Getting God--and Other Topics--in the Classroom

More than 15 years ago, Susan Beatty struggled to educate her children at home by piecing together teachings from the Bible and various textbooks. Resources for Christian parents like Beatty at the time were limited and tough to find, the Anaheim mother said.

Now Christian educational materials are big business, from Bible spelling books to CD-ROMs to online services for home-schoolers. And Beatty has found a living in the industry as well, organizing book fairs and workshops to help parents sort through the multitude of educational goodies before them.

“The wealth of information that’s now out there is overwhelming,” said Beatty, also the co-founder of the Christian Home Educators Assn., which is holding its 14th annual home-school convention at the Disneyland Hotel.

The three-day event begins this evening, with 200 booths and dozens of workshops. Many of the sessions might be seen at any educational gathering: teaching phonics, preparing teens for college. Others are clearly unique to this group’s interests: “Teaching Christ-Centered California History,” for example, or “Home Schooling vs. Discipleship.”

Beatty’s conviction that religion needed to be an integral part of her children’s schooling led her to help form the Christian Home Educators Assn. in 1982. Working out of her kitchen, she began by contacting about 35 other home-schooling parents in California, and swapping teaching methods and book titles with them.

“God’s name is completely banned at the public schools,” Beatty said. “Nothing is based on biblical teachings.”

She also prefers home schooling for safety and teaching family values, she added.

“Very little takes place at home anymore. But 100 years ago, we relied on the family for everything,” Beatty said. “You earned your wages at home. You died at home. It’s the parents’ responsibility to educate their children, because I know no one will care for my child as best as I can.”

The first Christian Home Educators convention, which drew about 1,100 people, aimed to enlist more home-schoolers. Last year, it drew 6,000, Beatty said, and an equal number are expected this year.

Home schooling is legal in every state, but California has the most lenient rules. Parents need only file an affidavit to become an independent school, and instruction must be by someone capable in teaching in English.

The U.S. Department of Education estimates that there are up to 700,000 home-schooled children--up from 15,000 in 1970. The National Home Education Research Institute in Oregon, however, estimates that there are as many as 1.3 million children educated by their parents.

Brian Ray, a researcher with the institute, has found that home-schooling parents spend an average of $550 per child on educational materials each year. This has created a $700-million industry, he estimated.

Products targeting the Christian home-schooler are proliferating, said Sandy Gogel, who runs a Costa Mesa-based mail-order business of home-teaching equipment. Although the reasons for why parents home-school their children are vast, Gogel said about 80% of her clients choose to do so to emphasize religion in their children’s education.

There are spelling books with biblical terms and handwriting tablets with Christian proverbs for children to copy. Books on creationism abound, rejecting evolution and describing God’s creation of the natural earth, the Grand Canyon, and how dinosaurs are used to lure children away from the Bible. And there are history books discussing God’s role in building the United States and information on Christian principles in government.

The Christian Home Educators convention is open to the public. This evening’s events are free; there is a registration fee of about $50 per day Saturday and Sunday.