12 October 2008 A View from Inside: A Homeschooled Teacher in a Public School Classroom
I remember it well. The years have not diminished the memory of the night I decided to homeschool. I was a recently certified teacher with a brand new husband and a teaching job in a suburban elementary school.
That night I finished reading Child Abuse in the Classroom by Phyllis Schlafly. In her book, Ms. Schlafly highlighted the alarming trend of secular ideology and practice—tolerance, relativism, values clarification—being shoved down the throats of unsuspecting school children (without parental knowledge or approval) during the late 70’s and early 80’s. (Bill Muehlenberg of CultureWatch has done an outstanding review of Child Abuse in the Classroom here.) The things I read about the agenda of secular education fueled my growing concerns about a profession that I had worked hard to prepare for. In a moment of clarity, all that I had learned, observed, and experienced during my years of preparation for the teaching profession suddenly seemed to collide with everything I believed to be true. Ironically, the revelation did nothing to diminish my desire to teach. Rather, in that moment, I knew that my own children would never step foot in a public school. And they haven’t…until now.
After 13 years of home education and 3 years in university classrooms as an education major, Darcy, my oldest, is now spending every day as a student teacher in a public school classroom. And not surprisingly, she’s beginning to experience the same conflict of ideology that I experienced almost 25 years ago. Like me, it has resulted in a strengthened desire to make a difference in the lives of the children she teaches. But ultimately she has also concluded that when she has children, they will never step foot in a public school classroom. So what has this homeschooler turned public school teacher learned about public education during her time in the classroom?
- Public schools don’t really do a great job of socializing children. Put a perfectly polite, obedient child in classroom full of chatty, disobedient, and disrespectful children and watch the socialization process begin to work its magic. In just a few weeks, in terms of behavior, the “good” child has been socialized to “fit in” with his peers. Ironically, it doesn’t usually work the other way around.
- During a seven-hour school day, an inordinate number of hours are typically spent in classroom management, behavior management, and various other non-academic time-stealers, leaving a limited amount of time free for actual academics.
- A teacher’s time is often taken up with administrative duties—required activities that can greatly diminish the time available for actual teaching and preparation for teaching. These duties can leave teachers feeling drained and frustrated…before they ever teach a single lesson!
- The most successful students in public school are actually homeschooled students. HUH? That’s right…parental involvement in the life of a student is the single most important factor in creating success in the classroom. Any teacher will tell you that successful kids excel to the degree that they do because the home environment reinforces and expands on what is being accomplished in school, and in many cases, compensates for a less-than-optimal school experience (though teachers might not tell you that part.)
- Highly successful students are the exception in public schools. The status quo (or below) is the norm.
It’s interesting, isn’t it, that when skeptics criticize homeschooling, they often do so by raising this argument:
Children belong in government regulated schools where trained professionals are committed to, and equipped to provide for, the success of every child. Parents are not qualified to teach their own children and by choosing to homeschool, they put their children at risk of failing academically.
Increasingly, a cry is being heard calling for government regulation of homeschools. That wouldn’t be quite so ridiculous if public schools were consistently successful at educating the children they are already responsible for. But national statistics gathered by the U.S. Department of Education suggest otherwise.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in the area of math, national test results (2007) reveal that 62% of 4th grade students are at or below Basic level of achievement. In the area of reading, results reveal that 68% of 4th graders are at or below Basic achievement. In math and reading, 69% and 70% of eighth graders were at or below basic, respectively. And what exactly do those numbers mean? By definition, basic achievement denotes “partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at each grade assessed.” Listen to that again…basic achievement denotes partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficiency at the grade level assessed. That means that approximately 2/3 of all 4th and 8th grade students in U.S. public schools have only partially mastered the fundamental skills necessary for academic proficiency! And this is a national average. The achievement statistics for some states and urban districts are absolutely abysmal!
At the heart of the matter is this: statistics suggest that government-run schools staffed by qualified teachers are failing to provide the majority of their students with a basic level of proficiency in required knowledge and skills. Successful students are NOT the norm in our nation’s schools. It is absolutely appalling that anyone associated with the state-run education community should dare to suggest that a system that is failing so many children should attempt to provide oversight for anyone. Public schools really should rescue the kids trapped in their own burning building before they come looking for the little fires that might be burning in ours. |
•
Comments (4)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
18 September 2008 Are We STILL Having This Conversation?
|
My daughters are the products of homeschooling. They have not spent a single day as students in public or private school classrooms. They have had the same teacher and the same classmates every day for the last 18 years. Two have graduated and moved into "the real world" where unsocialized homeschoolers are supposed to crash and burn. I have no crashes or fires to report. My daughters are articulate, accomplished, disciplined, and socially well-adjusted. They have become normal adults.
At this point I should be able to rest on my laurels. I should never again have to justify my decision to homeschool. I did it. It worked. Right?
Apparently not.
We had dinner with a friend a few weeks ago. But not just any friend. This friend knows us, and our children, well. She’s actually a homeschooling friend, though she hasn’t homeschooled for a few years. Over dinner, we talked about a mutual friend with a daughter starting kindergarten. I guess that opened the door.
"So what are you going to do with Jimmy?"
Not understanding what she was really asking, I supplied the answer I thought she was looking for. "He’s only 4, but I’m going to start him in Kindergarten part-time this year. He seems ready. He knows his alpha…"
"No, I mean, are you going to put him in school?"
I sat for a moment in shocked silence. I had trouble finding words. I mean, come on, I've homeschooled for 18 years! Are you kidding me? "No, I’m going to homeschool him. Why would you think I would send him to school?"
"Well, you know it will be different this time. He won’t have any siblings to socialize with. It’s really important that he learn how to function in the real world and he might not get that if he’s homeschooling all alone."
I'm feeling a bit like I've been sucker punched. I can’t believe I’m having this conversation. My hubby is sitting a seat away, talking sports with her husband, blissfully unaware of my growing frustration. Are you serious? Do I really have to explain to you that school isn’t supposed to be about socialization? Do I really need to tell you that I’m not a big fan of the peer pressure bullying age segregation socialization kids get in school? And why are we even having this conversation?
Just shoot me now, okay?
Honestly, I can’t even remember how the conversation ended. I do know I chickened out and didn’t say all the things I promised myself I would say if I ever had this conversation again. I allowed my own well-ingrained social skills (I didn’t learn them in school, by the way) to win out over my gut level response. I chose not to offend my friend with the truth.
But, it’s so incredibly irritating to me that we’re still fighting this battle. Are people blind? I observe the anti-social behavior so prevalent in our youth (even our Christian youth), and wonder if this is the real world education so many think homeschooled kids are so desperately in need of. I’m convinced that there is a "head-in-the-sand" element that contributes heavily to the inability of homeschool critics to address this issue objectively.
This lack of objectivity was clearly demonstrated recently by my nephew. He teaches in a self-contained special education (behavior disorders) classroom in a public highschool. He is not a stranger to homeschooling…after all, he knows my kids and me! In his class of fifteen behaviorally challenged kids, my nephew has two students who, as he put it, are "the product of homeschooling".
"They’re in my class because they were homeschooled. They obviously never learned how to function outside of their own homes and when they had to be put in school, the only placement that worked for them was in my class. Their parents really screwed them up. I would never homeschool my kids…it’s just too risky."
My nephew couldn’t see the forest for the trees. I shouldn’t have had to point out that there were 13 kids in his class who were not homeschooled. I shouldn’t have had to remind him that if you follow his line of reasoning, it is the public school that bears the blame for the behavior problems of 87% of the kids in his class. It should have been clear to him that his logic was flawed.
But again and again, I have had this conversation with people who have checked logic and objectivity at the door. They criticize the homeschooler’s lack of socialization without thinking through what that socialization actually looks like. I guess if they admit that school-based socialization is NOT always a good thing, they open themselves up to a myriad of soul-searching questions. So rather than open that door, they close the door on the truth, stick their heads in the sand, and try to pretend that it’s the other guy who isn’t seeing things clearly.
Maybe someday they will open their eyes and brush away the sand. But until then, I guess I’ll just keep answering the question that frustrates me more than any other:
"But what about socialization?"
|
•
Comments (11)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
2 September 2008 Starting Over
This week I begin my 18th year of homeschooling. Even as I sit here typing away, I’m waiting for my 18th box of curriculum to arrive in the mail. (in the early years I NEVER would have started this late!!) In the years since we first began this journey, we’ve lived in six houses in two states. I’ve used materials from more than ten different curriculum companies and gone on more field trips than I care to count. I’ve watched two of my students go on (successfully!) to college and am about to launch the third into life beyond homeschool. With just a few credits needed to graduate, this should be a pretty easy year for us. And with that I should be done. Should be.
--Flashback--
Most people remember March 19, 2003 as the start of the “shock and awe” campaign in Iraq. We remember that date for a very different reason. Oh, it was “shock and awe” alright—but of a very different kind.
I woke up that day feeling just a teensy bit queasy. I was just a couple of days late, but that’s not all that surprising for a woman skipping merrily down the road toward “the change.” Just the same, I thought I’d better check it out. I still have the little stick that confirmed my never-imagined fears!
Yep.
Positive.
Pregnant.
So I stared at that little “+” sign, silently willing it to fade away and whispering the only thought my mind would allow. “Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no.” Of course my next thought was to call my husband, never thinking that perhaps it would be wise to prepare him for the most unexpected of news. Surprisingly, he accepted my words calmly and logically.
“No, honey. You’re not pregnant. It’s just menopause.”
It seemed at the time that I had just two options. I could allow him to enjoy his self-protective fantasy for a few days, or I could burst his bubble quickly and painlessly. I chose the latter.
“Honey, menopause causes many strange, even inexplicable signs and symptoms, but I really don’t think it causes positive pregnancy tests.”
Later that same day, the Americans dropped some really big bombs in Iraq.
--Back to the present--
So here I am. I should be starting the final lap of the homeschool phase of my life, but instead I find myself crouching at the starting line. Again. The books just arrived. Little “shock and awe” is sitting on the living room floor excitedly looking everything over, imploring me “Mommy, can you teach me now?” I really didn’t think I’d ever be here again.
13 more years of books, schedules, lesson plans, records, field trips, frustrations, and joys.
When he graduates I’ll be 58.
Is it too early for a drink?
|
•
Comments (11)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
14 March 2008 Excuse Me? Who's not Qualified?
Arby posted a great post earlier this week that elicited two responses from me. The first reaction I am accustomed to experiencing whenever I read Arby’s blog. The second reaction was not as familiar. It was by no means the first time that I laughed out loud at the hysterical writings of this funny man (and I mean that in the best way), but when I read his post I also wanted to scream. Don’t worry! I'm not mad at Arby—only at some quotes he posted in reaction to the recent California court ruling.
I’ve been hearing statements like these quite a bit lately—and, personally, it’s starting to get old. Here’s a sampling of the statements found in Arby’s post and a few other places. Oh, and by the way, the spelling and grammar errors in these statements were theirs, not mine!
“It bothers me that so many children are being taught by non-credentialled people, whether those people are their parents, or someone in a private/charter school.”
“Children have a right to a good education with credentialed teachers…”
Then let’s not forget when credentialed teacher, Katie Criss, wrote: “American citizens, together let's promote our very prestigious and notorious public school system and crusade against the leniency of home schooling that consequently will benefit our country by providing a solid education for all.” (Does Katie know what the word “notorious” means?)
And from Becky G. another misguided defender of public education, “Teachers are college educated and trained to work with children and assist them with learning. I am not. I am not unintelligent, nor am I uneducated, but I have not been trained as a teacher."
And finally, in an article posted on the NEA website entitled, “Home Schools Run by Well-Meaning Amateurs”, Dave Arnold, a public school custodian (yep, you read that right) wrote this, “So, why would some parents assume they know enough about every academic subject to home-school their children? You would think that they might leave this –the shaping of their children’s minds, careers, and futures—to trained professionals.”
The premise that only “credentialed” teachers are qualified to teach children is flawed on so many levels that I hardly know where to begin. Yet, despite its many obvious flaws, this assertion has become an extremely popular argument of both casual and “official” critics of the homeschooling movement. But a critique of the assumptions that underlie the premise very quickly reveals its faults.
Statistical and anecdotal evidence regularly point to the fact that many children are being taught by teachers who themselves are not making the grade. I had the job of reviewing tutor applications for a Chicago Public Schools "No Child Left Behind" tutoring program last year. More than 90% of the 200 applicants were certified teachers from the schools where our tutoring program was to take place. I was appalled at the lack of basic communication skills—spelling, grammar, and sentence structure—possessed by these teachers. Literally, thousands of school children in Chicago (and in many of our nation’s schools) are being taught by teachers who themselves probably never should have graduated from high school. (By the way, some day soon, this NCLB experience may become its very own post!)
Check national, state, and local student achievement statistics for yourself. Take a look at exactly how many of your state’s public school children tested at or below Basic Proficiency. Keep in mind that "basic" proficiency “denotes partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at each grade assessed.” The Chicago public schools employ almost 25,000 credentialed teachers and yet, according to the NCES, more than 80% of 8th grade students tested at or below basic proficiency in reading and more than 85% of 8th grade students tested at or below basic proficiency in math. That's right. Only 15% of CPS 8th graders have achieved better than partial mastery! The national picture is not much better.
Prospective teachers shouldn’t need to take courses in content. Most prospective teachers are fairly recent high school graduates. They should be proficient in all the content they need to teach. Of course, most of them were probably publicly schooled and may have been in the 70% of American students who are at or below basic proficiency in math and reading! In this regard, certified teachers certainly have no advantage over homeschooling parents. In "Who Is to Blame for American Teens Ignorant of History and Literature?", an excellent article discussing the failures of our current school system, Rita Kramer reveals exactly what prospective teachers are learning today.
“…a curriculum heavy on pedagogical methods and light on subject matters – a lot of emphasis on how to teach and very little knowledge of anything to teach. Curriculum has taken a back seat to methodology”.
When you evaluate the assumptions, the truth is clearly revealed. There really is no clear evidence supporting the premise that credentialed teachers have an advantage over homeschool parents in their ability to provide students with a quality education. In fact, the true advantage rests in a parent’s vested interest in her student’s future success. And Ms. Kramer takes us right to the heart of the matter.
“In the end, learning is something that takes place between teacher and child. Buildings, technology, and all the things money can buy have little to do with it. Someone who loves a subject and knows it thoroughly and can pass that knowledge and that passion on to the young is the bedrock of the learning process, starting when schooling begins and going on into young adulthood.”
You don't need a teaching degree to do that.
|
•
Comments (15)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
22 February 2008 Should "Normal" REALLY be the Goal?
Thanks to several posts on Dana's blog, I'm back on the issue of socialization. Again.
I've been giving this some thought lately in response to an article which was posted by a youth pastor from Nebraska. In his post, the Serial Youth Pastor cites lack of social skills in homeschoolers he has known as one of his arguments against homeschooling:
"Social skills usually aren’t great - again this is the norm and NOT the exception. I have witnessed this more times than I can count."
And in an article entited Homeschooling Researched, Katie Kriss writes:
"How can a parent make such a crucial decision without their child's consent to remove them from a world that is considered to be the 'norm'..."
How many times have you heard someone say,
"Well, I met this homeschool family, and frankly, they just weren't normal"?
When a youth pastor says that the majority of homeschooled teens he knows lack social skills, I wonder exactly what he means by that. I wonder by what standard he has measured these kids and found them lacking? Is it a fair measure? And more importantly, is it a right measure?
In a reply to one of his commenters, the Serial Youth Pastor gives an indication of exactly how he measures the social skills of the kids in his youth group. He says, "I do think the ones that have better social skills do blend in." Blend in? With whom?
Think about the social climate of the youth culture around us. Have you sat in the food court in a shopping mall and watched teens lately? Have you watched kids at a schoolbus stop? I've had the "privilege" of working as a substitute teacher in our local public school. It is abundantly clear that the way for a child to "blend in" in this setting is to be disrespectful, rude, and disinterested. Is this behavior normal? Well--yes--it is normal. In today's youth culture, it is normal. And it's disturbing.
And here's my point.
Kids who are not fully immersed in this culture WILL be different. They will NOT blend in. And I'm not sure that's a bad thing. I'm not concerned that people continue to raise the socialization question. I AM concerned that these people insist that the social culture of today's youth is the standard by which all children should be measured.
Youth culture in our country is in serious trouble.
We need a lot more kids who are not "normal".
|
•
Comments (9)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
18 February 2008 A Change of Plans
I was working on a post for today. However, I read something this morning that changed my plans. And I know you'll enjoy this WAY more than what I had planned!!
In the mood for a little Shakespeare? Dana over at Principled Discovery has written a Eulogy for Homeschooling which will just make your day! Whatever you do, be sure to link to the article which convinced Dana that homeschooling is on its way to the grave.
So head on over to Principled Discovery and...ENJOY
And then if you get a chance, come back and share your thoughts!
|
•
Comments (3)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
13 February 2008 Carnival of Homeschooling:Cabin Fever Edition
The Carnival of Homeschooling is up. It's been awhile since I've had the chance to "do the carnival", but I'm happy to say that I'm finally back!
Eric Novak over at The Voice of Experience is hosting this week's Carnival and it's a great one. Check it out here!
It's definitely still winter and many of us have had to make the best of some really yucky weather in the last number of weeks. So kick back and enjoy the 110th Edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling: The Cabin Fever Edition.
While you're over there, be sure to take a look around Eric's blog! He's a very wise young man! I really enjoy reading his blog!
For more information about the Carnival of Homeschooling click HERE!
|
•
Comments (2)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
10 February 2008 Give Me a Break!!
I've been desribed as a defender of homeschooling. The description makes me proud. I love defending what I believe in.
But, you may have noticed that my posts haven't been particularly defensive of late. Until this. This woman just REALLY got me mad.
When I stumbled on "Why I Would Never Homeschool My Children", I read it knowing from the title that I would probably get mad. I never expected to be this mad!! After reading her out-of-touch diatribe against homeschooling, I couldn't help myself. I started typing a response. She'll probably never read it, but it felt good just writing it!
So go take a look at this woman's ridiculous arguments, then come back and tell me what YOU think!
Here's what I would say to her if I had the opportunity:
Your arguments, largely based on your personal opinion, simply do not hold water.
I've homeschooled for 17 years. I am also a teacher. But what qualifies me to teach my children is not that I am a teacher, but that I am a mom. Trust me, having been both a public school teacher AND a homeschooler, I know this to be true. No matter how good the training and the education of the teacher, no one knows your children better than you do. In order to effectively teach every student in her classroom, a teacher must be able to discern the personality, learning style, family dynamics, emotional needs, psychiatric diagnoses and quirks of every single child in her classroom. In one year's time, that is simply not possible. For this reason, children—many children—slip through the academic cracks in school classrooms every year. It simply cannot be avoided in a classroom where one teacher is responsible for the academic welfare of 20-30 children—many of whom have varying degrees of special needs.
As a teacher, I know that the bulk of a teacher's day is spent managing the classroom, not teaching children. Educators estimate that during the average 7 hour schoolday, less than 2 hours are spent in actually teaching/learning activities. Again...been there, done that.
Now…on to the ever popular socialization question! The truth is, the social environment that exists in the average classroom, and that you speak so highly of, is not a healthy one. The social environment present in the school environment places value on the popular, the strong, and the likeable. MANY children who do not fit that bill become, at best, invisible to their peers. At worst, these children become victims of the cruelty of their peers. I do not deny that socialization is an important part of childhood. But just like I wouldn't entrust a child who is just learning to ride a bike with the task of teaching my child to ride a bike, I also won't entrust the task of socializing my child to a classroom full of children who are equally uncivilized unsocialized. Can you say, "Blind leading the blind?" On this I could say MUCH more...but for the sake of time, I'll move on.
Another reason you would never homeschool your children is that you think that homeschoolers live in boxes where diversity does not exist. First of all, the truth is MANY children in this country are educated in schools where there is very little diversity--culturally, economically, or otherwise. In fact, in terms of age, the school classroom is about the least diverse environment you will ever find. Would you call spending all day, every day in the company of children one's own age an experience in diversity? Where in life will that ever happen again? I would contend that the average homeschooler experiences at least as much diversity as the average publicly schooled child—and in many cases—more. It is not uncommon to hear of homeschool families engaging in cross-cultural missions trips, working in community soup kitchens, volunteering in nursing homes, etc. Most homeschool parents regularly seek out experiences that will prepare their children for life in our world.
You based most of your arguments on your own personal opinions and on a few observations that you have made of homeschoolers that you know (or at least have seen). But for every homeschooled child you observed practicing bad behavior, I will show you at least one publicly educated child practicing the exact same behavior. Are there biased, bigoted homeschool families? Yes. Are there biased, bigoted public school families? Again, yes. If you aren’t going to blame a public school child’s behavior on their public school experience, then please don’t blame a homeschooled child’s behavior on the homeschool experience.
And give me a break with the "I have seen a home schooled child get, shall we say in a snit, at an athletic event when they were not allowed to be first up to bat.” Do you actually expect your readers to believe that you have witnessed that behavior only in homeschooled children? And this one “At home, that child was first up for everything and had no concept that there were other children at that game who deserved equal consideration." You've got to be kidding me! Most homeschool families have multiple children. How can any one of those children be first up for everything? They live with other children every day who deserve, and demand, equal consideration. And homeschool moms certainly don't have the time, or energy, to make any one of her children feel like the center of her universe 24/7!
So before waxing eloquent about why you wouldn't homeschool, I would suggest that you do a bit more research and a lot more observation.
Sweeping generalizations just don't cut it in this argument!
|
•
Comments (18)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
4 February 2008 It's About the Money
This is the story of a family that is homeschooling...by default. It's an unbelievable story reported by the Chicago Tribune. Here's a brief synopsis.
Sebastian is a six-year-old first grader who lives with his single, divorced mother in Homewood, IL, a suburb of Chicago. His mother, who has legal custody of Sebastian, is a neonatal transport nurse who works 12-hour nightshifts several times a week. On the nights when his mother works, Sebastian sleeps at his grandmother's house in another suburb. Then in the morning, either his father or his grandmother drive him to school, or on occassion, to the bus stop near his house in Homewood.
According to district officials, Sebastian told "someone at school that he doesn't live in town, he just comes to school here". After an investigation which began back in October, and evidently did not involve questioning the boy's parents, the district removed Sebastian from school on December 10th. He has not been allowed to return. Authorities in Beecher, IL, where Sebastian's dad lives, will not allow Sebastian to attend school there, because his dad is not the "residential parent". And Homewood WILL NOT back down. Never mind the fact that Sebastian spends the majority of his nights at home with his mother in a Homewood house owned by his tax-paying great-grandmother. Never mind that the reason he doesn't sleep in Homewood every night is that his mother is a hard-working single mother. Never mind that the Illinois State Board of Education bases residency on the parent who has legal custody. Never mind logic.
So Sebastian is being homeschooled while his parents try to force his school district to give him an education.
Unbelievable.
If this was just an individual case, it would be just that, an unbelievable story.
But this story is important for a much bigger reason. In fact, Homewood's seemingly illogical stand is somewhat justified. Parents all over the country are violating residency rules and attempting to cheat their way into good schools and school districts. Homewood alone removes 20-25 "border jumpers" from their schools each year. In this case the parents weren't cheating. Sebastian should be a student at Willow School in Homewood. But he got caught in the big net created to catch kids whose parents are just trying to get them a decent education.
Sebastian's misfortune simply highlights one of the biggest flaws in our government-run school system. And one of the reasons that MANY Americans homeschool!
Parents want their kids to receive a good education. That's not too much to ask of a system that gobbles up millions of our tax dollars every year, is it? But as illogical as it may seem, in a consumer-driven economy which thrives on competition, when it comes to the education of our children, we quietly accept mediocrity without demanding something better. Parents watch helplessly, year after year, as inept administrators and educators take their hard-earned money, and with it, completely fail their children. It's ridiculous.
The solution is a simple one. Give parents a choice. Let schools (and businesses that cater to homeschoolers) compete for our tax dollars. Instead of forcing the child to follow the tax dollars, let's let the tax dollars, in the form of vouchers, follow the child. Bad schools will die for lack of business, just like a store with bad management or a restaurant with lousy service inevitably dies. And a school that consistently serves its customers well, will not only survive, but will thrive. Kids will be the big winners. Sounds logical doesn't it?
So why do educators, and the politicians who they support, consistently, and loudly, block legislation that would bring competition to our nation's schools?
It's simple.
It's ALL about the money.
|
•
Comments (13)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
17 December 2007 A Happy Homeschooler's Christmas Wishes
Over the last several months, I have read The Bitter Homeschooler's Wish List a number of times. As a self-proclaimed homeschool apologist (my daughter says I'm a homeschool activist!), I have greatly enjoyed (and agreed with!) most everything expressed by this bitter homeschooler.
However, in the spirit of Christmas I decided to create my own list...same idea...just a little bit less bitter! As homeschoolers, we often rub shoulders with those who are curious, those who are downright skeptical, and those who are truly interested. Here's what I wish for my interactions with all of them:
- Please ask me how my children came to be such pleasant, polite, and happy children.
- Please stop my children and ask them how much they LOVE being homeschooled. And go ahead, ask if they want "go to school". I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by their answer!
- Please ask me about the MANY different homeschooling methods that can be employed by homeschooling families! But do so cautiously, you just might find a method that fits you!
- Please judge homeschooling on it's MANY merits rather than on it's occasional downsides.
- Please investigate the MANY reasons given for choosing to homeschool. You might even find a reason why YOU should homeschool!
- Please believe that making the decision to homeschool is a difficult one and that few homeschoolers make the decision lightly.
- Please understand that a parent's relationship with her (or his) children uniquely qualifies her to be her children's teacher. With this relationship comes a great ability to discern a child's unique needs. A mother's love for her children also gives her the patience to find the BEST way to teach them.
- Please ask me how much algebra I remembered before I started teaching my children. Then ask me why that didn't keep me from being a good algebra teacher.
- Please ask about all the opportunities that homeschoolers have to engage in learning outside the home.
- Please ask me where you can learn more about the laws of homeschooling in your state so that you will know how easy it is to homeschool in most states.
- Please ask me how much I love being my children's teacher.
- Please remember that children have unique personalities which occur in spite of how they are educated.
- Please base your opinions of my children on who they are as people...not on how they are being educated.
- Please assume that I am just like you.
- Please be willing to at least consider homeschooling as an option for your own children.
- Please remind me to be as gracious to you regarding your educational choices as I have asked you to be regarding mine!
- And finally, however you choose to educate your children, please have a wonderful Christmas!!
|
•
Comments (6)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
|
Stumble It!
