An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Airmen homeschool children

  • Published
  • By Capt. Erin Karl
  • 43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Ben Bahrenfuss is about to start the 7th grade. He's got his classes lined up; he's excited to start Spanish this year. He's got a desk near the window and a stack of new curriculum to cover. Ben is like every other 7th grader on Pope except that after eating his breakfast and taking a shower, he's got a much shorter commute to school. He just goes from his bedroom to his family's living room. 

Ben is among a growing number of homeschooled kids in the US; more specifically, military homeschoolers. This will be the 5th year in a row with Mrs. Bahrenfuss as his teacher ... he calls her "Mom." 

Homeschooling is a growing trend in the US. The percentage of homeschooled students in the US increased from 1.7 to 2.2 percent between 1999 and 2003, the last year statistics are available. There are now well more than a million homeschooled kids nationwide. 

It's no different for children of military members. More and more, Airmen are choosing to homeschool their children. "Homeschooling is very flexible as far as times you school, times you don't, and taking advantage of different times of the year for vacations and family times," explains Rene Bahrenfuss, wife of Master Sgt. Brian Bahrenfuss of the 18th ASOG, "That's very compatible with military life." 

For families who often PCS to different locations or move from off-base to on-base housing when it becomes available, homeschooling can provide an educational constant. "Too many schools in too few years ... homeschooling prevents that disruption," says Ms. Bahrenfuss. 

There are many different reasons parents choose to homeschool their children. 

Although religious concerns are high on the list, the most recent survey shows that the majority of families choose homeschooling because of concerns about the environment in nearby public or private schools. 

Rebecca Davis has always been homeschooled, just like her sister, now a junior at NC State. Rebecca's a senior this year and is starting to narrow down her choices for colleges. 

Rebecca's father is an engineer at Pope with the Army Corps of Engineers. When they were stationed in Germany, Terri Davis was able to homeschool her daughters there without interruption. For Terri she finds homeschooling very "portable."
What's the one thing Rebecca wants the world to know about her as a homeschooler? 

"I don't go to school in my pajamas," she says. "People ask me that all the time."
In fact, not all homeschoolers do all their schooling at home. Most communities have homeschool support groups and co-ops that get together on a regular basis. One co-op in Fayetteville is organized by Wendy Chapman, wife of Tech. Sgt. David Chapman of the 43rd AES. The Families Advancing in Teaching Homes (FAITH) co-op will hold nine different courses this year. Students can elect to take one to four classes ranging from physical education to physics. 

The co-op allows students to get together for labs and social interaction and makes the home teacher's life easier, too. Instead of all the parents teaching physics and doing the labs individually, they get together and one mom or dad teaches all the kids that subject.
"The co-op allows us to benefit from each mom's or dad's unique gifts and talents, says Mrs. Chapman. "We have a seamstress, a drama major, a science major, an
editor, a history and art buff ... all willing to share their knowledge and experiences by teaching." 

Other co-ops and support groups focus more on extracurricular and social activities. Ben participates in a homeschool bowling league, Rebecca takes ballet and Jordan Chapman is a member of a homeschool cheerleading squad. 

Homeschool cheerleading? Yup, the Airborne Allstars are a competition cheerleading squad made up completely of homeschooled girls. Almost all have a military affiliation. Sisters and Air Force family members Bilan and Brianna DeCarmine organized the group themselves six years ago when they were in high school and act as coaches now.
This is their first year in competition; previously they cheered for a homeschool
basketball team. 

With so much available, it's understandable that Air Force parents might choose to
homeschool; but what do the kids think? 

"I like it," says Ben. "You're with a teacher you know, you have your own desk in a place that's safe, fun and flexible and you get to choose your own lunch!"