home school

[Ravn]

The compulsory education system that we have now was put in place after WWI to ensure more good little worker bees for the government.

***To make my question clearer, I was thinking of the example where a parent decides to homeschool their child. Are there checks and balances in place to ensure that the child is learning certain standard subjects properly - i.e. how is the parent's ability as a teacher evaluated, if at all?

It varies from state to state, as shown in one of the links I gave you. Some of it is a joke though. Where I live in NY is basically the ghetto. The highschool here has a higher pregnancy rate than graduation rate, gangs, metal detectors, police are there everyday, but I have to basically lick the school super's balls to prove that I can teach my child.


*** I referring to objective standards here, like spelling, math, reading, grammar, all that stuff - not subjects that could be considered subjective or up to interpretation by the teacher (e.g. what really happened in the War of 1812?). Is there leeway re: curriculum? Suppose a parent decides not to teach a subject altogether?***

That's why there are so many different books and theories behind homeschooling. It all gets done. Whether people use SonRise, Usborne, Montessori, Waldorf, eclectic, un-schooling. Everything is learning. Not just sitting in a class memorizing times tables. Spelling is not hard to teach, they have this great thing called phonics. Reading happens at different ages at different levels. My sister got hell for not being able to read at age 7, at age 8 it was like a lightbulb clicked and now at only 24 she has a masters degree in chemistry. I feel so bad that she was made to feel dumb because she wasn't "status quo" and no one paid attention to the fact that her science and math grades were off the chart. Grammer isn't all that hard to teach unless you live in the ghetto and "I be going to da sto" is considered proper english. Homeschooling is a wonderful lifestyle and should be left up to the family.
I know there are great teachers, but frankly, everyone I went to college with who became a teacher did so because they couldn't get a job in their field.


also, paraphrasing a friend of mine on the subject who happens to be my homeschooling idol,,,,

"my response would just be that the proof is in the pudding. As long as homeschoolers continue to outscore public schooled students on objective tests like the SAT, I really don't see where the school districts should have much say in what each individual homeschooling families do. Perhaps the tables should be turned. Perhaps schools should be held accountable for bringing their test scores up to match homeschoolers. Ya know, I'm not a big believer in stuff like testing, but when homeschoolers consistently score so well even on this most schoolish of schooly crap, I don't see how people can keep on going around making a fuss about how homeschoolers need more regulation. Let's spend our energy fixing problems that *need* fixing, not trying to fix something that's not broken."

and

"I can see the point about an Andrea Yates, not knowing what's going on in a home. But sadly, there are many children in the public school system who are victims of abuse. Somehow, they're falling through the cracks. I don't think heavily regulating homeschooling fixes child abuse and I don't think it's necessary given the success of hs kids on tests."


There are downsides to it, you do get the religous nuts, the control freaks, etc. Frankly, everyone else seemed to have so much fun running homeschoolers into the ground I was trying to be the positive voice.

I am so sorry that you feel I am lazy or lacking by posting positive homeschooling websites. It is just such a personal decision that I was trying to post other objective sites.