By Taylor Short
Killeen Daily Herald

During the first official day of school Wednesday afternoon, students at the Crestview Christian Church Co-op in Copperas Cove begin with lessons about the continent of Africa.

About 10 children, kindergarten-aged through fifth-grade, sit at circular tables in the small church's community area, coloring shapes of the landmass, the seas that surround it and pointing out cheetahs, zebras, monkeys and other colorful wildlife that roam there on flashcards.

While technically not at home, this is but one type of home schooling. Parent Angie Carswell said other co-ops were not meeting her needs, citing several advantages to home school and views opposing public institutions.

Six families at the church took the initiative to educate their combined 20-some children in the way they see fit and shield them from outside influences they see as damaging.

One of the parents in the room reads a children's book aloud — "Bashi, Elephant Baby", which tells the story of an elephant troop's efforts to protect a newborn from a pride of hungry lions.

"I feel like with public schools, so many of the parents' rights and responsibilities are taken away," Carswell said as the story continued with young Bashi becoming easy prey stuck in the mud. "You give your kid to somebody for eight hours — I don't agree with some things being taught and some things that aren't being taught, I feel should be."

A planning meeting took place earlier this summer to decide on lessons and activities. Another meeting in determined subjects and topics to cover. Though all the parents in the co-op began teaching last week, near the same time as Copperas Cove Independent School District, Wednesday was the first of the two monthly, group meetings with all the kids.

In addition to the two meetings, one field trip is planned each month, with The Exotic Resort Zoo in Johnson City slated for this month. A tour of the Copperas Cove Police Department and a trip to see the bats fly from Austin's Congress Avenue Bridge are in the future.

Marion Cook sat near the back and observed the room. Originally from Germany and a member of Crestview, Cook said her lack of insight into home schooling brought her in to see if it would be a good fit for her son Skyler, 3, who sat quietly on her lap.

"In Germany, we are not allowed to home school, so part of it is curiosity," she said.

Cook also said she didn't understand why some teachers would punish children by taking away recess time when America is working to combat child obesity.

"This works totally against what America is trying to drive for," she said. "They are wild in the classroom and get punished for it by not being able to go outside and expel that energy."

Every home school organization — or individual family — can have radically different schedules, habits and curriculums as the Texas Education Agency "does not regulate, index, monitor, approve, register, or accredit the programs available to parents who choose to home school," according to the TEA website.

Third-grader Emily Smith said she likes math, but enjoys every subject she learns in the co-op. Most other students seemed enthralled by the story of Bashi the elephant.

Carswell chooses to teach for four hours each day, though that time could be spread throughout the day and not necessarily at home.

"Home school is really a misnomer. To say that we're home all day long in a denim skirt with our kids is just incorrect," she said. "We participate in sports and a lot of outside activities with the church. Even just going to the bank or grocery store can be a learning experience."

This flexibility gives home schoolers an advantage, Carswell said, as she never has to pull her children from school for a doctor visit or a family vacation in October. Other advantages include being able to confront discipline issues instantly, having control over what your child learns — or doesn't — and setting the style that works best for each student.

Another parent, Sue Gordon found the biggest challenge to be consistency in teaching, because it's all done within the family and community of home schoolers. Both said the dual-role as teacher and parent can become stressful, but the trade-off is worth it.

"I guess the challenge is the responsibility, knowing I am responsible for their learning. But it's not something we take lightly," Carswell said. "We're very serious about making sure our kids get what they need."

Students finished coloring their continents and began other projects to discover more about Africa. A younger child falls from a chair and lets off a shriek as one in the troop of parents darts to pick her up.

The first day for the students was nearly over. As the class wound down, the parent finished the story of the baby elephant who was pulled from the mud just in time by her mother, Neo.

"The herd protected her and Bashi had survived the first day."

Contact Taylor Short at tshort@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7476.

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