|
Basic Homeschooling Information |
Frequently Asked Questions
Qualifications
You taught your child to
walk, dress himself, use silverware, identify colors, and myriad other skills
long before he turned five. You are
already an expert at teaching your child.
There is no reason to think that you can’t also teach him to read, do
addition, and anything else he needs to learn. You care far more about your
child than a classroom teacher (no matter how dedicated) ever will. You can spend more time one-on-one with
your child than a teacher can. You can
choose materials specifically for your child’s learning style, instead of
forcing your child to learn from the generic books that the school board
happened to select. You are the person
most qualified to customize your child’s education. Those who earn teaching
credentials take classes to learn how to write lesson plans. They take courses in educational
philosophy, classroom management, testing methods, and content-area teaching
tips. These are good things to study,
but it is not necessary to earn a teaching degree to be a good teacher or
provide a quality education to your child.
If any of those topics interest you, visit a university bookstore and
purchase the textbooks required for the teacher-ed courses. Some people object to the
parent-as-teacher, claiming that there are things that kids need to learn
that the parents don’t know. The
obvious response is that if it was necessary
for people to know it, you would
know it. It is far more likely that a desired subject will come along that
the parent doesn’t know about – in which case the parent can learn alongside
the child, or the parent can hire a tutor for the child, or the child can do
research and teach himself… Resources
abound. SocializationSome people object to
homeschooling, claiming that homeschooled kids won’t be properly
socialized. This term means different
things to different people, so you can’t adequately answer someone’s
questions without establishing a definition. Socialization can mean social skills, manners,
etc: Who is the better teacher of
appropriate social skills? A skilled
adult, or a kid? If school kids
already knew social skills, we wouldn’t need to teach them. Research documents the fact that children
learn better social skills by spending time with responsible adults than they
do by spending large amounts of time with other children. Socialization can mean interacting with a variety
of people: This doesn’t happen in
school. Kids are placed into peer groups and don’t learn to interact with
others who aren’t their age unless their parents provide opportunities
outside the classroom. Socialization can mean getting along with
others. Kids are supposed to practice this in the classroom, but
they don’t learn it there. I provide direct supervision and teach my
children to get along with one another. We invite others over and I provide
supervision, ensuring that my children get along with others, not just with
their siblings. We go to the park and I make sure that my children are
getting along with whoever happens to be at the park. That doesn’t happen in schools. The
majority of kids get along with one another most of the time, but it’s due to
what they learned at home long before being old enough to attend school. Socialization can mean what occurs in the former
Soviet block. Many people don’t
realize that our educational system was modeled on the Prussian system, and
developed specifically to separate children from their parents. Nor do many people realize that OBE was
developed not in this country, but in communist countries. The goal is to
separate kids from their parents. It is
not to produce educated thinkers, but workers who will unquestioningly do as
they’re told. I want better for my children. Usually people conduct polite discussions, but
some people are aggressive or hostile.
If a proponent of public schools attacks your decision to homeschool
based on the socialization factor, you can turn the tables and tell them that
if you were to consider allowing the public schools to socialize your child,
you would need some information first. ·
How does the district define socialization? ·
What are the teacher’s goals for the socialization of his/her
students? ·
What specific aspects of the curriculum are directed toward
meeting those goals? ·
Does the teacher present a set of values and assume that the
parents will agree that those values are acceptable and appropriate, or does
the teacher make a point of reinforcing the values that parents teach at
home? Regardless of which approach is taken, how does the teacher go about
doing that? The fact is that
desirable socialization is not a by-product of our public education
system. If is a direct result of
responsible homeschooling. Sports
Like many states, Outside In some states, things
are not so simple. There are people
who oppose non-public students participating on public school sports
teams. Their argument seems to be that
public school services are an all-or-nothing package. Other people argue that
public schools are funded by taxpayer dollars just as the public library, or
police and fire protection are funded.
We use these services paid for by our tax dollars when we want them,
and don’t use them when we don’t want them. The issue, then, is not
really about sports. The issue is the
nature of our public school system.
Why do we have public schools and what is their purpose? Is it because the government has a
compelling interest in having an educated citizenry? Is it because we want to build spirit and
loyalty within local communities? Is
it just because that’s what we grew up with? If you’re in a state or
district that only permits public school students to play on the school’s
team, go back to your written goals list.
Is participation on the public school sports team one of your
goals? If not, then find another way
to play sports. If yes, why is it a
goal? What is the motivation behind
the goal? You might find that the goal
should be rewritten in more general sports-participation language, in which
case the above comments on alternatives apply. Or you might discover that the goal of
playing on a public school team is a strong enough goal that you are willing
to jump through whatever hoops are necessary – including enrolling in public
school. GapsSome people are concerned
that homeschooled children will have gaps in their education. This is another area where definitions can
be helpful. Exactly what does someone
mean when they say that homeschooled kids will have gaps in their education?
Not even Albert Einstein knew everything. Homeschool parents should
make sure that their kids learn the essentials. They should also make sure that their kids
know how to learn, so that they are equipped to continue learning their whole
lives long. In Washington, we are
required to teach “occupational education, science, mathematics, language,
social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, and the
development of an appreciation of art and music.” That is much more than my
relatives in the public school study.
Even though foreign language isn’t required, we include that subject
because it is important. PE isn’t
required, but we include it under “health.”
I’m not seeing any gaps here.
On the other hand, the local public school superintendent was in the
newspaper last year defending his decision to ignore the law requiring a
minimum amount of PE for public school kids – they have too many other things
to teach the kids and he didn’t think that obeying the law was in the best
interests of the kids. I have nieces and nephews
in four different public school districts.
If the school offers only one foreign language, then that is the language
that they take if they want to go to college, regardless of what they would
like to study. Homeschoolers seek out
a curriculum for whatever
language(s) they want to learn. My
kids wanted to play the violin, so we found a violin teacher (and a viola
teacher, and a flute teacher, and a piano teacher…). Kids are out of luck if they attend a
public school where the music teacher can’t teach the instrument they want to
learn. If budget cuts mean that the
public school discontinues the school band, kids don’t get to play –
homeschoolers frequently form their own bands and orchestras. Public schools frequently offer algebra and
general science to freshmen, geometry and biology to sophomores, algebra 2
and chemistry or physics to juniors, and pre-calc with chemistry or physics
to seniors. That is as far as ps kids
can go in math and science.
Homeschoolers can do algebra in seventh grade, getting in two
additional years of math. Doing
algebra two years earlier means that they can do biology two years earlier,
giving them the opportunity to study marine biology, AP biology, AP
chemistry, and AP physics in high school – or any other science that they
want to explore. Few public school
kids get to do that. In short, kids in a
classroom-school are limited to the course catalog that the school
offers. Kids who are homeschooled do
not have those limitations; they find a curriculum or tutor to explore any
subject that they want to learn. WHO
has gaps in their education? What About College?Homeschooling your child
in first grade does not mean that you are committed to homeschooling through
high school. It’s okay to take it one
year at a time. Many colleges actively recruit
homeschoolers because they have such a superior education. If you make it all the
way to junior high, make sure that you are able to write a good
transcript. Books are available to
walk you through this process (CBC & Rainbow Resources catalogs). See also, my discussion of high school
& college. GrandparentsSome grandparents react
very favorably when they learn that kids will be homeschooled. Some of them even offer to help – maybe
taking the kids once a week for art, or paying for music lessons. Other grandparents do not
react as favorably. If you are
educating your kids differently than they educated you, they might take it as
a personal attack, as if you are criticizing the way they raised you. Make the issue is your children’s
education, not a reflection on the grandparent’s prior parenting skills. Remember that most
grandparents want what is best for their grandkids. Most will be very supportive when they know
that you have researched the law, you know the curriculum options available,
and you will be doing your best to provide a superior education for your
kids. Do your best to respond to
legitimate concerns, after all, grandparents have raised children and they do
know things that you might not have experienced yet. I know of one grandmother
whose objection to homeschooling was that the kids wouldn’t have class
pictures, and another whose chief concern was that the granddaughter would
miss her senior prom. Photos can be
obtained through sources other than a school, and not even everyone who
attends school goes to the prom.
Insist that the issue be your child’s education, not extraneous issues. Unfortunately, some
grandparents never come around. Pray
for the grandparents and persevere in giving your children the best education
possible. Do your best so that when
your kids are grown, they thank you for raising them well.
|