One family finds 'life is just a little simpler'

Like most Las Vegas families during the school year, the Tietjens begin their day around 7 a.m.

Jill Tietjen, her husband, Mike, and their three sons -- Zach, 9; Tim, 11; and Sam, who is almost 3 -- rush around the house preparing for the day.

They're usually out the door by 8.

But as most students head toward neighborhood schools, Jill Tietjen and her three children head for the one-room schoolhouse attached to their garage.

Built last year as part of the main house, the 12-foot by 15-foot schoolhouse comes equipped with air conditioning, a sink and a seemingly endless stream of school supplies.

As with any other classroom, the walls are covered with colorful academic paraphernalia -- multiplication tables, the Bill of Rights, the American flag, a list of common computer terms and a cartooned alphabet for the preschooler.

Inside the brightly lit room, Zach and Tim hop onto stools, scoot up to the large activity counter running through the center of the room, open their Bibles and wait for instruction from mom.

Sam, the preschooler, rides his tricycle across the linoleum floor, stops just before a stool, parks the vehicle and climbs onto a chair. There he finds on the counter a gooey blob of orange paint waiting for him.

Zach is in the third grade and Tim is in the sixth. Their school day begins with prayer and, when remembered, the Pledge of Allegiance. After prayer they begin with the day's agenda, starting with English.

It may seem quiet in the schoolhouse with just the four of them, especially compared to the average of 35 Clark County students who crowd into each classroom at the public schools. But Zach and Tim say they wouldn't want it any other way.

Tim, who's working diligently through his morning English lesson, says he feels sorry for his friends and others who attend conventional school but rarely see their parents because of conflicting schedules.

The lack of quality family time was the deciding factor that led the Tietjens two years ago to take Zach and Tim out of a local Christian school and teach them at home, Jill Tietjen said.

"With home schooling, life is just a little simpler. It slows down the pace," she said. Between homework, sports and long work schedules, the family's time together was brief, she added.

"Homework only repeats what they've learned during the day; then they'd hurry up and eat and rush off to evening activities," she recalled.

When Tietjen first heard of home schooling she was a little apprehensive. But today she is a strong advocate for the educational and ethical value of home schooling. She said putting Zach and Tim back into a public or private school will never be part of the family plan.

"It (now) just seems so unnatural to send them to school," she said. "Many of our friends home-school." She added that home schooling is also a popular trend at Northwest Christian Baptist, where they attend church.

Although Tietjen was a kindergarten and third-grade teacher with the Clark County School District, she said any parent can home-school.

"You can work it around any schedule. It only takes four to five hours a day.

"It's also a lot of work and takes a lot of perseverance. Just like parents who want to have the best clothes and best shoes for their children, when you're home-schooling you want them to have the best education."

Home issues and school issues are kept separate, she added. A cap left off the toothpaste tube is never brought up in the schoolhouse, nor is a poor grade brought up in the home.

Tietjen designs a weekly syllabus for her children with the Bible being the core of their curriculum.

"All of our teaching comes directly from the Bible except for math. You can learn everything from the Bible ... English and history.

"Teaching around the Bible is something people did 100 years ago," Tietjen added. "Everything comes full circle."

Even their school books, which were purchased at a Christian Home School Convention in San Diego, reflect God's word. Their history book is titled "The Light and the Glory For Children: Discovering God's Plan For America from Christopher Columbus to George Washington."

"We're going to finish up chapter one in "Light and the Glory," Tietjen says, with a teacher-like authority. "Who can tell me where we left off yesterday?"

She reads aloud as the boys follow along: "Columbus wanted to treat them kindly and to teach them about Jesus ..."

When stopping to review the chapter, equal emphasis is placed on historical fact and interpretive divine inspiration. "In listing events, remember to say the main thing: Who gave Christopher Columbus the idea?"

"God," Zach said.

Using complete sentences, Zach and Tim write down their answers in colored pencil. When each lesson is finished, their work is saved in a portfolio that records their academic progress.

Tietjen said her children learn best through writing exercises and different experiences rather than multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank tests.

The individual attention provides a better opportunity to understand her children's strengths and weaknesses, she said.

"You just figure out your kids and decide what works best for them," she said. "They learn so much faster this way.

"If they pick something up right away, you can just move on, whereas if you have an entire class, you have to make sure Johnny and the 27 others catch on." The indivualized pacing also allows for spending more time with problem areas.

Tietjen added that the quality one-on-one instruction and disciplined study time eliminates the need for homework later in the day.

The kids may seem isolated during the day, but the Tietjens follow the same calendar as the school district. This keeps them on a schedule with neighbor children and other friends.

On Fridays the Tietjens attend field trips and physical education activities with other home-school families.

Tietjen added that some of the neighbors who have seen her setup went the home-school route this year.

"I think it's like anything else -- you have a big fear until you see someone else doing it," she said.

Tietjen said the free time with neighbor children, friends and other home-school kids provides socialization for the children. She's aware that inadequate socialization is a common criticism of home schooling.

"It's a poor excuse if you're throwing your kids into public schools to be with other kids," she said. "Our children are really smart, but they're not worldly. That's our choice right now."

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