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By KATE BLAIN
Assistant Editor
Ellen Beebe is 17, but she isn't going back to school this fall. Neither will her brothers Nick, 14, or Andrew, 11. Andrew even told The Evangelist that he "thought about going back, but I wouldn't really want to."
They aren't playing hooky; they're among hundreds of students in the Albany Diocese who are home-schooled by their parents. A new organization called "ARCHE" -- the Association of Roman Catholic Home Educators -- is connecting Catholic families like the Beebes who home-school.
ARCHE was begun three years ago by Karen Beebe, the children's mother, and her friend Jean Naples. The Naples, parishioners of St. Mary's Church in Oneonta, have five sons: Dale, a student at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio; teens Brian and Timmy; 10-year-old David; and Anthony, 2.
Doing it at home
When Brian was in first grade, he had trouble learning. His teacher wanted to keep him back for an extra year. But while Mrs. Naples agreed, she objected to the school's placing him with the same teacher and large class again.
"He got lost in the shuffle," she explained. "I didn't want to put him back there, and a friend said, `Try this.'"
"This" was home-schooling. Since Mrs. Naples and her husband both had degrees in education, they felt up to the challenge of teaching their eldest son at home. (They are quick to assure other parents, however, that they need not be professional teachers to home-school their children.)
Families interested in home-schooling must take several steps: sending a letter of intent to New York State explaining their plan to home-school; filling out an Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP) that lists books to be used and material to be covered; and sending quarterly reports evaluating the students' progress and a final evaluation at the end of the school year.
Different feeling
When the Naples' began home-schooling Brian, Dale stayed in regular school, but that situation became too difficult for the family.
"You'd go to a PTO meeting, and what you were discussing was fundraisers," said Mrs. Naples. "That's necessary but superficial stuff. We never got into the curriculum; that was the teacher's responsibility. I grew to enjoy learning along with the boys -- and it creates more of a family."
Eventually, all of the Naples children turned to home-schooling.
Dissatisfied
Many families try home-schooling because they are dissatisfied with the quality or content of public-school education. Such was the case with the Beebes, parishioners of St. Mary's Church in Cooperstown. Their two oldest children attended regular school for four years; it wasn't until Ellen was about to enter fifth grade that the family began to consider home-schooling.
"She was entering a sex-education program in public school I really did not like," Mrs. Beebe said. "I had to decide to work around sex-ed, or take her out and totally home-school her. I decided to try it for a year. It's been eight years now!"
As a result of their success, the Beebes also decided to home-school all of their children. "The children are very happy," Mrs. Beebe told The Evangelist. "They don't want to go to [regular] school at all."
Younger home-schooled students get one-on-one instruction from a parent; but as the children progress through grade levels, they can learn from correspondence and video courses. Some take courses like math or science at local schools.
'Intense' effort
Home-schooling requires five-and-a-quarter hours per day for grade-schoolers, and five-and-a-half for seventh- through 12th-graders. The Beebes usually have about three hours of lessons each day, plus physical education, home economics and family discussions.
"We usually start at nine, and we're done [with lessons] by noon," Ms. Beebe said. "It's only three hours, but it's intense. Our little guy is taking Latin. The flexibility of it is nice: If a 10-year-old says, `I'd like to learn Latin,' you can do that. He's interested in herpetology, so our science class is based on that."
The Beebes and Naples agreed that one bonus to home-schooling is the flexibility of its schedule.
"They're at home all year 'round, and you can work around your schedule," Mrs. Naples said. "The kids can set their own schedule, and they love that. It's a more concentrated learning time, and they're accountable to themselves. I've talked to them about going back to school, and they wouldn't hear of it."
Catholics linking
For several years, the Beebes and the Naples belonged to a Protestant home-schooling organization called LEH (Loving Education at Home). But both mothers became upset when they began to notice anti-Catholic sentiments in textbooks used by LEH.
"I started reading things like, `These are the false beliefs of the Catholic Church,'" Mrs. Naples said. The books "accused the Church of stifling science for 1,500 years. There was no printing press until 1500, but they don't mention that."
Then the Naples' son Dale graduated from school, and LEH would not allow a Catholic priest to attend the graduation ceremony and say a prayer. The family decided it was time to found their own, Catholic organization.
ARCHE was created soon afterward. Another, simpler reason also lay behind its founding: "Andrew always said, `I wish I had more Catholic friends, because other people don't understand when you say something about going to Communion or whatever,'" Mrs. Beebe said. "I thought it was important for the kids to talk casually about their faith with their friends."
Fellow Catholics
ARCHE friends gave them that chance. Fifteen families from across the Albany Diocese now belong to ARCHE. The group holds get-togethers and parties -- and most importantly, gives the students a chance to meet fellow Catholic home-schoolers.
"Our oldest son did miss school," Mrs. Naples remembered. "He said, `I miss my friends.'"
In order to give the children socialization, the one missing aspect of home-schooling, they attended the local Boys' Club and Boy Scouts. Dale is an Eagle Scout, and Brian and Timmy are working on their badges. The Naples children have been members of several sports teams. Many home-schooled children take private music lessons, as well.
ARCHE members hold science, art and music fairs annually. However, ARCHE adds an extra dimension to students' socialization.
"We had an All Saints' Day party, and the kids dressed up as saints," Mrs. Naples said. "On the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we prayed the Rosary together." ARCHE members also took a "field trip" to shrines in Auriesville and Fonda.
Point of view
There is a difference in curriculum for ARCHE members, too.
"We teach from the Catholic point of view," said Mrs. Beebe. "Math talks about truth, so we can talk about religious truth. I don't think a day goes by when I don't have a deep discussion about religion with these children."
"God is included in every subject," Mrs. Naples agreed. "We teach about the Reformation and the Council of Trent as part of history courses. We teach the Rosary."
As Catholic home-schoolers, the Beebes are proud that they don't have to deal with conflicting messages about Catholic moral issues. "We're free to teach the Church teachings," Mrs. Beebe stated. "I like being able to tell [the children] things without any confusion."
Effect on faith
As ARCHE's aims developed and the Beebes and Naples' became more proficient at Catholic home-schooling, both mothers noticed a difference in their own faith.
"I had to learn the faith to teach it," Mrs. Beebe said. "This is rewarding for me."
"I'm 100 percent more Catholic than I was initially," Mrs. Naples declared. "I'm just thrilled with my own growth. And I've heard my kids defending the Immaculate Conception! They're being challenged, too."
Hopes for future
ARCHE will hold a meeting in September to discuss its future aims. Mrs. Naples hopes that eventually, the organization will grow large enough to create smaller groups scattered around the Diocese, rather than the single large entity that exists now.
That Catholic home-schooling has proven its worth for the two families is evident in their children's success. Ellen Beebe, who is entering her senior year of high school, is interested in nursing or veterinary science, and hopes to attend Franciscan University in Ohio. Dale Naples, already attending Franciscan University, is a Dean's List student.
As a present ARCHE member and Catholic home-schooled student, however, Andrew Beebe has the last word on the situation: Home schooling "doesn't take as long, it's easier, and it's more fun. I like to learn about the things I like learning about!"
(For more information about ARCHE, call the Naples at 607-432-3897 or the Beebes at 607-547-9449.)
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