When Paul Waite and his family moved to Missouri they were surprised at how little their district school allowed them to be involved in their children’s education.
“The teachers met us graciously but when we talked about our desire to be involved in our children’s education they kind of looked at us like we were from a different planet,” he said. “They didn’t talk to us. They wouldn’t let us come into the classrooms. Nothing like what we had become accustomed to in other states.”
When that lack of access led to their son coming home with behavioral notices, they decided enough was enough and made the decision to pull their children from school and homeschool them.
“Homeschooling isn’t perfect for everybody, but it works for us,” said Paul. “We have a much closer relationship with our children. My wife teaches them for three hours reading, math and language arts and then I come in and teach history and geography and then together we do sciences.
“We find out what our kids are interested in and we try and exploit that and expose them to as much as we can,” he added. “It’s wonderful.
Paul said he hopes that Missouri will pass legislation that will make it easier for more families to afford to take control of their children’s education.
“I want to see children here in Missouri grow and succeed,” he said.