Credentialed schoolteacher opts to homeschool her child
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

TEACHER IS MOM—Michael Gunner, 6, of Newbury Park learns reading, writing, geography and other subjects from his mother, Kellie, a credentialed teacher. Michael is being homeschooled.

Kellie Gunner homeschools Michael, her 6-year old son.

That may not be unusual in Conejo Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) where officials estimate as many as 300 students are homeschooled.

And according to the U.S. Census website, as many as 2 million children nationwide are taught at home––and it’s growing by about 20 percent each year.

What’s extraordinary is that Gunner is a state-credentialed schoolteacher.

“I want to make it clear I’m not knocking public schools,” said Gunner, a kindergarten teacher who works one day a week at Westlake Elementary School. “(But) there’s more freedom (in homeschooling).”

Gunner teaches her son at home because she has greater control over his curriculum and social environment. Academically, she covers in one day what might take a classroom three days to cover, she said.

What’s more, current trends in public schools emphasize testing often at the expense of music, art and even language skills, Gunner said. She wants greater emphasis on those three and other subjects.

Changes in educational approaches—the new, new math, for example—and that parents lack control over which curricula and textbooks are used are additional reasons that Gunner prefers homeschooling.

Although Michael is taught at home, he doesn’t miss out on social activities with other children—a common myth about homeschooling, Gunner said. He takes outside music and Spanish lessons, community recreation classes and plays almost daily at a neighborhood playground across the street.

Kellie and her husband, Steve, who plays in a rock band and is often at home, like it that they have access to their son throughout the day, so when he encounters difficult social situations, such as playground teasing, they can help.

“That’s gaining the tools to be able to survive in this world,” Kellie Gunner said. “There’s no way on earth that three adults can handle 100 kids on the (public school) playground.”

Gunner said another myth about children is that they must be physically separated from their parents to build their own selfconfidence.

“It’s just the opposite,” she said. “When they’re younger, they need to be in that safety zone.”

Gunner, a veteran teacher, at first was apprehensive about homeschooling because of the overwhelming options available.

Parents can buy homeschooling materials through charter and private schools. However, Gunner eventually settled on a curriculum that best fit Michael’s needs after she read “The WellTrained Mind.” She chooses the courses to teach and they work at Michael’s pace. Materials, including textbooks, cost about $500 a year, she said.

Another option for parents in Conejo Valley Unified School District is a free independent homebased study program for kindergarten through sixth grade.

Martha Mutz, CVUSD director of curriculum, said 14 children are currently enrolled in the program, which began last fall. The district supplies the materials, and the parents are responsible for instruction. Students meet weekly with a teacher, who tracks and records their progress.

“(The program) helps the families to have everything they have in a regular classroom,” Mutz said. “This works.”

CVUSD also keeps records, which verify that the student is meeting state standards. Those documents are crucial when students transfer to another district or want to attend college.

Gunner records all of Michael’s coursework, which then can be used as a transcript to enter him in a traditional school or for college admissions. As a credentialed teacher, she’s not required to file paperwork with the state Board of Education informing them she’s homeschooling her son. Other parents who homeschool, however, can work with organizations that will file the appropriate paperwork for them, provide curricula that meet state standards and maintain the student’s transcripts.

The only drawbacks Gunner has found to homeschooling are confusion over how to start it and the inevitable interruptions that occur when a younger sibling is at home. But Gunner’s mother often helps out by taking care of 3-year-old Julia.

Homeschooled students don’t appear to be at a disadvantage when they apply for college.

Rebecca Lewis, assistant director of admissions for Cal Lutheran University, said except for an additional letter of recommendation from someone outside the family—a coach, employer or pastor—colleges ask for the same testing and documentation from homeschooled students as they do of those who attended conventional schools.

On the other hand, are homeschooled students better prepared for college than traditional students?

“Quite honestly, I can’t say either way,” Lewis said.

CLU has only one homeschooled student currently enrolled, according to Lewis, and another will start next fall.

Gunner is unsure how long she’ll homeschool her children.

“Here’s the rule,” she said. “It’s one year at a time. As long as it’s working, we’re going to continue, as long as (they’re) thriving. We love it.”

Part II will look at open classrooms.