How the heck can you homeschool your kids when you can't write a coherent sentence yourself?
- 1680 Replies
Aaargh! It annoys me to no end. Yes, as parents you should have a say in your child's education, but that does not mean that you should homeschool if you are barely educated yourself. I just wish there was some sort of accountability when it comes to homeschooling.
"We home school 'em. I teach the big ones, and the big ones teach the little ones, but nobody taught me, so the whole thing is an exercise in futility. " Cletus
Who do you think a child's first teacher is? The first 5 years of a child's life, the child builds more neural connections than she will for the rest of her life. Should all people have to pass an exam before they can have a baby?
Quoting Anonymous:
I believe homeschooling could be a wonderful way to teach your child, I do think that before you can homeschool the parent should pass an exam showing that they are fit to teach the subject matter.
Quoting AandKsMom:Did you take a course on how to teach your kids to walk, talk, feed or dress themselves? No. I'm guessing you didn't, but yet your kids learned how to do all of those things.
Homeschooling shouldn't be a duplication of public school. Why reinvent the (broken) wheel? Homeschooling should be more than books and memorization. It should be about family, learning how to recognize what you don't know/understand and HOW to find the information to resolve that.
Teachers don't go to school to learn how to teach a particular subject (not for elementary and middle school anyway). They go to school to learn classroom management! If you're a mom, you already know how to manage a classroom because you manage your child every day.
Once kids are at a certain point in learning, if you're no longer comfortable teaching it you can get supplemental classes, do school online, tutors etc. People shoud be encouraged to homeschool and not ridiculed because they themselves aren't "educated". Education should be a life long journey to be loved and enjoyed. Not something that is tolerated and given up after the required 13 years of school (K-12th grades).
I'm a proud homeschooling mom to two children. My oldest was accepted to 3 universities - his top 3 choices that is. I used tutors when necessary (math especially), and I sent him to supplemental classes to broaden his experience (science labs mostly). I do not have a college degree and neither does my husband, but we knew that homeschooling was right for our kids and we've instilled in them a lifelong love of learning that they wouldn't have developed being in a public school kid mill.
Wonderful!
I am a proud homeschooling mother of 2!
There isn't an acceptable private school near me that costs less than $20,000 a year. There are no charter schools available either. Any other suggestions? I live in Central Montgomery Co. PA. Believe me, I would love to send my son to a good school. Find me one!
Quoting Anonymous:
You're right, the public school system in a lot of states is a joke. That's why there are other options like private and charter schools. Some of those are so far from your idea of what "school" is that you wouldn't even recognize them. I searched high and low and found a school that would allow my children both education, real world skills, AND the ability to become who THEY want to become. They do not sit and take standardized tests and do meaningless workbook pages. I would not allow it. But I also recognize that I do not have the in depth knowledge in ALL subjects that they need to be exposed to. Nobody does. That is why I want my children to have many different teachers with different kinds of knowledge. That allows them to take it in and then decide for themselves what they want to believe, think, and go on to learn more about. I don't want them limited to what I know. No matter how smart I am. (And I'm not uneducated by any means. I do have a masters degree.) They deserve more than that.
Quoting LucyMom08:
Haha! This is exactly why I am choosing to homeschool. I do not want my children to be indoctrinated and end up being passive little sheep. There is more than one way to teach a child, and obviously the American public school system isn't quite aware of that. Their "one size fits none" policy is a joke.
Quoting Anonymous:
I think it's a form of control. They don't WANT their children educated properly. They don't want them exposed to thoughts other than their own. Outside education opens the child up to making choices and having insight that is possibly different than the parents and they don't want that. It is threatening. Long ago men didn't want women to be able to read and write and be educated because then they would lose control over them. It's the same thing. And it shouldn't be allowed. One shouldn't be able to stifle a child's education and opportunity in order to control them. I'm well aware that there is less then ideal education available in some schools. But that is not an excuse. Find a school that IS a good one! I fully support making an ACTIVE choice about your child's education. But that doesn't require home schooling when you're not equipped for it. There are other options.
Quoting ajadog:I have a college degree & math by far is my weakest subject. My husband has a college degree & the liberal arts are his area of weakness. We are able to play off of eachother, our kid doesn't lack knowledge in any subject simply because we aren't both experts in everything.
Once a child hits middle school and above separate teachers teach different subjects, one teacher is not expected to be an expert in all subjects.
If I wanted to I could sit around all day and find fault with Public School teachers & their weaknesses but that would be a broad stroke of silliness.
Just curious - what is your weakest subject?
I have to weigh in here. I teach for two colleges and have to say that I am totally appalled at how students at one college think they are they greatest and say how great they are at written and oral communication. My comment on one set of papers to many students was really? Look at the errors marked on this paper.
At that same school, many are on sports scholarships and have no clue what a real job entails because they have always done sports and NEVER had even a part time job. All most of them do is text in class.
At the other college, which is private and very good, students never text in class, are very respectful and really try. I've had students who were home schooled and needed to be little more open minded, but were still very good students and listened to what I had to say about their essays. I teach a lot of composition courses.
Overall, I am truly worried about the lack of education the public schools offer mainly because teachers are no longer allowed to discipline and, therefore, seldom get to actually teach except for to teach for the Indiana state test.
Yes, I have taught many grades in the public schools. My degrees ( BS--still funny to me, and MAE--master of arts in education k-12) have served me well, but after teaching for 34 years, I'd love to quit. Unfortunately, as a single mother, I am not able to do that. I do worry about our country because of the entitlement generation and lack of knowledge they have. It just scares me.
I think we need an education section on here for different levels.
Geez, hope I don't have any grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors in this post!!!
Most homeschooled kids have to take atleast a yearly test to make sure they are on grade level. So as long as that requirement is being met, it really doesn't matter if the kids homeschool teacher/mom is an illiterate inbred hillbilly who can't even tie her own shoes.
Smug people like you are the reason why some parents won't return their kids to public school even if they start struggling with homeschooling. Who wants some snotty teacher saying, "I told you so"? You think you're perfect? I assume you know how every one of your students ended up?
Quoting new2this09:I was a public school teacher for years. I had several parents threaten me (not sure why it's a threat) to withdraw their kid from school and homeschool them, because they thought what I was teaching was too difficult (god forbid I challenge the students). One lady actually did. Didn't last long, the kid came back the next year, and was even further behind. ha. You want to withdraw your kid? Go right ahead lady. The only one it's hurting is your kid though.
I'm an atheist and all privare schools here are religious. There are no charter schools and only one middle and one high school. What, Anon, do you expect me to do? My kids are not going to failing schools. Even with my weaknesses, I can provide a better education than these schools.
Quoting LilyofPhilly:
There isn't an acceptable private school near me that costs less than $20,000 a year. There are no charter schools available either. Any other suggestions? I live in Central Montgomery Co. PA. Believe me, I would love to send my son to a good school. Find me one!
Quoting Anonymous:
You're right, the public school system in a lot of states is a joke. That's why there are other options like private and charter schools. Some of those are so far from your idea of what "school" is that you wouldn't even recognize them. I searched high and low and found a school that would allow my children both education, real world skills, AND the ability to become who THEY want to become. They do not sit and take standardized tests and do meaningless workbook pages. I would not allow it. But I also recognize that I do not have the in depth knowledge in ALL subjects that they need to be exposed to. Nobody does. That is why I want my children to have many different teachers with different kinds of knowledge. That allows them to take it in and then decide for themselves what they want to believe, think, and go on to learn more about. I don't want them limited to what I know. No matter how smart I am. (And I'm not uneducated by any means. I do have a masters degree.) They deserve more than that.
Quoting LucyMom08:
Haha! This is exactly why I am choosing to homeschool. I do not want my children to be indoctrinated and end up being passive little sheep. There is more than one way to teach a child, and obviously the American public school system isn't quite aware of that. Their "one size fits none" policy is a joke.
Quoting Anonymous:
I think it's a form of control. They don't WANT their children educated properly. They don't want them exposed to thoughts other than their own. Outside education opens the child up to making choices and having insight that is possibly different than the parents and they don't want that. It is threatening. Long ago men didn't want women to be able to read and write and be educated because then they would lose control over them. It's the same thing. And it shouldn't be allowed. One shouldn't be able to stifle a child's education and opportunity in order to control them. I'm well aware that there is less then ideal education available in some schools. But that is not an excuse. Find a school that IS a good one! I fully support making an ACTIVE choice about your child's education. But that doesn't require home schooling when you're not equipped for it. There are other options.
S/o What would you do if you found out your 17yo had sex?
Would you send them?