WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15,1980, PAGE 3 Home schooling project ..9 Parentsrejeet public education Dy MICHAEL KNELL Free Press Staff Thcre is one family in Brooklin that bas more than returned to Uic idea of "back-to-basics" education. In fact, Uiey have aban- doncd thc public education systcm altogether., Anna and Burt Meyers are "home-schoolers," that ws Uiey have take tic respon- sibility of educating their two cbildren, seven-ycar-old Drcw and four-ycar-old Beth, upon themselves. This is not because Uiey have anything negative to say >about Uic Durham Board of Education, but that Uiey feel that Uiey can do a better job of teaching their children. And to prove their point, Uic Mcyers bave gotten together with a few other families to forni a private school, Durbam Community Scbool, as a haven for those who wish to practise "home- schooling." "lWe feci Uiat children learn more by experience than in Uic formai tcaching (iLe. classroom) situation," Mrs Mycrs says. "We feel Uiat the world is generally a good place to learnhI." Howcvcr, Uic road to establlshing a home- schooling systcm for their children was not an easy one. Earlier Uis year, her sonc, Drew was ordered back to school because Uic Whitby area superintendant forýthic board, Douglas Ket- tic, feit that Uic child was not getting 1"satisfacotry" education at home. The Education Act, Uic plece of Ontario legllation govcrnlng thc education systcm in Uic province, provides that a parent does not have to scnd their chlld to public or separate school, ifthat child is getting 11satiBfactory instruction" elsewhere. The trouble, Mrs. Mycrs says was ail started wben thc board cailer ber son in for an assessment. She said -that a test was donc on her child, that Drew was neyer told that he was being testcd and that he was tested wlthout ber concent. 11 feit I bad to come in because I didn't want to bc unco-operative, " she said. As a resuit of Uis assesament, Kettie wrote to Uic M yers tclllng thern that "Drew has not rcceivcd 'satisfactory Instruction at home' and, therefore, must attend grade one in 19600(9 01 (Septemer 1, 1980) at a scbool under Uic jurisdiction of thc Ministry of Education for Ontario." The Myers bave not com- goes by. Mrs. Myers also says that she takes her children on regular field trips to places of lcarning such as the Metro Zoo, Uic Royal On- tario Museum, the Ontario Science Centre, Black Creek Pioncer' Village and tic Marineland and Game Park ini Niagara Falls. Her children also do not Iack for any physical excer- cisc. Drew ws involved in soccer and hockey as well as belng a J3eaver. Betb is in- volved in such things as dance and ballet. Mrs. Myers said that she docs not have anything negative to say about public scbool systemn but cm- phasized that she and ber husband believe Uicy can educate their children bet- ter. "I think we can offer someting better, " Mrs. Myers said, "Better than the one to 30 ratio, wc have a one-to-one ratio here. " Because of the numbers of children in the classroom, Mrs. Myers says that a lot of ie must be wasted in get- ting organi.zcd for the day. "A lot of ie ini sehool is spent organizixig the children," she said referring to the two years that she spent teaching grade 7 at Lincoln Ave. Public School in Pickering. one advantagc to home schooling, she claims, is that her chlldren's education is not confined to regular classroom hours. "Wc don't have to stop because of the weekend or th,- summer," she said. "We don't have to stop because it's tbree 'o'clock cither." "'He can take advantage of the sunsbine or the first snewfall." For the Myers, the education of the childrcn is a family affair and because they don't have to worry about the sehool timetable, they can take advantage of many of the educational at- tractions during the off pcak hours. "We can go on family outings during the week when most of thc attractions are not busy. " "We have a special in- vestment in our children," she says, "we can give them both love anciguidance. " There is also a slightly selfish motive for the Myers' home schooling projeet. In Uic words of Mrs. Mycra, "It's a real advan- tage to me because I'm CONT'D ON PG. il 1KAY GOODMAKERSN would like ailher customersN to know thatN she Is now worklng atN HAIRLINES N and can be phoned atN 668-3892 *tfor an appolntmeflt.N & w *m