Homeschooling answer for many parents
Homeschooling is quickly becoming a popular alternative to the public school system as studies continue to show a fast rate of growth each year.
Louisiana is considered a moderately regulated homeschool state compared to others, where the state must be noti ed of the choice to homeschool, but the state does not dictate choice of curriculum or request annual test scores.
Fran Hopkins Winningham, local homeschooling mother of four, is very grateful for the opportunities a home education has offered her family. For her, the decision to homeschool wasn’t a tough one.
“It’s our desire for our family to know God and to make Him known in every aspect of our lives, especially through the education of our children,” Winningham said.
Winningham graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. But not all homeschooling mothers need such credentials. “The most important point I can make is that any parent who really tries can educate their children,” Winningham said. “Every parent is capable of providing a quality home-centered education. You just have to believe you can.”
Studies show homeschooled children consistently outperform their publicschooled peers on standardized tests nationwide.
Since beginning their homeschool journey in 2001, Winningham and her family tried several different curriculum and methods from the traditional textbook style of Abeka to computer-based Switch on Schoolhouse.
“Ultimately, the classical method has been the all-around best choice for our family,” Winningham said. “Our curriculum of choice is Classical Conversations, a national program designed to equip parents to provide their children with a classical Christian education, using the classical tools of learning, focusing on the grammar, dialectic and rhetorical stages of learning.”
Winningham’s school consists of her son Brandon, who is now 22 but started his home education in the fth grade. Brandon is now a senior at Centenary College, majoring in psychology with a focus on religious studies. He’s also the youth director of Broadmoor United Methodist Church and co-owner and third-degree black belt senior instructor of Bossier Tae Kwon Do Leadership Academy.
“Looking back, I can see how much homeschooling prepared me for higher education and the start of my career. I learned how to ask my own questions and nd my own answers,” Brandon said.
Winningham’s oldest current student is Brady, 17, and nearing the end of his homeschooling education, which began in the rst grade. Brady excels in music, loves reading and is an instructor at Bossier Tae Kwon Do Leadership Academy.
Mary Katherine, Winningham’s oldest daughter, is 13 and has been homeschooled from birth.
“Mary Katherine is creative, artsy, detail-oriented and thrives on the classical model of education, which allows her to focus on ne arts,” Winningham said. An accomplished pianist, Mary Katherine has won several state awards. She’s also earned the title of “Memory Master” through Classical Conversations for the past two years, mastering more than 1,200 facts from history, science, math, English grammar, geography and Latin, including a chronological timeline from creation to modern time.
Winningham’s youngest student is Elizabeth Joy, age 10, who has also homeschooled from birth. Elizabeth Joy loves math, reading and music and has completed ve years of ballet with Theater School of Dance in Bossier City.
“The integration of classical education continually expands Elizabeth’s knowledge base while strengthening her selfexpression and developing her curious mind,” Winningham said.
Despite the obvious bene ts, there are still many misconceptions about homeschooling, one being that homeschoolers are not sociable. “It’s true that homeschoolers don’t experience some of the negative aspects of socialization, such as bullying,” Winningham said. “They are, however, in their communities interacting with merchants, the elderly, younger children, their peers, their relatives and people from all walks of life.”
For those concerned about what happens to homeschoolers after they graduate and are sent out in the real world, fear not. University of Michigan professor Dr. Gary Knowles discovered that 96 percent of home-educated adults have no regrets of their home education.
Even more encouraging, not a single one was unemployed or on welfare.
Despite the pros and cons, Winningham has never faltered in her decision. “My kids only come around once in my lifetime, and they won’t be with me forever,” she said. “I chose to have them, and I choose freely to make them and my family a priority in my life. This stage of life won’t last forever. While it does, I’ve climbed on for the ride!” Shreveport/Bossier City offers a wide variety of support groups, co-ops, sports opportunities and Classical Conversations communities. For helpful information on how to get started, go to hslda.org or classicalconversations.com.
– Betsy St. Amant
