Replies to '11/24 Great School Debate'

It really sounds to me that this [unschooling couple hasn't been in the public schools since they were students themselves.  Their conversation included things like "teachers who stand in front telling the kids" the content, which is something that hasn't been done in our schools for many, many years.  Teaching in the public schools, from beginning years through at least 8th grade, has taken on the face of independent learning, cooperative learning, research opportunities, and many other avenues that go way beyond a teacher standing in front of the group, lecturing; that picture is extremely rare in today's schools.  Our goals, as teachers, are to find the ways in which students are able to learn in the best ways possible.  We teach to their strengths, changing those methods so that each student's strength is met at some point along the way.  It isn't possible for every student's strength to be hit every single time; you help them to make those less strong ways of learning a little bit stronger each time around.  I believe these people are doing their children an injustice and that those children will definitely have more difficulties as adults as a result.