CONFERENCE LETS HOME SCHOOLERS CONNECT.Byline: Kevin F. Sherry Daily News Staff Writer Organizers of the Second Annual Kid-Comfortable Homeschool home·school or home-school v. home·schooled, home·school·ing, home·schools v.tr. To instruct (a pupil, for example) in an educational program outside of established schools, especially in the home. Conference in Westlake Village expected 20 children might attend with their parents. When 200 children showed up Friday, parents attending the conference chipped in to act as monitors. That kind of basic, family attitude is what home schooling home schooling, the practice of teaching children in the home as an alternative to attending public or private elementary or high school. In most cases, one or both of the children's parents serve as the teachers. is all about, said Mary Leppert Mary Leppert is the founder and publisher of The Link Homeschool Newspaper (1995) and The Link Homeschool Newspaper Online (1999). The Link editions are the largest all-inclusive homeschool publications in North America. (All-inclusive means non-religious and religious.) Ms. , the conference's promoter. An estimated 600 home schoolers from all over the country are expected to gather at the Hyatt in Westlake Village this weekend to attend seminars on topics like teaching with religion, effective writing programs and preparing for careers of the future. One aim of the conference is to give local home schoolers a network to socialize so·cial·ize v. so·cial·ized, so·cial·iz·ing, so·cial·iz·es v.tr. 1. To place under government or group ownership or control. 2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable. , Leppert said. ``Our goal is to provide friendship and for people to make connections,'' she said. In 1995, Leppert started The Link, a newspaper for people who teach their children at home. In the beginning, The Link was a 12-page photocopied paper consisting of 50 copies that Leppert sent to her friends. Now the paper is three times as large with some color artwork and a circulation of 25,000, she said. Leppert said she started The Link because she saw the need for a middle-of-the-road publication. Most home schooling publications tended to cater to either hippies hippies 1960s “dropouts of American culture” usually identified with very long hair adorned with flowers. [Popular Culture: Misc.] See : Hair or strict religious doctrines, she said. Both those styles of home schooling are valid, but ``I didn't fit in the left or the right,'' Leppert said. ``We've probably just created a niche that wasn't there before.'' The conference is one of the few kid-friendly events for home schoolers, she said. Most request that children be left at home. At the weekend event at the Hyatt, children attended workshops featuring sewing, stained glass stained glass, in general, windows made of colored glass. To a large extent, the name is a misnomer, for staining is only one of the methods of coloring employed, and the best medieval glass made little use of it. , science and storytelling. ``Most of the people want to be with their kids,'' Leppert said. The conference, which will run through Sunday, helped bolster some parents' resolve that they did the right thing for their children by taking them out of traditional schools. ``It's putting you in charge again,'' said Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. resident Elaine Stover stover stalks of maize plants from which mature corn cobs have been harvested as grain, or grain sorghum plants from which heads have also been removed. The stover is usually fed by turning the cattle into the field and is subject to fungal infection, sometimes causing mycotoxicosis. , who began home schooling two of her children a month ago. Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. resident Cathy Lipking said her 11-year-old daughter used to come home from school with headaches and stomach aches almost daily. She just completed her first year of home schooling. ``I have a completely different child than I did a year ago,'' Lipking said. ``She has more of a zest for learning.'' Lipking removed her daughter from school because ``I saw a lot of things that were very damaging,'' she said. Girls, especially, develop self-esteem problems in junior high, she said. The Hyatt Westlake is located at 880 S. Westlake Blvd. in Westlake Village. The conference cost is $45 per adult, $5 per child 4 and older. Children younger than 4 are free. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1--Color) Children of parents attending a home schooling conference in Westlake Village build a tiny hut of blocks for one of their peers Friday. (2) Parents listen to a seminar Friday on teaching children at home rather than using traditional schools. Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion