HOPE HOMESCHOOL ACADEMY

We homeschool families are an independent bunch. We have all, at one point or another, rejected the traditional model of formal instruction, even those of us who are only considering the homeschooling option. Recently, we have seen a massive increase in families who are choosing to homeschool, or enroll in some homeschool variation. The reasons for this trend are exponentially outside the scope of this message, but suffice it to say that there is a desperate need for a new model of education.

With the increase in homeschooling families, we’ve also seen a rise in several different attempts at these new models. So we now have a number of options:

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• public school

• private school

• homeschool co-ops

• hybrid homeschool

 

Each of these options have advantages and disadvantages, and every family must weigh these options and make the choice that is best for their own unique circumstance. In public school, you have a free education for your child, 5 days per week, eight hours a day. In addition to whatever problem has driven you to consider homeschooling, you may also want to consider that in public schools, teachers must acquire students through the compulsion of the state, and as such have received state-sanctioned education in how to be an excellent civil servant. This means that the U.S. public school system consists of educators who are elevated “into near-perpetual absolute rulers in their sphere”of influence, the daily instruction of our children.[1]

 

Private schools attempt to provide a higher quality of education, but here, state regulations are hindered only by the lobbyists, and very few can reasonably afford this option. Homeschool co-ops are a wonderful choice for homeschoolers, where parents work together to provide enrichment activities in a more social environment. However, these parents can begin to feel overwhelmed with the daunting task of formal instruction in academic subjects, particularly in those areas that they themselves may feel they lack sufficient expertise.

 

The most recent, increasingly popular option is the hybrid homeschool. This is an academic institution that seeks to combine the academic and social advantages of a traditional educational setting by holding classes 2 days per week, and having parents homeschool the other three. On the surface, this seems to be an ideal compromise of professional, social, and parental influence on a child’s education. Unfortunately, these hybrid homeschools have fallen into some of the same pitfalls and shortcomings as all the other options. The curriculum in these schools is often chosen by those with public school backgrounds, and/or doctrinal or political agendas. The educational goals and instructional objectives are then directed and taught by teachers with public school backgrounds, who teach as they were taught (citation). The parents are simply replicating this format in their daily lessons at home, as they are expected to do by the school, where they may be unwittingly providing their children the very education that they have rejected.

 

Fortunately, a new option is on the horizon. What makes Hope Homeschool Academy a unique hybrid homeschool lies within the philosophical foundation of its motto: Inspiring parents to be their child’s best teacher. As homeschool families, we are divinely inspired to understand what is, to put it mildly, difficult, for the modern educator to comprehend:

 

Parental instruction conforms to the ideal arrangement. It is, first of all, individualized instruction, the teacher dealing directly with the unique child, and addressing himself to his capabilities and interests. Second, what people can know the aptitudes and personality of the child better than his own parents? The parents’ daily familiarity with, and love for, their children, renders them uniquely qualified to give the child the formal instruction necessary. Here the child receives individual attention for his own personality. No one is as qualified as the parent to know how much or at what pace he should teach the child…[2]

 

Hope’s foundational principle of this concept provides its additional, secondary unique attributes as well. Because of our philosophy, we defer to parental decisions regarding curriculum and daily lesson plans. As a non-denominational, Christian school, we provide students with a Christ-centered perspective in their educational endeavors, but leave doctrinal and dogmatic matters to parents and pastors. Not only are parents the first and final authority on every major educational decision, HHA also understands that each child has unique, individual educational needs, motivations, and abilities. This means that we not only accept students with unique learning needs, we specialize in individualized education for students at every point on the cognitive and developmental spectrum.

 

Below, you’ll find a visual representation of how each of the concepts of our school relates to the other, and how the defining principles of HHA combine to form a terrific option for homeschooling families. God has called us to serve our homeschool families in each of the components listed below, and I am honored to serve each and every family who comes to Hope Homeschool Academy!

 

[1] Rothbard, Murray N.. Education: Free and Compulsory (p. 17). Ludwig von Mises Institute. Kindle Edition.

[2] Rothbard, Murray N.. Education: Free and Compulsory (p. 8). Ludwig von Mises Institute. Kindle Edition.



Thank you for all you do,

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Amber Clark