Topic : 11/24 Great School Debate

You've already been give some really wonderful advice.

In California there are four ways in which to homeschool. 

Two of these options govern joining a satellite program one being the school ran program you mention. Unless you use a satellite program or are certified teacher you will follow the following laws.

 

Under § 48222, the individual home school could qualify as a private school by filing an annual private school affidavit:

 

a. the instructors must be capable of teaching;

b. the instruction must be in English;

c. the instruction must be in the several branches of study required in public schools;

d. attendance must be kept in a register; and

e. a private school affidavit must be filed with the Superintendent of Public Instruction between Oct. 1 and Oct. 15 of each school year. Cal. Educ. Code §§ 33190, 48222.

 

Also, here is something of high value:

Furthermore, in Institute of Creation Research v. Honig,Civil No. 90-0483-B-(M), January 29, 1992, the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of California ordered ... "a private K-12 school is not within the jurisdiction of the State Department of Education for the purpose of approval of courses or course content or issuance of regulations, except as provided by law" (p. 3). This ruling would apply to all home schools that file a private school affidavit.

 

This is very important because recently (one year ago) the Ninth Circuit Court ruled:

" We also hold that parents have no due process or privacy right to override the determinations of public schools as to the information to which their children will be exposed while enrolled as students."

As the First Circuit made clear in Brown, once parents make the choice as to which school their children will attend, their fundamental right to control the education of their children's, at the least, substantially diminished. The constitution does not vest parents with the authority to interfere with a public school's decision as to how it will provide information to its students or what information it will provide, in its classrooms or otherwise."

 

 

I have taught at every age level, taught public school, alternative school, substitute taught, night school, high school, preschool, 1 on 1 lessons, taught my own 3 kids at home for 6 years.  I really enjoyed homeschooling.  It allowed our family to be really close and it was a good balance to housekeeping.  We only had one income but it was very worth it. 

     There's nothing magic about "educational training" or public school.  People only learn what they're interested in NO MATTER WHAT.  Homeschool is better I feel just because kids can get more attention.  Mine had two parents/adults to 3 kids.  In other places the ratio is way lower, sometimes 30/1, sometimes more.  That simple fact is important. 

     The other reason I think homeschooling is superior is because the parents LOVE their kids.  When the day is full of hassling, adults are more motivated by love of their kids more than a teacher is by their paycheck.

     It does take a brave person to teach their own kids.  It's a never ending job just as it is in the public system.  I found it extremely rewarding but none of my kids is doing it with their kids yet.  (Only one of them has kids, none school age yet.)  It's a very individual thing but the system we have seems woefully inadequate.  Computors will help people educate themselves and then give them access to recreation centres where they can plug into group activities.  We need lots of alternatives to suit the needs of our very diverse population. 

     What I'm "surprised" about it how many people have an opinion on this who don't have children or who have never tried teaching.  ^..^XOXOXO

    

 

You are the one who needs to be educated about breastfeeding.  The average weaning age worldwide is 4.5 years.  Where do you get this idea about nursing being equivalent to a weekly vitamin.  Although, I have to say I'm not in favor of artificial nipples, I would never tell someone they shouldn't give their child a bottle.  It's not my place, nor is it yours.

 

The mom also said there is structure in their household, what about it are you deeming improper? 

You really don't see the irony in you being defensive for your cause and then saying something offensive like this?

I started homeschooling after my son attended kindergarten at our local public school because it was recommended by a teacher, a principal, and later the superintendent at our public school because of my son's learning differences.

 

I continue to homeschool because there is no doubt in my mind that he is receiving a better, more well rounded education at home than he would receive in our public school.    In addition to having more time to read classic books, learn science and history, and experiment with different ways of figuring answers to math problems, he has more time to learn about practical things like budgeting money and comparing prices.  Before making any kind of purchase he looks up price information online and  reads reviews.   He has learned to do a little research before making decisions.   He has also learned to get his information from more than one source.  He is an independent thinker.   He has opinions about everything and he loves to debate issues with me.    He doesn't believe everything he hears and is not afraid to ask questions.  He is learning valuable life skills.

 

He gets to go on more field trips to museums and the zoo, and he gets to go on rides with his dad, who is a member of the Patriot Guard.     At school he would have to learn to deal with bullies while teachers look the other way.   With homeschooling, he can watch while his dad helps shield soldiers'  families from "adult bullies" who picket at funerals.       

 

Socially, he has no trouble talking to people of any age, even the rough looking members of the Patriot Guard.  He is just as comfortable talking to adults as with children.   Most of his friends are older and have common interests, but he is very interested in other people.  I do not think it would benefit him to be forced to stay with other eight year olds who have no common interests except for video games.   Most eight year old boys in our small town are interested in football and other sports.  He is not.   They are not interested in the books he reads or musical theater.   I can't force him to be like them and I wouldn't if I could.  He is an outside-the-box kid and proud of it.  He feels good about himself, even though he is different.  The public school would only try to make him fit in the box and make him color in the lines.  

 

 In our small town public school he would end up squandering his valuable learning time.      He will read the classic books that the public school kids don't have time to read.  He will learn new vocabulary that the public schooled eight year olds don't have time to learn because they have to do so much busy work.     He will watch more interesting educational shows that cause him to ask more questions and lead to more learning.   He will be allowed to find answers to those questions. 

 

Okay, there is one thing my son might do as well as a public schooled student.  I think he might not color as well as the average public schooled student.   Maybe it is because I am not  an educational professional, but I just don't see much value in making kids color in the lines.   Maybe someone with more education can explain to me why  this so important.  Every year before school starts, out of curiosity, I look at the school supply lists and I see more than one box of crayons required, even for third grade.   As an unqualified homeschool mom, with only a two-year degree in accounting,  I just didn't know any better, so I  skipped the coloring and instead used that time to learn new and interesting things.   If I were more educated I probably would  have had to make him color in the lines.             

I just want to weigh-in with our homeschool experience. 

 

We came to homeschooling after 3 years of private school (which we left after our oldest two began hating school,) and 2 years of public school (which we left after our boys, who received "outstandings" and "A's" tested two years behind their grade level in every subject.) 

 

Our oldest was homeschooled for three years, in which he more than overcame his educational set back.  He took his high school placement test, scored highly, and was admitted to his first choice of high school (a very competitive admission year.)  He was in honors math all four years, and is now in college, do very well his freshman semester as a physics major.

 

Our next is also now in high school (another who was able to do well on the high school placement test and get into a competetive high school.)  He is now a sophomore and doing very well. 

 

I should note that we have opted to go with private Catholic high schools for a few reasons.  Probably foremost (and the one for which I get the most grief) is so they can play sports.  In our state, you cannot play (aside from AAU-which we also do) sports if you homeschool.  Our boys are very sports-oriented, so this was very much a motivating factor.  Also, I have all boys, and I think it is good for them to be "with the guys" and have male teachers, aside from my dh.  Another benefit, the number of subjects we can cover at home would not have been as extensive, for us, as their high schools have been able to provide.   Other plusses have been the diversity of my second son's high school, some really outstanding teachers who have been able to ignite passions in assorted subjects for my boys, and the plain old fun and camaradarie they have had/are having/will have.  (Yes, there can be crummy days, too, but don't we all have those, once in a while?)

 

I am homeschooling our younger boys from birth to 8th grade, then it will be off to a private high school for them. 

 

BTW, both my dh and I were publicly schooled students and both graduated from THE  :o)University of MI.  And I have to say, I am learning SOOO much homeschooling my boys.  I graduated in the top 5% of my high school class, took all the college prep and honors classes (and did well) and I am amazed at how much I wasn't taught.

 

Socialization is not an issue in any way, shape or form. (We do football, basketball, baseball, and scouts- I drive a lot!)   I can't tell you the number of people (whose children go to public/private schools) who have come up to me or my dh and have told us how they are so incredibly impressed with my boys' kindness, maturity, and politeness.  I have to admit, I am very proud of them all.

 

I really think the key is for parents to be involved, no matter where your children are going to school.  (We did have a bad experience with our local public school in this area.)   Home schooling has allowed us some very precious, albeit short, time to spend with our boys.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.

 

 

 

I'm glad you love your job. I love my job too. I am a homeschool educator. I cannot honestly say I have ever given my child a zero. It would be an indication of failure if I did that. I teach until they fully understand and master the subject at hand. Unlike public school teachers, I have the luxury of researching and choosing the best curriculum without regard to policy or politics. Actually public school teachers have very little input in curriculum choice nowadays. I also do not need psych classes to understand how to impart knowledge and achieve a goal.  My curriculum choices reflect a  well-rounded course of study and include many subjects no longer taught in mainstream public schools (logic, Latin, and sentence diagramming to name a few). I am a professional just like any teacher in the public or private system. Public school is NOT an imperative, it is only another choice.

I know this is long, but it is something I need to tell.

 

 cawill43 was advised to MAKE the school do what they should. We have tried to MAKE our school do what they should. Our special needs child was shut in a closet, sprayed with air freshener, ridiculed, and more all by the adults in our public school. Students soon learned that they could bully our child and get by with it. We did not sit back...we got very involved. We got independent evaluations, took his psychologist to IEP meetings, had his neurologist send information, and much more. We read every book we could find, went to support groups, attended conferences, and did not stop there. We contacted the State Department of Education. Eventually, we filed a Due Process against the school and the school was found in non-compliance. Other parents filed Due Process and the state finally sent ten investigators to review our special education department. The school was found in non-compliance in several areas. One area of non-compliance was the excessive use of expulsion as a means of discipline. During middle school, the majority of special needs children were expelled. Did this change things? Only when state personnel were actually in the school building. The superintendent, at that time, told us that, "We are an independent public school and we don't have to follow the same rules as everyone else." Eventually, our child was attacked by another student with a lunch tray. Teachers stood by and watched until other students protested. The teacher that stopped the attack told the attacker, "Good job". The principal was going to expel our child until the school's star football player stepped in and said that was wrong and told exactly what happened. We called the state again. The result? Our school district was driving our child to a special school approximately 30 miles away and paying his tuition as well. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. The damage had already been done.

 

Our experience led us to keep a close eye on things with our other children. We were thrilled when we got a new superintendent. Having had an opportunity to spend one-on-one time with this person over a period of years, we felt that the students would be her priority. WRONG!!  When we realized that things were not going well, we asked to see some of the school records. The first time we asked we got enough to realize that our school was misappropriating funds and violating laws. Our recent attempts to see public records have been met with a great deal of resistance. To quote our superintendent, “As a public school, we do not fall under the ‘Freedom of Information Act’. Our state does have an Open Records Act that gives specific items that ARE NOT open and those that are. The school attorney has advised that the public may NOT have access to these records. WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY HIDING? Why not sit down with us and show us that our concerns are invalid?

 

 Below is a portion of a post I made earlier that tells a little more about the school:

I wish that I were in a position to choose between homeschool and public school. I do not have the knowledge or education to teach my children the things they need to know so they are in the public school system. Our district is small, approximately 1,100 pre-k through 12th grade students. Very few of the school administrators, teachers, or support staff are there for the children. Approximately a half million dollars of the school budget goes to two families, one of them the Superintendent’s family. Nepotism is extreme here. I have always said that it seems to be more of a social club than a school. I sat through school board meetings where the first question was not, "What are the qualifications of this potential employee?" but "Who are they related to?" I listened when this person was hired not because there was a job opening but because they were, "a friend and we need to find them a job". No one ever asked for qualifications. Those that do not have to do their job or who are unqualified hinder efforts of the good teachers. Parental involvement is low. Parents are encouraged to be involved but if you question or disagree with anything, your children will pay the price. For example, grades have been lowered for children whose parents questioned something the school has done. Teachers who try to correct things are not re-hired. Our oldest has lost his curiosity and desire to learn. The school balked when, as a 9th grader, he enrolled in Biology 2, Algebra 2, and Geometry along with his other subjects. We were told they never had anyone take that hard a schedule before and implied that it would be too much for him. Wow! How encouraging is that?  This is a student who has been on the President’s Gold Honor Roll for years, is a part of Duke Universities TIP program, and much more. What I have mentioned is only a tiny part of what goes on in this public school. Why stay in it? We have no other option. Why not get involved…do something about it? We are trying, and have been for years. Other parents have told us they want to do something but are too afraid to step forward for fear of what will happen to their children. One law firm represents this school district and at least 300 other districts in our state as well as the state school board association and other state agencies. Try contacting government officials? You might be surprised to know that these matters do not fall under anyone’s “jurisdiction”. As for the social aspect of public school, it has been detrimental for my children.  The worst has come from the adults that are supposed to teach our children. We do not have the financial means to move or to send our children approximately 30 miles away to the closest private or public school.

 

Fortunately, not all schools are like this but there are enough out there that ALL citizens should be concerned …whether you have children or not. After all, THESE ARE YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK!

 

 

 

 

<<<too many don't have the proper credentials>>>

 

I am self employed, yet I have no business degree.  I get paid to do simple programming and software integration, yet I have no programming credentials.  I homeschool my kids AND I teach adults in a classroom, yet I have no teaching credentials.  I perform well at all of these and yet I have no piece of paper referred to as “credentials”.  How and why  do I do so well?  I am motivated, determined and self-educated (for the most part).  That is what you need to successfully teach your own children from K through high school.  If you can read, are able to use resource materials and the library, if you want to keep your kids out of the system, then you have what you need to homeschool and prepare your children for college.