http://www.globalscholar.com/blog/130/us-olympians-and-homeschooling/
August 7, 2008 – 12:23 pm
Young U.S. Olympians have a very busy schedule and often devote the majority of their days to training, leaving little time for much else, including school. To strengthen their intellect, many U.S. Olympians opt for homeschooling or online instruction to keep up with their education.
Serena and Venus Williams, two of the biggest names in Tennis, are both shining examples of homeschooled Olympians. Both grew were withdrawn from middle school and taught at home by their father, Richard Williams.
Their education included giving speeches at local schools and focusing on the basic subjects, such as math, science, English, and social studies. Venus graduated in 1997 with a 3.9 GPA.
Thomas Finchum, 2008 U.S. diving contender, was also homeschooled. Thomas trains 5.5 hours per day, six days a week and is homeschooled at Emmaus Lutheran Middle School to keep up with his studies.
Another U.S. diver, Ariel Rittenhouse, receives her education online. She attends Halstrom International Online High School and follows the curriculum and testing requirements of a normal high school. Ariel can finish homework assignments and keep up with schoolwork while on diving trips and in-between practices.
Here are some additional athletes that opted for homeschooling over traditional school.
- • Mark Hazinski – USA Table Tennis
• Katie Hoff – USA Swimming
• Kelci Bryant – USA Diving
• Nastia Luikin – USA Gymnastics
• David Boudia – USA Diving
• Amber Trani – USA Gymnastics
In the last two years the number of homeschooled students increased from 850,000 to nearly 2 million. As more and more parents pull their children out of school and back into the home, they are networking for resources and educational materials.