Topic : 11/24 Great School Debate

 Yes, our children can learn so much far quicker than they are allowed to in the public schools.  Keep up the great work, your children will thank you for it.

There is not enough space, here, to communicate my feelings on this matter.

My daughter was home schooled, and I was fortunate enough to be a single parent, so my family's, and ex's opinions on the matter offered little sway. 

 

In a 'nut shell' - - -

1. The public school system tried to sue us - we won.

2. We traveled the USA (without the crowds!)

3. My daughter graduated university, before she was 19 years old, with a BSN.

4. SATS's , MSAT's, etc... no problem.

5. She was accepted into study by 4 Med. Schools.

6. She has been around the world.

7. She has been an emergency ground and air transport nurse (and paramedic).

8. She has held supervisory positions (dispite her 'lack of early socialization'!)

9. She is an instrument rated private pilot.

 

Now that she is 30 years old... it is obvious that the boring, conventional path of public education would have put her in better stead for life - - - yeah, right!

 

And... I am really surprised by Dr. Phil's...'tried and true' stance on the reliability, correctness, and benefit of the teaching in the public sector.  My cousin is a university professor in Southern California, and she is APPALLED by the general ignorance of the incoming students. She complains that she has to teach them BASIC English skills!

 

Dr. Phil and all the 'holy' teaches need to take a GOOD look into the schools of today. I never needed Concertina Wire around MY daughter's school, there was no grafetti on the livingroom walls, and she could get an ice-cold apple without tangling with a 'caged dispenser'!  Even though my daughter was brought up exposed to three languages... she never had a T.A. who 'no speaka da eglssh'.

 

Dr. Phil, et al... NEED to see that schooling has changed.  It is no longer a safe haven of enlightenment!  No more lectures in Parenting Skills, Home Ec., Manners, Latin Roots, Diagraming Sentences (stiffles creativity - I'm told - but if you can't express your thoughts, HOW...?... whatever - at least MY daughter learned it!).  The list CAN go on >>>>> Too bad  :-(

I wonder if the parents who school or teach their children also act as their doctor and dentist? I'm amazed at the lack of respect the teaching profession receives from the public in general and particularly from parents who consider themselves the best techers for their children. Yes, they are the best teachers when it comes to morality, manners, etc and trained prfessionals are the best teachers for their children when it comes to academics.

No other profession requires the same amount of continuing education that teaching does. No other profession receives more public scrutiny, criticism, and general lack of respect that teaching does.

Granted, there have been some very violent and unfortunate events at schools across the country and I understand why parents are concerned with the sfety of their children. Overall, our schools are safe and I believe, as a teacher, that most of today's teachers have their students best interest in mind on a daily basis. It would be nice to be as respected as the other professionals.

I'm not amberlyn, but I had a similar encounter with one of my children's teachers, and I did  report it and kick up a stink when the teacher was not so much as made to apologize to me and my daughter for her behaviour.  It was my word against hers.  The professional won and I was just chalked up to being an overreacting mom who believed her child could do no wrong.  It was such a miserable year for my daughter that my son, when entering that grade cried and said to me, "Don't let me get the same teacher my sister had!"  as he witnessed first-hand her utter unhappiness in the school and relief to exit school every day.  Thank goodness that the teachers don't teach siblings of previous students if they can help it!

When my daughter was in her class, she was sarcastic, belittling to her, and my daughter was constantly held up as an example of "Now, class, here is what you don't do!" said in a slow and humorous voice which got the class all a-giggling.  (I witnessed this several times and the teacher did nothing as she knew my word didn't hold water against mine.  She was a "well respected teacher with many years of experience")

That's "go SIT", by the way. Maybe there is a question of which teacher, what challenging students are in each class, etc. SECOND GRADE! What was so awful that you couldn't have let him stay? What do you think you might have done, such as sitting in the hall, tutoring the worst behavior problem in the class, while the teacher got a reprieve; or administered the spelling tests and read to the class while the teacher gave the problem special attention?

Just what was this great school debate really about, the actual traditional education or the socializing part? Why I ask this question is because, if one really looks at the educational programs, teachers, and teaching methods, there is no debate. In are 21st century of education there is no question as to how effective it is. Chrildren will learn if inspired to learn the information and it is taught in a way that all students can and will learn it. However, there are those of us who had a rather difficult time learning anything because of teachers who took a disliking to us for some reason. Believe me stuff like this did happen in the 50's, 60's, 70's, and became far worse in the 80's, 90's and now into this present. As an adult of being dignosed with ADD along with her young adult daughter with this same condition, along with being a great aunt of one nephew just beginning his schooling in the traditional educational format, has watched how these teachers still continue to pick and chose those student which falls in the same or similar mind set of the accepted cultural norm of thinking and acting to accpeted notions. Those of us with learning handicapps or problems are always left to slip through the cracks of life and to flounder on our own, both on the traditional education mode and in the socializing mode. We have never been accepted into soical cultural norms by anyone and that's hard to deal with as a child, teen, young adult to adult hood. I and my daughter are still not socially accepted even after the traditional educational and soicalizing status. Education is a matter in which parents should have the right to chose what they feel might be the best route for their own children and the socializing will come when it's time.

Only at home if the parent makes it happen LOL  In schools?  Give me a break!  Maybe where you live.  But that isn't the case in all schools.  When my daughter was in a public school in kindergarten a child was standing on the teachers desk (a teacher of 27 years) but she could not touch him to get him down.  She'd talked to the principal, the school board, the parents of course, but alas it continued.  Because teacher's may not physically touch a child unless they are breaking up a fight or doing live saving measures on them.  Sad...  In so many cases the bullying is one students word against anothers and the person who said what if the parents are friends with a teacher etc. was correct. 

My mother is a retired public school teacher.

When I made the announcement to family that we were going to homeschool, you would have thought we grew horns on our heads. My mom was the biggest protester to our decision. She; like most;  quoted lack of "social skills" as a main sticking point.

 

It took about 3 years of her observations of how the kids were progressing aswell as observing actual lessons before she became my biggest supporter. She has seen my children think up businesses and follow through with their plans. She has witnessed a growth that she has since wished  her public school students could have experienced but were to busy being force fed information to ace the standardized testing.

 

Thanks mom for all of your support!!!!

The unschooled parents seem to have no perspective of the larger world.  Random instruction is not effective. 

 

We live in the larger world, not hemmed in by 4 walls and dusty books.  Because my children don't think of the world in subjects, everything is connected.  Math is connected to music, which is connected to history, which is connected to geography, which is connected to language, which is connected to spelling and grammar and foreign languages, which is connected to peoples of other cultures which is connected to religions and on and on.  One thing leads to another and another, all connected and interrelated, not separated.

 

Their knowledge base is much broader than that of their schooled peers.

 

I'm sure if you stuck a standardized test under their nose they might not score as well as someone who has been taught to the test, but I can see the depth and breadth of their knowledge because we are constantly talking and interacting and doing and researching.  They're asking questions and are actively engaged in life. 

 

Learning isn't something boxed in for a few specific hours a day.  It happens all the time, 24/7.  Their schooled friends don't want to do anything if they perceive it has educational value, because they're NOT AT SCHOOL and SCHOOL IS BORING.  My kids have no such qualms about learning.  They play with numbers and words because it's fun.

 

Don't feel sorry for my children.  I feel sorry for those kids who don't have choices in their lives.