Topic : 11/24 Great School Debate

Thats true!  i agree!   you do have to know these things.  To  beable to work with the public.  Math skills and english is the two main things you need to know. Before going out into  work!  Without  it. its hard to  work in a store!!

Yeah...that is the problem I have with that mentality. I have had public school teachers who inspired me beyond description. I will NEVER forget my second grade teacher who nurtured my love of reading, my seventh grade art teacher who helped me discover my ONLY artistic talent - calligraphy,  just to mention two.

I know as a public school teacher I have touched students' lives and inspired them to learn. I recall vividly speaking to parents who were astonished when I got their kids to read for PLEASURE.

I resent the implication that public schools squash the desire for learning. That makes the HUGE assumption that all kids start school with that spark. Many had it squashed out of them LONG before they entered a school, and yet it is the school that takes the blame and is left to undo the damage.

Right.  My problem isn't with the teachers doing the best with what they have.  This isn't about the bad teachers or even the problem kids with terrible home lives and associated issues.  It's that the schools often cannot provide an individual education tailored to each child.  Impossible.

But the system is a gigantic behemoth that is slow to change.  Even if parents of these gifted and talented students gave 100% to the schools, it wouldn't be enough to affect change in time to affect their own children.  And face it, what PS student wants mom or dad hanging around?  It's so not cool. ;)

I doubt, even with a huge community push, that the system will change any time in the near future.  I know teachers and administrators do not have an easy time.  And society's ills are thrust upon the schools to fix.  And they can't.  But society won't change overnight either.

And now parents have a legal alternative that is not just private or alternative schools.  A viable option, one that is now proven to work in most cases.  Forget the oddball fringes.  There are oddball fringe parents doing a disservice to their PS'd children.

In our case, both public school and homeschool is working for us.  I have 6 children.  I sent my oldest two to public school until 8th grade.  Both started having some learning difficulties so we pulled them out of public school at their request and started homeschooling them.  They both have graduated with honors and are leading very good lives with their family and children.  Both are receiving a wonderful income at their jobs that support their families well.  My next oldest son is 16 and he is in public school in 10th grade.  He is doing great, grades are good, he gets to take ROTC (army) which homeschool does not offer.  He plans on going in the army after he graduates.  This will take place after college.  My next two children are 14 and 15 years old.  They are both learning disabled and we pulled them out of public school at their request in the 8th grade.  Neither of them knew their multiplication tables at the time.  We are in the middle of their 9th grade curriculum and they finally know the times tables and division and are heading on to fractions.  These two needed the extra one on one that homeschool provides them.  Our youngest is 5 years old.  Missed the public school cut off date by 3 days.  We have been homeschooling her from birth and she is now reading, writing, and can add and subtract.  She is a very mature 5 year old.  Will we put her in public school next year?  I really don't know yet.  She wants to go so we will probably let her.  We do ask for our children's opinions in this matter.  We all discuss the options, and then we decide together as a family.  Our homeschool group has weekly co-op classes with cooking, art and P.E. being taught.  We go on field trips to different learning places monthly.  They each have over 30 different friends in our group,  some older, some younger and some right at their age.  They interact with all just the same.  I am pleased with my homeschooled childrens politeness more then the public schooled ones.  My 10th grader has to be told to act right in public where the other ones  do so automatically.  They don't have the peer pressure that public school offers.  My children are adopted so I am not sure how much that factors into their behavior.  I adopted all the older ones as teens, the youngest as a baby.  I see the reasons parents choose to homeschool their children and I really feel like this is the best thing for them, but with that being said, I also agree that homeschooling is not for everyone and some children are better off in public school.  I think this is something that each family should decide on their own. 

Berta in Alabama

It's very frustrating when you work in retail and a co-worker says something like "what's half off of $75?" and they have to search around for a calculator while the customer stands there waiting to see what their overall total is.

And likely that coworker that is driving you nuts was a product of the public school system.  And maybe it's not the school's fault.  Maybe your coworker is has the IQ of a pea.

Imagine something like that with the added "well I never had to learn that because my mom said that I shouldn't conform to society's torture of actually knowing what the hell I'm doing."

Damn,  you're on to me.  I knew I shouldn't have let those kids out of the closet...

Be real.  Again we go round and round with the argument that if you don't go to school you can't do basic math or speak proper English.  Hellllooooooo!!!!!  Most of the people on the street that can't do these things DID graduate from an accredited high school.

Which leads us back to why parents are choosing to home school.  I'd better take my Dramamine before I get dizzy.