Do not conform any longer to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind....Romans 12:2
In my previous article on home schooling (Summer
1996), I made a cursory reference to the benefits of H.I.G.H
Day programs for parents and students of home-schooling families.
This article provides further information on the nature of this
program and suggests several ways in which it can provide valuable
help for home-schooling families.
The Program
H.I.G.H. Day is the name given to a program originally developed
by a group of home-schooling families in Michigan. The acronym stands
for Home Schoolers in God s Hands. The London group, to which we have
belonged for the past four years, began with about 20-25 families and
around 50 children and has grown to the point where there are over 50
families and over 100 children involved, with a waiting list of
families who desire to participate. Recently, due to the growth of
the group, there has been a separate program developed for students
who are at the secondary school stage.
Our group meets for four six-week sessions on Friday mornings in a
local church. Two sessions run from September until early December,
and the final two sessions resume in February and conclude in May.
The program runs from 9:00 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. and is divided into
four class periods of forty-five minutes, with fifteen minutes at the
beginning of the day being set aside for singing, announcements, and
prayer. Classes are offered according to age groups that are
adjustable according to the number of students. Our group has four
age groups: grades 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8. A nursery and kindergarten
program are also offered. Each age group is offered at least one, and
often more than one, course per period. Thus, in each session, the
children participate in four courses and in a total of sixteen
courses during the full year. Most courses involve a nominal fee
which helps cover the expenses of renting the facilities, insurance,
and any materials needed.
Parents are required to be involved in offering or assisting with
courses, as the strength of the program depends upon quality courses
being offered which will supplement the children's education. Courses
range from academic offerings such as Canadian history, French,
public-speaking, science, and math courses, to creative courses such
as woodworking, kite-making, cooking, and cartooning. Courses in
music, sports, and other general interest topics like chess, sign
language, and stamp collecting offer a broad spectrum of choices for
the children. Courses are as broad and diverse as the experiences and
skills of the parents who participate and often incorporate special
guests or even field trips to learn more about apples, honey, sheep,
or fire departments.
The London group has also been involved in special activities.
Each year the children are encouraged to participate in city-wide
math and chess competitions and contribute to the H.I.G.H. Day
science fair and yearbook. The older boys have also annually
participated in a floor hockey tournament for Christian schools in
southwestern Ontario. The year concludes with a special “Spring
Celebration” when the students from grade eight are honored
and presented with a graduation certificate, while the other children
are given opportunities to entertain and present some of their finest
work.
The Benefits
One of the major criticisms leveled against parents who home
school is that they are denying their children the valuable life
lessons to be learned through socialization as they
“isolate” their children in their one-room
school. This criticism should not be accepted as stated since
God’s primary means for learning socialization is the
family. It is primarily the family which teaches children to
relate with others - including others older and younger than
themselves. Additionally, it is simply off the mark for most
home-schooling parents, whose children have weekly participation with
other children in church related programs, as well as in local sports
programs such as soccer, baseball, hockey, and swimming, or clubs
such as Scouts or Brownies. This program offers opportunities to
participate in small and larger groups with all the benefits and
consequences of such socialization, including the need for
discipline.
This program also offers an especially helpful opportunity for
home-schooling children and parents to participate and develop
friendships with others who understand this unique educational
opportunity, as well as some of the peculiar dynamics of being an
“outsider.” One should not underestimate the
value of this for both home-schooling parents and students. This
program, and others like it, provides a sense of support that is
often not found anywhere else, not in society, the church, or even
among relatives. A sense of “family or community”
similar to the dynamics that one experiences in the church can often
provide the emotional support that conscientious parents and children
need, especially those who may feel isolated, overwhelmed,
misunderstood, or even persecuted. Parents also find it is an ideal
time to discuss curriculum, conferences, the latest legal news, sell
used books, and plan joint field trips or visits.
A third benefit, besides socialization and support, is the aspect
of specialization. Since no one 
parent
is going to have all the skills, abilities, and expertise that will
be found in a group of parents, the program offers a unique
opportunity for parents to call upon the resources and expertise of
other home-schooling parents to supplement their child s education.
This aspect allows for further socialization as the student submits
to the authority of another parent/teacher and offers support for the
beleaguered parent, who may have no background in a subject, for
example, music. The London group has also arranged for parents to pay
for a tutor to come and teach French to the children. This sharing of
costs as a group can make such decisions more feasible.
In conclusion, home schooling is a wonderful opportunity for
parents to provide their children with a quality education in the
home. The H.I.G.H. Day program provides a valuable help in achieving
this worthy goal by offering assistance in the form of socialization,
support, and specialization. Parents would be wise to seek out such a
program or organize with others to establish such a program for the
benefit of their children and themselves. 1
1 My source is the founder of
the London group, Deb Wilkins, who has agreed to accept inquiries
from those wishing to organize a new group. She may be contacted at
(519) 471-4133.