- Over the last 6 years, the number of home school students in Wakulla County has gone up 135 percent.
- A group in Crawfordville meets regularly for the alternative form of education.
- Watch the video to find out why they're making the switch.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"I really didn’t know anything about homeschooling."
Jennifer Counce is one of the hundreds of parents in Wakulla County who decided to give home schooling a try.
"I would’ve never thought I’d be something I’d even consider, but as I learned more about it and met more home schoolers it made more sense for our family.” Counce is part of a group of homeschooling families.
Here in Crawfordville, they meet once a week and teach different group classes for their children from pre-K up to high school.
They come here for a number of reasons.
"Several families come to the co-op for that reason for their kid is just not able to get the individualized attention or education plan that they need."
And a growing number of families are making that change here.
I checked with the Florida Department of Education. In the 2022-2023 school year, Wakulla County had 401 home school students. That number has grown from the 171 reported in the 2017-2018 school year.
"Even in our co-op there’s enough of us here that were able to work with each child individually and comedy the lessons to their specific learning style.”
It's a style that breaks from tradition. I asked Andrew Spar, President of Florida Education Association, about more children being home schooled and what benefits traditional education gives students
In an emailed statement he said, “Every student in Florida deserves the right to a world-class education. Parents continue to enroll their children in public schools because they provide their children with unique academic opportunities, extracurricular activities, and a diverse curriculum and classroom environment. Parents know that public schools are an essential part of their community. It’s important that leaders in our state invest in Florida's public schools and make sure teachers and staff are paid fairly and are treated with the dignity they deserve. That is ultimately what will ensure students in public schools are learning and thriving.”
Wakulla County's Public School district says as of September 2022, the total population for pre-school through adult education is approximately 5,700 students in the county.
While home school students make up a small percentage of that total, parents like Karin O’grady say they're grateful for the alternative option.
“They just need a little bit more time so this works well for us so I can spend a little bit more time on everything.” The families who home school their children are currently doing it at the Wakulla Community Center for a fee each semester.
They hope they can get a more permanent space in the future.
