CNN.com article on homeschoolers and National Bees
Posted by: mestes <mestes@...>
Home-schoolers create buzz in national bees
(CNN) -- Thirteen-year-old Jason Ferguson hunches over the computer in his grandmother's Dallas, Texas, study. His fingers fly from the keyboard to a calculator, as he quickly solves the algorithms that fill the screen. The home-schooled eighth-grader is preparing for a national math competition for high school students. Jason was selected to join the older students representing Texas because of his math prowess. He's outstripped his mother's math abilities and studies with Stanford University faculty in a long-distance computer program.
The math is a refreshing break from the geography that Jason had been focusing on for months. Last week, he placed third in the National Geographic Bee, winning a $10,000 scholarship. "I was surprised I did so well," admitted Jason. "The day before I didn't even think I would be in the top 10." In the top 10 along with Jason were two other home-schoolers -- 12-year-old Kyle Macfarlan of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, and 14-year-old Robert McRae of Barnesville, Georgia. They are part of a phenomenon that has put the traditional educational establishment on the defensive -- home-schoolers are disproportionately represented in and increasingly winning prestigious academic competitions. 1.2 million children taught at homeLast year, home-schoolers not only took the top three spots in the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee, but also won the National Geographic Bee. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 2 percent of all school-age children, some 1.2 million, are taught at home. Yet more than 10 percent of students competing in this week's Spelling Bee are home-schoolers, including 13-year-old Sarah Lookingbill of Edgewood, Maryland. Her mother Lesley chose to home-school her three children in order to have a closer relationship with them and to give them the individual attention that can be lacking in traditional schools. "I'm trying to do something that works for each one of them that can bring out the best in them," she explained. Sarah made it all the way to Round 4 of the bee, before spelling out on "phrygian." Home schooling advocates are thrilled with the performance of such students. "This validates home schooling," claimed Michael Smith, president of the Home School Legal Defense Fund. Smith also pointed to the performance of home-schooled students on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). In 2000, the College Board reported they scored an average 568 on verbal and 532 on math. The national averages for traditionally schooled students were 505 and 514. Smith said winning national competitions is the next logical step for students who already are doing above-average work. "People ask, why are (they) able to do this. Well, they've been doing this for a long time," explained Smith. "They just haven't been participating in the contests as much." But critics argue that winning competitions doesn't prove anything other than students' skills at rote memorization. And they contend the deck is stacked in favor of home-schoolers who have complete control of their schedules and can focus solely on the contest subject, unlike students attending traditional schools. "That becomes a very unfair situation," says Dr. Gerald Tirozzi, president of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "You are really preparing that student for one specific area -- spelling or geography -- as opposed to the broad array of courses that ideally should be the repertoire of every student." Jason Ferguson and his mother Jean admit that in the weeks preceding a competition they do devote their time to the contest subject. "He's stuck with me 24-7. So we can slip in geography questions whenever," said Jean. "When we're riding in the car, we can talk about geography. If there's a museum exhibit about an aspect he's interested in, we can stop by and check it out." Still, Jason says he enters competitions not so much to beat others as to test himself. "Just to see how much I know, and how far I can go," he said. But Lesley Lookingbill said Sarah did not spend all her time studying spelling words. "She's in ballet, in the church youth group. She has a very well-rounded life," insisted Lookingbill. "I would not want one of my children to be slanted like that." Sarah has her own take on the home-schoolers who've won past competitions. "I just think they're real smart," she said, smiling shyly. "I don't think it has anything to do with home-schooling to tell you the truth." RELATED STORIES:
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