| Parents
Bring Learning Home
by Mary L. McGuirt
It might be a little hard for Duke students
to focus on their books for the next few
days. But students at another school in Durham
are taking their learning to the house.
Welcome to what they call Chancery Academy.
The students are Levy, 15; Christian, 13;
Prescott, 11; and Eva, 9.
The teacher is their mother, Amy Ruff.
Ruff said she decided to homeschool her
children mainly for “proactive” reasons.
For example, she wanted to devote more time
to her childrens’ study of subjects
like reading and Spanish.
The Ruff children are part of a growing
population of homeschoolers. Last year, North
Carolina had 30,000 homeschooling families.
That's up 9,000 in the past 10 years. One of the appeals is having the lesson taught
by a familiar face.
"Instead of having a billion teachers,
you get to sit on a nice cozy couch and she
can sit right next to you and help you," said
Eva.
Throw away all those ideas of crowded classrooms
and stiff wooden desks, the Ruff family is
proof that learning can take place right
within the comfort of your own home.
But do homeschoolers get the same level
of interaction outside the classroom as other
students? Prescott Ruff thinks so.
"Homeschooling is really not a very
sheltered thing," said the 11-year-old.
He and his siblings participate in activities--like
drama club--as members of the Christian Home
Educators Association of Greater Durham.
Experts say the quality of homeschooling
really depends on the individual situation.
"I would really question any finding
that says here’s the effect of homeschooling
versus here's the effect of public education,” said
Steve Reznick, UNC-CH’s director of
development.
And for the Ruff family, their idea of learning
is keeping it in the home.
Area homeschoolers are branching out beyond
their living rooms.
A Durham Homeschool basketball team just
won the state title, for which 32 teams competed.
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