into my “neighborhood”. You may think that this is narrow, but in time I hope that you understand. You may move one day from being a public e-schooler (OHVA’s term) to a homeschooler. When you do it will become apparent why a distinction is so important.

A person may attend church every Sunday and call themselves a Christian. But we both know they are not. It isn’t a matter of what they call themselves but the determination that Scripture makes. The same is true from this issue. It isn’t what you or I would like to call ourseves that is the issue, but the distinction that the law makes. You see it as narrow minded but it’s a distinction that is necessary. I don’t hold you at arms length. I said I would welcome you anywhere I was as a homeschooler. I make no personal distinction in my daily interactions.

One final note, your list is impressive. Your son is very blessed to have a devoted father. But just as this isn’t about my definition. It isn’t about your defintion either. Neither of us gets to determine the definition. That’s a legal definition determined by the state. And the legal defintion is the one that determines who is regulated and by what. Your choice to be regulated is your choice. But your what your call yourself isn’t your choice. The state defines that not you or me. Despite how much you want to make this about me, it’s not.

Spunky,

The State also says that a human fetus, at various stages of development, is not a person but that doesn’t make it so.

Dan, I live in Ohio too. My oldest goes to Akron Digital Academy, a cyber school formed by the Akron Public School Board. My other four students are home schooled in that I filled out the notification form and sent an assessment by a certified teacher that they were working at their own level as required by Ohio law.

So stating all that, I have to say that I love Bill Bennett’s program. If I ever decided to use a public cyber school for my next oldest child, that’s the one I would go with!

However, it’s not homeschooling. The legal requirements for enrolling my child in ADA was a lot different than what was required to homeschool. He has to take the Ohio proficiency tests, just as your son will. They are different.

There are quite a few families in our homeschool group who do use OVA and OHDELA. We still welcome them in our group and include them in our activies. They will be the first to tell you that they chose these public cyber schools because they needed the freedom from lesson plans or freedom from the sole responsibility for educating their child. I totally understand that. I put my oldest in for that reason. He needed to be accountable to an authority other than me. The other four however, so far, are thriving under my instruction. Whatever works for each family is fine!

That’s not a bad thing or a good thing, it’s just reality.

Have a good school year!

Hey Mr. Edelen,
I’m a 12th grade high school student from Canada, and I came across your blog through Spunky’s post about it. I was homeschooled my mom from grade 5 through grade 10, and then for the 1st semester of grade 11, was registered with a distance education school which sounds much like the one you have enrolled your son in. When I “went” to this school, I considered myself as fully homeschooled as I have been since 5th grade, and I truly don’t think that all this terminology really matters at all. Yes, your son is considered a public school student in the eyes of the law, but the fact remains that he is at home, and you are overseeing his education. I disagree with the idea that “homeschooling” is an elite term which only applies if you have chosen your kids’ curriculum. I know that this is surely not the message Spunky is trying to convey, but it may come across that way to others who are not familiar with her or her blog. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I agree with you, and kudos for sticking to your guns.

I don’t think Spunky understands public schools–so I don’t think she gets to define homeschool. She proves nothing with her legal mumbo jumbo. If a parent teaches their child at home–it’s a homeschool. Period.

You sound like a great parent–with a sweet spirit. I pray you will not let anyone discourage you!!!

We began homeschooling my 5-year-old recently. I was seriously considering enrolling her in Colorado’s K12 program when I first learned about it a couple of years ago. My husband didn’t go along with the idea because after looking into it we determined that it would essentially be public school at home, which wasn’t the approach we wanted to take.

Those who are accusing Spunky of being elitist, overly emotional about homeschooling, or irrational are disingenuous or just plain don’t get it. It’s the “legal mumbo jumbo” that this issue is really about. I don’t think anyone cares if people consider themselves homeschoolers as long as legislators understand that public homeschooling and traditional homeschooling are not the same.

Shauna, I will try not to be offended since you say I do not get it. I very much get it. I just do not agree. Not agreeing is very different from ignorance. To me, it is legal mumbo jumbo. I can define homeschooling the way I want to define it. Dan is defintely homeschooling. Blessings!

Public schooling is defined already. The fact that it is, eliminates any possibility that a *program* that is psing can also be defined as hsing. People choose their own identities and lifestyles. People can mix or blend their children’s educational options, but they cannot homeschool children *through* a public school program, no more than I could enroll my child in a ps math class and say that I’m hsing my child for math while she sits in a ps building.

I’m jumping into this late but I agree with what’s been said by “jettybetty” and Dan. I have three kids, two of which are now using the COVA or Colorado Online Virtual Academy and k12 curriculum that Shauna spoke of. I find it to be excellent curriculum and yes, it’s also a homeschool. My high school aged daughter has teachers she answers to but my wife and I have to mentor her along and my wife teaches my 8-year old pretty much the entire morning. My son preferred public school so he is attending the local middle school in our neighborhood and that’s OK too but to try to define homeschool by whether or not your kid in receiving curriculum from the school district or another source is like saying going to Burger King isn’t really eating fast food because it’s not McDonalds. Two different approaches. Same business.

Good luck Dan. Email me if I can ever be a help! Blessings.

I’m not defining. This isn’t some wish-washy thing we can all decide for ourselves. It has already been decided.
Here is California’s definition of public school:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/si/ds/dosinfo.asp
Definition of a Public School
The CDE further defines a public school as a kindergarten through grade twelve and/or adult educational institution that:

Is supported with public funds;
Is authorized by action of and operated under the oversight of a publicly constituted local or state educational agency;
Provides educational services to all students who are enrolled;
Has an appropriately credentialed teacher (or teachers) who provides instruction;
Has at least one appropriately credentialed administrator, usually a principal, who is responsible for all aspects of school administration including supervision and evaluation of staff, fiscal responsibility, student discipline and safety, supervision and evaluation of curriculum, and assessment of academic achievement and school accountability;
Administers California statewide assessments to its students at the required grade levels;
Has an administrator, usually a principal, with access to and responsibility for maintaining official student records for all enrolled students;
Except for charters, implements a curriculum that fully meets state requirements as specified in the California Education Code relating to required courses of study;
Is non-sectarian;
Except for charters, the entity’s budget structure is consistent with the budget structure of schools operated by the authorizing agency; and
Based in one or more buildings that are “Field Act” compliant, unless exempt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’m not talking about defining homeschooling. Here is an example of a state’s definition of public schooling. I would say most states would not veer-at least by much-with California’s definition. If a charter school is a public school, then it can not also be a homeschool. Whether or not, people feel like they are still homeschooling when their children are enrolled in a public school at home program is another issue. My point that public school has a definition does not have any room to argue about. It doesn’t because it is a fact, not my personal opinion. I’m not being judgmental or exclusive to point out a cold, hard fact (if you want to perceive it that way) that public school has a definition. It is a definition that cannot be co-opted to also mean homeschooling at the same time. How can you argue that psing does not have a definition? You get to define what hsing means to you and your family. You get to discuss your opinions about hsing. But you do not get to define psing as it already has a definition.

Sorry, don’t agree with your line of thinking. I don’t agree with the *state* definition of psing either. I do get to define both psing and hsing. Who tells me I can’t?

If you are teaching your child at home–it’s homeschooling.

You can imagine that public school does not already have a definition. You can imagine anything you want. Your head is your playground.
However, in the real sense that it matters for example, legislatively and court cases, it has already been decided that psing at home is psing with all that entails. It’s really simple isn’t it? If someone has a ps at home program that their family is enjoying, what benefit is it for them to be in a campaign to attempt to redefine their psing at home program into something it isn’t and can never be? They won’t be successful in obtaining the same freedoms that those hsing without a ps at home program have. Their attempts to call their program hsing is to risk interfering in another option that they might want to avail themselves of some day. There is no gain. If you think there is, tell me what you think the gain would be.

Annette,
We sent our 3 children to public school for 13 years each–but I was still their main teacher–and I can call them homeschooled if I want. It IS that simple.
I do think I understand what you are saying–and I don’t agree. At all.
Can’t we just agree to disagree?

Sure we can agree to disagree but we can first agree what it is that we are disagreeing about in the first place? I’m not arguing your choice to use meaningless terminology in regards to homeschooling. Your welcome to do so. I am saying that public schooling is already defined and you are imagining that it is something else other than what it is already legally defined as. I use facts, and you use opinion. If you can’t distinguish between fact and opinion, I guess we can agree that you don’t personally put any value on the facts in this discussion? If the facts have no value for you here, is it safe to say that whether or not independent homeschooling is able to remain an option for families would not have any value to you either? (Please delete my comment pending).