Family enjoys rewards of home schooling

The Townsend family in their classroom at home (from left): Katelyn, Mom Judy, John Isaac, Matthew and Pete. Photo courtesy of the Townsend family

• Learn more:

  Some sites of interest for home schooling:

  N.C. Department of Administration, www.ncdnpe.org/homeschool2.aspx.

  Home school general information site, homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/NorthCarolina.htm.

  Seton Home Study School, www.setonhome.org.

School's out for the summer!

However, school can be found year round in the upstairs classroom of the Townsend home.

A few years ago, John and Judy Townsend moved to the Soledo neighborhood of Stone Creek Ranch and created a classroom in their home. The Townsends are now beginning the eighth year of home-schooling their children.

Katelyn, 14, is a rising ninth-grader; Matthew, 12, is a rising seventh-grader; Peter, 10, is a rising fifth-grader; and John Isaac, 2, gets to experience the school atmosphere during his playtime.

Judy Townsend, 41, said she believes it takes a leap of faith and a huge commitment to home-school a family, but the rewards are worth it.

Jim Townsend, who also teaches the children, said, "We are able to tailor the curriculum and teaching techniques to the individual needs and learning styles of each child and cover the material along with the pace of the child's comprehension and understanding."

There is a balance of life during the weekday, the parents said. The children go to daily Mass, then attend school, study, rest, eat, do chores, work on assignments and read a book - all at home. Jim Townsend helps with math, and Judy functions as the day-to-day teacher.

The Townsends have found many successful experiences go along with home-schooling. "It's easier to get schoolwork finished because I can go at my own pace," said Katelyn.

"She likes the opportunity to really get to know her brothers well through interacting during school and having the extra hours together to interact daily," said Judy.

The Townsend family are members of the Catholic Parish of Saint Vincent de Paul in south Charlotte. They regularly attend daily Mass before school begins. After Mass, they return to their classroom, and school begins with one child getting instruction while the other two work independently. There is "no waste of time," said Judy.

"As parents and teachers, our Christian values can be integrated into the school curriculum and school activities," said Jim.

The Townsend family school is required by North Carolina law to be registered, follow a curriculum, administer tests and submit reports just as in any public or religious school.

The Townsend school is called St. Bernadette Academy, named after a retired nun who is close to the family. The school is registered with the state Department of Administration in the Division of Non-Public Education.

According to the division website's most current statistics - from the 2008-09 school year - there were 2,956 families registered as home-schooled in Mecklenburg County, with 6,296 children in those homes. In 2008-2009, there were 77,065 home-schooled children in North Carolina.

Statistics from 2007 show there were more than 1.5 million children home-schooled nationwide.

There is a clear structure to home schooling, regardless of the region. In Charlotte, 180 days of classroom time are required. The Townsend children receive their curriculum, lessons, standardized tests and books from Seton Home Study School, based in Front Royal, Va. The annual cost for all three Townsend children is about $1,600.

Some activities, such as art or sports events, occur with other home-schooled children in locations throughout the community.

Home-schooling children is a lot of work, but the benefits that outweigh the hard work and time required, said the Townsends. "Home schooling also provides a great environment for parents and siblings to get to know and love each other at a much deeper level," said Jim.

"Our goal is to raise children who are adults who love God, (with) charitable hearts and to know the difference between right and wrong," said Judy. "I have so much respect for (public) schoolteachers. They have a lot of kids to juggle; to maintain control ... must be really hard."

Eileen A. Schwartz is a freelance writer for South Charlotte News. Have a story idea for Eileen? E-mail her at eileenschwartzusa@yahoo.com.

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