The Latino community has an accurate history regarding traditional education: public or private schools. This is why homeschooling can lead to a bit of distrust, along with some questions: What am I going to teach my kids? Am I doing it right? Is this what really works for my kids? This is to be expected, since one of the biggest concerns that parents have is that their children get a good education.
This is the case for Noemi González Morales, a young Mexican woman who decided to work full time on the education of her son José María (Chemita), a seven year old and current second grader.
The idea of becoming her son’s teacher came from her husband. Noemi’s desire for her son grow up with Christian values was her main drive towards homeschooling, which is why she decided to gather more information on the subject.
“Sarah, a friend from church, homeschooled her kids and they’re both currently at the University of Nebraska. I liked the idea, and Sarah helped me connect with other mothers who homeschool their kids.”
She mentioned in an interview for El Perico that, at first, her family did not see this as a good decision. Latinos traditionally educate kids at school, with teachers and several kids in each classroom. But Noemi has a different opinion: each kid has a different way of learning, and she wanted to find out what that was like for Chemita.
In Mexico, only the wealthy can do this, said.
Noemi started to teach her son from an early age, and she experimented with a year of homeschooling for kindergarten. Her son was able to solve logic problems and comprehend reading in Spanish. “When he was in pre-K classes, he learned to interact with other kids, to play. I took him to the library for a one-hour English reading program. There weren’t many classes, since there was a bigger focus on arts and crafts, interacting, and reading,” she said.
The paperwork
Well, not really. Gonzalez had to complete several requirements, such as presenting a birth certificate, a sworn statement and some forms, which are needed by the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE). In the document, she stated her desire to educate her son under an exemption program (homeschooling), which considers education under unaccredited schools that are governed by rule 13 of the education system.
When the tutor for a minor request and receives said exemption, they’re choosing to not have their kids go to a public or private school while, “at the same time, adhering to the compulsory school attendance (Section 79-201 RRS),” states the NDE page.
According to a recent NDE document that presents the number of students for the 2018/2019 school year in Nebraska (before the pandemic), 9,030 students were surveyed by the program, which represents 2.75% of the State’s student population.
Douglas County has 2,225 students enrolled in the program, and is the area with the most families enrolled in it. It’s expected that these numbers have increased because of the pandemic.
Once a child turns five, parents can educate them with the school curriculum that best suits the young student, but it’s not until they turn six to seven years old that they must start the paperwork for getting them accepted into the program. There is a deadline by which all requirements from the Department of Education must be met.
The tutor must then find the right school curriculum according to the kid’s grade so that it covers abilities and topics such as art, math, science, social studies and health.
Although the NDE will not supervise the teaching method used by parents, if it’s proven that a child is not receiving a proper education, this could lead to legal issues.
“It would be foolish not to be teaching our kids when we have the resources to do so,” said Noemi.
An alternative that could be free
Kathryn Dillow, President of The Home Educators Network, Inc. and expert on the homeschooling program mentions that she’s homeschooled her kids and they’re now about to enter college. She mentions that they’ve had a mixed education (traditional and with mentors) and she considers that it’s very beneficial to be able to tend to the direct needs of her kids.
“They’re taught about the life of an adult, about managing their finances, fixing the house, to be autonomous and critical. This is something that I think traditional schools don’t teach, since you have to align to a unified thought,” she mentioned in an interview with El Perico.
She highlighted that in homeschooling, the parent must handle the education, feeding and care of the student. “I believe that homeschooling is great since kids don’t miss any class and they have someone completely focused on their learning. You must know that you have to create a study plan, guides, grade them and fill out their report card. If the child does not know something about that particular grade, then that’s not an issue, since you can review other resources and find a way to help with the learning process,” she said.
As an anecdote, she mentioned that she struggled with one of her sons when he had to learn some math problems. It was a long challenge for her until she found a way for her student to learn it.
Homeschooling does has a cost. A school curriculum can cost up to $500, which does not guarantee it will fit within the student’s education plan. However, there are support groups for parents in which school curriculum can be free of charge.
There are many reasons why parents become their kids’ teachers, but a major motivator for some is religion. Religion is not included in the secular education of public schools. A second reason is the dissatisfaction with the options provided for public and private schools in their area. The third, but not the final reason, is the flexibility of being with family without having to work around schedules, while also being very hands-on about the way their kids learn.
Dillow mentioned that during the pandemic many parents also decided to homeschool their kids because they refused to vaccinate their kids. “This is a decision that must be respected, and there’s a freedom of religion. It’s the parents’ decision if their religion does not allow it,” she said.
School curriculum in English and in other languages
Along with the religious education that can be provided for a child, Dillow mentions there are school curriculum for homeschooling that talk about an African American and Hispanic heritage.
“I bring this up because we’re talking about specific cultures. Some school curriculums for these programs go beyond the occidental European culture vs. the African American, Hispanic and Asian cultures. We need the African American culture to be incorporated into the education we promote. We want our kids to know where they come from,” she said.
The dark side of homeschooling in Nebraska
Between 1970 and 1980, groups of parents and Christian pastors were jailed for taking the initiative of teaching a school curriculum at home, because traditional education went against their beliefs. The NDE did not credit or approve this education.
After many criticisms and legal disputes, rule 13 was approved in 1984, which states that homeschooling would be regulated by the NDE, explaining what could be taught in the curriculum, apart from the religious aspects. After many law projects were discussed over the next decade, a law was approved in 1999 that allows parents to educate their kids at home for reasons other than their religion.
This is not for everyone
For those that are considering this education method, they can find more resources at https://www.nebraskahomeschool.org and https://nchea.org, where they can also find legal aid. Parents must take into consideration the required time, patience and preparedness for teaching.Noemi is one of the few Latinas that broke the stereotype of traditional education. However, this requires a huge time investment. “I don’t regret anything. I enjoy being with my son, but this is not for everyone”, she said.