ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, September 9, 1996 TAG: 9609100090
SECTION: NEWSFUN PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN GRIESSMAYER STAFF WRITER
Do you ever wish you didn't have to wake up early every day to catch the school bus?
Wouldn't it be great if you didn't have to eat cafeteria food? Or worry about playground bullies? Or be distracted by the class clown?
Jacob Via, a fifth-grader from Botetourt County, doesn't have to do any of those things or worry about them. Jacob, along with his younger sister and three older brothers, goes to school at home.
But just because Jacob doesn't go to middle school like many other kids his age, don't think he's got it made. In fact, home-schooled kids do pretty much the same things as kids in other schools.
Home-schooled students learn about math and history and language at home, but the Vias still have to do book reports and take spelling tests. They even get grades and report cards.
The only difference is, they call their teacher "Mom."
"I like having Mom as a teacher," said Joy, Jacob's 7-year-old sister. "It's neat."
Her brother Jared, a seventh-grader, also says he thinks it's helpful to have Mom as a teacher. He said he learns faster because she'll spend more time with him if he needs extra help.
In order to make their home school a good place for learning, the Via family has decorated their basement to look like a classroom. There are five desks, a computer and a chalkboard. The walls are covered with colorful posters, maps and an alphabet chart.
Not all home-school students have a classroom in their basement, though. Others learn at the kitchen table or in the living room.
Mark and Stuart Howell are allowed to do their schoolwork wherever they want - as long as it's not in front of the TV. Most of the time, they said, they end up working while sitting on their beds.
They say they like being home schooled because it's comfortable and because they get more attention than they would at public school.
"It's not as confusing," Mark said. "You're not so scared to ask questions."
Stuart agrees. "Because my mom is the teacher, I ask more questions," he said. "And the best part is, she'll give me extra time to do something if I don't understand it the first time."
Most home-school students like having extra time to work on subjects they need more help with. And once they understand a lesson, they can just move on to the next one.
Ryan Holloway, a sixth-grader at Roanoke Valley Christian School, was home-schooled for two years before going back to "normal school." He says outside school is harder but he still likes it better.
"It's more organized and you get to have a lot of friends around you during the day," he said. "Plus, outside school keeps me busy."
But, Ryan said, home school is good in a lot of ways, too.
"You don't have to do your subjects in a certain order," he said. "And with home school, there's not as many distractions. You can do your work more quickly."
That's what most home-schooled kids and their parents like about home school - they finish their work much faster than students in regular school.
Many home-school students are finished with their school work by 1 or 2 in the afternoon. After that, they have free time to play or work on bigger school projects.
They also use their free afternoons to participate in activities such as music lessons, Boy or Girl Scout meetings, rec league sports or church youth group events.
There are even special 4-H groups and a choir for home schoolers. Sometimes, groups of home-school kids get together for parties or field trips.
And while home-school students don't have to put up with the hassles of classroom life, they want you to know that it's not as easy as you might think.
"It's not like we sit around all day and play Nintendo," Ryan said. "There's a lot of work to do."
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART/Staff. Fifth-grader Jacob Via, 10, works on aby CNBlesson at his Botetourt County home school. Jacob's brother
Jonathan, 15, (right) works on his own while the kids' mother, Janet
Via, helps Joy, 7, with the computer. color.