Home school assistance meeting set

It?s time to apply to the Fairfield Home School Assistance Program for the 2012-2013 school year.

The Fairfield Community School District?s HSAP is a program in which certified teachers collaborate with parents to create individualized scholastic programming and social activities for kindergarten through 12th grade students.

An information meeting is set from 1:30-3 p.m. Tuesday at the HSAP office in the old building behind Fairfield High School.

Topics to be discussed include: Home schooling and what the local school district offers to help parents with their child?s home education; common questions about the benefits of home schooling; different approaches, resources and materials, socialization and preparing the home schooler for college; and an overview of the Fairfield HSAP.

Parents are asked to arrange for child care during the meeting.

HSAP offers assistance from tenured teachers who specialize in home schooling. It also offers classes, field trips, special events and community service to augment the home program. In addition, students may dual enroll for classes in the public schools, such as art, music and physical education in the elementary schools or extracurricular and academic classes in the middle or high schools.

Scholastic opportunity

Research done on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills by its publisher, Riverside Publishing Co., shows that nationwide, students schooled at home average at the 77th percentile, compared with the national average in the 50th percentile. Scores in the Fairfield program follow this trend.

Individualization

Each home school family designs an educational program according to its personality and the children?s needs. Teachers from HSAP meet regularly with parents to help them combine structured work with activities which encourage learning.

In addition to traditional book work, home schooled children may add enriching activities, such as exploring an interest area, tutoring a younger sibling, building their own computer or devouring book after book.

Children also can work side by side with family members in a garden, workshop, kitchen or with special enterprises like a home business. Education becomes a way of life.

Social advantage

The family, community and HSAP activities provide the basis for learning social skills. In addition, opportunities for group social interaction abound in the Fairfield?s home school program with large- and small-group activities offered by the teachers and independent activities planned and implemented by the parents or community leaders.

Studies done by John Wartes in Washington state show that home schoolers have a high level of positive self concept and are usually adept in a variety of social situations and settings. Home educated children spend an increased amount of time in interest based activities with a range of people so they communicate easily with both adults and children and are likely to have friends of different ages.

For information about the meeting or the program, call the HSAP office at 472-3667.