Words that certainly will encourage all of us who chose to educate our children at home … but not so encouraging to the public school system:
“If you want your child to get the best education possible, it’s actually more important to get him assigned to a great teacher than to a great school.” This quote is from Bill Gates’ January 2009 annual letter from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a group that has spent billions of dollars trying to improve education. Mr. Gates also notes that overall, only 71 percent of children graduate from public high schools within four years. His conclusion is that America’s schools are doing a poor job.
He went on to say that most of the schools helped by his foundation fell short of their goals in trying to increase college-ready graduation rates. A few schools, however, achieved amazing results. Typically, they were charter schools in low-income areas where the administrators were able to pick their own teachers and curriculum. Most states do not require charter school teachers to be certified.
A flexible schedule and creative programs provided by adults who have a vested interest in how the child is educated is a recipe for success and the case parents who educate at home have been making for decades. For the most part, government education authorities uphold the benefits of certification, but great teachers are those who can communicate to the student the subject matter in a way that explains the content, and also demonstrates a sincere desire for the child to learn and be a good person. (from article by J. Michael Smith, HSLDA)
It is both refreshing and encouraging to find that many in the public school realm are realizing what a great job that Parent Teachers are accomplishing with their children, at home, and in their own way.
