Scotts Valley sixth-grader Randy Chalmers spends part of each school day writing scripts for short films and designing storyboards for video games.
His fellow participants in the Scotts Valley Independent Study Program pursue interests that include international travel, cooking and historical documentaries. The students are primarily taught at home, by their parents, though they remain enrolled in the Scotts Valley school system through participation in independent study.
“Independent study enables a student to learn at his or her own pace,” said Peg Edwards, the head teacher for Scotts Valley independent study students in grades kindergarten through eight.
Edwards arrived in Scotts Valley in 1991 after home-schooling her sons. Her focus is on enriching the independent study experience through group field trips, nature hikes, art lessons and other extracurricular activities.
Such activities refute the primary worry, Edwards said, that home-schooled children lack socialization. In her experience, independent study students tend to be independent and highly social and develop higher-level critical thinking skills. They graduate and attend college in the same proportion as their conventionally schooled peers.
Parents of such students choose home schooling for various reasons and are careful to point out that they have no problem with the quality of education offered in Scotts Valley — they simply seek something different for their children.
Debra Aber, mother of Matt, 21, and Natalie, 19, saw her children’s confidence grow as they explored subjects from political science to weight training to short-story writing. Matt was enrolled in independent study in grades four through 12, while Natalie participated for three years before returning to traditional classes in sixth grade. Edwards said it’s a common pattern, with some families remaining enrolled in independent study from kindergarten through high school, while others participate for shorter periods.
Scotts Valley has about 50 independent study students, down from 70 a decade ago. Enrollment fluctuates, and the economic downturn has required some parents to return to work and no longer be available to supervise their children’s learning at home.
Some families decide to home-school to try a different pace. Laura Rockow began home-schooling sons Evan, 13, and Owen, 11, in 2009 after extensive research involving blogs, books and talks with other independent study parents. Her experience has been positive, she said, and she and her sons appreciate the flexibility they’ve gained.
“We’re spending lots of time trying to learn to just read books for pleasure,” Rockow said. “We got each of the boys a laptop and are now exploring an interactive curriculum. Evan has chosen to attend the middle school for phys ed and Spanish. It’s free-range education.”
The option to attend some conventional classes at Scotts Valley middle and high schools lets independent study students stay connected with friends and study subjects that are not easily learned at home, such as laboratory science and foreign languages.
While participants offer much praise for independent study, there can be drawbacks. Parents and children must establish a teacher-student relationship that might be difficult to attain at first. Also, despite its flexibility, the independent study program requires students follow an established curriculum, which requires a significant time commitment from parents. And when they enroll, children might worry about leaving friends or maintaining grade levels, should they choose to return to conventional school.
Despite this, many participating parents speak highly of the opportunity independent study has given them and their children to take control of their education and become closer as a family.
Said Aber about her family’s experience: “The time I spent home-schooling my children is time I can never get back, and I would do it all again.”
• Michael Doherty has two children at Vine Hill Elementary School in Scotts Valley. His children spent a year on independent study while the family was in Europe and have since returned to Vine Hill. Send comments about this story to mc**********@gm***.com.
