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The Wolfs - A Home School Family
The Home School
Life We’ve home schooled our two lads for their entire elementary and high school education. The first
public classes they actually took were at the local community college, which they are continuing with until they discover
the next road in their unique paths in life. Home schooling really isn’t the big feat most people think it is.
After all before they were five years old, Rose and I (mostly Rose) taught our boys how to walk, how to talk, personal hygiene,
social skills, 10 numbers, 26 letters, colors, plants, animals, simple cooking, easy chores, manners, morals, nuances of
our language, plus we’ve instilled in them a sense of responsibility to our family, community, and their God.
Socialization Many people feel home schooling is a
bit odd, and the question we get the most is: “What about socialization”. I think that is a very good question
and one of the main reasons why we actually decided to home school our boys. Think about it: it is this government
school ‘socialization’ that introduces most children to their first curse word, dirty jokes, lying, cheating,
learning about who’s popular or not, the class bully, and maybe drugs and teen sex. Except for military boot
camp, putting 35 people ± 12 months in age is not natural. Everywhere else in life we interface with a wide
variety of ages, newborn to old timers. With such a narrow age variation, soon ‘class groupthink’ emerges
with the class bully in rule. In many schools it isn’t popular to be smart, and those who want to excel are quickly
labeled as ‘the teacher’s pet’. Learning can be challenging enough without the negative peer pressure
pushing students in the wrong direction. Public / government school socialization is a breeding ground for negative
peer pressure. Education Responsibility I often
wonder how the government was given the responsibility to educate our kids. Think about it: is our government successful?
What about the war on poverty? War on drugs? Do you feel we’re getting the best use / value for our tax
dollars? Despite 40¢ tax on each and every gallon of fuel, and think about the billions of gallons the USA consumes,
every day on my drive to work I still have to drive around potholes. The schooling system in Washington DC spends
more per student per year than any other school system in the nation, yet their scholastic performance is at or near the
bottom. It really didn’t cost us much for books and equipment. I estimate what the public school system
spends on one child for one year is what we invested in our children’s education kindergarten through 12th
grade. We made many journeys to the library, sometimes weekly. Books are truly our friends, so many books, and
so little time to read. Of course Rose did stay home with the boys and going from two incomes to a single income did
limit some choices, but we feel we’re far richer for making these decisions. Just Boys Our kids are not prodigies, they’re just boys. Each is unique
and they have a gentle spirit about them. Even as teens they were / are engaged in volunteer work contributing to
society and our community. They are still searching for and finding their unique path through life; and that’s
okay, they’re still young, they have all the time in the world.
The Very Best Benefits Being able to travel on our schedule was
great, which we all enjoyed. But for our family the best benefit of home schooling is that our lads, now young men are
our best friends, something many of my buddies only wish they could say. We put family activities / learning above personal
interest and now have great memories that will last a lifetime. I dream one day Rose and I will set out on another RV
adventure or return to Australia; but our best RV / Australia trips will always be the adventure we shared as a family.
Let’s make a memory… Can I Teach My Own Kids?
It doesn’t matter if the teacher is the best the state has to offer, no one on earth loves your children as much as
you do. We found once the student can read, they can be self-directed (almost). They can learn to set up a schedule
and get through an assignment or curriculum in a reasonable amount of time. They can learn how and where to research
any topic or subject. Organization, critical thinking, and time management can become second nature. They learn if they
‘goof off’ too much then they may miss out on opportunities later. And oh yes, they can learn how to make
money with and without a job; a skill many home schooled kids command. In fact homeschooled kids are more likely to
be the employer of people than the employee. Yes, if you want to, you too can home school your kids. After all
before your precious child was even five years old you taught him / her how to walk, how to talk, personal hygiene, social
skills, 10 numbers, 26 letters, colors, plants, animals, simple cooking, easy chores, manners, morals, nuances of our language,
etc., etc., etc. All that’s left is putting the 26 letters and 10 numbers together and taking them back apart
(albeit in an infinite variety of combinations). We even know of some families engaged in secondary education for their
kids, i.e. home schooling college. Today, with so many online options, getting a university degree at home is quite
doable.
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 North Carolina Home School Friendly North Carolina is a very
friendly home school state. The North Carolinians for Home Education (NCHE) maintains an awesome web site: NCHE.com. This web site can link you to many of the national, state wide, regional and city resources available for the home
school family. We always looked forward to the yearly state home school convention, which is where we became aware
of the many curriculum resources available, and we got plugged into our local support groups. The reasons people elect
to teach their own children are many; nevertheless, you will not be alone on your path for what we feel is the best education
possible (at least for our lads). New to Chapel Hill?
Stop by the store and we’d love to share with you our love for home schooling, how we got started, and the resources
that allowed us to continue our home schooling adventure up to college. Nutrition and Learning I almost forgot to mention the critical role proper nutrition commands
in learning. It doesn’t matter if you’re just trying to get ahead mentally / physically, want / need more
energy, achieve your proper weight, or you’re dealing with some ailment, your body will always perform and recover
better when it is properly fueled. Everyday it needs some hundred different macro and micronutrients. Today
the only way you can be sure you and your family are properly nourished is by taking dietary supplements. Like our
family, most home school parents make personal sacrifices so their family can enjoy the benefits of this home learning environment.
Don’t forget to take care of yourself. Raising
a Family is Tough, The Best Way to Show You Care In closing let me state: the best way you can show the
special people in your life how much you care for and love them is to take great care of yourself. No one
can give as much care and love for your family as you do. For you and your family, please don’t forget to take
your vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids (omega 3/6/9), and a newly discovered group of nutrients called monosaccharides.
Rose and I are available to help you learn and make the best nutrition decisions for you and your family.
To Your Great Health & Long Life, (Have you taken your vitamins today?) Gene, Rose, Lee, & Allen Wolf
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