Topic : 11/24 Great School Debate

Beno, if you had neighbors who claimed to be homeschooling, yet you KNEW all they were doing was watching TV all day, would you feel compelled to do nothing? Are you okay with that because parents can decide what's best?

I KNOW that is not the case for the majority of homeschoolers, but I know of two instances just in one year. I do NOT advocate nit-picky regulation, and I don't have all the answers, but I don't think SOME level of accountability is such a bad thing. The basic skills tests most schools give are NOT rocket science by any means. I have trouble imagining why any parent would have a problem with their child taking a test. Or if they really are opposed to tests, submitting a portfolio.

Its the parents responsibility to do what is best for their children....

I couldn't agree more with that statement.  Unfortunately there are many parents that are not responsible in doing what is best for their children.

I'm sorry if my view that there must be some sort of umbrella of protection for children is upsetting for you.  The only answer that I can come up with is in government monitoring and yes holding it's citizens accountable for their actions.

Again I am NOT against homeschooling at all.  I feel that every poster here is making the very best decisions in how they choose to educate their children.  My only concern is the parent that is not able to properly educate their children.

How do we keep that child from falling through the cracks without a specified regulations? 

Fredi

Hey Julie, we agree. :)

 It is not the problem of the public school (entirely) that children are not doing well. It is the parents responsibility to ensure their children succeed in their education. I really do feel for teachers at public schools. There are too many students per teacher, too many parents who do not care, complete lack of discipline options, tests to teach to, etc.....

The pregnant kids, sexually mature kids, terroristic kids those are all wonderful examples of why my children are not in the public school system.

I understand why you would look at a parent who is obviously not parenting and suggest they should not homeschool their children. But honestly, they are not the ones who are homeschooling. Homeschooling takes patience, complete devotion, lower income, and dedication to name a few things. Generally speaking, the parents who aren't involved with the public school system are not the parents who homeschool. Perhaps one of those types of parents would try homeschooling. But, I'm pretty sure if they are that non-interested in parenting they will certainly not stick with homeschoooling.

My husband and I are very "concerned" with our children's education, therefore, we moved to a higher end area with good public schools.  My oldest son is 8 and in 3rd grade.   He is almost a year younger than most of the other kids as their Moms kept them back a year.  He is doing above average work and not having any issues.  I think there is A LOT of mis-understanding about public schools.  First, in my son's class there are LESS kids than the average area's private schools.  Next, there are boudaries set by the district on w hat they can teach your child that do not exist in private school.  In private school (I found this out after we checked out private schools and from a teacher) they can teach whatever they see fit.  Also, it is up to the parent to be involved in their child's education.  If you see your child is struggling in any way, then go to the teacher and work something out.  Public school has a multitude of programs to assist you and with the "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" there's really no excuse (learning disability or whatever) to not have your child succeed.  We have what is called a 504 plan for my son.  Basically, it is a legal document that will follow him through High School.  I can dicatate (if need be) every move/action the teacher makes in regards to my son.  It is NOT that way now but the option exists.  This is available to all parents at any public school.  Last, I can claim all you do about my son's public school.  That is why we are "dishing out the money" to live in a nice area.  Therefore, the crime and bullying you speak of really isn't an issue where we live.   If it does happen, then my son will take care of it with help from his Dad and I.  I think a lot of people are very mis-guided about not only private school but homeschooling and unschooling as well.  Part of education is not just academics.  There is so much more.  In today's world, there is very little chance for self-sufficiency without a decent education.  Also, you need to have skills beyond that.  If you can't deal with people or situations that may come up in life (like bullying) you are not likely to have a lot of job offers.  In a public school setting, although not perfect, there is much more to learn on a social level.  You learn to wait your turn, respect others and that there are consequences for your actions that can affect your whole class.  Anyone who thinks the majority of private schools kids are perfect, think again.  When I was young, these were among the most wild of us all.  They just had the $$ to get out of most any trouble. 

All in all, a good education can come from a good public school.  I agree, not all are good.  There are some even in my district I would not send my kids to.  That is why my hubby and I are very careful if we decided to buy another house in this area.  We want to make sure we stay within school lines that we like.  Also, if a parent expects the school to teach everything to their child then they are in error.  I am in my son's class every week helping out.  No, I am not  Room Mom every year but I am there.  I have been on Field Trips and helped out with parties and such.  I consider myself lucky to be able to do this even though I work full time.  There is academic education which I believe needs to be done by people who are qualified- someone with teaching credentials. For what it's worth, I also believe anyone who homeschools/unschools should have these same credentials. Then there  is the other edcuation which is about life.  This is up to parents. 

Last, don't assume every kid in public school has parents who don't care.  Just as you assume this there are people who assume things about you and your choices.  You are not the only parent who is involved in your child's life the way you are.  I have many many friends who are teachers in public schools and I can tell you they are far more trained than anyone realizes.  They are concerned and they do teach every child no matter how big their class is.  Also, in public school in 1st and 2nd grade the class size has to be UNDER 20 kids...again lower than most private schools.  My friends also say their biggest battle is not teaching the kids but dealing with parents.  Food for thought. 

Beno, if you had neighbors who claimed to be homeschooling, yet you KNEW all they were doing was watching TV all day, would you feel compelled to do nothing? Are you okay with that because parents can decide what's best?

I KNOW that is not the case for the majority of homeschoolers, but I know of two instances just in one year. I do NOT advocate nit-picky regulation, and I don't have all the answers, but I don't think SOME level of accountability is such a bad thing. The basic skills tests most schools give are NOT rocket science by any means. I have trouble imagining why any parent would have a problem with their child taking a test. Or if they really are opposed to tests, submitting a portfolio.

if you had neighbors who claimed to be homeschooling, yet you KNEW all they were doing was watching TV all day,

But this is a slippery slope here, because on occasion *I* watch TV all day, and so do my kids.  But it all depends.  We have unlimited TV (right now it's rarely turned on).  We have unlimited computer time.  Right now my kids are on Neopets a lot.  Yes, they're having fun, but there's a boatload of learning going on there as well.  Primarily reading, writing, math, and geography, time zones, etc.  But we travel, work, have play dates, go camping, museums, and all that good stuff, too.  But some weeks, if some nosy neighbor were spying on us, they'd claim we watched tv all day and there was no learning going on.  But TV is very educational.  Sets, writing, lighting, props, characters, actors, Hollywood, and that's before we even get to the music from the shows, bands, cultural references, etc.  Then add in the history channel, discovery.  We learned about labor unions one day on Sponge Bob Squarepants...

I disagree with regulation of homeschoolers for the main reason is once they start, they won't stop, and before we know it they'll be dictating curriculums and having us teach to the test.  No thank you.