Watch above: A new study suggests the number of Canadian parents opting to home-school their children is on the rise. Joel Senick speaks to a local organization to find out what the situation is in Saskatchewan.
SASKATOON – Saskatchewan’s home-school enrollment has increased by more than 60 per cent since 2006, in part due to a changing technology landscape, according to a national policy think tank.
A Fraser Institute report released Tuesday said an increasing number of Canadian families are opting to home-school their children. In Saskatchewan, enrollment increased by 67.3 per cent from 2006 to 2012, according to the group.
“It’s possible nowadays in ways that it never was before,” said Deani Van Pelt, the report’s author.
“It’s practical, it matches the lifestyles that we lead, we’ve got technology that enables us to access resources and educational programs.”
READ MORE: More Canadian parents opting for home-schooling: Fraser Institute
Michelle Kauenhofen is one parent who says home-schooling fits with her family’s way of life. The mother of 12 has taught her children for almost two decades.
“Our children have the opportunity to travel, they have the opportunity to work,” said Kauenhofen, as her son Logan worked across the table from her.
“The experiences that they’ve had just would not be afforded if they were locked into the time frame that is the school system.”
However home-schooling may not be beneficial for every child. Joel Hall is an education professor at the University of Saskatchewan and says some kids would do better in a public school setting, and vice versa.
“It’s not a one size fits all,” said Hall, who has home-schooled each of his four kids at some point in their academic careers.
“Just like public school has to decide what is the best interest of the child when they make decisions, we thought those same things,” he added.
The Fraser Institute report shows a steady increase in the number of Saskatchewan students on home-school roll-call. The most recent statistics show that in the 2011-12 school year, the province had 2,044 students enrolled in home-schooling.
Kauenhofen, who travels across the province and country to speak at home-school conferences, says she expects the upward trend to continue.
“There’s always young families joining the leagues every year,” said Kauenhofen.
“I mean we all jump through the same hoops and go through the same fears, but there they are.”
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