2005 News

Homeschooling News 2005
From near and far in reverse chronological order.

Please use links at left side for the appropriate year. Or use our Search feature if you're looking for a particular article.

Note: Newspaper links can quickly go "bad" as they are archived by the paper.
If the link doesn't work try checking the newspaper's search feature,
OR try using http://Google.com's cached copy.
Failing to find the article that way you might try The Wayback Machine. Type the URL in the search box and see if the article was archived there.

As a last resort I may have a copy of the article in my file drawers or the ever growing Stack 'o Stuff. Write me if you must obtain a copy and the above doesn't yield what you need.

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12/29/05: Clarksville homeschooler Gabrielle Henderson 'loves reading'. She read 600 books last year according to this article in the Leaf-Chronicle.

'[Gabrielle] said some of her favorites include the Ramona Quimby books, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "A Voyage from Poland during World War II."

She said she plans to start reading her Christmas gift — the American Girl series about Felicity — early next year.

"I'm not going to set a reading goal for next year," Gabrielle said.'

12/17/05: The exceptionally difficult story of the Quinn family of Memphis, a homeschooling family of 10, is told in this Commercial Appeal feature.

"The Quinns say the ordeal has taught them lessons. Candles are dangerous. Communities and churches are loving and generous. Don't wait until a tragedy occurs to call on God."

12/17/05: SMHEA teams takes 2nd place Knoxville Scholar's Bowl.

The Smoky Mountain team consisted of Alaina Woodall, Courtney Wade, Luke Morton and Nick DeAngelis. Details at the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

11/30/05: Tennessee homeschoolers Jessica Huff and Chasity Porter were among many who made an important transition this fall. The two went from learning in their living and dining rooms to a college classroom.

"It was such a smooth transition from being homeschooled to college," Huff said. She chose to attend Walters State because of the reputation of its nursing program.

Read the rest in the Mountain Press.

November 2005: Memphis City Schools: HSLDA is reporting:

At the beginning of the 2005-2006 school year, Memphis City Schools sent a form letter to parents who had submitted a notice of intent to homeschool, seeking a copy of the parents' high school diploma, high school transcript, college degree, or college transcript to verify teaching qualifications. A Home School Legal Defense Association member family receiving the letter referred it to our office for assistance. http://hslda.org/hs/state/tn/200511180.asp

A letter from HSLDA on behalf of their member family is reported to have satisfied the school district. Last year (Spring of 2005) a push was started by the DOE to have homeschool files be complete. As a result several counties have overextended their authority and asked for proof of education. While HSLDA reports their response included the fact that such documentation is over and above the legal requirement it also points the school district to the DOE form that only requires a check mark indicating educational qualification have been met. My concern is that some clerk will think that changing the form will make us comply with their want of proof.

10/20/05: Shannon Massey's overview of what homeschooling is like in the Bartlett (Memphis) area is featured in this article from the Commercial-Appeal.

In that same edition is an article by Patsy Keith interviews Bartlett-Wolfchase Co-Op member Michele McCory who let's families know that help is available.

"I see this as a tremendous opportunity, not only to improve the quality of education I provide my children, but to provide a valuable service to the community as well," said McCrory.

10/04/05: Hser Rick Laney has shares his homeschooling world with the readers of the Blount County Voice.

"It's an innocent question asked regularly in casual conversation. "Where do your children go to school?" People ask this question in the same manner they might ask, "What do you do for a living?" or "How's your day going?" They fully expect your response to be quick and painless. Homeschool families know their answer is usually neither of those things. "

Read the rest by clicking here.

10/7/05: Thanks to Jacki Willard of the Eclectic Homeschoolers who found that a small change to the homeschooling code had been made last year. It added a charge to the department of education:

TCA 49-6-3050 (d) The department of education shall provide annually to home schools information about meningococcal disease and the effectiveness of vaccination against meningococcal disease at the beginning of every school year. This information shall include the causes, symptoms, and the means by which meningococcal disease is spread and the places where parents and guardians may obtain additional information and vaccinations for their children. This information may be provided electronically or on the department's web site. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the department of education to provide or purchase vaccine against meningococcal disease. [Section (d) added May 17, 2005 and included in Public Chapter 177.]

October 2005: HSLDA reports that extra information and proof are being required by this school district.

The notice stated that all homeschooling parents had to provide the school director with proof of legal custody or guardianship by a copy of the child’s birth certificate or court order, and a copy of the parents’ high school diploma or baccalaureate degree. There is no requirement in state law that homeschooling parents provide any proof of custody or guardianship of their children or provide any documentation relating to the extent of the parents’ education. http://hslda.org/hs/state/tn/200510130.asp

In the Spring of 2005 the DOE began to push the school districts for complete files on homeschoolers. As a result several districts have requested information and proofs not required by the homeschooling code. It's important that parents read and understand the rules in our state as it's obvious that not every school district employee interacting with homeschooling has been properly trained.

9/9/05: The DOE has issued a memo reminding superintendents that they have the authority to waive the registration deadline and fees for 'good and sufficient reason' stating "The current circumstances for Katrina evacuees would certainly qualify as a good and sufficient reason for exercising your waiver authority." Read the entire memo at: http://TnHomeEd.com/DOE090905.html.

9/9/05: 22nd District Candidate Andrew B. Morgan has forwarded to me a very encouraging education platform. You'll want to read it before you head to the polls. The 22nd District covers Meigs, Polk & the north end of Bradley County.

8/28/05: Hsing families turn out for Homeschool Day at Dollywood.

"I teach according to each child's abilities," said Jennifer Geddie. "But we are out all the time, doing gymnastics, ballet and all sorts of activities."

Jenny and Rick Black of Fayetteville, Tenn., pulled their two daughters, Bonner and Battle, out of private school.

Read the entire article in The Mountain Press.

8/16/05: Clarksville homeschoolers are featured in this Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle article and this one. Various resources available in their area for homeschoolers to utilize are mentioned. This also includes a couple of nice photographs of some of the Fraley family.

"It's really like taking on a full-time job," Michelle Fraley said of home schooling. "It's more of a lifestyle than an educational choice. Everything you do with your children and all the time you spend is dedicated to teaching."

Also quoted are Jelan Nabholz, Lisa Reynolds and Diane York.

7/31/05 HS Dad and news editor explains: "Why We Homeschool? Two Words: Square Dancing Truth thoroughly wrapped in humor.

1.No one, and I mean no one, has the right to teach my son how to square dance.

Number 23 comes closest to my own experience:

23.Watching the light bulb go on in your child's eyes when he figures out the concept of division.

Only it was my son's excitement when he was learning to read and pointed at the chalkboard and excitedly shouted "I know that word!" I'm too selfish to share those moments with anyone but their father.

Give it a read to start your school year on an up note. It's at Clarksville's Leaf-Chronicle.

7/4/05 HSing baseball player, Tyler Whitney is being recruited thanks to his father's tenacity. Here's a snip from scout.com.:

Although playing for the Memphis Tigers during the summer has been a tremendous help as far as getting his name out to college recruiters, being home-schooled would normally hurt him as far as having a team to play with during the spring. However, his dad and a few other people did something about that.

"My freshman year we started a home school team," said the southpaw. "My dad had a lot to do with that just so that I would have a place to play. It's not nearly as competitive as what I'm doing in the summer, but it was a place to play. We've developed over the last couple of years into a decent team."

5/19/05: The Bristol Herald-Courier series continues with two more articles.

No shortage of activities for HS Community:

'"There are so many choices available for outside-the-home activities," said Charlotte Canter, a homeschool mother who helped start Cub Scout Pack 108 in Bristol about 10 years ago. "We can get overwhelmed with activities."

She got her children involved at a young age. Their schedule can get so hectic that she has to schedule class time between activities, she said.

"I have always liked to be involved and be busy doing things," Canter said. "I didn’t want them to be at home with us all the time."

Canter helped start cooperative classes at Calvary Baptist Church in Bristol Tennessee this year. Private and often state-certified teachers lead more than 50 students in classes in subjects such as art, Latin, English and classical history.'

and From private school to homeschool? touches on the issue of school funding and the impact homeschoolers have on the public school system.

"More students would require more teachers, and that would cost more money, Berry said.

"All of that probably balances out," said Berkley Clear, director of academic operations for Washington County schools.

The county schools, which also receive about $4,600 per child, would gain an estimated $1.02 million by enrolling students taught at home."

[For more of the story folks may want to check this study from Nevada which shows that homeschoolers actually save systems money.

5/17/05: In a series of six articles the Bristol Herald-Courier features many of their local homeschooling families and homeschooling issues. [Please note that these families are in both Tennessee and Virginia which have different rules for homeschooling. Check for Tennessee information at http://TnHomeEd.com/HSLaw.html ]

The Blankenbecklers of Bristol, VA are featured in this piece in which they explain they left private school for the freedom of homeschooling.

"It’s more like a college environment," [Mom Zanna] said. "I feel like it’s much better preparation for college. We try not to (run a school schedule at home) because they might as well be in school."

The McRaes of Bristol, VA are featured in this article.

"It gave us control of our lives again, and that has really helped our family life a lot," [Mom} Elisabeth McRae said.

Joel Font, an area homeschool graduate attending Emory & Henry College is featured in this article and this one.

"College admissions counselors have taken a greater interest in homeschooled students, and some even have begun recruiting them."

"They seem to be better prepared," King [College] Recruitment Director Darren Parker said of homeschooled students. "We’ve had nothing but positive things to say about them."

The Bradley's, Blountville homeschooling pioneers, share their long experience with homeschooling in our state which began before the state, publishers and neighbors knew what to do with homeschoolers.

'The Bradleys had difficulties foreign to those who homeschool now. For starters, they couldn’t find curriculum guides, which made teaching their children more difficult.

They also had legal battles to fight. Years ago, a state legislator voiced strong disapproval of homeschooling and tried to pass laws that would force kids into government schools, he said.

"There was a lot of resistance from all over," Bradley said. "(Some) had an idea that education was something that had to be left to professionals."'

And more about the Bradley's experience is in this article.

"The region didn’t have any homeschooling support groups, athletic teams or advanced classes at the time. It now has all of them."

4/24/05: Blount County home educators are profiled in a Maryville Daily Times article. Unfortunately the article is incorrect in what the state requirements are. You can read the correct version at http://TnHomeEd.com/HSLaw.html

Otherwise, quoted are Sarah Small, Julie Griesen and Laurie Leslie, whose father is on the Blount County BOE and supports their homeschooling efforts.

The article touches on why these families homeschool which includes family flexibility and special needs.

Here's the link to the full article.

And the Maryville Daily Times did a second article touching on the socialization issue. This article clearly demonstrates that the BHEA members are working together to more than take care of this issue.

4/9/05: Letters to the Editor of the Tennessean for and against homeschooler participation can be found on their Opinions pages for Wednesday 4/6/05, Thursday 4/7/05, and Friday, 4/8/05. You'll need to scroll down to locate the letters.

4/6/05: Nashville's Tennessean newspaper's lead editorial was against homeschooler participation in extra-curricular activities this morning of the Senate Education hearing.

"Participation in a public school's extracurricular activities is not a societal right. It is a privilege that should be conferred only on students of that school."

"If legislators are concerned about fairness, let them be concerned for public school students first."

The Tennessean apparently thinks that fairness is not something that should be extended to all the child-citizens of Tennessee.

4/5/05: According to the Chattanoogan of 4/3/05 the list of organizations opposed to homeschoolers participating in extra-curricular activities in public schools has expanded. Along with the TSSAA and the TEA are Tennessee School Boards Association, Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents, Tennessee Association of Secondary School Principals and Association of Independent/Municipal Schools. Apparently, they're pulling out the bigger guns folks. Keep those letters, faxes and phone calls coming. Contact info for the Senate Education Committee is here.

4/4/05 Tennessean article on the extra-curricular legislation is well worth reading. Quoting from various interested parties it pretty fairly lays out the issue. This quote couldn't be truer:

"If approved by the General Assembly, the legislation would pry open the tightly regulated world of high school sports and change the makeup of teams statewide. "

I've no doubt that's a scary proposition for those that have been controlling this for some time. But if it's really 'for the children' they ought to seriously consider all the children.

This from the Senate sponsor: ''These are good children,'' said [Sen. Beth} Harwell, who has accepted a handful of other lawmakers signing on to her legislation. ''They just want an opportunity to participate.''

This legislation is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Education Committee THIS Wednesday, April 6, 2005 at 8:30 a.m. Room 12/14. You'll find details about TSSAA and TEA opposition at http://TnHomeEd.com/Alert.html and contact information for the committee at http://tnhomeed.com/LContact.html#SEdComm . It's vital that you make your opinions known to legislators.

3/25/05 Homeschooler Ben Alan White finished 2nd in state MATHCOUNTS competition and is headed for the nationals in Detroit May 5 - 8. Congrats to Ben! See the related article and photo below at 2/12/05.

3/18/05: Jay P. Luna, a 7th grade homeschooler from Maryville, has won the State Reader's Digest Word Power Challenge held in Nashville. He'll compete in the national competition being held in Orlando April 17-19. These students are competing for $50,000 in scholarship money. Additional details.

3/13/05 THEA lobbyist Mike Bell is profiled in this month's MTHEA publication Jonathan's Arrow. You can read the profile on MTHEA's website here which is a .pdf copy of the entire newsletter.

3/6/05 HS friend Bobbie Patray is featured in this Tennessean article. Bobbie has been a tremendous help to homeschoolers over her nearly two decades at the capitol. Every homeschooler ought to read this piece and know who she is. For several years homeschool teens have served as her intern.

3/9/05 Oak Ridge HSers participate in the Science Museum's Science Bowl. Homeschoolers in Oak Ridge have been utilizing the resources of the American Museum of Science and Energy for some time. Today's article in the Knoxville News highlights this current competition.

And competition is the operative word. "It was very nerve-wracking,'' said student Jason Vandermerwe with the Cedar Springs homeschool team.

2/27/05 2 Signal Mountain Homeschoolers win Sonlight scholarships. "The Sonlight Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the winners of the 2005 Sonlight Curriculum College Scholarship Competition. All eight winners will be awarded four-year college scholarships to fund their attendance at the colleges of their choice.

Joshua S. Downer of Signal Mountain, Tennessee won this year's $5000 scholarship. He plans to pursue studies in government and political science to lay the groundwork for a future career in law.

Josh is a natural leader, a skilled debater, and a political activist. Some of his greater achievements include creating, hosting, and producing the Ignite TV program and working as a U.S. Senate Page.

Anna E. Downer (Josh Downer's sister) of Signal Mountain, Tennessee also won a $2500 scholarship. Despite her youth, she is already an accomplished young woman.

Anna played a significant role on the team that won two back-to-back National Mock Trial Championships. Her experience in the Mock Trials has given her excellent communication skills. In fact, during her first competition as an attorney, she received the Most Outstanding Attorney Award. "

Read more about Josh and Anna and the rest of the winners at Sonlight.

2/18/05 THEA reports survey results. THEA recently asked homeschoolers to answer several survey questions to aid them in their effort to pass legislation that would allow homeschoolers to participate in public school extra-curricular activities. In Mike Bell's weekly legislative report he states the results are as follows:

1. Do you believe that home educated students whose parents support the public education system through taxes paid to local and state governments should have the right to participate in public school extra-curricular activities? 97% yes

2. If a bill was passed to allow home educated students to participate in extra-curricular activities would your family take advantage of this opportunity? 79% yes

3. If a bill passed that required the home educated student to register with the local school superintendent in order to participate would your family participate? 28% yes

4. If a bill passed that required your home educated student to take placement exams at the local school in order to participate would your family still take advantage of this opportunity? 19% yes

Mike's report says he welcomes additional comments from homeschoolers. You can write him at JerichoBells@bellsouth.net

Details on this legislation and others can be found at http://TnHomeEd.com/Alert.html.

2/12/05 MATHCOUNTS to Homeschoolers. A Nashville area homeschool team won 2nd place, out of 11, in the local MATHCOUNTS competition and sixth-grader Ben Alan White placed second out of 68 students in the individual ranking and qualified for state competition on March 19. This year's team consisted of 8th graders Adam Booher and Jonathan Midgett and 6th graders Ben Alan White and Evan Booher. 8th grader Jesse Remboldt and 6th grader Joseph Beard also participated on an individual basis.

From left to right Ben Alan White, Adam Booher, Jonathan Midgett, Evan Booher, and Coach Gilbert Booher.

2/11/05 According to WCYB-TV, Kingsport's BOE will discuss allowing HSers to enroll part-time.

"The program would apply only to students being home schooled. Officials say they have received numerous requests for part-time enrollment. The system does not currently allow part-time students. They say most requests are for classes difficult to duplicate at home. School leaders say the program could also extend into the more traditional classes in the future. Yhe [sic] school board is expected to vote on the plan next month. It would take effect next fall if it`s approved."

The homeschool code allows homeschoolers to utilize school facilities, with the superintendent's permission. The concern for many homeschoolers will be what the school board is asking for in return for that use. Will this be available to only LEA registered homeschoolers? How much authority will the system try and exert on the rest of the child's homeschooling?

2/2/05 More press about the "Homeschooling's Best Awards" This Agape Press article includes these quotes from Kay Brooks:

"The credit," she says, should go to the home schoolers themselves."

"I really feel like they deserve the accolades for stepping up to the plate and asserting their rights as citizens in this state," says Brooks, founder of the website TnHomeEd.com.

1/27/05 TnHomeEd founder named as Homeschooling's Best Advocate. TnHomeEd's founder, Kay Brooks, was announced as one of Calvert School's 2004 Homeschooling's Best Award winners yesterday. Also named were HSLDA attorney Chris Klicka and Jessica Halperin, 12, of California.

"I'm tremendously honored and humbled. I'm very encouraged by this award and by the gracious notes of congratulations that have arrived since its announcement. It's nice to have my efforts, and the work of all the TnHomeEd members, recognized."

You can read the details at Calvert's website here.

1/17/05 Homeschoolers make great cooks! Belinda Judd and her daughters, Amanda and Tricia, are profiled in this McMinn County Daily Post-Athenian "In the Kitchen" column .

'Belinda homeschools her children and Amanda is a senior, Tricia is in seventh grade and Tyler is a freshman. Belinda said she felt called to homeschool her children 10 years ago.

“We always said we’d take it one year at a time and it’s been 10 years,” she said.

Amanda is thinking about studying nursing in college, but she is not sure if that will be her final career path because she “loves math.”

“If she could do algebra problems all day she’d be happy,” Belinda said.

Tricia’s favorite subjects are history, math and reading.

Belinda said her children often volunteer to help in the kitchen, but “sometimes I have to say, ‘OK, I need help.’”

And that help is always close by in the Judd household. '

1/8/05 Rep. Bill Dunn of Knoxville continues his support of homeschooling in this Agape Press article concerning a recent call for increased oversight of homeschooling.

"'The test would have to follow whatever curriculum the student is following -- and if you just take the state test, it means that we'd have to change the curricuculum for every home schooler to be that of which the public schools have ... and that's a horrible idea,' Dunn says.'

"Dunn predicts the proposed legislation may make it out of the Education Committee, but will not survive on the floors of both the state House and Senate."

The quote from HSLDA's Mike Farris in this article is from a January 13, 2000 Home School Heartbeat and is used out of context. Farris' quote is actually "Testing is a great idea and every grandparent should ask to see his or her granchildren's test results. Family accountability works far better than government mandates any day."

1/8/2005 East Tennessee Homeschoolers profiled. The KnoxNews highlights the East Tennessee family of Dorian Stanley, Cynthia Taylor and their 7 year old daughter, Madeline. The paper is examining the local faiths and via the Stanley's ask "What is it like to be a Pagan in East Tennessee?" You'll need to register to read the article.