Bright, healthy and happy are adjectives every parent hopes to apply to their children.
For Brenda and David Brunson, that is reality times four. The Brunson children are 23-year-old Katie, Amanda, 20, Judy, 17, and Brian, 11.
This summer, two of their bright, healthy and happy children are paying extra dividends to mom and dad.
Amanda has received a scholarship to study abroad through the International Business Program at Angelo State in San Angelo, Texas where she will be a junior this fall. She is spending 32 days in Scotland, London and Nice.
And on June 13, Judy leaves for Washington, D. C. As a result of an essay she wrote, she will participate in the Government in Action Youth Tour. Her all-expense-paid trip is sponsored by Central Valley Electric Cooperative. For 12 days, she will join 1,500 other young people to learn about American history in the nation’s capital.
It’s enough to make any parent proud. And although she doesn’t look for recognition or pat herself on the back, Brenda Brunson is largely responsible.
Of the four Brunson children, only Katie attended "school." After Katie’s third year in public school, David and Brenda Brunson decided to homeschool their offspring. Mrs. Brunson says, "Our desire was for our children to have a Christian education, and we were spending three hours at night anyway."
Although both Brunsons have degrees from New Mexico State University, Brenda Brunson says educating her own children was more difficult than she thought. At that time, a college degree was required to teach one’s children at home. Today, New Mexico allows parents with high school diplomas to homeschool.
Before their first homeschool attempt, with Katie, the Brunsons drove to Albuquerque for a homeschool convention to look into curriculum. Brenda Brunson says maybe 100 people attended that year. Now they see more than 1,000 people at the convention when they attend. "We have ordered materials, but it is better to look at them at the convention," says Brunson.
The increase of parents teaching at home is confirmed at the website, Homeschooling Online Today, which states that homeschooling is growing at a rate of at least 15 percent a year. A researcher with the U. S. Department of Education estimates that the number of children homeschooled today is between 500,000 and 750,000.
In the Brunson family, Brenda does most of the teaching. She uses a core curriculum of reading, math, science and history. If she sees a weakness, she gives extra help in that area. She says, "Each child has strengths in different areas, and I teach where their gifts lie. Judy is artistic, so art and music were added to her curriculum." Judy has drawn cartoons for the Artesia Daily Press and plays the piano.
Brunson describes Amanda as more interested in business and economics, so studies were added for her in that direction. Amanda followed that interest to major in business and marketing at Angelo State.
She says Katie’s strength was writing, so every year a writing course was added to her schedule. Katie is now with Yates Petroleum Corp., having just been promoted to Assistant Environmental Coordinator.
Of her track record with homeschooling, Brenda Brunson reiterates, "One thing causing it to be successful is that we’re able to teach the basics, and then load the schedule where they seem to be gifted. They get to try a lot of different things."
After the basics are covered in the morning, the remainder of the day is devoted to extra-curricular activities, such as music and art. Also, husband David, spends time with them at the family business, Brunson Boots, to give them "hands on" experience in how to deal with people and money.
The family follows the Artesia school system calendar, with Amanda and Katie both graduating a few months early. "I got out of high school a semester early, too," says Mrs. Brunson.
The children are also tested with the same achievement tests APS uses, including standardized tests in grades four, six, and eight. The Brunson children fall into the 90 percentile range.
Those tests won’t be required of homeschoolers after this month. However, Brunson says, "I’m a certified tester. I like to look and see how they are doing. And I watch them everyday, I don’t have 30 kids to keep up with."
Some of her biggest supporters, notes Brunson, have been good school teachers, who admit that there are problems with the system. "They see that we are not enemies and we all want the best for the children," she says.
Asked most frequently of homeschoolers is how the children are socialized. In the Brunsons’ case, it comes from their church, city sports leagues, 4-H and other community activities, like those sponsored by MainStreet and the Chamber.
Recently in 4-H, Judy made a pair of boots, and a leather bootjack with the handtooled insignia of BB on it. Brian has raised a dairy goat and also worked on leather crafts.
Would Brenda Brunson take the education path less traveled again if she had it to do over? She replies, "It is not easy. It takes a lot of time, commitment and energy. I would do it again - but I will really be ready to retire after Brian. It will be about 20 years."
In an age when many youths show little respect for anything, Judy Brunson believes firmly and declares happily in her teenage vernacular, "My parents are pretty awesome!"
Then, mom gives a hint to their family’s success in educating their children at home when she smiles and says, "Our family laughs a lot. Life is so short, we enjoy every bit of it."