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Should Homeschooling be Illegal?
The California Court of Appeals recently decided a case which could have a major impact on the legality of homeschooling in California, and perhaps all over the U.S. The ruling involved the statutes that mandate - quite reasonably - that all children in California be taught only by persons with the state teaching credentials to do so.
The problem is that most homeschoolers are parents with no real training or credentials. Then that's illegal!, the court ruled, thus jeopardizing the status of most of the 166,000 homeschooled children in that state.
"California courts have held that...parents do not have a constitutional right to homeschool their children," said the ruling. "Parents have a legal duty to see to their children's schooling under the provisions of these laws." If adopted nationally, it could signal the end of homeschooling in this country
I think we all can agree that teaching is so important it shouldn't be left to amateurs and that children deserve the finest quality instruction we as a society can provide them. Additionally, this is a very important issue because it touches on an essential conflict: the proper role of the government in children's education and upbringing versus parents' rights to raise their children as they see fit.
Let's delve into this fascinating dispute a little deeper.
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I have cared for about 10 families who homeschooled their kids (at least for a while). Here are two that exemplify why this is such a difficult issue for me to reconcile.
The Morgans were a wonderful, loving, and talented family. Both parents were accomplished professionals, but the mom decided to drop out and homeschool their three kids until college. She seemed to be gifted at it. They would tell me of field trips, of studying at their own pace, of how interesting and fun she made everything. After school hours, they had rich social lives and, they told me, didn't miss being around their pals during the day (which was my big concern). All three kids went on to excellent colleges and, to my eye, seemed like well-adjusted, accomplished kids.
The Beckers were a very close knit, very religious family. They were quite suspicious of the outside world (myself included), full of sin and temptation and false prophets as it was. They worried mightily at the corrupting influence of the school environment on their kids. So they chose to homeschool their four children. As far as I could tell, much of their curriculum was focused on religious teachings and values. "Really," the mother once confided in me, "I have no use for science and they only really need as much arithmetic as it takes to know how to pay their bills." One of the kids did eventually go to a junior college; the others joined the family business, but all remained socially isolated and, as far as I could tell, had little interest in the world outside their parents' domain.
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Those two families explain why I'm so ambivalent about homeschooling. On one hand, if parents are themselves talented and choose to homeschool for the "right" reasons (e.g., to instill a love of learning, to share the family experience, to promote emotional closeness. because they feel they can do a better job of it), I've seen homeschooling succeed magnificently.
On the other hand, if it's done for the "wrong" (at least in my biased opinion) reasons (e.g., because of paranoia about exposure to the real world, to limit the child's knowledge to a few narrow precepts, to avoid outside social interactions), then I've seen homeschooling stunt the socioemotional, academic, and intellectual growth of children who, in my opinion, desperately could have used a "parentectomy" during the day to allow them to transcend their parents' narrow views and ambitions.
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In 2003, there were approximately 1.1 million homeschooled kids in the U.S. The reasons parent gave for homeschooling included concern about the school environment (31%), to provide religious and moral instruction (30%), dissatisfaction with the academic instruction of schools (16%), and the child has special needs (14%). What (I hope you are asking) do studies tell us about the functioning of these kids?
Surprisingly, there has been very little research but that which has been done tends to look more like the Morgans than the Beckers. For example, their average math and reading scores were in the top quarter. (These data, however, are questioned because the test was voluntary, meaning that perhaps only high functioning homeschooled kids agreed to be tested.) Those that apply to college tend to have higher SAT and ACT scores than the traditionally schooled.
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Excuse me, so where's the problem here? Aside from the legal question of instruction by a licensed professional (no small matter), here are the arguments of homeschooling detractors:
- The children are being denied important socialization experiences.
- The academic quality is often incomplete, excluding important subjects (like the Beckers and science).
- The parents often advocate an extreme religious or social agenda.
- It diverts much-needed money from the public schools.
- The "parallel society" of the homeschool is incompatible with the state interest in social cohesion and harmony (as the judge in the California case wrote: . "A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare.").
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So, was the court correct? Shouldn't all kids be taught by credentialed teachers? If we open the door for just anybody to teach our children, how can we ensure they are not exploited by incompetents and zealots, as some have surely been?
I've tried, as best I can, to lay out the complexity of this issue and my own mixed feelings, based on my history with the Morgans and the Beckers. Still - and with some misgivings - I've decided that homeschooling should not be illegal, that it is more often than not a good experience for children, and that parents should have the right to responsibly take on the education of their kids if they so choose.
I want to emphasize the word "responsibly." Each state has its own standards (some are tight, others abysmally lax) on what that must be taught. Parents need to be held accountable if their homeschooled kids can't cut it educationally.
Yes, the state has a compelling interest in its citizens' educations, but so too do parents have the right to raise their children without interference if that state interest is not in some way significantly violated. Until I see data to prove otherwise, I don't think homeschooling meets that threshold.
Tight regulations on home schooling - yes. Courses on how to teach for homeschooling parents - better still. An outright ban of homeschooling - not justified.
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View the ruling by the Second District Court of Appeal.
Read the statistics on homeschooling.
Review the homeschooling regulations in each state.
Read the statistics on homeschooling.
Review the homeschooling regulations in each state.
Related Topics: Technorati Tags: homeschool, school, pediatrics, health and wellness
131 Comments:
This appears to be a call for a regression to the mean. I fully agree that homeschooling permits both good and bad outcomes, but why aim for the middle, especially when it means intruding on the rights of parents and children?
I am not a licensed teacher, and neither is my spouse. We both have advanced degrees, and have experience teaching in public schools in Japan for several years. I current teach in a university, and have taught courses to teachers seeking certification, and published on issues of learning and teaching. I think I can make a reasonable case that I'm a decent teacher; why would I submit myself for examination and permission to make choices about education for my child?
Though it may have the same outcome, I have less concern over testing students. If it is determined that citizenship requires a certain degree of literacy, I don't see why students shouldn't be required to submit to annual examinations to ensure that they are making some form of progress. But the state should not exclusively determine how children must be educated.
As for loyalty and patriotism, I will raise my children to be as skeptical of these ideas as they are about a range of claims of faith. There is a place for this, but my ideal of citizenship requires substantial skepticism of authority, and I somehow doubt that is the kind of citizenship education California mandates.
If homeschooling is OK, where do we draw the line? Why then can't a child go to a school where none of the 'teachers' are credentialed or qualifid? How about a friendly neighbor who wants to start her own school for 5 neighborhood kids? Why not allow a religious school that only teaches creationsim and not evolution? I'm a big believer in public education for all and I think homeschooling is not in anyone's or our society's best interests.
What I don't understand is why there seems to be an assumption that parents won't educate their children "responsibly." If there is cause to believe they are not, we may have an issue. But we do not submit the general public to random drug searches, nor to menu approval because of the importance of these issues.
I am a big supporter of an educated public. I do not believe that we can mandate a specific model for that to be attained. Nor do I believe that public school is an adequate model. It has too many failures, mostly related to other social ills...predominantly parents who are not interested in the education of their children. If parental involvement is the single most important determiner of educational success in the classroom, why are we suddenly suspicious of homeschoolers?
Anyway, I wrote more about it on my blog for anyone interested.
If other countries can manage home schooling with a bit of control added, why can't we? In Europe, some countries have school inspectors that visit regularly, others have exams to check on progress and, in some cases, if the results aren't up to scratch two times in a row, the children are obliged to go to standard mainstream school. It's a safety net.
Parents will teach the religious and political ideas they want to whether or not the children are home schooled - let's just make sure that they get the essentials of education along with that.
Finally, I feel that home schooling special needs children should only happen in extreme situations. Keeping Down Syndrome children (for example) at home is giving them a huge handicap. They can fit in well in mainstream (with a bit of help), it helps to be in a social situation for them - the more they're stimulated the better their results - and other children benefit from their presence, learning that we're all different, tolerance, etc.
There is no clear cut, one size fits all solution...
Parents need to be held accountable if their homeschooled kids can't cut it educationally.
Can we hold public schools accountable for producing kids who can't cut it educationally?
I believe it should be the parent or parents decision to homeschool,but,I also believe that the state should regularly test the children to be sure they are learning and getting the education that they need.
Can we hold public schools accountable for producing kids who can't cut it educationally?
Sure, if they're judged under the same circumstances. Do you really think public schools would produce kids who can't cut it educationally if each teacher only had 2 or 3 students each?
I homeschool my child because he had a horrible experience with public school. He loves to learn and could read long before kindergarten. He started school and I was called everyday with complaints about his behavior. He has ADHD and no one wanted to help him. The principal told me she thought he was a sociopath! He spent the next week ill at home completely overwhelmed from his time in school. I pulled him out and I homeschool him. He is far beyond his peers and is doing fine. If I had a sampling of typical licensed teacher then I don't wish for any more.
The wonderful thing about this country is that we are free. I will homeschool my son because it is my constitutional right. My son thanks me daily for it.
I have four children and never dreamed of homeschooling until my middle son, who is 12, hit middle school. He, too, is a 504 student because of eyesight issues and ADD. I spent all of the first semester at the school, at least 2 times a week, for behavior issues as well as academic. I met with his team of teachers about 4 times in that timeframe. He still failed 2 subjects so I took him out the beginning of the 2nd semester. I am a college graduate and feel more than adequate to teach. Plus, i have the help of retired teachers who live across the street, in case I get into trouble. This has been a pleasureable experience and we intend to continue homeschooing next year. My younger two still plan on attending public school. The government does not need to overplay its role in our lives. I am a strong christian, deeply loyal to out country so all they wrote is bogus. You can't have it both ways. Homeschooling usually indicates a parents' strong desire to make sure their children are educated properly.
Doctor, You have touched all the right notes. My wife and I are licensed teachers. I, too, have known both outstanding and marginal homeschoolers. (Today I am an attorney concerned in part with the nexus of parents rights vs. the State.)
You referred to your own ambivalence, and therein lies a clue:
THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE FOR THE GOVERNMENT. The state requires children to be educated. But it should not intrude itself into every private citizen's life. As the US Supreme Court is so fond of saying, there is nothing more sacred than the right of a parent to his children.
Can we hold public schools accountable for producing kids who can't cut it educationally?
Sure, if they're judged under the same circumstances. Do you really think public schools would produce kids who can't cut it educationally if each teacher only had 2 or 3 students each?
What a strange qualifier... "if they're judged under the same circumstances"? Why? Are they ever actually teaching only 2 or 3 students in a public school classroom? It doesn't matter if professional teachers *could* teach better if they had fewer students, the reality is that they're NOT teaching only 2 or 3 students.
We homeschool our children. My wife and I both went to college and have education degrees. My wife taught in the public schools until we adopted our oldest daughter. There are many reasons we homeschool. One thing we know from our experinces is that most "licensed" public school teachers do not know your child better than you and parents can tailor the education to the childs needs. I am not against public schools nor do I think everyone should homeschool, but homeschool should not be illegal just as private and public schooling should not be illegal. I don't know about California's constitution, but I have read and studied the US Constitution and Bill of Rights and I don't find government provided schools mentioned let alone mandated as the only type of education.
"The parents often advocate an extreme religious or social agenda. "
You mean, as opposed to the extreme anti-religious and liberal agenda the public schools try to fill them with? Yeah, that's quality education at work.
It seems what we are looking is a situation of money, public schools, pricipals, and teachers feel like there are not making enough money, so they want to drag homeschooled kids into their mess. I went to public school all my life and most of it was great, so I am putting down public schooling, but look at it this way a child will listen to their parents way faster than a teacher, why do you think a homeschooled child does better academically than a public schooled child because a child or children are going to do better when parents are around.
Sooner or later, a parent's child will no longer belong to them because everyone wants to tell you what is better for your child, what to do with your child, and when to do it. As previously stated I have nothing against public schools or the rules that might apply thereafter, I am just speaking what I believe and no one is going to change my mind
I am very offended when I hear that someone has the nerve to put down a homeschooling family such as the Beckers, by listing IN YOUR OPINION the right and wrong reasons to homeschool. It is one thing to disagree with the reasons why some families choose to homeschool their children but to link the words "because of paranoia about exposure to the real world" in your WRONG REASONS (IN YOUR OPINION) that it would stunt socioemotional, academic, and intellectual growth because of religious resons is ludicrous!!!
We homeschool. Neither my husband or I have college degrees, but I do consider us to be educated people. I can see why you would have issue with families like the Beckers. We have to accept that our children will grow up and live in the real world. We cannot shield them from that forever and should not try to.
Do I believe in evolution? No. Will I teach my children about it? Yes. I think that it's a much better service to them to teach them all theories, and then the reasons why we believe as we do. It is a disservice to our children to simply leave out entire subjects because we do not agree with them. If a child has never heard of something, how are they equipped to know if it is right or wrong? How can they weigh the pros and cons and understand the consequences of their actions if they are not taught? I want my children to be able to partcipate in healthy debate and develop sound decision-making skills.
I do not want my children to ever smoke, drink or use drugs. If I don't teach them that those things go against our beliefs, how are they to know that? In a case like the Beckers, it seems that parents with the best of intentions have crippled their children educationally and limited their future choices under the misconstrued idea of protecting them.
Yes, my children will probably tackle some topics later than their public school peers, but I do not feel there is anything wrong with that. Do I think I can do a better job than the public schools can? I absolutely do, without any doubt in my mind. I can teach each of my children on their level, allow them to excel where they may and work dilligently on their weaknesses to improve them and grow. Our school day is not riddled with issues of bullying, school violence, drama and fear.
Homeschooling no longer has to be a solo activity where children suffer from lack of interaction. These days there are SO many activites available from field trips and playgroups to co-ops and dual enrollment in local colleges.
It should scare everyone in this country to think of the possibility of losing the right to choose how our children are educated. I fail to see how people who feel that homeschooling should be illegal do not understand what a slippery slope we begin to slide down when we try to take away that right.
I am greatly impressed with Amber's well thought out comment. Your children are certainly blessed to have such an insightful loving teacher.
I teach in both a public shool and for a home school group. Having no children of my own, I initally made the decision to do both for economic reasons. Absolutely there are major differences between the two, and seeing the direction our public schools have been going in lately, I have decided that home schooling or private school are the only options for my own children.
Furthermore, I completely disagee with the State of California's ruling. Many intelligent and patient people decide to study other subjects besides teaching. Some people are good teachers and others aren't, regardless of certification. Our children are an extension of ouselves, not government property. We are intellingent and educated and know what is best for our own child.
the reality is that they're NOT teaching only 2 or 3 students.
My point entirely - if a home schooled child isn't even up to minimum educational standards with a privileged situation (being in such a small "class") then they should be back in school.
The concern about homeschooling does not derive from the folks who are writing such thoughtful responses to this blog and who are dertainoly doing a good job of educating their children. But, basically, their attitude is: I do a good job. Leave us all alone!
The concern is about those homeschoolers who are not nearly so thoughtful, those who all would agree are doing a substandard job. Don't we as a society have a duty to protect children from a lousy education - be it in school or in the home?
The homeschcolers advocating a hands-off society are geing unrealistic and irresponsible.
The concern is about those homeschoolers who are not nearly so thoughtful, those who all would agree are doing a substandard job.
No, I am perfectly willing to accept that not everyone is a better teacher than the average licensed teacher. I might even accept that the majority of parents are not particularly good as teachers. The question is whether the harm caused by well-intentioned but incapable parent-teachers is severe enough to (a) encroach on people's natural rights as parents to raise their children as they see fit, and (b) deny to society the benefits of children who might be raised by particularly capable parent-teachers.
For me, there would have to be incontrovertible evidence of substantial harm to society before I would be willing to accept that it is in the polity's interest to support such measures.
Plato made a grand argument for subverting the family for the good of the state, pulling children from their homes and families to raise them according to their aptitudes. There is a good argument that this might lead to an overall benefit to the body politic and to the community, but at the cost of individuality, independence, and freedom.
Those values are precisely the ones at stake here. The case may not be as extreme as child-snatching, but it is a question of the rights of individuals and those of the state, and I think in the case of requiring only licensed teachers be permitted to teach students throws that balance way out of whack.
So after home schooling is deamed illegal by the govt where do we go. In no way are Govt schools better. After we have govt mandated health care- will I be practicing illegal medicine for wrapping a sprained ankle on my child? I mean am I really qualified to do so? The govt should be in charge of wrapping the ankle right? What a bunch of crud--I bet the California schools havent said the pledge for years, yet the judge sais govt schools are to build natioanalism and pride. If anything govt schools tear pride and nationalism down-- along with religion.
My daughter is only 8 months old right now so the decision to home school or not is still a bit down the road. However after witnessing the public school system where I currently live verses in my hometown, I have decided to at least move back before she is of school age. Why? Because the schools are virtually prisons down here. Heaven forbid if a kid gets a hole in the knee of their jeans. That's cause for detention or being sent home. Some things I understand are for the safety and well being for the whole, but some things just get taken too far. As far as the actual education goes, I happen to know of a recent high school graduate of the public school system here in Florida and she still refers to astronauts as "spacemen". She believes that things like trees and the enviroment aren't important to her future. And what really gets under my skin is the fact that she's so hateful toward the Jewish religion. And I'm not even Jewish. Maybe it's the fault of her parents. Maybe the school system. In her case it is a bit hard to tell. I just know I don't want my daughter growing up learning how to not care about the world as a whole.
I home school and am proud of it. I have always home schooled my children and it is what we choose to do. With so many people yelling about choice these days, no matter what agenda it pertains to, why do people think that the choice of homeschooling should be taken away? Are they afraid of what can be accomplished when children are allowed to learn without borders?
What people fail to remember is that the public school system has only been around for a relatively short time, around a hundred years or less. Parents home schooled their children before that, some privileged children had private tutors, which isn't much different than homeschooling today. Many public school students have to have tutors. All of my aunts and most of my cousins are public school teachers. They all support our homeschooling endeavors and encourage me to continue. Please don't think I believe everyone should home school, those that should not regrettably are the ones that people often think of when homeschooling is mentioned.
Ivy league colleges seek out homeschooling graduates. Many homeschoolers pay for testing every year for their children, this is money that comes out of their own pocket. We seek the best for our children. No matter how well intentioned public school teachers are, they are not able to teach each child to their individual learning style.
Please think on this... were these people not qualified in their fields: Martha Washington, Albert Einstein, Blaise Pascal, Dwight L. Moody, Woodrow Wilson, Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, Hans Christian Anderson, Abraham Lincoln, Abigail Adams, Clara Barton, John Quincy Adams, Will Rogers, Sally Ride, George Washington, Orville Wright, Wilbur Wright, Leonardo Da Vinci, Booker T. Washington, General MacArthur, Agatha Christie, Daniel Webster, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Stonewall Jackson, Alexander Graham Bell, Teddy Roosevelt, C.S. Lewis, Jonathan Edwards, George Washington Carver, Florence Nightingale, Patrick Henry, Pierre Curie, Pearl S. Buck, John Paul Jones. They were all homeschooled along with many other famous people.
There is a reason that homeschooling has gained so much popularity in the last twenty years. It's not because moms are too lazy to take their children to school, it's because the mother's heart is her children's schoolroom where learning is a way of life and takes place everyday and instills a love of learning that is fostered every day.
I look forward to seeing the great feats home schooled children will accomplish in the near future. Watch out because one day, maybe very soon, they may be the lawmakers.
Let me start out with my situation and the experiences that I have had. I am a nine year homeschool student age sixteen living somewhere in America. I went back to public school during my sophomore year in high school. I am currently on summer vacation after having just completed my junior year in school. So I have experience with both systems and the ways they work. Some of the things that I have to say first are going to deal with previous comments made. There is a lot of talk about the right's of people to do things in there own home. This is now becoming more evident than ever with the recent anti-socialist trends that are resurfacing all over the country. Even through this seeming paranoia of doing anything group oriented I have to agree that there is a line that must be drawn on whether or not a parent has a right to school there own child. I must also agree that the restrictions on schools as far as religion and freedom of speech are hindering the parents abilities to make the children into the adults that they want, as opposed to the adults that the school system makes of them. I've personally experienced this with kids that I used to know and there moral values going into school. Naturally they will change as time passes but such dramatic shifts are more evident to the parental units when homeschooled. I hate parental controls as much as the next person but I must say that I would be a morally weaker person without such strong enforcement from my parents.
Onto something else though, concerning the slackers in homeschools around the nation that have lawmakers shivering in their boots; There are a few key flaws with this argument. First if a parent is going to homeschool there child in the first place this requires a relative degree of money that cannot be obtained without a well paying job, USUALLY needing a college degree. Therefore in almost all homeschool enviroments there is an individual with a college degree "under there belt" who is capable of teaching there child anywhere from 1st through 12th grade material. So there's almost no way the knowledge they are teaching to there children they haven't already learned themselves. And also with the dreaded "No child left behind" program instilled into the public school systems, it's essentially impossible to fail public school if you have an IQ over ninety and show up for class every day. You don't have to try to pass, you just have to try not to fail and are usually quite capable of pulling off at least a B average. It's a despicable comment on public school but also a harsh fact. And the slackers at home will be slackers at public school as well, only it's easier there. Knowledge still comes down to williness to obtain it, and it doesn't matter where it's learned. This is what I think about the homeschool situation in America.
To Happyhomeschooling:
Not that it really matters either way, but Einstein was NOT home schooled. Maybe you should check the others on your list.
I was homeschooled from 4th grade when my parents decided they wanted better for there kids. I think there are a bunch of socialist out there trying to say that they are afraid of people that want to think for themselves.
This comes down to a couple major points in my eyes.
#1 Relgion in which they have to battle with the THEORY of evolution and the FACTS of creation. Because they don't even want a higher power to answer to besides themselves.
#2 There socialist, well really a communistic view of how society should work.
Maybe they are afriad of people that think for themselves and use common sence ( which is strongly discouraged in our schools ) in such a way to promote freedom and love for our country and what it was founded for ( they don't want you to know this either ) FREEDOM.
So they could carry on their lives as they see fit.
Maybe these socialist would be happy with everything government run? Sounds like a hilter government to me.
I am more than able to keep pace with my peers, even the college grads. And I found my self much more preparred for the " real life "if you will than all the kids I knew and played with in town.
I know I cannot force my view on anyone, so please don't force your views on me. I know this is not how it is however in the socialist's world.
I could go on for hours but I will leave you with this one thought.Thomas Edison, Yes a homeschooler. So remember to thank a homeschooler next time you turn on your lights.
That's all I think most of the non-free thinkers can take at once.
I still say GOD Bless America. Land of the FREE and home of the Brave.
The list seems pretty arbitrary. Free public schooling has only recently become the norm even in the US, and especially for girls. So, examples from the nineteenth century and earlier are probably not particularly compelling.
And many of the people on this list (including Einstein) studied extensively at home, but most still attended schools. In many cases this was because they didn't do particularly well in school, either because they didn't do well with authority (Einstein, Churchill, and others) or they had an impediment of some sort (Wilson) that necessitated enrichment learning at home.
But to be clear, of that list, I believe Einstein, Wilson, Churchill, Twain, Anderson, JQ Adams, Rogers, Ride, the Wright Bros., MacArthur, Webster (a famous Phillips Exeter alum), FDR (a famous Groton Alum), Jackson, Bell, Lewis,
A number of these folks were not "home schooled"--they worked. Moody was sent off to do child labor, I believe, and Twain, John Paul Jones, and Anderson all became apprentices at around 11 years of age. And, of course, two of these people were born into slavery.
So, most of these people had some form of formal schooling, and I suspect many who didn't would have opted for it if they had had the opportunity. I'm a proponent of homeschooling, but that list doesn't do much to support it.
Oops, I seem to have left off part of a sentence (I blame it on several years of homeschooling!):
But to be clear, of that list, I believe Einstein, Wilson, Churchill, Twain, Anderson, JQ Adams, Rogers, Ride, the Wright Bros., MacArthur, Webster (a famous Phillips Exeter alum), FDR (a famous Groton Alum), Jackson, Bell, and Lewis all attended formal schools for some or all of their pre-university education.
Interestingly, Einstein actually attended a Catholic school from 6-9years, so maybe that's where we should send all of our kids.
In response to some of you who feel that Home Schoolers are not participating on a level playing field (as in Home Schooling children do better on tests because the parent is only teaching to 2 or 3),that comment shows both bias and ignorance. Not only is that one parent teaching 2 or 3, but she/he is teaching at 2 or 3 different grade levels (along with the subject matter research and preparation) of each course each school day. Is the public school teacher doing that? Also, the article implied it's unfair (to public schools)to compare the public school teacher with 15-20 children with parents home schooling 2 or 3. Please do your research-I am related to home schoolers with 5 children and know many more with 3-9 children. The mothers are extremely well-organized and well-read, the children participate in a variety of team sports, music lessons, Co-ops/Group Schools, Church groups, volunteer, are Civil War Re-enactors and Youth Historical interpretors, hold part-time jobs, etc. I'm also related to public school teachers and know they would not be able to simultaneously teach several grade levels of any subject to more than two children because they are not trained to. Despite what the NEA and your local school board say, public school teachers do not walk on water, nor do they have a monopoly on knowledge and education. My six-year-old is reading on a third grade level, loves to spell and learn new words for fun, writes and draws daily on her own, and would be totally bored sitting in a desk in public school. When the high school student cashier at the local McDonald's recently could not count back 89 cents in change (a First-Second grade skill), I was thankful we're Home Schooling.
Please do not get sidetracked and lose sight of the original intent of both the post and my comment.
Yes, a few elememts of Einstein's education did come from home education. I merely typed the names from a well circulated list. Silly me didn't take the time to research and verify each and every name before posting them. See homeschoolers can trust others, as I did when I used that list. I am curious now and will look into the names I listed.
My post was not just about the names ... there was much more that I wrote in my comment. It was one paragraph out of six. Please don't miss the forest for the trees.
Another bit of misconception (i.e. misinformation) regarding Home Schooling-no accountability and the fear that the children are suffering. People, people, when you will you learn to do some research? Most states require some form of testing (Stanford, California Achievement Test, etc) with results reported to local School Boards or portfolios of student coursework examined by a licensed teacher/Administrator,and some require attendance logs. It is a misperception and outright lie (being perpetrated in some case by School Boards and teachers seeking to abolish Home Schooling) that Home Schooled children are not being held "equally" accountable. The tests, by recognized testing sources, consistently show Home Schoolers generally score higher and that makes public schools look bad and they don't like it. Public Schools here are paid per child per day, so of course they want your child in school. Wake up America! Public school teachers are underpaid, but School Boards have huge operating budgets-how much are your Administrators and Principals making off of your children today?
Home Schooling should be illegal because it is an abusive practice in that it denies the child his right to free public education.
Schools are communities and if a child does not live in this community he will not learn how to live in society. Read the book "Everything I need to know I learned in Kindergarten"
Aside from the social aspect of schools and education, not all parents have the qualifications to educate their child.They don't have the skills necessary to know if their child has special needs of any manner.The parents don't know how well a child is progressing from what they are spitting back at them. Education is more than book learning. And their is more to teaching than just spitting out facts and having them thrown back at you.
As a retired teacher, I am totally against home schooling.It will be the destruction of free public education as we know it.
Do the schools need to come into the 21st Century, the answer is yes. But they do work.
Ask yourself who taught you to read?
Would we allow parents to perform surgery on their children at home? Of course not, we want a skilled surgeon to operate in an accredited hospital.
I apologize for the incorrect spelling of there.It is late and my brain is slowing. I didn't catch it.
To the poster who made comments about "socialists" - your grammar, spelling and fuzzy logic are not good publicity for homeschooling...
Could you tell me what you actually mean by the word "socialist"?
To Anonymous, I have no idea why you sent this message to me. I did not mention the word socialist once in my article. Perhaps you should learn to read!
Perhaps leaving this message is needless, because almost every side of this argument has been fought for, defended, thrown down and tossed aside. But, nevertheless, here I am!
I guess my story is fairly unique. I was public school and private school educated from K-4. I spent third and fourth grade learning very little other than talking in the middle of class will get your name on the board. Meanwhile, my little brother was doing 4th grade level work at home (helping me with my homework) and yet his teacher - instead of allowing him to move up, do extra work, etc. - had him coloring pictures the majority of the day, since he'd already finished his day's work.
I guess you can see why my parents - both highly intelligent and very educated people - decided to pull us out and homeschool. Were we unsocialized? No. In some ways, I feel we were more socialized than the average public schooler. How often do kids get to go to Washington D.C. for a week learning about our nation's history (note the patriotism)?
My brother is now well on his way to getting his Masters in Electrical Engineering. My other brother is just beginning the long road to dentistry. My little sister just graduated high school at 16 and is currently thinking about a career in photography.
I have always loved to write and at 17 began a specialized writing course. I have published two novels which have sold a combined 14,000 copies.
And this is where my story gets unique. I just recently got married to a man who graduated with a dual license in both elementary and special education.
Will I homeschool my future kids? Honestly, I don't know. Were there things I missed about public school? I'm not going to lie and say no - homeschool dances aren't usually pulled off so well. :) Am I thankful my parents homeschooled me? Absolutely yes.
To homeschool or to not homeschool is not really the question here, in my opinion. Rather, how much control do parents have the right to have over their kids? If our government feels they can more intuitively govern the individual needs of our kids than their own parents, something is wrong. Are there homeschooling parents who should not homeschool? Of course. Are there teachers in the public school who should not teach? Of course.
But in a country where freedom is sung about and occupation, religion and accommodations are ours for the choosing, I guess I don't see how cutting parental rights on education is constitutional either. If my government can tell me I cannot homeschool my child, can they also enforce where he/she does receive their education? What class, what teacher, what subjects? Can they say we need more businessman and "encourage" my child to go to business school?
Where does it end?
If our school system is sooo great, why do we keep dropping worldwide in the field of education. Aren't we somewhere around 17th or so now; about 25 years ago, we had dropped to something like 7th or somewhere around that figure.
At school they hear all about sex and how not to get pregnant; they are exposed to drugs; lazy teachers (that's what I said); a lot of extra curriculum that really isn't necessary; and they do not stress reading, writing and arithmetic - the basics that you need in order to make it in this world. Religion is a no-no - no freedom of religion here. I'd rather see a well rounded, home schooled child, than one that is pregnant and can't read nor spell.
So is it only the issue of homeschooling a few students? What about private/parochial/academy schools--these aren't "public". What about the Amish who school their children ONLY to 8th grade-- are we going to require them to attend public schools AND do it through 12th grade? This question is one of the silliest I've seen in a while.
I'm in favor of disconnecting California from the rest of the U.S. and let it float out sea.
I turned to homeschooling my children because the public school system was so terrible. The resources for academically gifted were practically non-existent.
That, however, was not the main reason to homeschool. I homeschooled for socialization reasons. My children have wonderful manners, are well-read and can hold a conversation with anyone from the elderly to kindergarteners, plumbers to professors. They have many friends and interests. They are compassionate and environmentally responsible. They all play at least two musical instruments, dance, enjoy theater, and excel in sports.
Two of my children are now in high school, one is going to Cornell Medical School and the other deep in medical school applications.
I still stand by my belief that no matter what, it should ALWAYS be the parent's choice, not the government's, regarding the education of our own children.
ANONYMOUS, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET A RISE OUT OF ME. CHILDREN ARE ENTITLED TO A FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION, IF THEIR PARENT WISH TO PAY FOR PRIVATE THOSE SCHOOLS SERVE THE SAME PURPOSE AS PUBLIC. THE CHILDREN ARE ATTENDING A "SCHOOL".
AS FOR THE AMISH, THEY HAVE THEIR OWN COMMUNES AND SOCIETY.
DO NOT EMAIL ME AGAIN,I HAVE A LIFE TO LEAD OTHER THAN ANSWERING EMAILS!
Something that always bothered me about homeschooling was the fact that a lot of women use it as a way to play “teacher” instead of actually teaching their children.
I went to public school, and while it was tough at times, I have always had my own convictions about the world and kept my creativity as well as my strength of character. I see now that school was far too easy for me, and that the main thing that I concentrated on was the delicate growth of my social understanding and ability to interact with others. When I was younger, I remember staying home sick from school one day. My mother decided that this would be a great opportunity to “homeschool” me. It was terrible! I hated her constant drilling and the fact that it was obviously her trying to play school for her own amusement (and she didn’t even give me breaks or lunches the way the school did, so I couldn’t even be free to do as I wanted. Moreso, she decided that school should go even longer than the normal school day as well.. I was so horrified from this experience that I NEVER missed a day of public school after that, no matter how sick I was. I would rather suffer being sick and be around my friends than have to suffer at home with my horrible controlling mother.
Which makes me wonder; why does this have to be an all or nothing sort of situation. If your kids learn things in school, why can’t you also follow up or supplement their learning at home? Why are you somehow removed from being able to influence their beliefs and morals if they go to school? After all, it’s not like you can’t see your children after they get off of school, or take them to church or whatnot after they get off of school.
Plus, we also have private schools that have religious and social teachings that many conservative parents would approve of, all taught by credentialed teachers.
Here’s what I think should be done, at the very least, to make things better for homeschoolers.
First of all, I think that all of the parents who decide that they want to “play teacher” should have to follow the state standards (which are quite loosely based) as well as pass the CBEST (or equivalent) test. If you have to take tests like this to substitute teach, why not for home school as well? It basically shows whether you can pass the minimum of required knowledge for teaching, so it should be mandatory for home schooling. Additionally, I think that all home schooling parents should take a few classes either online or through the local community college to prepare them for teaching and what it’s going to be like. Also, as a helpful resource, they should be given lists of helpful materials and groups for social learning as well.
If parents really have the best interests in education, they should be willing to do at least this much to ensure that they aren’t just “playing school” with their children’s futures.
Additionally, I am tired of people throwing the word “freedom” around. It’s one thing to have rights and responsibilities, and quite another to just support “doing whatever you want”. That’s really not freedom at all; that’s anarchy an chaos. The idea of “freedom” being to do what you want, when you want, is a consumerist, self-centered and closed-minded way of thinking. Basically, you’re saying “screw everyone else, I want what I want now!” It’s the screaming of a petulant child, and it completely ignores the fundamental needs of a human being, considering that we are social creatures and need each other to survive and thrive. You don’t expect that just because you pay taxes to help maintain the roads that you can drive on the wrong side of the street or on the sidewalk in the name of “freedom”, so why should you be allowed to imprison your children in ignorance and closed-mindedness with little to no educational knowledge of your own. Ignorance begets ignorance, and I’ve heard of situations in which supposed “homeschooled” children were being forced to work at jobs, often in violation of child labor laws.
And, to take this a step further, why shouldn’t I be allowed to get a college degree by “homeschooling” myself? After all, I can do all the reading and papers and whatnot that you’d do at a normal school. Why should I be forced to pay outrageous amounts of money to go to college when I can do most of my degree at home? And yet, people seem to think that when you get a college education, that it’s somehow important to go to schools, yet K-12 is supposedly considered somehow less important?
In the end, there is no one solution to the debate about values, morals and beliefs. However, I think that it’s really a situation that should be regulated better, simply because if you’re as “qualified” as you say you are, you should be willing to prove yourself for the sake of your children. If, on the other hand, you simply want to play dollies and place your children in an environment where you’re basically extending your days of playing with dolls and pretending to play teacher, then you are endangering their livelihood, and that should never be allowed.
Hello,
I live in the state of Penna.
Here we have to answer to the school dist. every year. They make sure that the requirements are met that the state has set out.
I know that there are some states that dont require anything. So I would say, have requirements for the family's that homeschool. It is a good thing to have someone to answer to. I've homeschooled my son since he was in 6th grade. There were many reasons why I started to do this. It has turned out to be one of the best experiences for us, as a family.
My son has gotten a wonderful education since he's been schooling at home. In elem. school I felt that the quality of what he was given to learn was very poor. To many wasted hours in school doing pretty much nothing. He is now in 12th grade and taking classes at the local college. And doing extreamly well. My husband and I never went to college. Nor do we have a teaching licence. But my son has gotten more at home than he would have ever gotten at home. Also the other home school families that we have met, and we have met many are pretty much the same as us. They care very much about their children's education, and they go out of their way to make sure they get every opportunity to excel in whatever their child needs for their future. My son has made life long friends from the activities that I've taken him to. Bowling, being in a bell choir, a co-op, 4-H, and there are so many more things.
Infact, last spring he went with his bell choir to Germany to ring for schools, nursing homes, and churches, and our army base there.
It was a wonderful expirence.
No one has to just sit and look at the four walls, when schooling at home. There is so much to do, that you find yourself having to say "no" to things, or you'd never get your work done.
I recomend it, for those that are fed up with the public school system. How dare they say that people cant teach their children.
We teach them to use the potty. We teach them to eat with a fork, and so many other things. What makes you think we cant teach them, math, science, language, history, etc.? Einstein was homeschooled. And most of our early presidents. So what's the problem??
Thanks for letting me speak my mind.
Which makes me wonder; why does this have to be an all or nothing sort of situation.
In an ideal world, I would be able to pick and choose to the benefit of my children. I know California and other states have experimented with this, allowing homeschooled children to attend part-day and part-week at public schools. The problem is simple enough: I think that a substantial amount of time at school is not beneficial to children's development, and that some of that work may be detrimental. (E.g., it seems that some proportion of public school teachers actually believe that the hogwash passed off as "intelligent design" has a significant place in the classroom.)
In the end, I want my kids to have time to play, and not spend their entire day studying; kids need to play in order to become whole people. I don't want to force them to waste 7+ hours of their day on something that isn't as beneficial as what they could be doing at home.
First of all, I think that all of the parents who decide that they want to “play teacher” should have to follow the state standards (which are quite loosely based) as well as pass the CBEST (or equivalent) test.
I am not your mother :). I don't play teacher, I teach, and have done so professionally for about 20 years now. I am not, however, licensed--nor have I taken the CBEST. I teach in a university, which requires none of that sort of nonsense, because universities generally recognize that there are a range of different ways of knowing and ways of teaching.
The irony, then, is that you think I should get the permission of the state to teach my own kids, when I don't require that permission to teach adults.
I understand not everyone is cut out to teach, either at home or in schools. My concern is that I frankly do not want to waste my time taking the CBEST and otherwise wading through bureaucratic nonsense in order to educate my own child.
The kind of freedom I am advocating is not some modernist, consumerist freedom, it is precisely the sort of freedom this country was founded on: a freedom from government interference in the exercise of my basic liberties.
I am not a wild-eyed libertarian: I am fine with government regulation when it makes sense, as with drivers' licenses and licensing gun ownership. But telling me I need a license to teach my own kid? This is an intrusion that goes too far, and does not--at least today--have any basis in empirical evidence of social harm.
Hello Alex,
I live in Penna. And we dont need a licence to homeschool. But we do have to show our portfolio to the school district. I dont see a problem with this, as I have been doing it for 6 years, so far.
It doesn't bother me to show them how well my son is doing.
Maybe if I lived in another state, I might feel differently. But this has been my expirence.
This is the worst sort of socialism, "it takes a village to raise a child" blather. For everyone's information, California law does NOT require a private school teacher to have a teaching credential issued by the state. It does require the teacher to have a college degree. However, the basic issue is parents' rights. What's next Kalifornia? So the author of this article doesn't want parents to teach their own children their purported "extreme" values and beliefs? It figures. Maybe the children should be forced into the useless public schools and taught how to put condoms on bananas at age five. Perhaps they could be indoctrinated on their rights to birth control, then abortion, without parental consent. Oh yeah, those are wonderful "values" to pass on to children. Thank God I sent my daughter to private schools her entire life. If I had the time I would have home-schooled her, but private schools were my choice as a parent. The teachers did not have California teaching credentials but they did a wonderful job, nonetheless. I shudder at the thought of another panel of judges sitting on the bench and ruling our parental rights down the drain.
There's always going to be pros and cons for almost every issue that can be debated and none will outweigh the other as they will be based on a number of educated guesses and opinions on what is considered righteous and what is also considered false based on one’s beliefs/argument. There's always a good and bad to follow the balance and vice versa. Therefore, it's easy to straddle the fence per say on certain issues like this as there isn't as someone posted earlier, a "one size fits all" solution.
Although based on what I wrote above, I’m willing to bet that the people who are in control of this country’s well-being all have advanced degrees from some prestigious college in which their prior education was received by a schooling system other than public education system and/or home schooling and that’s not saying much given our current economic status. Not to mention how institutionalized the world has become it’s surprising to know they haven’t adopted this already. Who’s to say all because a teacher has credentials that it qualifies them to teach, teach what and to what extent? What justifies and/or differentiates a “qualified/accredited” teacher as opposed to a parent “teaching” by what standards/principles and beliefs are we holding them to? A teacher by definition (and this varies) is “one whose occupation is to instruct” and most of those teachings are objectified by books of which already talk about the subject matter so you could even include personified objects as being teachers. I’d like to believe from personal experiences that I’ve learned more from my mistakes than I have any grade at any school.
Homeschooled students' standardized test scored speak for themselves: it is a superior form of eduction.
I was homeschooled from 3rd to 8th grade. I was in no way sheltered from the social aspects that a public school brings, and received an incredible education with the guidance of my parents.
When I returned to public for highschool...I was ahead of my class. I had a hard time with how "behind" or "uneducated" most of the class seemed to be.
With regard to public school, I have seen teachers give better grades than the work warranted, and even mark problems correct that were not. I have VERY little faith in our public school systems. I feel that tenure only further hurts the education of our children.
The homeschooled children that I know personally are well-rounded and incredibly intelligent individuals. Homeschooling can open doors that would be otherwise closed to the normal publically schooled child.
But then again, each is entitled to their own opinion...
Given the gross failure of California public schools, the rampant teen pregnancy and std rate, the atrocious use of illegal drugs, and the influx of illegal immigrants drawing on teacher resources, I am suprised to read any intelligent educator decry home schooling.
The 10% of idiot parents who won't teach their children adequately are offset by the 10% of professional teachers who don't teach their students adequately. I am sure everyone can remember having a lame teacher or two. Did you have a class period you used for homework? Mine was American History and the teacher never caught me doing my algebra in her class.
Is it better to have an idiot with no vested interest teach a child or have an idiot who is completely invested in the child.
Maybe California should be more concerned with issues that fall naturally in the realm of government--like transportation, energy, safety, and security. Maybe the Cali government should get out of social engineering--they are not very good at it.
Homeschooled kids outperform state-educated kids. That alone should end this ridiculous discussion.
Steve:
That was an incredible post. Thank You!
Hello,
Its not just a discussion. Its a dark cloud that might pass over all the states in this country.
That's why its so important to stop it in Calif. The land of fruits and nuts..(Sorry) I have a brother in Calif.
But the judge that seems to be having a say in this, and may change our rights to school our own children, needs to be stopped as soon as possible.
I'm all for homeschooling, but I can't believe those of you are serious who argue public education is NOT the responsibility of our government, only parents.
You msy view the "good old days" as when children's education was not mandatory, when there were no public schools to go to, where there were no child labor laws, where illiteracy was widespread, where only the rich got any education at all, and parental rights included children as their property to do with as they pleased. It's called the early 19th century.
You do no favor to your cause by arguing such nonsense.
That's a bit of a red herring. I see no one arguing that homeschooling should be the only schooling available. The argument is simply that parents should have a choice in how their children are educated.
Frankly, if I had access to a public school that did a particularly good job (and I am lucky that in my area, that may be a possibility), I would use them.
The problem is simple enough: I think that a substantial amount of time at school is not beneficial to children's development, and that some of that work may be detrimental. (E.g., it seems that some proportion of public school teachers actually believe that the hogwash passed off as "intelligent design" has a significant place in the classroom.)
I’ve noticed, however, that many home school proponents are avid ID believers, and like the idea of abstinence only or nonexistent sex education (as though omitting this information will keep them from ever doing it). Most of the assaults on our public education systems seem to be based on the same people who try to home school their children to get them away from “evil and blasphemous” teaching. I think that people have the right to learn about things in the appropriate places. If religious people don’t want their faith put under a microscope and tested, then they cannot expect that they can just make stuff up or read out of their holy book and have it accepted without question or source checking, while everything else must be questioned, tested, and questioned again. Religion is a personal matter, and when people have it questioned or brought up, they feel personally attacked. This is why churches have classes and sessions for after school and work. This is why there is Sunday School, and religious alternative private schools for children whose parents believe that putting faith-based curriculum into the classroom is a good move. But as for public schools, where people of all sorts of races, creeds, and backgrounds must go, religion should be left to be part of a social studies class or at most, a comparative religion course. But there really isn’t any science in religion, and religion that tries to pass itself off as “science” that should simply be absorbed and believed without question, is actually quite blasphemous, especially in regards to ID.
Schooling needs to come into the 21’st century, but it’s more complicated than just saying a few bad apple teachers are ruining the system. First of all, there is a huge wave of retiring teachers, secondly, there is a large amount of people being given emergency credentials straight out of college, and a lot of them should NOT be teaching (I should know, I did an education minor and a good number of the people in my classes were hoping to go into teaching because they wanted an “easy” job that they didn’t have to try too hard at. Then, let’s look at cutbacks on schools, “No Child left behind” (which tries to just sweep children through school without paying attention to their needs), and the main fact that most teachers have little to no training on how to deal with the diverse groups of people in their classes, and they aren’t very well equipped to deal with the sheer overcrowding and lack of materials given to them. Add onto that the “scripted” teaching programs that make teachers read a script to their students, and you’ve got a big problem, but it’s not the school itself that is at fault; it’s the bureaucracy of politicians who like to sound good on paper and for the polls but make or support bad legislation due to lobbying interests coupled with the overbearing belief that people have that somehow schools should be able to do a great job without any money, support, training, or supplies. Yeah, right! If we had the same attitude towards roads, our highways would be made of mud and gravel!
Plus, home schooling basically assumes that one person will stay home and do the teaching. But who will that be? Not all people have the luxury to keep one person out of the workforce, and it’s almost bad enough an economy that soon you’ll need at least three incomes to make any meaningful amount of money.
In the end, I want my kids to have time to play, and not spend their entire day studying; kids need to play in order to become whole people. I don't want to force them to waste 7+ hours of their day on something that isn't as beneficial as what they could be doing at home.
“Play” can mean all sorts of things, though. Many of the learning-based stations and activities at school can be similar to “play”, only structure and content is involved. Play does not always mean frivolity and outside of school. If you look at places like the Exploratorium and similar complexes, they show all sorts of science or natural phenomena in a fun and interesting manner. Many classrooms nowadays are integrating “centers” into basic learning and teaching, so that students are constantly moving from one thing to the next without getting bored. This is important, because in a classroom, no one should be sitting and doing nothing. Having your mind engaged is a very important sort of “play” and I think that schools need to be redefined less as an egg crate model (where the students just sit in their spots and are “filled” with knowledge), and more as a community model, where there is structure as well as feedback and interaction between students and the material.
I am not your mother :). I don't play teacher, I teach, and have done so professionally for about 20 years now. I am not, however, licensed--nor have I taken the CBEST. I teach in a university, which requires none of that sort of nonsense, because universities generally recognize that there are a range of different ways of knowing and ways of teaching.
I forgot to mention that my mother had actually majored in child development while she was in junior college, and supposedly knew how to do some ‘teaching”. However, my experience with it was so bad, that I would go to school with horribly high temperatures or while feeling sick to my stomach and just “suffer it out” because I was so terrified of being forced to go through that sort of ordeal again.
The annoying thing about university was that I found that it was sometimes even WORSE than my K-12 experience. Many of them just sort of rambled at the front of the class and then wanted us to read the book (usually one that they had written) and answer the questions in the back of the book. Even if we got into debates in class, most of that sort of stuff didn’t factor into your final grade. Instead, we were given scan-trons and multiple-choice tests full of information that seemed suspiciously similar to my high school testing. My few good experiences in college were few and far between, and certainly not worth the obscene amount of money that went towards my tuition fees. At the end of my college experience, I felt like I was simply paying a huge amount of money to be bored in class and listen to professors (or TA’s) reiterate the readings verbatim and in exchange for “doing the time” I was given a BA. And, of course, nothing I actually learned in college helped me to get a job, nor was I able to do any unpaid internships since I was spending all my time that I wasn’t wasting in class working at a job to pay the rent and meager food supply. I got some good student jobs through the university, but the second I stopped being a student, those jobs were no longer an option, and I was thrown out into the big scary world. I am completely ambivalent about going back to school because as far as I’m concerned, a MA would simply be another obscene amount of money being dumped into a degree name so that I can get slightly better paying jobs that the degree program will do nothing to prepare or network me into getting. And I know that I’m not alone. The OP talks about success as “going to college” but really, what success is that? In our world, a BA hardly gets you past hamburger flipping, and there are little to no support networks in colleges to help young people succeed unless they’re on their parent’s dime and being covered by full-ride scholarships.
I understand not everyone is cut out to teach, either at home or in schools. My concern is that I frankly do not want to waste my time taking the CBEST and otherwise wading through bureaucratic nonsense in order to educate my own child.
I passed the CBEST test with my measly BA degree, and as far as I’m concerned, spending 3 hours on a test is a worthwhile time commitment in the interest of keeping children from being homeschooled by unworthy parents.
The kind of freedom I am advocating is not some modernist, consumerist freedom, it is precisely the sort of freedom this country was founded on: a freedom from government interference in the exercise of my basic liberties.
Where in your basic liberties, does it say that you are allowed to teach your children whatever you want at home and possibly hold them back from excelling or having THEIR own ability to achieve “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”? You speak of the world as though you are the citizen and your child is not. Your child deserves a good education, and to ensure that, we must control to some extent, the factors that surround that education.
The way that you’re talking, you sound like the people who don’t think we should have to have a test to get a driver’s license. “I know how to drive perfectly well,” these people say, “Why should I have to be tested, when I know how to do it correctly?”
The issue is not about whether YOU know how to drive, or teach, or operate a flying carpet. It’s about whether the rest of society knows that. You wouldn’t expect to get a job by just telling people that you have five hundred credentials and twenty years of experience. They want proof, and rightly so. When it comes to being the keeper of your child’s future, don’t you think it’s reasonable to require ONE small test?
How unjust to attack homeschoolers when the public and parochial systems produce so many poor and even catastrophic results! Just look at the numbers of young men and women who are in prison, on drug, suicidal....etc....
People home school out of desperation
to protect their children from the confusion and fragmentation and low ideals of the the public and parochial systems.
I could tell endless stories of the
poor performances I've seen in the schools. You have little way to defend your child, the system always wins, the child is always the loser. They drug them. The numb their minds. They throw them away.
First fix your own "credentialed system" then talk about home schoolers.
People home school out of desperation
to protect their children from the confusion and fragmentation and low ideals of the the public and parochial systems.
I could tell endless stories of the
poor performances I've seen in the schools. You have little way to defend your child, the system always wins, the child is always the loser. They drug them. The numb their minds. They throw them away.
__________________________________
I couldn't have said it better.
Thank you. My son faced this when he was in elem. school. That is why I finally took him out. I figured, I couldn't do any worse, that what he was getting there.
People are often afraid of the unknown, so when the homeschooling issue comes up, I usually want to know about the personal experience behind who's bringing up the topic.
I started preschool when I was two years old and turned five while in kindergarten. In order for me to attend kindergarten I had to know how to read, so my dad spent the summer before teaching me. I was hardly called on at story time because I was the only one who could read on my own, and the books I brought from home were not interesting to the others since they couldn't read them.
My parents were in the military so when we moved to the states, in the middle of first grade, they decided to homeschool. Where we were stationed had low academic
scores, and my parents didn't want me to get behind. At the end of fourth grade, I announced to my family that I was done with school - I was bored and thought I should move on :) My parents did not see the humor in that and after testing me decided that I should skip fifth grade and see if sixth would keep me occupied. I graduated highschool with a 4.0 gpa at sixteen. I was involved in activities outside of school with other children, and my youth group had over 80 in attendance. I was a leader for many, and always had someone asking for advice.
As arrogant as I sound, I never have had a problem making friends - or keeping them! I love to be around people (and seeing how people work fascinate me) but I love to learn about what makes things work and why it works the way it does, and being homeschooled I was never held back to learn at someone elses level. My parents made sure that my sister and I went different places to see things in motion, had people to ask questions "how?" and "why?" when they didn't have the answers, and we were taught to think for ourselves and not take things at face value but to research and not be afraid to find the solutions.
We were also taught morals and the reasons behind the differences of right and wrong. We were taught work ethics and the importance of being punctual, being trustworthy, and doing your best regardless of everyone around you.
I wouldn't give up my experience for anything. It's one of the greatest sacrifices my parents have made for me.
All of the debates, different opinions and rude remarks (grammer corrections)don't change what the issue is realy about.
The government say's there will not be Bible in class yet you can go learn about sex or go to a gay forums. (This is factual)
My children go to private school, I pay alot of money for their education because I can. I do not receive any tax breaks from the Government! As a matter of fact I am still required to pay a public school tax every year. I volunteer many hours in Public high schools in hopes of helping OUR children of tomorrow succeed. You see it is not about you or me! This is about our children. Where is the Government when schools are on the radar because of drop out rates or below grade averages. I don't see them volunteering their time with us. We need support! How is that helping our children?
It is not a problem for a family to teach by the word of God alone. However, it is a problem that you feel it is not enough.
The Government and parents that don't focus on values have failed. Parents with no values raise children with no values. What next, will the government make parents of criminals be responsible for their behavior or can we we blame the school districts? Homeschooling is not the governments business!!!
So to all of you parents that are blessed with the time and the patience to home school. Continue to protect your children, fight for your rights as parents. You are truly the only people that will/can protect your children from perversion on TV, in our schools and on the computer. I am glad that parents are taking a stand. I wish more parents cared this much about their children. Home school your children. For those of you that don't have children of your own please keep you opinions to yourselves. You have not had the privilege to feel the desire and the love a child gives you in your heart. A desire to make the world seem like a better place in a childs eyes. Innocence has been lost in so many of our children.
The Government needs to focus on making changes that need to be made. Please stop picking on families that are making an effort to change tomorrow.
Say Hello to 'No Child Left Behind'. It crashed our public schools.. Lets just teach to the test.. i.e; the CRCT in GA and the FCAT in FL. Lets take the fun out of education! How many public schools have dropped music, arts,and even field trips? Why? Lack of funding and of course 'teach to the test!' In a few years a public school teacher will be a 'talking head' on TV with a security guard in the classroom to keep order. I don't blame parents fo rnot wanting to subject their children to this! Plus the test results speak for themselves.. SHUT UP California.. you have more to worry about.
This isn't an all or nothing situation. It doesn't have to be either 100% parents or 100% govt responsability.
Parents who care about their children and whose children are in public schools are there for them at the end of the day, helping them with their homework, explaining things that they might not have understood, backing them up. The disastrous results that come from public schools are caused not so much by the schools as by deadbeat parents who think the school should do everything and they should do nothing, by parents who just don't take the time to help their children.
A child will succeed when s/he has parents who care about their education, regardless of the form that education takes.
The issue isn't really about whether or not a child will get a good education in a formal school setting vs. homeschooling. The facts are these: 1) Some kids will do better home schooled, and some will not. 2) Some kids will do better in formal school and some will not. 3) Not all schools are created equal; some are good, some are bad, some are awesome and some are horrific -- and there's simply not a darned thing the government can do about it. I went to parochial school from K to 6; to a public school from 7 to 12. I graduated at the middle of my class (my IQ is well over 140), had few friends and spent most of the time bored and miserable, even though I had (and still have) a great love of learning. (And yes, I did finally attend college after a military stint, and graduated with honors.)
The real question here is, are we going to allow a "nanny state" to decide for us what's best for our children? I worry for a country that has so little regard for the abilities of its own people that it thinks the Government is the only thing that can take care of them. Especially when the record clearly shows that the only thing the Government truly does consistently well is take our money and spend it.
Putting your child in a formal school is like rolling the dice and hoping for the best. You might get lucky -- and if you have the financial means, you may be able to improve your luck by sending them to a private school, or moving to a better school district.
The bottom line is, the Government should NEVER be telling us how to run our lives.
Oh, and I forgot to add this: Schools have been "teaching to the test" long before "no child left behind." That's how many of my teachers taught me, and I graduated in 1973. Sorry. You can't blame George for this particular mess.
Adona:
... and there's simply not a darned thing the government can do about it.
Then why can the government of the Netherlands--a country where there is more personal liberty but also a great deal more of what you call the "nanny state"--support public schools that graduate tri-lingual high school students that know more than our college grads. And that's from a country that is ranked 9TH among OECD states. Hong Kong, Finland, and South Korea consistently top the charts.
As does Canada, by the way, our "nanny state" to the north.
The problem is not too much government control of schooling--it's bad government management of schooling. US schools are ranked in the bottom half of all the OECD scores for science, and in the bottom five for math and problem solving. Local school boards and a lack of professionalism in schooling are a big part of that. A larger part is a lack of political will. Hey, we also rank at the bottom of the list for preventing teen pregnancy, since we've decided to support "ignorance" as a strategy for teens and sex.
The solution to bad government is better government. So far, we've been moving in the opposite direction.
Like the author of this article, I have seen good and bad examples of children who were homschooled. I have known a few parents who did it out of religious reasons. I understand their reasons, however, I went to public school and was raised as a Christian. When I was taught evolution in school, my parents made sure to explain why we didn't believe that way. Yes, I believe in intelligent design. I have seen information on both sides of the argument and believe that God created everything.
As far as the sex education in schools, I went through that as well. When I was in school, it wasn't abstinence only, either. My parents again made sure I understood our moral standing on sex, but still made sure I knew what it was and how everything worked.
I think all the issues people have show that parents need to be involved in their child's education, no matter whether they are in public school or they are home schooled. If you disagree with something taught in the school, explain to your child why you feel that way. At some point in their life, the child will hear about it, experience it, etc. They will need to make their own choice and if you give them good reasons to make a choice you agree with, generally, they will.
I was homeschooled until ninth grade. Then I went to a public school. When my children became school age I decided to homeschool. I made the choice to conceive and bear them, it is my right to choose whether or not to school at home. It is very important to me that my children support the military, love their country, learn to be kind and loving towards other people and I want them to know true American history. I want my children to love learning, I want them to be happy and feel safe. These things are neither taught nor provided in public schools. Day after day on the news we are bombarded with stories of children being bullied by other students, of teachers molesting students, of the decline in public education. After all this some people still wonder why so many parents are opting not to place their children into public school!!!!
Alex--
The problem with public education in America is not that our government isn't as good as that in other countries. We have social issues that are much greater here than in many other OECD countries. As Germany is beginning to struggle with similar issues, their scores are dropping. We beat them in 2001, I believe it was. Much to their dismay.
Parental involvement is the key to school success, whether in public school, private school or homeschool. Any system has its hands tied if the parents aren't supportive, sending kids to school fed and making them do their homework when they get home.
If we could figure out a way to increase parental involvement, the other issues would take care of themselves.
Each school year children are sent home from school with homework and projects. Many times it requires the help of parents assisting their children.
The school system currently trusts educated/uneducated parents to help guide children through homework and projects. Why is it ok for a parent with no previous educational training as a teacher be allowed to assist with homework?
Could it be that parents are really capable of teaching and training their children.
If homeschool parents will be required to be certfied teachers I ask that all parents of school aged children also be certfied teachers from grade K-12. Thoroughly versed in each area before they are allowed to give advice and help with homework. If I should go a step further and suggest that parents should also be certified preschool teachers.
That should fix it. We will all be certified teachers and live happily ever after... problem solved.
Dana:
I don't disagree that parental involvement is important, and it is true that the OECD studies reflect the disparity between US schools: some of our public schools are outstanding and others are barely more than prisons.
But I don't think our social problems are the only--or even the main--issue. Indeed, I suspect that if we had better public schools, that might encourage parental involvement, and act as the center of local community, much as it does in other countries. That was certainly the case in Japan, where I taught for a while in the public schools. (Though they make the test-driven pedagogy of No Child look like child's play.)
If you look at some of the countries doing much better than us in the OECD--Estonia comes to mind--I don't think we can claim to have the worst social problems. And our spending per student is the highest, I believe, of any country.
No, I think a first, vital step would be to provide equal spending on all public schools, at least from tax revenues. Certainly, La Jolla High will still benefit from donations from the parents, but it wouldn't be the case that school quality would echo property values closely.
I agree, the major shift has to be cultural. There needs to be an appreciation for education, and some common ground for what an educated person knows and how they think. It's true, some other nations benefit from a homogeneous culture with a shared expectation of schools, and that is something worth trying to attain.
But I still think that the most effective move we can make as a society today is to put schools under a federal funding model, and continue the practice of funding charter schools to provide for innovation. I also think we should make university free to the highest performing public high school students. I think those things would lead to more parental involvement in schooling, and that they are far more achievable than trying to change cultural understandings that devalue school.
wow - so many things I'd like to comment upon, but as a homeschool mom with much on my plate, let me point out two things which, unless I comment upon them, will keep me up tonight:
1. "It diverts much-needed money from the public schools. "
Underfunding is not the problem with our schools, throwing more money at schools won't fix what's wrong with them, and as I don't get a refund of any portion of my taxes because I homeschool, don't lay that issue at the feet of homeschoolers. We pay taxes that go goodness-knows-where even though we homeschool. How about vouchers for homeschool families to help defray the cost of curriculum - I pay to educate my child, and subsidize the education of others, or subsidze some other government program that I probobly don't use.
2."A primary purpose of the educational system
is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and
loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the
public welfare."
George Orwell, anyone? "A primary purpose...loyalty to the state" ???!!!
While I would submit to you that many homeschoolers in our circle are more patriotic and better citizens than the average bears, and pass such values along to their children, and while I love my country and am grateful to be an American, the fact that the court submits this statement as an arguement for public education is disturbing. Children should be there for education - not indoctrination. If the goal is to protect the public welfare, we should make certain that our children come out of whatever educational program they attend with a strong understanding of history, current events, and the political system so that they can make informed choices.
Unfortunately the author of the original post is billed as an expert but he only has experience with 10 homeschooled families. I wonder if he did enough outside research to declare himself an expert on this topic.
It doesn't make sense to require homeschooling parents to be credentialed or take the tests teachers are required to take. The skill set that is taught in college to teachers is not the same skill set required to homeschool your children. We hear this over and over again from teachers who have decided to homeschool their children. A big part of teaching credentials is learning how to manage of a class of 20 or 30. Not really helpful in homeschooling.
On another note, we homeschool our kids in 6th, 7th and 8th grade to AVOID the social aspects of middle school. Anyone who thinks dumping 1100 hormone driven 7th and 8th grade kids in one school is conducive to learning social skills hasn't been at a junior high lately!
My first son actually had more time to socialize with kids when he was homeschooling. He used to come home from school and not want to be around anyone. Once we started homeschooling his social life blossomed.
I agree with you. I am very anti government interference when it comes to parental responsiblities. A child's education should be left up to the parents. Those against homeschooling want the government to have complete control of it. I believe that is dangerous.
The points you listed for the nay sayers of homeschooling are something I would like to address.
I should mention this is coming from a girl who was homeschooled as a small child and the last three years of highschool. As a young child I consistently placed ahead of my peers. My reading and comprehension levels were several grades ahead of me. On standardized testing I scored 98th to 99th percentile.
In highschool I had straight A's. I got accepted to all the colleges I applied to and was offered academic scholarships. I chose to go to Virginia Commonwealth University to double major along with a minor in medicine.
However, one may ask if my social life was non existent. The answer is no. I had friends in over seven different schools public and private. I attended multiple proms in the same year. I attended school football and basketball games. I played soccer. I went out to parties. I experienced the same pressure everyone in school faced.
Just because I did not sit in a classroom for over seven hours a day did not mean I could not have a social life.
"The parents often advocate an extreme religious or social agenda."
- I find it funny that is even an issue. It is no one's business what religious agenda parents may have. They may still have this agenda while sending their children off to public school. Point is, every parent has a right to this.
"A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare."
- Sounds like something out of the Animal Farm.
Anyways that's my two cents. Nice blog.
anonymous said: If homeschooling is OK, where do we draw the line? Why then can't a child go to a school where none of the 'teachers' are credentialed or qualifid? How about a friendly neighbor who wants to start her own school for 5 neighborhood kids? Why not allow a religious school that only teaches creationsim and not evolution? I'm a big believer in public education for all and I think homeschooling is not in anyone's or our society's best interests.
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Why do you care? This is not up to you. This is a parental decision. So what if they want to only teach their child of Creationism? These are not your kids and the kids are not the government's responsiblity. I would love to transport you back to the days of our founding fathers. The government was not meant to run our lives nor the next generations.
dgags wrote "Home Schooling should be illegal because it is an abusive practice in that it denies the child his right to free public education."
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It is not abusive in the least. It can be argued sending your child off to be bullied and learn about sex is abusive. FREE is a key word in your sentence and it is funny that you bring that up yet espouse almost socialist views.
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"They don't have the skills necessary to know if their child has special needs of any manner.The parents don't know how well a child is progressing from what they are spitting back at them."
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But government WILL know? You think a parent is too stupid to tell if their child has problems? Should they be taken to a doctor every day as well because with this logic they will also not be able to tell of any medical symptoms. This is ridiculous socialist garbage.
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"It will be the destruction of free public education as we know it."
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LOl, explain that one please.
Personally, I Feel the only reason the state is trying to do away with homeschooling, is the money issue. For each child enrolled in public school, the school receives a specified amount of money.
We homeschooled several of our children. The homeschooled kids have far surpassed the few who graduated from high school in all aspects of life. The two who did graduate from high school, seem to expect the world to owe them all they need.
We have known many homeschooling families and in all but a few cases, the kids all did ver well and most of them go on to college as well. Even in public schools you will find your exceptions, those who do nothing, get nowhere, do not graduate or graduate at the bottom of the class.
In Florida, our daughter was afraid to mention to people she was homeschooled, as we had been the victims of those who hated the fact we taught her at home. We were turned in to child services, and went through the excrutiating experience of having our youngest removed from the home while an investigation took place. This darned investigation took 4 month to get to the point they allowed her to come back home! Then it took us an additional 15 months to receive the official documents to prove we were not neglecting, abusing or otherwise harming her in any way!
She is now in the process of enrolling in college to become a paramedic. She is doing very well, and those who know her here, have no idea she was homeschooled, unless we tell them. She is not backwards, nor shy or to herself in any way.
I had no formal college at all. I did graduate from high school, without any special honors. After being out of school, I began reading books on subjects I was simply not interested in while in school. I'd say, probably, my main education came about 5 years after graduation from high school. I have had people ask me what college I graduated from. When I tell them I never had the opportunity to go to college, they are dumbfounded. As long as a person continues to learn, they can pass that knowledge on to someone else. We can learn with our own children. And, why not? As any of us who graduated from high school in the past 20 or so years has discovered, there are many new things that are being discovered today. Many of the things I learned about pregnancy, have been proven false, with the new technology out there today. So, why not keep up on the new teachings adn pass them on to our children.
One person mentioned not needing math for more than simple daily use at the grocery store, etc. Well, yes, but to what degree? I didn't think I would need math to be a mother either. Then came the day my first baby needed medication. 20 ml 3 times a day. Did I need math for that? You bet I did! I use math in every aspect of everything I do. So, if a homeschooling parent is not up to par on math, learn it with your children. You will be teaching from the very basics of basic math, so now is your opportunity to get it down and learn it.
Make the best of homeschooling and just go for it!
I didn’t read through all of the comments but I read through the first two pages and I was amazed that no one picked out one issue that the author of this article got wrong.
“It diverts much-needed money from the public schools.”
Folks, think and thank the taxpayers. I am not sure for all the states but it has its own line on my statement for taxes on my home. Every homeowner pays it and it doesn’t matter if you have children or not; attending public school or not. It is also two percent of our six percent sales tax. There is no diverting just taking.
Another point – aside from what is being taught at the home. These families are making a decision to be a single income family for the sake of their children. How many are giving up a career, income, retirement account?
Our school district is within the top five for the state. Yet, on April first of this year we made the decision that the classroom was not the best place for our son. Our son is a quite very well behaved second grader who was always placed in the class with more than 20 kids while the other rooms had 15 or fewer. Being quite, it is easy for him to sit back in the shadows behind the disruptive or more vocal kids and he did. This year we decided that he could not continue through school this way and requested a class change. Our request was denied as we “didn’t know that this class was best for our child” and “that we needed to give this teacher more time”. He made very little progress the first half of school and no progress from the end of the second nine week period to the third. At that we saw the school as a day care and a waste of our child’s time. He was pulled, home school intent letter was filed, and private assessments done.
We are now without my income and I am not contributing to my retirement account, my career skills will gradually become out dated. But my child will be educated in a positive atmosphere, within his learning modality, and he will get to work harder with more time toward his weakness and dive deeper into his strengths. I will make it possible for him to meet his goals for his own future. At that point we will look back on these days and say he did it because we had to option to take his future into our hands and make this big sacrifice.
By the way I never told the school that I have a dual degree Elementary Education and Special Education. I have a Masters in Elementary Education specializing in Educational Psychology. All they knew is that I work in insurance and dealt with HIPAA. I gave up on schools when my co-workers refused to integrate technology into their classrooms citing either tenure (I don’t have to learn or change a thing to keep my job) or retirement (I’ll be gone by the time they will have to force that on me). That is not what I wanted to become or be around. I was also working in a high poverty area and these teachers were not willing to give these kids the skills to get real jobs and move up in the world. They wanted to do the bare minimum to as required by the state and teacher’s union.
Folks, that continues on today no matter the school district.
There is another option in California and several other states. It is also paid for by the states public education funds and it is at home. Go to http://www.k12.com/ and see if your state is listed as an online public school. My child will be doing this next year.
The issue isn't about academic excellence - if it were, the homeschooling community's outstanding academic achievements, testing, et al. would speak for themselves - this is about CONTROL.
Anyone denying this needs to step away from the "issue" and come to grips with reality.
That "public schools lose money" is even listed as a con against homeschooling is amusing.
I am successful homeschooling mother of two. All of the skepticism surrounding homeschooling stems from complete ignorance and borderline bigotry (where's that peace, love, and diversity everyone harps on about?) about and towards home education.
No socialization? Define socialization. Do you define it as the ability to interact with your own peers or with society as a whole, regardless of race, religion, age, or sex? Because the homeschooling families I know define it as the latter. It's amusing to me that the people with the least knowledge about homeschooling - or education for that matter - are the quickest and loudest to speak.
I find this rich: "A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare." How ironic, coming from California.
There are good homeschoolers and there are bad homeschoolers - just as there are good state school incidents and bad ones. So how come weirdo state-schooled families are never discussed when this topic is broached? Why does no one point out that the problems within state schools CAUSED the mass exodus into home education?? Instead, authors such as this one here are content to nitpick a proven form of alternative education.
It's no one's business how families choose to educate their children the way they do unless those children are receiving taxpayer dollars, i.e. state schools. It is not anyone's concern as to the motivation of why a family homeschools.
I chose to home-educate my two children after years of research and as a result of several factors: the documented, declining academic success rate of our state schools compared to those around the world; that our own local district is so corrupt it lost accreditation; my goals and those of the Dept. of Education are dissimilar in that we aim for both academic excellence and strong character and I would never list a loss of taxpayer dollars as a reason for concern. I don't believe that learning should be confined to little blocks of time; it should be integrated into life.
That being said, 99.9% of the 800 homeschooling families in my co-op feel the same.
So should homeschooling be illegal? Not in a free country it shouldn't. It is not the responsibility of our government to educate our kids - and when they get simple thinks like the mail, DMV, IRS, etc. right, THEN they are welcome to offer suggestions. Anything to the contrary is purely laughable.
And frankly, I'm quite sick of articles like these that do nothing to educate people about home education; they are nothing more than bigoted (gawd forbid someone choose to home-educate because of their religion!!), freshman regurgitations of previously spewed ignorance.
If you would like to read about real life homeschooling, I discuss it on my website as I think some of these lovely ladies here might as well.
Regarding the classic socialization issue: when was the last time any adult on this forum was in a room, for any amount of time, surrounded by other adults of the exact (within 1 year) age and who lived in the same (within 10 miles) vicinity? This is NOT a realistic social setting! As adults we will be surrounded by people of different ages, races, religions, economic backgrounds and a host of other differences. Any child who is confined to a classroom for 7 hours a day is missing realistic socialization. Homeschool provides the opportunity to socialize in a more realistic manner; with the public!
Regarding the comment about "zealous" parents being a negative, WHAT COUNTRY ARE YOU FROM? We were founded by zealots who believed the general public could be trusted to govern themselves! They trusted that people could decide for themselves what would be best for their country! Shouldn't the same public be trusted to decide waht is best for their children? It was a zealous idea that the races are equal! It was a zealous mind that theorized the Law of Universal Gravitation! I dread a country where zealots are not allowed!
Is this still America? Since when does the government have the right to dictate to parents the best educational route for their child(ren)? If the government is going to mandate public schools, then they should give the parent options to send their child to any school of their choosing - based on education benefits, religious needs, and social standard of the parent - not the government. This is just another example of government control & is unconstitutional to the American people. Has freedom died?
I know lots of homeschooling families.They have to follow a school based curriculum and do yearly testing the same as other children and have to pass these tests before they can go further. The majority of these home schooled children have higher reading levels, math levels, etc. than children in the public system being taught by 'certified' teachers. The majority are also better behaved in a social setting and most of the families are involved in social and learning groups such as swimming, skiing, chess club, etc. These are activities lots of school taught children cannot and choose not to be involved in. There are teachers at my child's school who are very impatient and yelling constantly at the children. There are teachers who haven't done any upgrading in 20 years of teaching and teachers who don't even like children, but like the money and holidays and summers off,so decided to become a certified teacher. So as yet, I have not heard of any advantages toward forcing parents to send children to a government based school, when they are doing a better job at teaching their own children as long as they follow a curriculum.
I am kind of thinking that it would be a good idea to home school my own children (when I have them), but I don’t know where to begin. Additionally, I don’t know if I can afford to do it, nor do I know how I would be able to make sure my children get to enjoy social interaction. Plus, on top of that, I don’t want to hinder them or make them “repressed” in any way.
Additionally, I am Atheist and while I don’t really want to keep my children from learning about religion, I’ve heard that most of the home school proponents who I would be associating with would be at least somewhat religious and often hardcore religious, so I’m afraid that my child might be bullied or cast out because they didn’t share that same faith.
I want my children to have access to the latest technology, knowledge, and resources, while also having the ability to learn to reason, question, and research.
It seems like the best way to do that is to facilitate the learning of my future children myself. However, I don’t know where to begin, nor how to budget the loss of my income.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Personally I feel that it is a parent's choice as to how their child will be educated. Putting that aside though, I ask this:
Is it fair to strip parents of the alternatives to public school before the public school system itself is brought to a higher standard? I understand that there is a concern that homeschooling is substandard (though I do not believe so) but can we force homeschooling parents to relinquish their children to a system that is also substandard?
I think the government (and parents) should look at the literature and research that educators and other professionals have generated and really get a clear view of how children learn and grow. The system needs to be restructured from the bottom up. As time has passed, government regulations have helped to make slack-off teachers improve but at the price of those teachers who loved to teach and students who loved to learn by making it less creative and more regimented. We see that the system is failing so we say, "More government control!" and when it continues to fail we say, "More government control!" We keep pushing back the curriculum so that preschoolers are now learning Kindergarten and 1st grade material. We wonder, "why aren't our children excelling?" and push back the curriculum some more. Where do we stop and say, "Wow! We have sucked the love of learning and teaching right out of the schools! No wonder kids are dropping out! Now wonder they hate it!" There is much work to be done and this is the fish we should be frying right now, not attacking the homeschoolers.
When we can create a system that is superior, producing HAPPY children that love to learn, then we can discuss whether or not homeschoolers should join (plus, if the system was improved, maybe homeschoolers would CHOOSE to join public schools?)
I was homeschooled and could read at 4 years old. My mother thought she could teach 7 children under 10 everything AND she wanted to protect us from negative social experiences and didnt want us brainwashed by propaganda about the new world order! WHAT? We were padlocked inside the yard and not allowed to leave EVER except for church, our curriculum was littered with religious propaganda and we were taught to be paranoid about the public school system and the "people" who believed in it. My mother sent us to camps where we were taught to watch for signs of the end of the world and all about thye perils of the wicked!!! I remember sitting in a huge meeting she took us to and seeing amish and polygamous people at these "conventions" I remeber being tought that the reason the sun was in the sky was "because God put it there" and no other reason! All of my siblings and I were social outcasts and our parents believed it was better that way. Then when we were young teens my mother threw me into highschool as a sophmore at 14 for extra curricular activitys. IT WAS A HORRIBLE SOCIALY DEBILITATING EXPERIANCE!!! I later went on to graduate from JOBCORPS the onley one out of 7 children who recieved there highschool diploma. I went there at 17 years old and after 2 years graduated with my drivers license, diploma, GED and my CNA! I believe that homeschooling done irresponsibly can have horrible longlasting effects and even though my mom says all she has to do to graduate my siblings is print out diplomas for them they still dont know there times tables or division, or world history or how not to freeze up in social situations. The longlasting side affects of homeschooling can screw up lives!!! I know this personally!!!
For the above Anonymous...
Please keep in mind, it wasn't homeschooling that screwed up your childhood, it was your parents. Even if they hadn't homeschooled you, it sounds like things would have still been very rough. I am sorry you felt so oppressed by their beliefs. The great thing is, you are an adult now and in control of your own life and your own actions! Yea!
**First of all, I think that all of the parents who decide that they want to “play teacher†should have to follow the state standards (which are quite loosely based) as well as pass the CBEST (or equivalent) test. If you have to take tests like this to substitute teach, why not for home school as well? It basically shows whether you can pass the minimum of required knowledge for teaching, so it should be mandatory for home schooling. Additionally, I think that all home schooling parents should take a few classes either online or through the local community college to prepare them for teaching and what it’s going to be like. Also, as a helpful resource, they should be given lists of helpful materials and groups for social learning as well.**
I love it when people want to force something on people when they have NO IDEA what they are talking about.
"Teaching" degrees, teach how to teach in a public/private school. How to keep role, organize, "decorate" a classroom, etc. Teachers have no more "academic" information than anyone else who graduates (or survives) high school.
Additionally, if public schools could provide children with a FULL education without metal detectors and anti-psychotics ~ perhaps a great number of parents wouldn't see the need to homeschool.
Isn't it funny that California is working on banning homeschooling when they are a state that currently has low moderation of homeschool programs???? Maybe their homeschool programs would be more acceptable if California simply held parents accountable for teaching a proper curriculum! (Check out the link on state by state regulations at the end of the original blog).
First of all, the parent is the child's first and primary educator whether they go to public school or not. The parents will always teach the child THEIR opinions, morals, beliefs, and "agenda" regardless of their schooling. While the child is young, they will almost always be most influenced by their parents.
Second of all, MOST parents who homeschool are involved in a homeschool group where they often are together for a class, go on field trips, have science fairs, etc. They are subject to the state for testing, curriculum exposure accountability, etc.
There are many private schools with non-credentialed teachers. Should those be shut down, too. I have been teaching as a non-credentialed teacher in California for the past 4 years. Before that, I was working in schools with Americorps. I have received excellent training and read all the research and books that students must read to get credentialed. I taught at a school that served an under-served community. The public school in the same neighborhood is over-crowded. Our school with some non-credentialed teachers does a much better job at meeting the holistic needs of the student AND family because we recognize that the family is VERY important in a child's education, raises our own funding and refuse to make cuts where it is important, and NEVER teach to the "standards" but to the whole child. Our students graduate 8th grade with a lifelong love of learning and go on to great high schools and have a 90% rate of our graduates who go to college while the public school has a 30% rate of graduates who attend college. Credentialed teachers does not equal the best education.
I am a homeschool parent who used to live in California. I completely disagree with the court decision and have reason to believe the ruling will be overturned. My son had a horrible experience in public school in 5th grade. He went into the school year excited about the teacher he was going to have and how he was going to run his class. By the end of the year, because the teacher thought my son was a bad kid, my son was not ready to go on to middle school. He was not socially ready because of the kids he made friends with in public school, and he was not ready academically because he did not receive a good education. Again he attended public school in 8th grade. By the middle of the year he had 2 F's. Because we moved, he was homeschooled for the rest of the year. He ended the year with all A's. Homeschooling isn't right for everyone. Some people find that out the hard way. That does not mean it should be made illegal. Most of the families I've met had great homeschool situations. As far as loyalty to the country, etc. I have recently joined the Army, if that isn't an example of loyalty to my country, I don't know what is. I do not think requiring testing is necessary, but to offer help where it is needed, like when the parents need help with teaching techniques, it should be available. Instead of attacking homeschooling as a whole, the government should be more concerned with the areas they already have control over...public schools. There are more problems with public schools and their teachers than homeschool families as a whole. Don't go into this with a biased opinion before you get all the facts. Otherwise your ideas and opinions are flawed.
The real issue here is not a concern for lack of proper education (or simple academic testing would be the logical solution and the public school system itself would be doing a much better job of educating the students already enrolled) but a concern for WHAT is being taught by homeschooling parents. The fact that almost all homeschooled children are taught Christian doctrine and Biblical values is the real target of attack here. It's not enough for some people to remove prayer from our classrooms, they won't be happy until it has been removed from living rooms as well.
My wife and I homeschool our 3 sons and the decision so do so was based on many factors, the most important for us being the poor quality of education provided by our local public schools and high crime rate. You mention a possible lack of social development but why must education and social development go hand in hand? Our children have a large network of friends from sources such as sporting teams, church, other homeschoolers as well as neighborhood kids and relatives. During school hours they are focused on education and after school hours they are focused on social activities. The separation of the two eliminates a major distraction from learning that is common in a classroom setting. As a result, the majority of homeschooled children learn at a faster pace and test much higher than public school honor students. Those of you using "concern for our childrens education" as a reason for outlawing homeschooling should be turning your efforts towards the cleaning up of the public school system. So few public school teachers have the patients and time to spend with the individual childs educational needs so they just write them off as "bad" or "learning disabled" when all the child needs is a little one on one time. Parents who do not care about their children's education do not keep them at home all day in the house, they use the public school system as a free day care. Parents who care about their children's education either send them to public/private school and stay in close contact with their teachers or homeschool them.
to the person listed as "anonymous" who mentioned how you learned to read at age 4 and was padlocked in your yard......I hate to say this, but your story seems contrived.
There are discrepancies such as your mother never letting you leave the house to shield you from the world then suddenly thrusting you into public school. Then you mention a conference you attended where Amish and polygamist congregated..... in what such conference would those two very different sects ever convene together??? Amish people do not travel, do not attend conferences, and to not associate with people outside of their tight-knit communities. The same goes for the polygamist Mormons.
Then you talk about joining jobcorp at 17 and graduating a year later with a drivers license, diploma, GED and CNA. That's more than any 17 year old would have from the public school system. They wouldn't even be done with school yet. So according to your story you came out pretty good educationlly speaking and it sure doesn't sound like you're one bit brainwashed with all the religious extremism you talked about.
All in all, your story just doesn't add up. Sounds to me like someone who is grossly misinformed about the subject and trying to spread fear through fictional life experiences.
Am I right people?
As an American I am fully in support of Parents Rights.
I homeschool my two boys, we started because of trouble at school and his 1st grade teacher and his neurologist suggested that we take him home and let him learn "HIS" way and not the "cookie cutter public school way". Yes, two professionals advocated it. That was 6 years ago and we have never looked back. Both boys have grow in wonderful ways and learned who they are in this world. Yes, we are Christian, but that was not the initial reason to Home educate, but it has become a larger portion of it now as we have all matured in our faith. They are not sheltered, but are Scouts, Naval Sea Cadets and regular church goers as well as sit on the board at our local library. They could not juggle all this if they went to public school and had hours of homework when they got home too. The majority of parents who home educate use curriculum for subjects they are not experts in, use co-ops, hire tutors, or junior colleges to make sure their kids get all they need.
Those who choose not to teach the way you or I might chose to are still giving their child an education that THEY feel is important and as long as we have freedom they have the right to do so. Also, I think that different modes of thought are a strength for this country and we grow from not all being indoctrinated in the norm. Just look at Einstien, Da Vinci, Edison and other great thinkers...they were their own men, not indoctrinated, but able to question conventional wisdom. THAT is the gift homeschoolers will give this country in the future!
My children have never been to school. At 10, 7, and 2, they are happy, healthy, and able to socialize with people of all ages. They are active and engaged in their community, and they love learning. They haven't had to deal with the social and physical bullying that is rampant in so many schools, nor have they ever had to ask permission to use the toilet, get a drink of water, rest quietly, or take care of any of their physical or mental needs. I'm always astounded at people who oppose homeschooling on socialization grounds because homeschooled children generally spend more time in the community than schooled children, who spend 6 hrs a day, 5 days a week, in classrooms with one adult and a large number of same-age peers. That's not what society is like, as most people find out when they get out of school. My guess is that most people who oppose homeschooling are assuming that homeschoolers have a circumscribed, stay-at-home lifestyle, get their learning out of workbooks, and rarely engage with the outside world. Nothing could be further from the truth for my family and the many other homeschooling families we know.
I have to laugh each time someone mentions the right to free education. I live in one of the few states that charges book rental each year for my daughter to attend 'public' school. I paid $145.00 for her first grade privledges to attend public school this year. Our school system also receives a per diem per child daily. Our school system also reeives 34% of our property taxes for their school system..Please show me the 'free' education part of public schooling.
ya know each stae they have there own certifaction process.i decideced to home school after my sons was in middle of 2nd grade. he was in special ed class.he wasnt getting proper eduction. they listed him as being mildly retared.my son has adhd,signs of dislexia, posiable autism. insted of teaching him properly they let him throw fits and tantrum not complet work.
they didnt give him wokboks.
he had copied of papiers.frankly not all public schools are worth the funding that were paying.
my son lerned more in home school then he did in public school.
i found it funny that the public school he use4 to addten advertived for speial needs childer frm 5 to 21 years old when they coldnt handlel the kids they had.the teacher were stressed my son came home crying on dalily from his class..they had 3 aids for his class .
it was a battle pulling him from school they disagereed with me.
they had no choice when i showed them the papers i pulled him the day they came in mail, his last day there he went for ust few hours.i see where most disagree about homeschool, but sometimes it just the opsite.depends on indviduals.and suport of the famlies. in our case my hubands cousins are teachers so were get all advice we need.they even send us some matiersals to help. im hoping by end of next school year he be caught up.im planing on home schooling my girl as well.
as far as socializing they do fine. they are in actives outside the home. my sone is in cubscouts.
my girl gose every meeting with him they made her an hounry scout. shes so happy.she get be with her brother.they interact with all ages of kids.so theres ways to get the socailzation if you know where to look.lot of special ed classes makes kids lean slower just get exrat funding.in my opoin. you get very few decated speaicl ed teacer who actual cares about the kids.
WOW! Where do I begin with my comment! First lets start with(The children are being denied important socialization experiences.)Why would I want to send my child to public school and be influenced by other kids who do drugs, fight and get in trouble all the time and people in those schools not caring enough to jump in and protect your kids from harm. 2nd (The academic quality is often incomplete, excluding important subjects (like the Beckers and science).My wife and I both finished college and are well educated enough to teach our child what he needs to know in life and if there is something we have trouble with teaching him we will find help for him unlike our public schools who push kids to the corner and offer little or no help. 3rd (The parents often advocate an extreme religious or social agenda). My wife and I are believe in GOD and read his teachings however we have also studyed and learned other religions and beliefs in college and can offer them different outlooks on these where the public schools want nothing to do with religion and let children run wild. 4th (It diverts much-needed money from the public schools.) Ok the last I checked on my payroll check there is money still being taken out for state and federal. Also the other outrageous taxes being forced on us for everything we buy or do. So how is money being taken away from public schools then when we homeschool?? 5th (The "parallel society" of the homeschool is incompatible with the state interest in social cohesion and harmony (as the judge in the California case wrote: . "A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare."). This is my favorite how does public school train good citizenship? By taking prayer and some taking out the pledge to the flag that good training or having them be around other children whos parents do not inforce rules of right or wrong and let their children do whatever they want. Patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation so you want my child brainwashed then to believe in a nation of lies and double dealing? An protect the public welfare is this the same welfare we are taking about where familys live off the state tax payers poppling kid after kid out collecting food stamps and checks from the state from our hard earn tax money while they sit at home and do nothing! These are the people sending their children to public schools using it as a day care and influencing our children in their beliefs ohh great! All this none sense about no home schooling is another sign of our counry showing us that we really are not free even in our own country.
yea knw more i think on this more i feel that the govement is taking more more of our god given rigts away.where are they gonig? at one time peolpe said computers where going to take over the scool system. where kids where going be at home on computer attending school.dont rember how long ago that was. that didn happen.well for most part. theres few online schools i saw that do do that. look at your public schools for minute. most them you got voilce sex drugs gangs on rampge. you got cops in schools. expecially in the innercity school districks. like your major citys with poution over 50,000 people or better. you got mettal detors lockor sesercher all to try keep your childer safe. so goverment says, yet you still have ay school fight school shooting yet they want to take away our right tech our kids at home? whats really wrong here? when dose it end? when we have no feedomdoms left?
One of the errors made by this article is to fail to question whose children are involved. It is not “our” children involved in home-schooling cases, but “my” or “your” children. While teachers are required to earn credentials, note also that standardized testing is what decides whether there is uniformity in their results. Teachers vary in their actual practices. Also, not every teacher likes and is genuinely qualified to teach science, grammar, history, and math—-or whatever the core subjects of a state curriculum might be--despite . Not every teacher can teach every subject in a way that is truly up-to-date (e.g., consider the emphasis on grammatical conceptions that were out of date half-a-century ago). Likewise, the author of this article is not a professional in educational policy, but an amateur--a pediatrician and not a state teacher or a lecturer in a teaching college. Should we allow amateurs to make such remarks as "I think we all can agree that teaching is so important it shouldn't be left to amateurs”? There is a lot to be said for professionalization. While professionals have a sense of where the limits of their knowledge is, it is usually amateurs who have difficulty stopping themselves from professing on domains in which they are ignorant or ill-trained in. I certainly wouldn’t want Dr. Parker deciding policy for MY children. I also wouldn't want the courts to write, in effect, legislation on homeschooling, based simply on precedent, legal procedure, and the facts of a single case, without regard to the resources of professional educators and policy makers.
Since you disagree with the author and he came our for home schooling and against needing teaching credentials, I assume you are against home schooling and for mandatory teaching credentials. Shame on you.
- The children are being denied important socialization experiences.
It's a fact that kids learn everything they need to know about socialization from their parents, all they pick up in schools is bad behavior from other kids
- The academic quality is often incomplete, excluding important subjects (like the Beckers and science).
I disagree, the quality of academic degrees is nonsense, today's teachers' have no clue and that's why children graduate not having a clue.
- The parents often advocate an extreme religious or social agenda.
Since when is exercising your right to religion extreme ? If I feel my child will receive far superior education then that of the state run schools, this should be my right.
- It diverts much-needed money from the public schools.
What about the parents income, who looks out for them ? Last I checked public education is free, if anything, less students would mean they could save more income.
- The "parallel society" of the homeschool is incompatible with the state interest in social cohesion and harmony
This one sounds like living in a communist police state, not compatible with the state interest ? The state is only interested in finding more ways to steal citizens money and violate their rights.
- (as the judge in the California case wrote: . "A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare.").
good citizenship ?
patriotism ?
loyality to the state ?
What crack are they smoking, America has imprisoned more of its citizen than any other country in the world, so much for teaching good citizenship. How about all those teeachers who rape their students, is that good citizenship ?
If a nation as corrupt as our government is allowed to exist, then I think the expectation of patriotism is a bit hight.
State loyalty or servitude, since when are citizens salves to the state, the state works for the people not the other way around. The people tell the state what to do.
I live in a small town in Ohio and there is a private school that offers parents the ability to pay a fee(smaller than tuition) in order to not only get a curriculum outline and books, but also the guidance of a qualified teacher. The kids in the program get to take quarterly tests that are supervised by the 'teacher' and get to participate in school programs and sports. It's a great way to keep your kids connected to society and make sure their education is in line with the requirements. ALso, I personally know a family who homeschools on their own and I am their observer (as a certified teacher I can look over their work, observe the environment and help with testing to make sure the children are where they belong educationaly) The children in this family are way above what I have seen in the classroom. Their parents teach them that education is important and the children love having no time restriction (which schools have for children) because if it takes them longer, they aren't rushed and if they get a concept faster than expected, they can move onto something else without needing to wait for others. Unfortunately, they are being prepared for a future where they may have to go to a public school. Unfortunately I understand that there are a lot of people who let their kids be homeschooled cause the kids are hard to control and the parents are doing well, however there are guidelines in each state and I believe that even by just testing the children at the end of the year to make sure they know certain concepts (that have of course been made known to the families) you can make sure kids are on track. Families are made to let the school know they are homeschooling (at least in Ohio) so the schools will know who needs to be tested. Yes more work for the teacher, but since there needs to be a teacher who overlooks their work anyway, it's only a little more time. As far as taking away money from the school....the less children, the less money needed, right....if you get more money for the children, but you have more children, how is it fixing anything. Some states already have a teacher shortage...just think of all the new people that would be needed and all the more money you would need in order to pay their salaries.
I just knew that if I kept reading, the Money factor would appear. It is not about a dollar, It is about our Children and our rights as parents to choose their school setting.
"If other countries can manage home schooling with a bit of control added, why can't we? In Europe, some countries have school inspectors that visit regularly, others have exams to check on progress and, in some cases, if the results aren't up to scratch two times in a row, the children are obliged to go to standard mainstream school. It's a safety net."
There are such regulations in place. It is a misconception that when parents choose to homeschool they are completely on their own. Generally, homeschool families are linked to the school district via a liason who checks advises the families on what should be taught and checks in regularly to view their progress. Parents have to agree to certain stipulations when homeschooling in order to legally teach their children.
My children have grown up in the public school system. There were only two reasons I chose NOT to homeschool them: 1) socialization and 2) lack of appropriate time resources.
There are many wonderful teachers out there, but for every great teacher there is an equally horrible one. One horrible teacher nearly ruined my middle daughter's love of learning as well as her self esteem when she was in the 3rd grade. This woman was not only inept, but downright mean. How she managed to stay employed until retirement (and she did, despite MANY complaining parents) is beyond me.
My high school daughter sat through a full semester of a science class in which she learned nearly nothing while a group of unruly students dominated the class, called the teacher names, and threw things at her. The dean would be called to observe. The ill-behaved pack would sit quietly until she left and then go right back to their antics again. The teacher complained, the parents complained, the students complained. Nothing was done.
And this is the education system that our government would FORCE us to adhere to. Don't we pay taxes? Shouldn't we be able to use those tax dollars to educate our children as we see fit, especially since the public school systems are becoming more and more out of control each day?
Unruly students who have NO interest in school or learning are forced to stay where they don't want to be by our government's brilliant, "No Child Left Behind" dogma.
Tax dollars might be better spent providing homeschool teacher education for parents who want something better for their kids.
This is stupid. Sorry, but it is.
Saying that *some* kids turn out worse from homeschooling, so *every* kid has to go to public school --by default the choice of most parents in the days of "two income" households-- is a dumb as saying: " *Some* parents are abusive therefor *all* kids must be wards of the state. "
Deal with the kids that aren't making it, and determine *why* they aren't making it. (because there are plenty of kids who don't cut it in homeschooling who won't cut it in public education, or do even worse.) Then see if public schooling would be best for those kids.
For the kids that are fine. LEAVE THEM ALONE, PERIOD.
Seriously, this is not a hard decision. The fact that they couldn't make it, makes you wonder what else is going on down there.
I think the main point is being missed. This is isssue is really a subset of a much larger one. Where do we get our rights from? If democracy is our religion of choice (and it is a religion) then we get our rights from the state. If democracy is our religion then we educate our children to see life through the paradigm of the state. But if Christianity is our religion than we get our rights from God. God gives the right to educate and enculturate children to their parents. He also teaches us to teach them God's law as we sit down, as we eat, all throughout the day. He commands us to teach them to see science, history, math, etc. through a Christian paradigm not a statist one. When we put our children in a public school, they are being taught to think like a humanist. So, when you say I can't homeschool my children, you are saying I cannot obey my God, but I have to obey your god, the State. And if you think this is religious fanaticism, why? How do you define "normal"? What is your authority. Oh yeah, your god, the state. Stop pushing your narrow religion on us.
Todays seriously FLAWED education system is far more dangerous. If one family had a bad experience with it, it doesn't mean they're all bad!
All homeschoolers I have ever met are far more mature and healthy (both mental and physical) than public school system.
This is idiotic!
I come from a family of public school teachers. I began college in the education department, but quickly changed to pre-med. I changed majors because the school of education was far too basic.
Now I homeschool my children. We put the two older children in school until I began hearing the truth about their schools. The h.s. english clas was teaching my son at the level of the slowest learner. Many of the children could not read.
Family members have explained to me that no matter how intelligent, or gifted the teacher may be at teaching, there are many obsticalls that made it nearly impossible to teach. (ie Student coroperation is nonexhistant, the abilities too varied, and classes too large to teach anyway.)
We quickly pulled our children back out of school and continued to homeschool until my oldest two were 15, at which time they began duel enrolling. I have yet to see anything below an a, which counts as 5.0 at the high school level.)
In an age when freedom to choose and children's rights to choose are politically correct (my children "chose" to homeschool after going to public and private schools for a short time. The made this choice because they were bored and said they were not being challenged. The college kids are both on full scholarships.
Stereotyping based on a few families is wrong, no matter which way they chose to educate. The U.S. prides itself on freedom. Let us all value that freedom, it is a gift and a blessing!
I read every single comment on this blog. Life is just like school, a few bad apples can ruin it for the whole bunch. Thanks California, thanks bullies, thanks perverted teachers, thanks to the model citizens who think parents and kids should be controlled by the state, thanks to the inadequate parents who brought attention to the state from their own incapabilites in raising children and putting parents in the spotlight of who should make choices for the kids, thanks to the federal and state governments for putting a price tag on each school kid's head instead of investing OUR money in the quality of the administration, the curriculum and the teachers, thanks to every member of the school systems (public and private) who sucked the life out of my own interest in school when I was young and have continued to do the same with my child from your boring academics and your inadequacies in behavior management, and your horrible display of labeling and your gift of gossip! I've never seen such a bigger group of childish, mean gossip'ers than that of what I've seen amongst school employees. Terrible! Seems to me the school systems should get some certification from those of us parents who could share a thing or two with them. Seriously, why in the heck should our kids be "babysat" all day, every day by people who might not even be parents or who stink at filling a parenting/mentor role? Just so we the parents can say our kids are having a rich, social experience? Please. These kids are so scurried along that they don't even have time to get to know one another. Just enough time to irritate each other from sitting in seats for 7 hours and being agitated with boredom or bottled up energy. I'm not even going to sound off on the whole citizenship thing. Or the anti-religion agenda. All I'm going to say is this...don't ever send my kid out on "Green Day" and make my child pick up nasty, filthy, germy cigarette butts all day to show her support for earth. Only thing missing were the orange jumpsuits for the class!! Tell the friggin bus drivers (I would never put my child on a bus either!) to slow their nascar vehicles down a bit and that'd save alot in pollution and gas throughout the whole nation. And give kids an organic lunch instead of junk to show support for a greener, healthier lifestyle. I'm no granola, but these kids are being fed garbage! I'm done, and I'm disappointed that I might HAVE TO resort to homeschooling my child. I want a major tax credit for that. And I want my school tax dollars back too!
I Homeschool ALL 3 of my children ages 16, 11, and 7. My two oldest children have been to FREE PUBLIC SCHOOL. The only thing they learned at FREE PUBLIC SCHOOL was to be rude, mean to other children, curse, and how not to respect other peoples stuff. My youngest child has had no dealings with FREE PUBLIC SCHOOL and she is doing better than the older children in manners. There is alot I see with children that are Homeschooled and in FREE PUBLIC SCHOOL. I will Homeschool my children. All FREE PUBLIC SCHOOL is, is a babysitter for people that can't wait to get rid of their children for the day. Boy, we need more parents out there like that!! At least I KNOW what my kids are learning and who they are socializing with. Some people don't care what their children learn and that is what I don't want my children to be socializing with. No wonder today's children are like they are, if more parents taught their children, or took more interest in their children. Just because you send your child(ren) to FREE PUBLIC SCHOOL don't make it right.
Speaking as a 24 year old who was homeschooled, I would like to address the idea that homeschoolers do not get enough socialization and that it hampers their social growth. It has been my experience, both in my own home and in the homes of the many other homeschoolers I knew, that we actually had more chances to do extracurricular activities than my public-school friends. I danced semi-professionally throughout highschool as well as was involved in acting, music, several clubs and volunteering. Because I was not held to a rigid schedule I had more of a chance to do things than I would have had I not been homeschooled. A lot of the public-school friends I had were ambivalent about volunteering in the community or participating in extracurriculars after school and preferred to go home to watch TV or play video games. My parents were much more involved in my life and supportive of the things I wanted to pursue and their homeschooling me enabled me to focus on what I wanted to do in life while still making sure I received a good education. Because of this I tested well in high-school, received scholarships for college, and my first job out of college was as an executive assistant in the field I wanted to go into. This trend is evident in my friends as well as many have gone on to found their own companies or work on some of the presidential campaigns. Most wouldn't have the drive or opportunities had they not been homeschooled.
I taught in both private and public schools. And that is why I will homeschool my children. It is impossible for teachers to give each of the 20-30 children in their classes the individual attention that provides the best learning environment for them.
The parents of the children who struggled were unsupportive of the education system. Each child learned at a different pace, so that those who finished quickly were forced to twiddle their thumbs, while those who needed more time felt pressured to hurry. It is just not an environment that is conducive to learning.
Why is it that the main goal of public schooling is to teach students to be social, loyal and good citizens? Should the main point be to educate them in a way that best suits the student? Do er really send kids to school for that many years to become "good people of the law"? Parents should have the freedome to decide what is best for their children. Why should some one else decide what's best for them? They don't know the child AT ALL or in which environments they learn in the best. In public schools the whole class can only excell as fast as the slowest kid in the class. That's not how the real world works. If you're qualified for a better, more difficult job, you get it and you don't wait until everyone in your graduating class can do it too. That's ridiculous! Unless the parents are mentally insane, in which case the children would be taken away. Oh wait, I guess they do that with most children already on a yellow school bus each morning and afternoon at three. Perhaps my emotions are getting the better of me on this subject, but please, socializing is not a reason to go to school. What are these California people talking about? The five minute break between class periods? Whatever. All students grades k-12 learn faster,are more comfortable, are more productive, find it easier to talk to adults and new people, can adapt to situations more easily, and are on average smarter than students in public schools. On top of all of that, parents and students can dig deep into subjects that they want to know about. Also, if students struggle in an area they can take time to slow down and go over it as many times as they want until they get it, so of course home schoolers test well because they know what they're doing. If you are thinking about homeschooling than you should definately do it. If you have to cut back on expeses to stay at home than do it. Going to work for a few extra bucks or vacations or to get ahead at work is selfish, who can take better care or has better interest in their child then the parents? No one. Home schooling is the best education for children. Sitting an average of 14.000 hours in a desk from k-12 like they do in public schools doesn't sound like something that I need to do. Sure I sit, but only for about three and a half hours a day for school. As a country I think that we need to get our priorities straight as far as how we teach our kids, who teaches our kids, and who has the best interest for our kids. This isn't a subject to be lazy on - a subject to let other people decide for us. Why would any good American take away our freedom to educate our kids the way we see best fit?
I am homeschooled. I love it. I am not being denied social privileges. The public school system is inherently broken. Here in Fairfax county (where i live), our public school district is deemed the best in the United States, however; my 9 year old neighbor is still doing basic subtraction. Many of these kids can barely read. Public school history is being modified to be "politically correct". I am getting a much better education than the public school would give me.
TO ALL CONCERNED PARENTS:
I myself have compared homeschool and public school books. Now, the homeschool books I checked were very well thought out, well written, and taught about great leaders, events, and yes, even the Alamo.
Well, the public school books are all made in (you guessed it) California. In a history book, it had less than a paragraph about Ronald Reagen, yet it had over 2 sections about Oprah Winfrey. Maybe I am mistaken, but I feel that someone who helped, lead, and committed his life to helping our country is a TINY bit more important than someone who sits and interviews people for money. Don't you agree?
hahahahahaha!!!! i am laughing my head off! this is just one more nail in the coffin to our freedom... it's true, we can't possibly know what's best for our children, let the government teach them. we don't know what's best for our health, let the government take care of us. obviously we don't know how to negoitiate for a pay raise or better benefits, please give us someone who will do it for us and give him money so we can sleep better at night. oh, and we definitley have no idea how to manage our money so, by all means take it all from us and just give us back what's left over, we'll be fine with that. oh , wait! where are we now? don't tell me it's because of good 'ol bush boy... it took alot longer than 8 years to screw us up this far people...
but all's well that ends well!
ciao!
Homeschooling is clearly the answer to the poverty stricken public education system. Homeschoolers can produce far superior results with far lesser expenditures. The cost per public school child is something like $10,00 to $15,000 per child per year. We could eliminate this failed system and invest in the future of this country by directing this money towards the professional parents who administer their homeschool system. A 3-child family would take in $45,000 per year, plenty to permit one parent to stay at home and fund alternatives to whatever socialism depravity they suffer from abolishing the public system.
I think that homeschooling should be able to work IF the parent knows what is being teached and if there is a way for the parent to get help if it is need from a school so that they know that their child is being helped properley.
I think parents who have children, and wait around for the government to raise and educate their children should have their reproductive organs cut out. How resonable is that? Would you sign such a law into existence. I wouldn't. Why, oh why, do people have kids that don't want to be responsible for them? And to top that off, they seem to have a disdain for people who do take their parenting responsibilities seriously. Why the lash out at parents who choose to mind their business and raise their families the way they see fit? Do you feel guilty because you don't? Why are their people railing against homeschooling when the schools are miniature versions of run down prisons? Shouldn't you parents be out railing against the government you rely on to raise your kids? Afterall, they aren't doing well.
Seriously, people seem to think that the government have it all together, yet MOST children graduate from a public high school at grade levels below 12th grade level. How many children are really learning in instituionalized schools? I have seen many homeschooled children with parents who don't have the "certification" of a teacher, finish their homeschool "education" and come out way on top of their institutionalized peers. And guess what? The government tries to hide this fact because they know that they can't deny it.
For those who think that the government need to test homeschooled children to make sure they are receiving the best education possible, why? It appears to me that the government run schools, and private ones for that matter, need some serious revitalization before they can tell me how to educate my children.
People seem to have lost sight of what the government was designed for in the first place, and that is to protect the citizens in time of war, not to educate and raise the children in our country. THAT IS YOUR JOB AS A PARENT! Our government has gotten way to big and it is the citizens' fault. People are too lazy to do things for themselves and so they turn to the government to do it for them. I'm not just talking about education either. Why should the government get to decide the manner in which I choose to educate my children? I feel the government has gotten too involved in the lives of its citizens.
My suggestion would be for parents to stop waiting for a handout and learn to do things for yourself. Stop waiting on the government to raise and educate your children. I am going to assume that anyone commenting here has at least half a brain, so why not use that working part of your brain to do for yourself and your children.
Quite honestly, in my opinion, public and private school education is a disgrace. There is more to offer a child in life than just an education, such as learning to work with people from all walks of life (ages, races, etc.) Homeschooling provides those opportunities whereas schooling doesn't always.
I am truly ashamed of the school systems in place in our country and of the parents who feel they "need" them in order to survive in society. It truly shows how irresponsible some parents have become.
"If homeschooling is OK, where do we draw the line? Why then can't a child go to a school where none of the 'teachers' are credentialed or qualifid? How about a friendly neighbor who wants to start her own school for 5 neighborhood kids? Why not allow a religious school that only teaches creationsim and not evolution? I'm a big believer in public education for all and I think homeschooling is not in anyone's or our society's best interests."
WWWWOOOWWWW! Have you even look at the statistics on how horrible the schools are doing? BTW, what is wrong with having a school that only teaches creationism and evolution? Or a friendly neighbor who will take on the responsibility of teaching other people's children? Don't like it, then don't sent your child to that school or neighbor. Be concerned for your own children and stop telling others what is best for their own.
I don't know if you have noticed, but there has been more than several occasions where national news stations, the past few years, have covered the state of the schools and how many bad teachers that are out there, and guess what? There are quite a few and the numbers continue to rise and the educational system continues to fail. These bad teachers are "credentialed". So what do I do as a parent when I feel that the schools are failing? How about this. How about I do it myself. You really want the government to take away my right to raise my children the way I see fit? How about the government start taking away some of your rights? I bet we see you sing a different tune then.
BTW, I don't know if you've noticed, but the numbers of homeschoolers are considerably less than those going to schools and look at what they (schools) are turning out. Prisons are full, tons of people on welfare, children who can't do a simple task as count back change for heaven's sakes. Look at the drop out rates among college freshmen. It is very high and a MAJORITY of these kids are going to schools. Many of these kids do not function well in society. I don't think I need the government to raise or educate my kids. Thanks, but no thanks.
Consider flipping the question. Take homeschooling to be the norm, and ask whether public schooling should be legal.
Ask where the median public schooled kid ranks among homeschooled kids. Ask whether it's justifiable for the state to determine the teacher, the method, the curriculum, the rules, and the social structure.
Justify the abysmal academic performance. Justify the violence. Justify the sexual abuse. Justify the state determining which religious views are tolerable and which are not.
This notion that all is well in the public schools, that the teachers are qualified, and the social environment is healthy, is absurd. Why are we asking whether the homeschoolers can measure up to that standard?
I am 100% in favor of teaching my son myself. No teacher can give my son what I can give him. And we already went through the puplic school system. I sent a boy that wanted to learn, and they sent me back a kid who could care less.
I took him out of school when he was in 6th grade, and now he is in 12th,and doing great. He takes a couple classes at the local comm. college. And does Habitat and also works. I dont see that schooling him myself has harmed him in any way.. Infact allowing him to learn at his own pass, and letting him learn in his own style, has allowed him to do so much better than the kids he knows that have gone through the school system.
He is much beter to do the work in college. He's much better prepaired. So stay out of our bussiness. And let us do the job, that God has layed onto our hearts.
Hi!! I have been homeschooled since I was years old and I think is awesome!!! I learn alot of things everyday from my private teacher!!
I am perplexed at why it states in the article that children being educated in the home take funding away from the public school system. In fact it is exactly the opposite. My children are educated at home so therefore use no services paid for by the public. My wife and i buy all the books, all the supplies, pay for their lunches and field trips yet every year I pay property taxes which the VAST majority go to fund the public school system. I have no beef with the state sponsored system if you choose to use it but I do not see any advantage to sending my children off to it day after day. The results are abysmal (Chicago has a 50% drop out rate)and to tell you the truth I have interviewed many high school graduates for entry level jobs and the majority of them do not know how to hold a conversation with an adult.
I tell you what, I will continue to write my tax check each year so your kids can be pushed through the public school mill and you stay the heck out of my home school. Deal?
I was homeschool in the second half of my freshman year, I had just been released from a long hospital stay and my parents hired a french teacher a math and science teacher and a history teacher and government teacher everything except phys ed. I don't remember how effective it was, that time of my life is hard to remember, but I did not fall behind and repeat freshman year. If my mom and dad had to teach me what the people they hired taught me I probably wouldnt have passed. My mother very well edjucated in english government art and history, my father in science and math, chemesty and phsysics and astronomy, did not have the patience to deal with my difficult nature, weak drive and tendancy to give up, and they were wise enough to hire people trianed in edjucating children and knew how to deal with the things that can interfer with the learning process. it seems to me that most parents nowadays are raising thier children without parenting skills, these kids don't have proper bedtimes, even they run the house through thier emotions, todays generation doesn't seem to respect athorities or elders, no wonder homeschooling parents who arent professional teacher shouldn't be trusted with this job. if they aren't raising thier kids well that's proof enough thier kids wont be learning either. and that's from a high school gradjuate who has been lessurly been taking college courses and is also in a techincal school right now.
Not only am I a homeschooling mom but I am also a college math instructor. I can always tell when a student comes into my classroom who has been homeschooled. They are my best students. They are more socially mature and they are more independent in their learning style. Are you telling me that the public school system doesn't turn out kids who are socially backwards or who do science and math poorly? One of the classes I teach is freshman Algebra and I NEVER have a students who were homeschooled in that class...all public school kids. Homeschoolers already know that stuff. I don't know of any homeschooling mothers that skip math or science, by the way. Require transcripts for each year but you can't take away a parent's right to teach their child properly. Public schools are lacking...that's a well-known fact. I would encourage you to go to a regional homeschool convention and see if you come away with the same opinion. You won't.
On standardized tests, the BOTTOM 10% of homeschooled students scored higher on the SAT than 50% of public school kids. All of the statistics speak for themselves.
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