Very interesting, thanks a lot for the link. Talking about a clash of cultures here; I'm very uncomfortable with homeschooling, it's not allowed in my country, and I'm glad about it. Nobody is keeping parents from educating and teaching their children as well, in *addition* to the education schools offer, but isn't that part of being a parent, anyway...?
I think the subject is a vexing one, with no easy answers.
Education in this country is so broken, I don't even want to put energy into describing why, because I did that for the 20 years I taught, and no one who can actually fix anything would give me five seconds of time.
But. A homeschooling parents, like a teacher, who reinvents their lessons all the time in order to reach this child--instead of using authority to force the child to a certain learning mode and way of thinking--has my vote. And I happen to know that blackhandpants is that kind of teacher, as we've been talking lessons and lesson plans ever since her oldest child was three.
Education in this country is so broken I know many teachers from the USA, and sadly, they all share your views. Education is so important, I'll never understand how it can be neglected in such a way. That's why I applaud every effort by parents to contribute their share.
But:
instead of using authority to force the child to a certain learning mode and way of thinking
But isn't homeschooling doing just that as well? Doesn't citing "freedom of religion" as a reason for homeschooling imply that a certain way of thinking is forced to the child?
Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt that there are wonderful parents who homeschool their kids. However, to develop the ability to compare two views and form a personal opinion, children need access to both views.
It sounds like she's describing something that I might call a semi-homeschool "co-op" model; I think there's a lot of room for something like that, but I suspect there are also a lot of potential obstacles for folks who want to set up such a co-op.
Apologies for butting in, but let me just stress that we're far from "semi" homeschooling. The coop is one day a week; on the other days, we study Latin, English grammar/composition/spelling, math, science, history, literature, Bible, and French (why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?) -- at home. My daughters also take private dance and music lessons.
Maybe I'll add that to the essay, so as to avoid giving the impression that the coop is the bulk of what we do. It isn't.
I think I saw that there was so much good stuff in the coop that I mentally inflated its importance in the schedule; my apologies for the misunderstanding.
I really enjoyed the essay! It gives a great view of what modern homeschoolers are doing. Thanks for posting it.
What concerns me about homeschooling is the support it takes away from public education. I really worry about the attitude that the only education that matters is that of our own children. At least where I live, people seem to have no clue that they will have to live in a world with the products of whatever educational system exists, and that it's in all our interests to see that everyone gets the best education possible. My poor kids--I thought they would learn more about the world in the public schools than they ever would at home with me. They got plenty of me any way.
I suspect if parents felt they had more of a hand in education they might support public education. But so many stupid things have been done over the past 25 years for stupid reasons, and no amount of complaining on the part of parents made a whit of difference. Meanwhile, issues of safety, of bullying, etc, are no longer shrugged off as they were when I was young.
Of course that isn't to say parents aren't pig-ignorant and regard school as babysitting for seven hours a day.
It's a large, complex question, and those who make the decisions are NOT considering the children's welfare, they have a host of other motives.
I completely agree. Teachers also feel that the control has been taken out of their hands. When I first taught in public school, 45 years ago, if a kid was out of hand, I sent him to the office, and the administration dealt with the kid and the parents were called in. Now in my state, teachers are expected to work it out on their own, and have to call the parents whenever a student receives any kind of discipline or receives a grade lower than C. The welfare of the students, that should be addressed by the system as a whole, gets turned into a struggle between parents and teachers, and the students lose, most of all
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Thanks for the link! As you say in comments, education and the pros and cons of both homeschooling and public schooling are a lot more complex than most people seem to think. It's always nice to see homeschooling represented as something other than the domain of extremist reactionaries.
I have a friend who chose to homeschool her children for a variety of reasons, including a very ugly divorce. When she talks about it, she always includes the disclaimer "but I'm not one of those weird people." Parents choose to homeschool for a variety of reasons, and are often trying to do what's right by their kids and their lights. Where I live, Howard County, Maryland, has some of the best schools in the country and one of the most well-educated populations. Homeschooling is growing every year here, too.
Do I wish all those talented, opinionated homeschooling people invested in the public schools? Absolutely. Do I understand frustration levels of dealing with the bureaucracy that is the modern public school system? Oh, yes, that too!
I think far too many parents feel helpless, which is why they take on this enormous investment of time. (And yes, I know homeschooling parents who totally dropped the ball and just didn't.)
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Education in this country is so broken, I don't even want to put energy into describing why, because I did that for the 20 years I taught, and no one who can actually fix anything would give me five seconds of time.
But. A homeschooling parents, like a teacher, who reinvents their lessons all the time in order to reach this child--instead of using authority to force the child to a certain learning mode and way of thinking--has my vote. And I happen to know that blackhandpants is that kind of teacher, as we've been talking lessons and lesson plans ever since her oldest child was three.
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I know many teachers from the USA, and sadly, they all share your views. Education is so important, I'll never understand how it can be neglected in such a way. That's why I applaud every effort by parents to contribute their share.
But:
instead of using authority to force the child to a certain learning mode and way of thinking
But isn't homeschooling doing just that as well? Doesn't citing "freedom of religion" as a reason for homeschooling imply that a certain way of thinking is forced to the child?
Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt that there are wonderful parents who homeschool their kids. However, to develop the ability to compare two views and form a personal opinion, children need access to both views.
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Maybe I'll add that to the essay, so as to avoid giving the impression that the coop is the bulk of what we do. It isn't.
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I really enjoyed the essay! It gives a great view of what modern homeschoolers are doing. Thanks for posting it.
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Glad you liked the essay :-)
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Of course that isn't to say parents aren't pig-ignorant and regard school as babysitting for seven hours a day.
It's a large, complex question, and those who make the decisions are NOT considering the children's welfare, they have a host of other motives.
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Do I wish all those talented, opinionated homeschooling people invested in the public schools? Absolutely. Do I understand frustration levels of dealing with the bureaucracy that is the modern public school system? Oh, yes, that too!
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Ohhhhh yes.
I think far too many parents feel helpless, which is why they take on this enormous investment of time. (And yes, I know homeschooling parents who totally dropped the ball and just didn't.)
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