Homeschooling - Families educate their own children for variety of reasons

Published for the community of Fort Leavenworth Kansas
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Homeschooling - Families educate their own children for variety of reasons

Kyle Tarvin reviews sign language and increases vocabulary with her daughter, Aerin, during a home-schooling session Sept. 6. Lamp photo by Prudence Siebert.
by Jeff Crawley, Staff Writer

When Kyle and Maj. Tony Tarvin decided to homeschool their daughter Aerin it was a decision based on many factors. Like most military families, the Tarvins move often so a primary reason to homeschool was to maintain continuity in their 9-year-old's education.

"Aerin is just starting fourth grade, and she would have been in four schools already if we didn't homeschool," said Kyle Tarvin, who began homeschooling her daughter in kindergarten. Maj. Tarvin works at the TRADOC Analysis Center.

Whatever the considerations, homeschooler David Foreman of Lansing said parents homeschool for the same reason that other parents send their children to public or private schools: "They want to provide the best possible education they can for their children."