Quote From: fredastareExactly!
I find the sometimes lax and vastly differing state by state regulations in both homeschooling and unschooling may produce a potentially dangerous society.
Education is paramount in a fully functioning society. I AM not stating that any of these options be denied to it's citizens. No.
I am urging that all educators be held accountable in their efforts and that all students be closely monitored through the governments.
That's it - that's all; accountability and adhering to a specific set of regulated standards that are monitored are very important for me.
I would think that any really wonderful homeschooling parents would welcome this sort of criteria. As it would lay to rest the idea that their motives aren't simply justified due to laziness, fear, over-protectiveness..... etc.
Many many parents should and do homeschool amazingly well. Sadly many others do not.
Therefore having more stringent and a more watchful government eye on both the teachers and the students would only serve to benefit this cause IMO. Thereby creating a better educated child regardless of the method of education chosen.
Fredi
I'm a homeschooling parent that would definitely have a problem with that! I have two autistic spectrum children diagnosed with PDD-NOS, and my son is dyslexic and dysgraphic (writing disability). He had problems with testing and in school when he attended. When he could not read in Kindergarten, I was asked to teach him which I did (his teacher knew I had a Masters' degree in Elementary Education, plus coursework in Special Ed). She passed him on, but knowing his needs said he would have continued problems. His 1st grade teacher asked me to tutor him in math and handwriting. Then his IEP panel asked me to "preteach his language arts concepts". I also found out by reading the IEP report that he had been crying daily and complaining of daily stomach aches at school, which he did not do at home. We felt at that point that homeschooling was probably the only viable solution.
OK, this is a child that wouldn't have done well at testing in public school, probably still wouldn't have been reading very well, so how does testing him, which probably would not show him at age level, do any good? I don't want to get into problems with the government over homeschooling, when I have always been the successful one teaching him. Also, when you're homeschooling, you know exactly, what level a child is on, you don't need to standardized test. I know exactly when he is struggling or not; I don't need a test to tell me like I would if I was teaching 30 or more children. Anyway, no I definitely would not welcome this kind of testing. Hopefully if my son did not do well, because of his diagnosis' we would be able to go through the courts and work it all out, but what a ridiculous waste of time and money, both ours and the governments!!!! Many other homeschool parents also homeschool special needs children, so I am not the only other parent that would also be in this situation as well; this would be very common.
Parents want the best for their children, but what’s the best way to educate them? Dr. Phil’s guests face off in a debate about whether to school, homeschool or unschool. Dana and her husband, Joe, call themselves radical unschoolers. They say education happens as a side effect of life, and they don’t believe in tests, curriculums or grades. Are their three kids learning what they need to know? Then, RaeAnn says public schools are death traps and wants to homeschool her children. Her husband, Steve, says their kids are safer at school than they are at home. Can this couple reach a compromise? Plus, Nicole feels like an outcast at 26. She says she hated being homeschooled, and couldn’t relate to other kids. Share your thoughts here.
