Topic : 11/24 Great School Debate

And well said!

Nowhere in our DNA is the ability to teach all that is necessary to exist in the modern world. There's just no two-ways about it! Desire to do so may fuel a parents search for the best ways to do it (educate their child on all required subjects to get them into college/university) but that alone does not make a person the best educator for their child. It's an interesting notion, maybe even 'sweet", to think that a parent is the one best source of what is best for their child(ren), but it's a very naive one at best.

 

Not all are meant to parent. Not all are meant to teach. WHere's the debate in that?

I agree and even though the system fails at times, sad, but true, the government doesn't/shouldn't have the right to come into just any home.  They can however work on the system that is already in place as I agree that many children fall through the cracks, there are kids in my own family who has done just that even though the proper authorities were called in and they have also ruined good, solid homes becuase of an agenda, I think they need to work on the system in place already................

The No Child Left Behind may work for some kids but it doesn't work for ALL kids.  If no child is left behind then no child get's ahead either.  My child is turning 5 and will be of age to start public school next Aug.  I have talked with the principal and told her that my son was already working on a 1st/2nd grade level and would probably be working on a 2nd/3rd grade when he is of age to start PS Kindergarten.  She suggested that he go to a private school this year and do K and then in Aug. he would have to repeat K again.  He has already completed a Homeschool K curriculum so she wants him to be in K for 3 years?  This doesn't seem like good advice from a principal.  We are homeschooling him right now but my husband want to consider PS in Aug.  He wants to know if the PS will do anything with son.  I do not believe they will do anything.  I have had a teacher say that they will not and if we had the money place him into a gifted private school.  This is where the schools  doesn't work.  Why should my son work below his academic level just b/c of his age?  I believe all kids should work to their ability not to their age even if their ability is below what is typical for their age.  maybe they just don't learn as fast.  Gifted children are NOT given the chance to work at their level of learning nor at their pace in  PS.  This is the biggest reason for us to homeschool.  My son will be able to move fast in some subjects, slower in others, broad or narrow.  He has already said that he wants to start college in math when he is 10 yrs old.  Why can't he try for the goal?

I find it amazing how people... how parents in far away countries literally work to educate their children so they can do better while here people fight to "unschool" their children. I think "unschooling" is nothing less than neglect WRT education. IMO it stems from control issues & convenient excuses for what amounts to laziness. It's selfish to deny a child the ability to survive in this society while existing in it.

 

"If the child chooses to go to school they can"??? Seriously, is it rational to think a young, inexperienced child could make such a decision with full knowledge of the ramifications it would bring either way? Knowing that their parent or parents do not approve of such things (going to school)?

 

It's just as wrong to leave too many decisions up to a child as it is to take too many away from them.

 

Also, I understand the notion of "unschooling" WRT removing the "institutionalization" from education, to allow freedom & ability to learn without restrictions. I understand the concept of learning through experiences. But that can be achieved through practical, common sense efforts while homeschooling with an educated educator & schooling in the classroom. No one truly knows another's level of knowledge without testing it through actual graded tests. Experience is not always the best teacher either.

Galveston native Ginger Turner is one of 32 Americans chosen this year as Rhodes Scholars, the Rhodes Trust announced Sunday. She will attend the University of Oxford in England starting in fall 2007 to study international relations and politics. "I was so surprised," said Turner, 23, who was home-schooled as a teen. "Everyone who was interviewing was really fantastic, so I didn't know if I had a good chance against them."

But could you pass the test yourself? Not to be contrary, just an honest question.

 

Teachers are held to a higher standard and rightfully so IMO. We are placing them in charge of our most precious, our innocent children. My question is why is it better to remove a child from school because the teachers "don't know enough" only to place them in a similar situation at home? yes, some parents really are better educators than the professionals in their area. That is not true of everyone though.

 

It's is good for your children that you have such a set up, which essentially is doing what a school already does just with a different classroom. Not all have access to such things & not all have the abilities to do it either.

 

Personally, I believe the NEA has a lot to do with why there are so many poorly educated teachers in the system. That needs to be addressed.

 Let me ask a question.  When, in life, are you ever COMPLETELY surrounded by people your own age, gender, etc?  I have been reading comments from people who believe that it would be unhealthy for a child to be homeschooled because they will lack social skills.

Speaking as a homeschool Mom, I would beg to disagree.  I have been homeschooling for the past 6 years.  While my boys do not attend public school, they are two of the most outgoing children you'd ever meet.  They are comfortable around children their own age, as well as adults, including the elderly.  My children are exposed to all different types of people and can actually have an intelligent conversation with someone 10, 20 or 30 years their senior.  As far as the socializing argument goes, it's a moot point.  It is one that does not have a leg to stand on.   Children don't go to school to socialize, they go to learn... they should, anyway...  How many children get sent to the office because they were 'socializing' in class?

As far as the comments about a parent not being 'qualified' to educate their children at home, let me bring up this point.  My experience has been that even teachers will follow a book with answers in it.  They don't know EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING.  They follow along in a "Teacher's Manual" and have information at their fingertips should they forget what it is they were teaching.  There is SO much information available to anyone who is interested in pursuing it.  The internet, the local library, friends with knowledge in a particular area.  I choose to follow a pre-printed curriculum, whereas others depend the resources of their choosing.  Either way is fine in my book.  I teach my sons how to research and find the answer they need.  Isn't this better than just rote memorization?  Anyone can learn to memorize answers for a test.  But knowing how to find the information they need, how to research it, how to get answers.... isn't that of much more value?  Schooling should be fun, exciting, thrilling!  Life experience and hands on activity can teach so much more than a book ever could.

There have been many famous people who were homeschooled.  Presidents, Scientists, Philosophers, Governors, Composers, Artists, Generals... the list goes on.  Just go ahead and do an internet search on famous homeschoolers.  I think you'd be surprised at the people you will find.  These people made a huge impact on the world as we know it. 

Homeschooling is a very unselfish task a parent can take on.  I gave up a very good job to take on an even better one... staying home with my children.  Investing my time and energy into them.  And even though I may get tired at times, I wouldn't give up my new 'career' for the world.

I admit that one of my biggest reasons for homeschooling my children is to be aware of what they are being taught.  In New York State, I must meet some pretty strict requirements in my homeschooling.  What most don't realize is that the requirements on homeschoolers can, at times, be more severe than those of public schools.  There is material I simply MUST cover, no exceptions.

God has told me to 'train up a child in the way he should go'.  Me... not someone else... he told ME to train up my child in the way he should go.  I don't want to just hand off my child at the school's doors and then wonder what he's been taught all day.  I am taking an active role in my sons (plural) learning and, at times, I am learning along with them.  For some reason, I have a difficult time recalling what I learned in school about certain topics.... could that have been because my teachers were lacking?  I don't know... but I do know that I am involved and I do know my children are being 'educated'.   The comment from one about the child going to school and being 'behind' the other children... I think that is probably rare.  If parents/teachers are doing their job, the homeschooled child usually excels his public school counterparts. 

A big advantage to homeschooling is the ability to allow your child to move through the curriculum at his/her own pace.  My son is a full year ahead in his math skills, yet his writing skills are around average.  He will grow and succeed at a pace that is comfortable to him.  He will not be forced to be at the same level as little 'Johnny'.  This makes him much more confident and secure, knowing that he does not have to compete with anyone but himself.

Anyway, this post went on much longer than I had anticipated.  I am just very passionate about the decision to homeschool.  To all of you who have chosen to stay at home and teach your children, kudos to you!  To those of you who are considering it, it really is a blessing to be with your children and be involved with their learning.  To those who can speak so vehemently against it, please do your research before making off the wall comments with little to back up the accusations.  Thank you....

I suppose what is best for the child would assume how ready the parents were to raise them in the first place upon conception.  Many children are the product of already stable relationships, functional families, and are planned, or if they are surprises, they are most assuredly wanted.  Taking care of our own is a biologically driven law of nature for a reason.  For generations families and the building of such were more carefully considered, and the raising of a child was not taken lightly.  There are many who go beyond that and seek to adopt children if they find themselves unable to have them biologically, and so on.

However, in today's generation of non-chalant sexual, dating, and marriage ideals, especially for young people, many babies are born to parents who simply are not ready for them.  It is those families who may benefit and excel from a lot of extra support.  They may not know what is best but even then, even, or especially for them it is not too late to learn.  A person grows up pretty quickly when they find themselves suddenly needing to care for someone else.  In those cases, it's either they find the child to be a big burden and can't wait to get rid of them, or they embrace the reality and learn to "upgrade" themselves to be better parents.

I believe that in general, a parent does know what is best for their own children if they are connected with them from babyhood on up.  That includes, when something is out of their realm of expertise.  For instance, when a child is behaving or feeling ill, most parents would seek outside help and advice, etc.  Hundreds of years ago it was assumed as such, and why should it be any different now?

This may seem to be a digression from the topic at hand, but it provides a foundation to go on if one is to think outside the box.  I'm aware that the above are generalizations, but it is something to think about.

Actually the private school that my daughter goes to does give the kids opportunities to work at their own levels. They are still givent he same work as the other children but are given more as needed. I think every individual school is different whether it is provite or public and all all homeschooling parents are different as well. We have to allow our children to grow and develop at their own paces and we need to make sure that the system we are putting our child in fits that criteria, I love the privat school my daughter goes to,that is why she is there, I rejected the other private school becasue I didn't like the set up. I wqent with mygut feeling and as parents, we have to follwo those paretning instincts, whatever system we choose has to work for the child, we have options in our country and I think we need to take advantage of those options and count it a provelege and a blessing that we are not controlled by the government as many countries are, we are not robots, we are people with a  brain and we have the right to use our brains even when it comes to our kids.

I say follow your heart and keep your child as the high priority here and he will do fine, unfortuanely we do have parents in our country who don't seem to give a hoot when it comes to their children' education but overall, I think most parents do, and thankfully, we live ina  wonderful country who sees that and allows us parents to take control of our own life issues/children's needs.