Think of the tomato plant- we don't stick the start out in the cold and wind to grow at first. We put it in hot house give it special care, food, and water before sticking it out. That is like our homes- We teach and train our children. We don't leave our children ignorant of what is out there. A good homeschool and parents for that matter touch on every area of life- we discuss it, we impart values to our children. Then as they get jobs, do volenteer work, play with neighborhood children, or on city teams, 4H, etc. They are exposed to other values, they will know what to do. By skipping Public School they miss out on many negatives. (My dh taught in public school as substitue, I also had friends who do, I've heard so many sad stories. ) In some communities there may be good schools. Parents do not stay connected with schools and what they are teaching. I believe they teach some horrible stuff. For instance, I am for teaching geography and about people's customs of an area but in California, one place made the kids dress up like Muslims, chant, and were teaching what their religon was about. When parent protested and it went to court the judge backed the school district. A school district in Texas told parents, they are yours til you drop them off at the school door. Ohio says children belong to the state. I found out some of these things when I lived in Il. and first started homeschooling- 1984- we had to fight to keep our right to homeschool.
Some Christians will say, our children are to be lights in the school. I disagree, children are not trained for this and that isn't what school is about for them.
A good homeschool teaches both sides- for instance I've taught my children Biblical Creation because that is how we believe. However, we have also said this is what Evolution is. We talk about different life styles and what we believe, we teach the to repect, be kind, love people without embracing or condoning lifestyle choices.
Our children are involved politically. Growing up I knew sort of who was running for president etc. but never talked to a canidate for any office, didn't know how system worked. Government class was a joke and so boring we could have slept through it if we dared.
Our children are not spoon fed everything from a book- they are required to know where to find answers, they are more responsible for their education as high schoolers. Homeschool students are sought after by the colleges. (because they know how to study independantly).
by Linda Head, Home School Mom of 3 - HS Veteran 23yrs.
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Linda,
I will not pretend that I agree with every point your article makes, but you make your points well. The article is a good read, and causes one to explore one’s own ideas, and perhaps, even values.
Thank you for sharing this with me.
I worked for one year as a substitute teacher in public schools in Boston. I hated them. As a result I sent my son and my daughter to Catholic schools from nursery all the way to high school. Their high schools were also Catholic but privates. I never regretted my decision. My son is a computer engineer with a MA and MBA. My daughter is physician, pediatrician and neonatologist. In my opinion, a good education, wherever you can find it, is the key to success and hapiness.
My kids were educated in private schools thanks to the generosity of my dad, who helped pay their tuition, as we were unable to afford it at the time. I'll always be grateful for the solid educational foundation he gave my girls.
After he passed away, we, regretfully, had to send our daughters to public school. One zipped right through middle school with nary a blip.
The other, however, was in highschool and it was trauma from Day One, when a girl threatened to throw my child down a flight of stairs b/c she saw her talking to her boyfriend!
By the end of two years, I'd pulled both my daughters out of public school, homeschooled them to the point where they could take their GED's and they did. Both passed with flying colors, and I'm proud to say one has just graduated college and one started college this past Monday.
If I were Empress of the United States, I'd abolish all government run schools and turn them into privately run institutions. The competition factor would weed out the bad schools, bad administrators and bad teachers, leaving only the competent ones. Granted, you're always going to have bad apples here and there, but at least they could be fired when they were found out and not handed the "Immunity Stick" just because they have tenure!
Good job. I'm sending an announcement to myspace and to a friend.
Homeschool happened for my family when my son was wedged into a fourth grade classroom with 32 other children. The teacher suffered from burn-out and told us at our first conference she “was overworked and there wouldn’t be many extras.” She was correct and by January, I decided I couldn’t do worse at home. I ordered a fourth grade level program from the Calvert School and we were off and running.
There were moments when I wondered if I knew what I was doing, but we finished and the following year, my daughter joined us. One year in our local high school and she was begging to join her brother. So I held my breath and enrolled her in an online high school program. My daughter was a challenge. She tends to dive headlong into what she loves and ignores everything else. However, she graduated with a 3.4 GPA, scored a respectable 26 on her ACT and accepted a nice scholarship to McDaniel College in Maryland last Fall. To say she’s thriving there is an understatement.
In response to the blog entry about California schools teaching a course in Islam, I used the textbook in question, Across the Centuries, and liked it a great deal. Christianity is also covered in the book as it relates to history along with all major religions of the world. The nice thing about homeschool is I was free to teach that unit and not worry about anyone getting upset. We aren’t religious family, so I simply introduced the various faiths as I would any other topic. These are interesting links regarding the case in California. http://www.snopes.com/religion/islam.asp
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/10/03/MNG4ILH1201.DTL
Despite the fact I removed my kids from the public school system, I still believe a free public education is the great equalizer. I would like to see more magnet schools and less emphasis on standardized tests.
My cousin home schooled all of her four children up to the point of college entry. She made certain they were well socialized and they were heavily involved musically and on the swim team, etc. Unlike some home schooled children I've met who can be rather odd from too much isolation, hers were perfectly normal and thriving, so I know it can be done and done well. I opted for a good private school education and was equally happy. My youngest daughter who graduated in the top ten of her class in 2007 received an extremely generous scholarship to an excellent local liberal arts college. The one I attended when my father taught English there years ago. Woo Hoo!