| The dominant image of homeschooling involves one | | | | cardboard, rubber bands, and popsicle sticks. It took |
| child, or several siblings, studying with their mother in a | | | | several hours of concentrated effort and about $45 to |
| socially isolated household. While those homeschoolers | | | | get all the requisite materials together. While this was |
| exist, they appear to be a definite minority, at least | | | | hardly a heroic level of preparation, it is far more |
| among New York City homeschoolers. One reason | | | | involved than the preparation that normally goes into |
| that most homeschoolers are far less isolated than | | | | preparing lessons in arithmetic. The cost/benefit |
| many people assume is the popularity of small group | | | | analysis simply makes more sense when that effort is |
| classes. | | | | going into a lesson for several children rather than just |
| Group classes take many forms. Some are taught by | | | | one. |
| parents, others are taught by professionals; some are | | | | The more important reason why science is an ideal |
| highly academic in nature, others are primarily intended | | | | subject for group lessons is that many parents feel |
| to be social; some are traditional in their format, others | | | | inadequately qualified to teach science. Even at the |
| are highly innovative. As a tutor who serves many | | | | elementary school level, they may be intimidated by |
| homeschool families, I have come to strongly support | | | | their lack of knowledge and their own perceived |
| group classes, since they provide an opportunity for a | | | | failures in the subject. Of course, as the material |
| dynamic exchange of ideas among students and an | | | | becomes more sophisticated, these perceived |
| affordable way for parents to ensure that their children | | | | shortcomings only grow, and in fact often turn into real |
| are well educated, even in areas where the parents | | | | shortcomings. It is my belief that most educated adults |
| may not be comfortable teaching the material. | | | | could master enough science to teach their 4th grader |
| My primary personal experience with group | | | | with the benefit of some good books, but the same |
| homeschool classes is in the area of science. Science | | | | can't be said for a 10th grader. It really does take |
| is particularly well suited to group classes, for two main | | | | specialized knowledge to effectively teach high school |
| reasons. First, it takes quite a bit of effort to get | | | | science classes well. |
| together the materials necessary for lab classes. As | | | | Just as a lack of real or perceived knowledge in |
| an illustration, I recently completed a unit on simple | | | | science means that group classes are particularly |
| machines with a small group of upper elementary | | | | valuable in science, other topics that many parents are |
| school age children. his relatively simple unit involved | | | | uncomfortable with or lack knowledge in also make |
| spring scales, three different kinds of pulley, two kinds | | | | good candidates for homeschool group classes. |
| of plastic tubing (to make Archimedes' Screws), as | | | | Poetry, second languages, and more advanced |
| well as copious amounts of odds and ends such as | | | | mathematics are all fairly obvious candidates. |