There's No Place Like Home-School

By David Unger

When Ian Rosenthal, age 13, commutes to school, it could be little more than rolling out of bed, or it could be a flight to Japan. Ian is home-schooled, or home-educated, primarily by his mother, Eileen Rosenthal, and has never attended a public school. In a city recognized for its excellent public education, alternative learning may seem unusual. But for the Rosenthals and roughly 60 other families across Evanston, it is just another day at school.

Ms. Rosenthal began attending meetings held by Evanston Home Educators - a local network of parents of home-schooled children - when her first child, Leah, was in second grade. Inspired to take on the task of home-schooling her own children, she withdrew her daughter from public school and educated her through high school. She home-schooled Jack, her second child, up to high school. "I liked the idea that I could make choices for how my children learn," she recalls, "and the idea of my family being together and sharing memories."

Evanston Township Home-School
According to the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), between 1.9 and 2.4 million children (grades K-12) across the United States were home-educated during the 2005-06 academic year and the number is rising at between 7 and 12 percent per year. NHERI research indicates reasons cited for home-schooling include the desire to teach specific philosophical or religious values, to customize or individualize the curriculum and learning environment, and to use nontraditional pedagogy.

In Evanston the reasons for home-schooling are equally diverse, says Ms. Rosenthal. For her, the choice was primarily the freedoms that home education offers. "If you're meeting resistance [in your child's education] then something is wrong, and if you are home-schooling, you can fix it," Ms. Rosenthal says.

The result, she says, is a quality of education unparalleled by public schools. Because her children are able to pursue the subjects they are interested in, they may do so in a depth and timeframe that she says is not possible in public schools.

Ms. Rosenthal cites Ian, her youngest son, as an example. From an early age Ian developed an interest in Japanese culture and, because of home-schooling, was able to research the subject in detail over the course of many years, say Ms. Rosenthal and her son.

Dianne Fox says she was looking for "something more individualized" and found it in home-education. Unimpressed by public and private schools, she says, she decided to home-school her three children up to the high school level. The decision was made to enter high school because, Ms. Fox said, she felt that at that academic level, the public schools had more to offer in terms of laboratory equipment and advanced subject material.

Ann Wasserman, a home-school mother of two, enumerates a long list of reasons families in Evanston educate their children. Many do it for religious reasons, she says; others feel they can challenge their children more than public schools can. For some it is a matter of safety or escaping bullying. Families who frequently travel also find home-education a perfect fit. But the reason people decide to leave the public schools is not always the reason they stay out of them, says Paula Sjogerman, home-school mother of two. "It often starts out as something negative and then transforms over time into something positive."

Critics of home-schooling have suggested that it limits a child's ability to interact with other students. But for Ms. Fox, the stereotype of the sheltered, socially-awkward home-educated child is "such a misconception." She feels that home-schooled children are able to go into the world and interact with people of all different ages and abilities, whereas in public schools a student is segmented into classrooms with children of similar age and ability. Most Evanston home-school students, says Ms. Rosenthal, spend a lot of time going to museums, or taking classes offered by local parents and educators in topics that range from physics to art history to garden botany.

Ms. Rosenthal, whose background is in theater, has provided scene-study classes for home-school students for years. She, along with her students and another parent, formed a theater ensemble, Thin Ice Theater, which has performed three or four plays a year as the children have grown up together. The students also organize groups and activities, including tennis practices and filmmaking.

Ms. Wasserman emphasizes that the socialization of the home-educated is not limited to other home-schooled children. Many home educated students take classes through Northwestern University, the Chandler-Newberger Center or other local organizations. Some even take selected courses at the public schools, where they sometimes catch their teachers by surprise. Katrina Atkin, home-schooled daughter of Ann Wasserman, attended a few public school classes during her sophomore year of high school and says she remembers at least one teacher exclaiming, "You have friends?"

Opponents also argue that home-schooling puts too much responsibility in the hands of students whom they see as too young or immature to know what is required for a balanced education. But Ms. Rosenthal and other parents say that after a certain age their children have the independence, research skills and pedagogical instincts to manage their own learning. "It started out being about me having a say in my children's education," Ms. Rosenthal recalls. "Now it has become about my children having a say in their own education."

Home is where the work is (or) Homework (or) Doing their homework

The outcome, Ms. Rosenthal believes, has been very positive. When her eldest child, Leah, was applying to colleges, they worked together to create their own academic transcript to reflect Leah's unique learning experience. It was warmly received by colleges, says Ms. Rosenthal. And while many home-schooled students do not take standardized tests, data from the National Home Education Research Institute shows that when they do, the home-educated typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students.

NHERI makes the additional claim that "home-school students are increasingly being actively recruited by colleges." According to their undergraduate admissions department, the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana usually admits 30 to 40 home-school students a year. The department places no cap on the number admitted and claims, "we are interested in having talented, well-qualified applicants from a variety of settings. Home-schoolers would provide a diversity of academic experiences to the campus."

Home-schooling is not always a day at the park, though on some days it quite literally is. Many parents believe that dedicating their time to educate a child is an insurmountable task. "I think everyone feels a little overwhelmed at first; starting is the hardest part," Ms. Sjogerman says. And occasionally there are bumps in the road. "It's like any relationship—you have problems sometimes," Katrina says of learning with her mother, Ms. Wasserman. Ms. Fox agrees, "On the day-to-day level, it can sometimes feel difficult."

But at the end of the day, these families say they have no regrets. "I don't see anything in [public] school that I couldn't have with home-schooling," says Ian. His mother adds, "It has been great for our family, and I have gotten the education I never had growing up." Ms. Fox remembers her time as a parent-teacher as "the best part of my life." Her children, who are now in their early twenties, tell her they hope to home-school when they start their own families. And once the children of Ms. Rosenthal, Ms. Wasserman and Ms. Sjogerman have all grown up and left for college, they can look back on their experience and be sure of at least one thing: In their school, there was certainly no child left behind.

Regulating Home-School

Illinois is one of ten states where parents are not required to notify local authorities should they decide to home-school their children. Instructors do not need teacher certification, and children who are home-schooled are not required to take standardized tests, although some still do.

Home-schools are considered private schools in Illinois. Accordingly, home-educators are required to cover the following subjects and do so in the English language: language arts, biological and physical science, math, social sciences, fine arts, health and physical development. The local district is responsible for investigating failures to comply with the Compulsory Attendance Law, which mandates that all children between the age of 7 and 17 attend private or public school. Calls made to District 65, District 202 and the Cook County Board of Education were not returned.

In many states, home-education is more regulated. New York is one of six states the Home School Legal Defense Association identifies as having "high regulation" of home-schooling. In New York, in addition to notifying the local school district, parents must complete an Individualized Home Instruction Plan, file quarterly reports listing the hours and subjects of instruction, and have their children take standardized tests.

ARM Loans - Friend or Foe?

by Mary Helt Gavin

Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) will trigger higher interest rates for about 140 Evanston homeowners in the next few months, according to information from Interfaith Housing of the Northern Suburbs.

In an ARM mortgage, the initial interest rate is fixed at the then-market rate for two or three years. After that initial period, if interest rates in the general market increase, the interest rate on the ARM mortgage will increase. That means increased monthly payments for borrowers.

Some of these homeowners may be able to convert the ARM to a regular fixed-rate mortgage, says Lynda Ancell of First Bank & Trust. Others may find the increased payments, which include taxes and insurance, too great for their finances and wind up on the way to foreclosure.

Looking into the origin of the loan, one can sometimes see the source of trouble.

"It's very important that, whoever is originating your loan, you understand the type of loan you're getting and what it will cost you," said Ms. Ancell.

In an interview with the RoundTable last November, D'Angelo Bester of the National Training and Information Center in Chicago said unscrupulous loan brokers may take advantage of unsophisticated borrowers by "qualifying" them for a loan that they will be unable to repay. For purposes of qualifying a buyer, such a broker might knowingly overstate the borrower's income - for example, by considering one-time revenue sources as regular income. In other cases, the loan amount may be higher than was discussed, as additional, previously undisclosed, costs are tacked onto the original loan amount.

Adjustable-rate mortgages are not always the villain, said Ms. Ancell. "There are still very good ARMs that fit the right time and right place," she said. A savvy buyer with earning potential - that is, someone who is not on a fixed income - can make use of an ARM, she said. But a buyer who can afford the loan only because of the initial "teaser" rate is likely to get into trouble once the payments increase.

ARM loans are different from sub-prime loans, Ms. Ancell said. Sub-prime loans typically have a fixed but higher interest rate. In some cases, sub-prime loans finance 100 percent of the loan, or even up to 103 percent, to cover the cost of the loan itself, she said, adding, "[sub-prime loans] are a different kind of vehicle to reach people with less credit."

Although there are laws against predatory lending in Illinois, there are still unscrupulous practices, according to Interfaith Housing. Ms. Ancell agreed: "These loans are not always predatory in terms of [cost] but [may be] predatory in that they are not in the best interest of the buyer.

The Evanston Foreclosure Prevention Task Force will offer a seminar entitled "Lending Options" from 7 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 13 at BooCoo, 1832 Church St.

Mayfair Rezoning Derailed

By Bill Smith

Plans to rezone parts of the former Mayfair rail corridor were derailedlast monthby complaints from several neighborhood residents.

Individual arguments varied, but generally the neighbors said they want to avoid gentrification, have any new construction consist mostly of single-family homes affordable to existing neighborhood residents, and not raise taxes.

The West Side plan recently adopted by City Council calls for building mostly townhouses and small apartment buildings on now largely vacant industrial land along the old rail bed.

The Zoning Committee of the Plan Commission's public hearingon Aug. 22sought comments on zoning changes that would implement the plan.

While the neighbors said they want single-family homes, City real estate consultants and developers have concluded townhome and apartment units would be much more affordable. They have suggested that apartments in six- or nine-flat buildings might sell for $200,000 or less, that townhomes could start at around $400,000, while even the smallest new single-family home would cost at least $600,000. Making such a home affordable to low-income residents would require a massive subsidy.

Carlis Sutton of 1821 Darrow Ave. said, "I'd like to see development, but why can't it fit into current zoning? This is going to speed up gentrification. Nobody my color is going to be able to afford $400,000 units."

Tina Paden, who owns rental property at 1507 Emerson St., said, "Who's paying for these new streets and alleys? I assume it's the City taxpayers as normal."

Complaints also came from owners of businesses whose property would be rezoned for residential use under the plan.

While the change would not put them out of business, it would limit their ability to expand their buildings or sell them for business use if the property was vacant for over a year.

Lucille Prudden, co-owner of the Buffalo Joe's restaurant at 2000 Green Bay Road, said, "This is the first time we've heard that there is a plan to take our land for future development. ... We provide jobs to people. Our building goes back to the 1900s. Now we'd be locked in and couldn't improve or expand it."

John Cahill, owner of Cahill Plumbing at 1515 Church St., said his business has been at that location for 30 years and he plans to stay. He said he saw no good reason to rezone his property from industrial to residential use.

Plan Commission Chairman James Woods said, "Saying to Cahill or Buffalo Joe's that they can't improve their property by changing the square footage of their building seems incomprehensible to me. I've got a problem with this."

The City's consultants had recommended limiting the amount of commercially zoned property in the area, suggesting there is not enough market demand to fill it. They also said they felt commercial uses along Green Bay Road from Foster Street to Simpson Street conflict with efforts to upgrade residential uses just to the west.

In an effort to get the process back on track, Ald. Lionel Jean-Baptiste, 2nd Ward, suggested postponing the next formal Zoning Committee hearing until after a more informal workshop-style session can be held to try to resolve some of the differences.

The committee voted to postpone setting a date for its next hearing until Sept. 12 to give staff time to schedule the workshop meeting.

City Officials Honor Summer Youth Employees

Mayor Lorraine Morton, City Manager Julia Carroll, Second Ward Alderman Lionel Jean-Baptiste, Parks/Forestry and Recreation Director Doug Gaynor and Community Development Director James Wolinski all attended the ceremonies honring the City's employees in the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP).

Each speaker congratulated the youth, emphasizing the skills and discipline learned over the summer and urging them to stay in school.

Ald. Jean-Baptiste told the group of about 60 youth to "look 10 years down the road" as they make their choices. In the meantime, he said, "You just simply be good - nothing more than that.

"Choose those things that you think are the right thing to do. Make the right choice in friends; do your work in school. If you don't have a positive foundation right now, if you are just too cool, in 10 years someone else would be making the decision for you - a prison guard, a friend, or no one [if your] support system is lost."

Mayor Morton said, "A lot of people think kids resent being controlled, but they don't. I learned that from teaching school. Children want structure. Taking this program and giving you structure is one of the wisest things the City has done."

Mr. Wolinski said he has "seen many successes in this program. You learn basic job skills that will be critical as you go on." He added, "To you very young people - 13 and 14 - don't try to grow up too fast. Enjoy your youth. Enjoy time with friends, school parties and dates. There is plenty of time to be old."

The program, begun in 1991, helps more than 200 youth find employment for the summer; 116 found jobs with the City, and 24 teens were employed by the private sector.

Some of those working for the City found themselves in City offices, handling light filing, answering phones and entering data; others worked outside doing painting; some worked as camp counselors, library assistants and dental assistants; others cleaned trash from alleys and trimmed overgrown vegetation.

For a list of the awardees see Young Evanston.

Old School

Class of 1947 Turns Out for Its 60th Reunion

By Victoria Scott

Norman Raedle holds a copy of the ETHS yearbook from 1947.

The reunion committee has honed its organizational skills over half a century.

So maybe it should come as no surprise that a remarkable 83 class members and 45 spouses gathered for the 60th reunion of the Evanston Township High School Class of 1947 the weekend of Aug. 17-19.

Dave Hilton, since deceased, started the ball rolling in 1957, using his expertise as a "super salesman" to pull together their 10th reunion, says class member Norman Raedle.

In the five decades since then, a committee now numbering 13 has been in charge.

While many classes settle for sporadic reunions, ‘47 has been faithful to its five-year plan. "We've had nine or 10 of the 12 possible reunions," says Mr. Raedle, a veteran committee member.

Reunion weekend itself has "gone fancy" the last few times, he says - Friday night cocktails at Valley Lo Country Club and Saturday night dinner at Sunset Ridge Country Club as well as a casual brunch.

But the committee continues to function in the years between reunions. They keep in touch with an annual newsletter and even phone calls. In advance of reunion, says Mr. Raedle, "there are great expectations about who's coming."

Mr. Raedle - who with his wife, Sally, hosted the Sunday brunch at their home this year - attributes the high attendance at reunions to "camaraderie and good vibes in the class."

Those vibes come from a well-tuned instrument.

Of the 650 members of their graduating class, says Mr. Raedle, 200 are known to have died, and 200 are considered "lost," because they have never responded to any communication.

The remaining 250 make up "the list" from which the committee operates -- active class members who "come, write, call," he says.

Among them are eight "class marriages," three of whom came to the reunion. Jack and Barbara McGee Benson met on a blind date in December of the year she moved to Evanston from California. After he finally summoned the courage to ask her out a second time, he won her heart - and her mother's, he says - by kneeling down to help her fasten her winter boots.

She worked on the Evanstonian. He played football. When they went off to different colleges, they wrote each other every day, marrying after his first year of medical school. "They are still so in love," say classmates of the pair, who came to the reunion from their home in Villanova, Pa.

"It was one of the best times to be a teenager," says Sonja Faust Gililand, Ms. Benson's mentor on the Evanstonian and now a Glenview resident. "I have no bad memories [of high school]."

By 1947, she notes, World War II was over, and "the country was beginning to prosper." "Hit Parade" on Saturday night radio was "the big thing," she says. After school teens walked downtown to Cooley's Cupboard for curlicues (French fries) and a coke (25 cents) - or, says Mr. Raedle, they sneaked a cigarette at Monticello's, the drug store by the bus stop on the corner of Church and Dodge.

The scant number of African Americans at the reunion does not escape the notice of their classmates. Three blacks attended, says Mr. Raedle, who estimates that 35-40 graduated in the class of 1947. Says Ms. Gililand, "We thought we were great because we went to an integrated school, but we didn't know things were not as nice for [our black classmates]."

Varney Porter Truscott has her own regrets about high school. "I probably would've been better at a small school," she says. Not very active at ETHS, she blossomed later and has come to her third reunion from Gladwyne, Pa., to see good friends. Florence Wieczorek Banach says she "wasn't involved in a lot" in high school, either. Years of service on the reunion committee have been her way to solidify friendships.

Y Club, sponsored by the YMCA, was her high school "nucleus," she says, as it was for many classmates. Friday and Saturday nights there were dances in the Y's basement Plantation Room, with one club responsible for entertainment each weekend.

They did the jitterbug and Lindy hop to Big Band music. "There were a lot of dances. The social life at Evanston was very good," says Dick Burke, a longtime Evanston resident who recently moved to the Optima development for its view of Harms Woods.

The athletic program, he explains, supported "a team for every class." That took teens' varying growth rates into account and limited competition, he says -- and allowed boys to participate in more than one sport. "You didn't have to specialize like now," he says.

1947 grads have special praise for their academic experience at ETHS. Bob Sillars, back from Washington, D.C., calls his education "academically demanding." Four years of Latin and three of French were not uncommon, his classmates remember. Principal Francis Bacon "rewrote Shakespeare plays for high school," one per grade, says Mr. Sillars - first "Merchant of Venice," then "Julius Caesar," "Macbeth" and "Hamlet."

"ETHS paved the way to the best colleges in the country," says Mr. Sillars, a Northwestern University graduate, calling the high school's teachers "marvelous."

Probably the most beloved faculty members were Sadie Rafferty (music) and Clarence Hoch (journalism), Mr. Raedle estimates. Jane Del Carlo Barredo of Winter, Cal., went on from music classes and her role as Evanstonian music editor to the Chicago Lyric Opera chorus for nine years and, later, her church choir.

Another of Ms. Rafferty's admirers, Polly Tilden Hoecker of Wausau, Wis., still sings in a women's choral group. She also continues to pursue the sport that engaged her as a teen sixty years ago: She will go back to teaching ice skating in October.

Before the next reunion, some 100 class members will get a phone call from Wally Burr of New York City. The rest will hear from a reunion committee member.
But they may not have to wait till 2012 to meet again. "A number of people said, ‘We've got to do this more often,'" says Norman Raedle. "Every two years?" he ponders. "That's the challenge."

Taking a Stand for Peace.

On Aug. 28 about 30 people took their dissatisfaction with the Iraq war to the plaza at Church Street and Maple Avenue. One of several rallies throughout the country coordinated by MoveOn.org, this rally was meant to send a message to Congress to stop funding the war. Representatives of the North Shore Coalition for Peace and Justice said their message was that "the majority of people in this City and this country will no longer tolerate the human, social and moral costs of this war. We want this Congress to claim its power to end the war now."

Suffredin to Run for State's Attorney

Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin will seek the office of Cook County State's Attorney in the November 2008 election. Richard Devine, the present State's Attorney, has said he will not seek re-election.

An attorney for more than 30 years, Mr. Suffredin says he has "tried 136 jury trials to verdict, hundreds of other bench trials and hearings, handled appeals at every level of both the federal and the state court system." Mr. Suffredin's campaign co-chairs are Abner Mikva, Thomas Moore, Debra Shore and Anthony Young.

Community Leaders Call for End to Handgun Violence.

In the wake of the shooting death of Darryl Shannon Pickett, community leaders, local residents and relatives of victims of gun violence gathered at the First Church of God, 1524 Simpson St., on Aug. 28 to address gun violence in Evanston.

"People have to be aware of the danger of guns in the community," said Stephen Young (middle), whose 19-year-old son Andrew, an ETHS graduate, was killed in 1996.

Evanston Township High School Security Chief Frank Kaminski (third from left) said conflict resolution must be addressed in order to eliminate the need for violence.

"We can't give up," said Reverend Michael Curry of the First Church of God (third from right). "Once you give up, you turn it over to what you're fighting against."

Photo and story By Joe Linstroth

Criminal Charges in Qadri Case Dismissed

By Mary Helt Gavin

Criminal charges against Gus Horemis and Michael Yorty were dismissed last Thursday, as criminal court Judge Joseph Kasmierski ordered a directed verdict in favor of the two defendants. With that verdict, the Evanston Police Department has said it will begin its internal investigation.

Mr. Horemis had been charged with official misconduct and battery and Mr. Yorty with multiple counts of official misconduct and perjury in connection with the beating of a defendant held in custody at the Evanston police station in 2004.

Sayyid Qadri, who was taken into custody for an alleged traffic violation, said he was beaten by police in the men's bathroom of the police station. Mr. Qadri's lawyer said a videotape supported Mr. Qadri's claim.

At the time Mr. Yorty was a probationary officer with the Evanston police and Mr. Horemis an officer in the department. Mr. Yorty was dismissed from the police department and Mr. Horemis put on administrative leave, where he remains.

Joe Roddy, attorney for Mr. Yorty, said, "The judge's finding clearly shows the City was wrong [in dismissing Mr.Yorty]. The City did that because of the publicity. He was a fine young man and a veteran of the Bosnian conflict."

The City eventually settled a civil lawsuit with Mr. Qadri for an undisclosed amount of money.

A statement from the Evanston Police Department said in part, "When the Evanston Police Department brought the complaint of Mr. Sayyid Qadri to the attention of the Special Prosecutions Unit of the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, in March of 2004, the department was instructed to wait until the criminal action was over before initiating an internal investigation.

"Now that the criminal court action has been completed, the Evanston Police Department will begin its internal investigation into the matter."