Why homeschool?

Family First VoiceAmerica™

Our news is filled with the challenges in today’s schools, including peer pressure, precocious sex and drinking, drugs, drop-outs, learning differences, burned out teachers, bullying, poor test scores, too much about fashion and cliques, budget cutbacks, violence, smart phone distractions, and more. Many parents are looking for alternatives. For some, charter schools or online schools seem the answer. Others push for school reforms at the district, state and federal levels. More and more families are considering homeschooling. My guest this week is Peter Bergson, one of the pioneers in the homeschooling movement. He founded Open Connections with his wife Susan Shilcock in 1978 and has been a leader in the theory and practice of what he calls “open education.” He will share his own path to homeschooling as well as the many reasons parents are considering home schooling and the many options parents have in structuring a truly nurturing environment for their kids of any age.



Just go to this website at 4 PM ET, 1 PM PT, 3 PM, or 2 PM MT or any time afterwards on archive - on your smart phone app, PC, as MP3. click on: http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/58848/why-homeschool. If you go to this page you can also Bookmark the page very easily to any social media by using the function at the bottom of the page. Also you can link the page to any email or site.

Peter Bergson is the father of 4 and grandfather of 5 homeschoolers/ unschoolers. In 1978, he and his wife, Susan Shilcock, who passed away in 2005, opened Open Connections, a preschool/kindergarten program. Soon
they became friends with John Holt and “OC” morphed into a resource center for self-directed learners ages 4 to 18. OC currently flourishes on a 28-acre campus in suburban Philadelphia, serving a 100 homeschooling/ unschooling families with programs to help young people to pursue their interests in a community that nurtures collaboration and creativity. Peter and Susan co-authored Open Connections: The OTHER Basics,
and he created an instruction manual titled Spaces for Children: Learning Environments for Work and Play.. Having retired as OC’s Executive Director, Peter serves on the Board, writes articles for The OC Magazine, works on a future book titled Parenting for Pleasure, promotes the “open education” concept, and loves his two full days weekly spent with his grand-ones.

To hear Peter Bergson's wisdom after almost 30 years helping families to home educate their children, go to: http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/58848/why-homeschool. Listen live this Friday or any time afterwards at this site.

Randy Rolfe's Take home Tip: No matter what a child's school experience, the parents are the first and most influential teachers. So be careful what you teach! Humans learn primarily by doing and usually by doing which they see others do. So the example you set in everything you do will have a huge influence on your child. Read in front of them and with them, talk about important issues and interesting events with them, be physically active with them and live a healthy lifestyle. These will set your child up for a successful and happy life.