I have mixed emotions concerning home schooling. On one side, home schooling bothers me. I spent four years getting an undergraduate degree and my teaching credentials. I spent another 3 years getting my masters in educational administration and got 29 hours into my PhD when I decided that I did not want to be an administrator. I spend numerous hours each year going to workshops to keep up with the latest ideas in education. My goal is to be the best teacher I can and it bothers me when someone with no educational training thinks they can do it better at home.
Most of the time when I get a student in my class who has been home schooled, I find they are ill-equipped to handle the rigors of my class. They sometimes are socially awkward and lack social skills to interact with other students.
On the other hand, if a parent has a problem with the education their child is receiving, they should have the right to take them to a place where they will receive the desired education they need and deserve. If a parent is knowledgeable and experienced enough to serve as a teacher, then they should be allowed to teach their own child.
One of the problems I have with home schooling is that very few parents have the knowledge, education, time, and experience to serve as a teacher for anyone.
Look at the diversity of classes offered and required to graduate from school. Who can teach all of those courses? Not many people, I am willing to bet.
My lovely spouse and I are both certified teachers. Between the two of us, who have two masters degrees, two bachelors degrees, with teaching credentials in mathematics, physical science, computer literacy, physical education, history, English, speech and drama.
I feel we are highly qualified to teach our daughter at home. You asked why we did not? Well for one, we didn't have the time. Second, how could we do the job of seven teachers in one year? We could not.
I feel many people home school their children for legitimate reasons. However, there are many more that use that as an excuse to pull their children out of school, keep them home, and hold class for perhaps one hour a day and call that school. Many of these cannot or will not function in the school and cause problems in the school setting.
I have many more opinions concerning the positive and negative aspects of home schooling. Way to many ideas and opinions to expound on them here tonight. I will go into them further at a later time.
Pleas feel free to post your thoughts on this specific ruling and home schooling in general. I welcome all comments.
"Teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions." - Author Unknown
4 comments:
I, too, am torn about home-schooling. The time and money we have spent to gain our professional credentials is staggering. Master's degrees are expensive. We must continue to accumulate credits to keep our licenses, not to mention that Ohio has raised their fees to renew the 5 year professional license from $60 to $200 (thanks for standing up for us NEA).
My thinking about this is supported by something my daughter told my wife and me while she was in college. We had decided to send our children to a public school rather than a Catholic school. She thanked us for doing so because she had learned to be accepting of all kinds of people in her life after meeting a diverse group in public school. Most of her classmates in college were overwhelmed by their first encounter with students of different types and cultures.
Besides receiving a good book education she had also received a good life education. I don't think home-schoolers get that. I realize that some public schools are cesspools in need of a lot of change. My families' experience was positive.
Law and Order Teacher: I am so glad another teacher sees it my way. We have teachers in my school who have their children in "private school." How can they take a paycheck from a public school and not have their child enrolled in said school? That is crazy to me.
I taught for twenty years (enough). In college, I learned nothing about HOW to teach. Everything I learned about WHAT to teach I learned in grade school. By the time I reached high school, all I was interested in were girls and performing on stage. That latter skill was useful when I directed many high school plays and musicals, however.
Parents with common sense, a good grade school/high school education, and lots of love can home-school. That is, if they take the time, and read ahead.
Don, American: First off, thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your comment.
As in any job after one gets their education, they "learn from doing."
I did learn many things that I was able to use in the classroom when I was in college. However, I learned much more by being in the trenches.
I feel that today's college curriculum for teachers are strong on state mandates and how to be "cumbaya" with the students and not much else. I see people coming into teaching today with much fewer skills than in my day.
Your statement about "parents with common sense, a good grade school/high school education, and lots of love can home-school. That is, if they take the time, and read ahead" may be true in a few cases but overall, will not prepare a child for the everyday world. There is more to going to school besides "book learning."
IN closing, thanks for stopping by and please feel free to stop back by for my future posts. In addition, I will check out your blog. Take care.
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