HOME: LEARNING WITHOUT LEAVING

CRUMP -- Instead of leaving for school each morning, Rick and Dorothy Green's five children take a seat around the kitchen table to begin their lessons. The Greens have opted to educate their children Amy, 11, Lucas, 9, Andrew, 8, David, 5, and Sarah, 2, at home.

Actually, only three of the five children are school-age, but the two youngest often join in by coloring or just listening to their brothers and sister.

The children learn Bible, language arts, math, science and social studies; they also study art, computers and electronics, depending on their interests.

The Greens decided to take their children out of public school two years ago. Amy was in third grade and Lucas in second.

Dorothy Green said, "They would send home reports from school that Lucas could now count to 20." But he was further advanced than that, she said, because, "He already was running the cash register at our store.

"This was something I wanted to do for a long time," she said. "Each child is so individual. When a teacher has a group of 25 or 30, how can she know those individual traits?

"With my kids I have at least one who's real bright. I have another who is a little hyperactive. I think all children are better suited to learning one-on-one.

"There is another real good reason a Christian reason. I can teach the religion I want my children to learn. We have a Christian curriculum which talks about church and organized religions in social studies."

The two questions most often asked about home schooling, Green said, are socialization and whether it is legal. "People always ask about socialization. The heck with academics; everybody wants to know how they will do socially," she said.

"Research shows that for children this age the most important person socially is the important adult parents. And I don't want peers teaching my children."

She said the children have friends at church. "There are Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, 4-H, gymnastics. It's out there, but we decide how much and with whom."

She said it is legal for parents to teach children at home. In fact, Missouri law regarding home schooling was revised in 1986 to the benefit of home-schoolers, she said.

"The only state requirement is the number of hours attending class and what subjects are taught," she said. "It's compulsory attendance. If we really worked hard, we could finish the required hours for a whole year in about a semester. But that's not what we are after. Most home-schoolers are going for excellence."

Green is trained as a teacher. "But that's not required," she said. "The main thing it takes is you have to want to teach your kids and you have to work at it.

"The love comes through. No one loves your kids as much as you do. You are willing to do more for them and they are willing to do more for you."

Green said many people question the costs of home schooling. The Greens have budgeted $1,000 this year to purchase supplies for their three students.

"I think its cheaper than public schools," she said. "I don't have to buy the clothes or buy lunches every day, and we don't have any fund-raising activities."

Fifth-grader Amy said: "Sometimes I don't get to see my friends as much, and the work here is a lot harder. But when I get done, I get to do extras like use the computer or go outside. I don't have to spend a lot of time sitting around waiting for everyone else to get done."

Lucas, a fourth-grader, agreed. "When I get done early, I don't have to sit and look around," he said. He said he likes learning about the Bible, something he didn't learn about in public school.

Greene said teaching all the children in one room has benefits. "This is also the `one-room-schoolhouse' approach to education. If you didn't get it in first grade, you'll hear it again in second grade because you're in the same room with the other students."

By the same token, she said, the younger children are exposed to more advanced work. "This way they have some familiarity with it, and often it seems easy when they learn it."

Home-schooling curriculum abounds. "It's incredible how much is available," Green said. "I never have trouble finding what I want; I sometimes have trouble choosing.

"We want to learn a second language," she said. "We are thinking about Spanish. I also would like to teach them Latin. There are home-schooling curricula for both those subjects."

Green said her children take achievement tests and score well. Tests, however, are not required by the state.

"Amy tested post-16 in language arts," she said. "That's above college level. She's not that bright; the test is that dumb. If a college senior has learned no more than what was on the test, he's had a disservice."

Home schooling is becoming more accepted, she said. "Harvard University has a special scholarship program for home-schoolers," she said.

Green said she realizes questions may arise in the future about the children's education. Amy, for instance, probably could never become a cheerleader, she said. "When Amy gets to junior-high age, we'll see. We'll take a look at what she wants to do and what is best for her."

In the meantime, the Green children will continue their lessons around the kitchen table, asking their mother for help with spelling words and math questions.

"I think this is a more normal way for kids to grow up, with their parents teaching them," said Green. "By normal, I mean the way God wants it, not the way society expects it."

Individuals interested in more information about home education, may contact the Mississippi Valley Home Educators organization, which meets monthly. For information, call 264-3670 or 335-6993.