One reason that we choose to homeschool our two boys is to avoid teachers' strikes, such as the one taking place in Washington State. Why let others dictate when and where your child can learn?
I have an issue with striking teachers in general. I understand the need for negotiations to obtain good working conditions, pay, and benefits. It is when they allow their need for control to interfere with the education of children. Tacoma teachers in Washington are now striking despite a court order calling for them to return to work. There was even one teacher interviewed who said that he is doing this to "model to our students what correct behavior looks like..." Hmmm, sounds hypocritical to me but what do I know, I homeschool my children!
Here's the audio if you want to hear it for yourself.
For a good resource that is open to exploring options outside of the classroom, traditional homeschool, or anything else you may have heard of, check out this book by Grace Llewellyn.
The news came in the mail stating that even in an on-line home schooling situation our son was a pleasure to have in class but that did not change the fact that he had failed his math class. Really? How does that work?
As his "learning coach" I periodically check on his progress by asking the typical questions; are you getting it, how's it going, what's your grade, etc. He would answer with typical responses; fine, okay, can you help me on this section, etc.
So, then when the mid-terms arrived and he was getting a C- his dad was all over him. There were tears, promises to do better, and then the final report card arrived in the mail.
Ripping it open with certainty of an improved grade shining in his eyes, that light was soon dampened as he looked up at us in disbelief. We looked at the grade slip asking the same question, how, why, what? His progress report a week before his finals showed a C- and he completed his final test feeling quite certain that it would bump his grade up to a solid C if not possibly a B-...we just all stared in disbelief and looked at the comment, "student is a pleasure to have in class".
He was very upset and couldn't explain the situation. By this point we were done with even trying to figure it out. So, it was at this point that I told my husband that we're going to go the more pure home school route of choosing the curriculum, seeing it done daily, overseen directly by his parents, and not necessarily on the computer. We have come to discover that home schooling your children is not a one size fits all proposition, does not come without challenges, and is not just about getting your school work done in under two hours. It is about learning to deal with challenges, figuring out a better way of doing things, and working together to find a solution. We'll find a way to make it work because we're a family.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill
This famous line was uttered in shock and betrayal and now I utter them as I skimmed through a recent Costco magazine. On page 16 of the September 2008 edition they have done a two page spread on the topic debating: Should parents be certified to home-school their children?
At first glance my initial response is the thought that this would be great. How can you go wrong in ensuring that these "weirdy" parents are on track in instructing their children. Considering that we have teachers go through an arduous training process to ensure excellence...right?
Sadly, I don't think that's completely true. While it is true that it can be a long (5 years in college) and a somewhat arduous process with the student teaching, it's going to come down to who is sitting in that chair, in that class, "learning" to become a teacher. Either they're doing it for the right reasons or the wrong ones. Either they're going to put their heart and soul into it or they're not. Either they're going to be a good teacher or an ineffective teacher. While we can only hope that that the children will survive and learn in spite of the person at the front of the classroom.
It's actually my sincere belief that either you are meant to be a teacher or not long before you step foot into your first college class but that's for another post.
So, while at first glance I thought I would lean on the pro side. I then reread the article and spent some time thinking about what was actually being said. You had the president of the teacher federation acknowledge that not every certified teacher is an effective educator while stating that "...a homeschool teacher may be a natural teacher but lack training and necessary supervision" My question is, supervision by whom and why is it necessary? The last time I checked with the county you are not required to obtain a license to become a parent. It is assumed that we will be a parent to our child, good or bad, but that appears to be a God given right and only in the cases of neglect and/or abuse is it necessary for the government to step in.
The other side of this question is responded to by a gentleman who is the president of the Home School Legal Defense Association. He counters that states have moved toward more home schooling freedom because research has shown that home schooled students on average score 20-30 percentile points above the national average on SAT's.
How can you argue with that. What is it that parents do that is difficult for all teachers to do?
Let's consider for a moment the benefits a "teacher" has when homeschooling; small class size (1-4 students), flexibility, not tied into a schedule (ie. computers, PE, art, library, assembly, etc. is at a certain time and my possibly interrupt other learning), opportunities to DISCUSS (more on the value of this later) at length, not governed by a bureaucratic school board/principal in what they can or can't teach, autonomy, ability to collaborate with lots of different resources/people, you know who your students are and don't spend the first couple of weeks/months just getting to know them and helping the class bond, and I could probably think of a few more but I'm worried about my run-on sentenece. Hey, Mrs. Johnson, I just think I broke my old record for number of words in a sentence ;-)
Now let's consider the benefits a "teacher" has when working in a traditional school; large class size (18-24 students or more - hang in there Aunt Karen!), inflexibility with the schedules of other classrooms and in coordinating everyone for pull-out classes, addressing a variety of learning styles and abilities, lack of opportunities to discuss topics at length because of the schedule, time constraint, and curriculum goverened and controlled to some extent in what they can or can't teach by a bureaucratic school board/principal, ability to collaborate with the teacher next door to you because you can or can't stand her/him, getting to spend the first couple of weeks/months of school getting to know your students and their parents, and then helping the class to come together and bond - can you say Kum Ba Yah?
So, in the end it comes down to making the decision to teach your child at home being a very personal one. Where we get a lot of debate is from folks who are not able/willing to acknowledge the good and bad of homeschooling and the good and bad of public education. Neither one is perfect but they both can work. Doesn't being able to make your own choice sound great?
There are a number of shows on TV that I simply refuse to watch. My body physically reacts when they come on. One of them is Oprah and the other one is The View. I'm not a big fan of Barbara Walters to begin with but when you get Joy Behar going off on Elisabeth Hasselbeck it is almost more than I can bear.
So, while taking my morning walk and listening to the news on the radio I heard a clip of a comment made by Joy Behar while on The View. I feel that her comment exemplifies the ignorance and misconceptions that many people still hold regarding homeschoolers including this educated talk show co-host who just happens to be a former teacher!
The comment takes place at about 7 minutes into the clip.
