This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Jackie Pilkinton's relationship with her future husband, John, almost ended when he admitted he was home-schooled and wanted to home-school his children.
She decided to marry him anyway and keep an open mind about how to educate their future children. When their daughter Lauren was 2 months old, Pilkinton decided she would be home-schooled when the time came. The West Bountiful mother has been home-schooling for four years.
Pilkinton is not alone. There are 1,756 students home-schooled full- or part-time in Davis County, according to Davis County School District. The methods and curricula are as diverse as the families who home-school.
Pilkinton enjoys the flexibility of home-schooling. "If what you are doing isn't working, you can change," she said. She currently uses Thomas Jefferson Education curriculum to teach Lauren, 9, and Clarke, 7. The curriculum is based on teaching children to think, solve problems and be leaders.
She anticipates home-schooling her children through high school. "My guess is we will go all the way through, but as parents we are stewards for our children, and we will assess their needs each year."
Lauren loves being home-schooled because she can spend time with her mom. "I learn to be kind and I get to do lots of experiments and go on field trips," she said.
Pilkinton describes home-school learning as a lifestyle. In that vein, the family is hosting a 16-year-old exchange student from Thailand. "It is a great opportunity to bring the world into our home," she said.
Her only concern with home-schooling is others' negative perceptions, but she feels that concern comes from emotions such as those she originally had toward the concept.
Andrea Young, of Clearfield, taught English and history at Clearfield High School before making the decision to home-school her children.
"It was never my plan," she said. The decision was made when it was time to send her oldest to kindergarten. "Miriam was difficult when she was little. She could make a disaster out of anything. I had a hard time keeping track of her and I didn't think a teacher with 30 other kids would be able to keep track of her," Young said.
She initially thought home-schooling was a temporary solution, but had so much fun teaching her kids and developing curriculum that she continued. She now home-schools Miriam, 8, and Cowen, 6.
She doesn't know how long she will home-school her children, but is excited by the resources available. Davis County School District offers the Utah Virtual Academy K-12 online program for home-schooling parents.
"The program offers the curriculum as well as support from highly qualified teachers," said Davis schools spokeswoman Shauna Lund. "As a public education provider, we support parents having a choice in how their student is educated, whether it be in a public school, charter school, private school or at home."
Numerous curricula are available online, in addition to online support groups in which parents can find group activities for children. Home-school sports teams and special-interest groups for students are available in Davis County.
Young's son needs speech therapy, and she was able to obtain a speech therapist in her home through a local charter school.
"Home-schooling does not look the same as it did 20 years ago," she said.
She has concerns that people think home-schooled children aren't going to learn socialization skills. "I think of all the weird people in school and I know it's the parents and the culture of the family that makes the difference, not how they are schooled," she said.
Pamela Thomas, of Bountiful, has been home-schooling her children for 11 years. Her initial decision was encouraged by the principal of the elementary school where she intended to enroll her daughter Tia. "He encouraged me to home-school Tia or place her in a private school because she was so advanced," Thomas said. "I initially thought it was kind of granola but didn't want to hold her back."
Her daughter was home-schooled until high school. "Tia outgrew me. She was ready to fly and I was ready for her to fly."
Tia, who started participating in national spelling bees in first grade, placed third nationally in eighth grade, her mother said.
And Tia enjoyed her home-school years. "It was great. I could go at my own pace. I skipped a grade. It taught me how to focus," she said. Thomas is now using her own curriculum to home-school her sons Dietrich, 13, and Preston, 7.
"No one knows a child better than the parent. The parent can set expectations not encumbered by the social aspect of school," she said.
Home-schooling resources
For more information or to connect with other parents who home-school in Davis and Weber counties, visit groups.yahoo.com/group/daviscounty_homeschool.
The Davis County School District offers home-schooling curriculum online at davisconnectonline.org, or call 801-402-5283 for more information.
Other online resources
homeschooldiner.com
learnofutah.org
sdliberacademy.com
tjed.org
thehomeschoolmom.com
uhea.org
hslda.org
homeschoolfrolic.blogspot.com
confessionsofahomeschooler.com
wacademy.org
k12.com/utva