Family Living on back to school

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Vicky Shaw never planned to home school. For her, it was a necessity.

Her son, Francis, started kindergarten at his public school in Vancouver Wash., but his nut allergy was too much for the school to handle. When school officials said they couldn’t do any more to protect him, she pulled him out of school.

“It’s more like we had to do it,” she said. “I was one of those people who said, ‘What do I do now? Where do I go?’”

The Davenport household came by home-schooling from the opposite route. Kristi Davenport remembers being home- schooled by her mother for a couple of years, and she wanted her children to have the same opportunity.

She wanted to make sure her children were learning through the family’s Christian values, and that her children were receiving the education she envisioned for them.

“Home-schooling was always something we wanted to do,” she said.

Although no one knows the number of home-schooled children in Idaho, the Davenports and Shaws are one of hundreds of families who have decided to educate their children outside the traditional school system.

For both families, it has been a choice they’ve never regretted.

“I think it’s more fun, from what my friends have told me,” says Olivia Davenport, 11. “There’s no bullies.”

The Davenport family’s typical school morning starts early. Kristi gets up at 4:30 a.m. for quiet time, exercise, and to prepare for a day of school. Her husband Matt, is off to work for KPVI Newschannel 6 morning show long before dawn.

At 7 a.m., it’s time for Olivia, 11, and Garrett, 12, to get up and get ready for school. When it’s time to start class at 8:15 a.m., the children don’t have to go further than their kitchen.

“It’s a short walk to school,” Kristi says with a laugh.

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By Emily Jones

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