Posted on 11/13/2004 4:04:54 PM PST by Marinefamilyx3
To The Editor: I have a daughter in first grade in Henderson County schools. She gets off the bus at 4 p.m., dinner around 5:30, and bath/bed by 8 p.m.
That in itself is a busy enough night. But she has spelling words (writing 10 words five times each), reading a book (first grade, 100 words), nursery rhyme, memorization goals.
Where does family time, playtime, or just sit and stare time go? And then there are families with multiple children in school. And you can forget it if they participate in Scouts, dance, sports. There's just no time!
We spend at least 1.5 to two hours a night on homework. My child is 6 years old! With barely enough patience to sit through an episode of Pokemon.
I can't blame the teachers. Sorry, but I can't. The schools are overloaded, the classrooms at capacity. And then you throw in the language barriers, and various learning disabilities, and the teachers aren't able to do their jobs.
So we're having to do it at home. There has got to be something that can be done within our schools to get this problem under control.
Reread my comment. I said school choice. Homeschooling is one choice that is available; there are many others. The point is, immigrants don't have a choice. And, considering the pushes for limiting the need for english education for non-english speakers, those children probably won't be much better off than if they had learned at home.
Home schooling is not school choice - it is leaving the school system - which is fine - but it is no solution.
Exactly why my sister and BIL went to Homeschooling when their kids were in second and fourth grades. Now at 19 my nephew is already working on his Masters and my niece is a Sophomore in College. Most of all they are both nice kids.
What do you mean it is not school choice? I am choosing to make school at home. That is choice. What would be better is if there were across the board choices. If the public schools claim it takes $4500 a year to educate a child (about $500 for all the curriculum, etc in our household); then let people decide where that $4500 is going to go. Make schools compete for that $$$.
My sister gave up a very high-paying job to stay home and school the kids -- they definitely sacraficed to do it but all say they'd do it all over again. For one the kids learned about everyone pulling together as a family.
Don't forget they are consistently placing highest on their SAT's.
You and me both - that is my biggest problem. The 2nd grade reading teacher actually asked the 1st grade teacher if she thought my daughter's parents would have a problem with a note being sent home about behavior. The 1st grade teacher told her in no uncertain terms to do so because she knows we appreciate the info.
I love the teachers in my daughter's school. They know we are paying attention and love it. I know about even the slightest infraction she makes, they are firm on discipline in the school.
But they are also very big on rewarding accomplishments. None of this PC garbage protecting the ones that aren't making the grade. They hold an annual program to honor those students that have achieved excellent grades and families are all invited to attend -very public and, in my opinion, very in your face to the PC idiots.
How will we educate immigrants to be Americans and assimilate if we defund schools?
In any case I consider home school a fine choice - but a limited one for a limited segement of the population.I don't see it as solving our education system for the vast majority.
And, don't forget that the "government" (aka shrinks) now wants to test all kids for psych problems so they can put them on drugs.... another reason to keep them out of the public system.
Hmm, gee. I wonder how this nation ever got started; after all, we were all immigrants without public schools. Your reasons are so weak.
I agree wholeheartedly that children should be taught while in school. Homework should be an extension of and/or a reinforcement of what was learned in school.
My wife says she learned her multiplication and division tables on Saturday mornings, drilled by her mom. That was 35 years ago. There is a lot that can, and should be, covered IN SCHOOl. But some children need extra reinformcement.
There is nothing wrong with asking a parent to read TO their child for homework is there? Another option that teachers rarely consider is allowing the child and parent to discuss the material and initial that they discussed it, rather than have to write it all down. Another solution would be to write words twice, and then say them out loud 3 times instead of write them 5 times each. There are lots of options a teacher could consider that would be less time consuming for the child and parent.
Some children need a lot of supervision (get back to work, etc.) when doing homework.
Homeschooling is not the only option.
And absolutely, I think schools should be able to turn away problem children. If the child doesn't fit into the school environment there (same argument about immigrants having to fit into our society); there is a better school fit for them. Again, once those choices are opened up, you will see a more productive school system.
Colleges have the ability to turn away students based on their abilities to fit into that school environment. It is the same philosophy.
Yes, I remember that doll-baby of yours!!! She's a born FReeper!!
Not every child struggles with homework. Some do, some do not. My daughter takes twice as long as her friend to finish homework. It becomes excessive at that point. They're both gifted. It just takes our daughter 2x longer. Is that fair? It's life. BUT, is it reasonable to reduce homework to a level that is do-able for the greater part of the student population? I would think so. Just because your child does not struggle does not mean some do not.
When our daughter was in 1st and 2nd grade, my wife put the words in alphabetical order, then daughter wrote them down. It saved time, and we all kept our sanity. Daughter never would have finished homework if she'd had to alphabetize too. She is in 4th grade now, and CAN alphabetize. She didn't need all that practice.
I'd like to add another:
1. Students who WANT to learn.
That's huge. Especially in rural or underclass regions. The south included.
"Home schooling is not school choice - it is leaving the school system - which is fine - but it is no solution."
"In any case I consider home school a fine choice - but a limited one for a limited segement of the population.I don't see it as solving our education system for the vast majority."
Okay which one do you want to go with to continue this?
Homeschooling IS a choice. I am not asking for tax money, I don't have a wonderful cash flow, and I struggle to make ends meet at times.
I don't suggest that it is the be-all, end-all solution. I do suggest, however, it is right for my children at this time. Public school did not work. I fixed what didn't work for my children, after trying to fight with the system.
If you believe you can fix the PS's in KY overnight, I'll have my children at the School's door on Monday morning.
Otherwise, me and 2,000,000 (and growing) other families will continue to do as we planned, get our children educated.
The growing number of homeschoolers should indicate there is a real problem, and once KY (and other states) schools lose out on enough $7,000.00 per year/per student they will wise up and change. This is a form of protest that will work, because it deals with the almighty dollar.
The behavior issue is a big one (in my mind). Peer pressure is huge when you're a kid... in lieu of Homeschooling I think one of the newer Charter Schools would be a good choice. They have strict requirements which include parental participation and proper behavior or you're out.
I couldn't agree more, but I don't homeschool. I can't do it, plain and simple.
I stay home every day, and like you we have some tight times right before hubby's payday - but I'm here when she gets off the school bus. And the only reason she even takes the bus is because she insisted on it. I was devastated putting her on that bus the first day last year for kindergarten - but to her it meant that she was a big girl going to real school, not pre-school - and I wouldn't deny her that.
We rarely go on vacation, other than weekend trips to my SIL, out to dinner is probably about twice a month because I love to cook. We just got rid of my 12 year old van because it was starting to nickle and dime us to death. Hubby got a deal on a vehcile he wanted and I inherited his 8 year old car.
Oh, and I've got a blackbelt in shopping (my husband's description) when it comes to using coupons and finding sales.
Most people with children in the public schools are homeschooling through homework anyway.
AMEN to that - it is great truth. 2 kids, 7th & 4th grades...I have spent up to three hours per night with them undoing damage and expounding on information. 7th grader struggles with math, is very high verbal...brought home a D in English, and hubby is just NOW talking about homeschooling, after I wanted to do it before they ever started.
In America's past the vast majority could not read or write much - nor did that matter in searching for work - being that you were a farmer or worked in the factory or other such manual labor. President Andrew Jackson was barely literate.
The common school movement as public schools were called had to fight against some (not all) industrialist forces (for whom universal education meant less availability of child labor and more taxes), with parochial schools (who perceived public education as a threat to their religious values), and with parents (children were not available to work on the farm or in factories for the family).
The late 19th and early 20th century saw the creation of a massive, secular system of public education open to all.
The movement for common schools constituted a rebuilding of the educational system (from the one school house model of old) to respond to the needs of expanding industries and the realities of growing cities such as training and disciplining of the new immigrants so they could become productive workers, and the provision of stability and control in the populated urban areas as well as educating away dangerous ideas from European immigrants such as anarchy and Communisim, etc. The common school movement was supported by the need of far seeing inustrialists/factory owners for a disciplined and productive workforce, the need of the emerging liberal state for social and ideological control (removing it from the church - lots of Catholics made our leaders fear this back then), the hopes of working class and immigrant groups for upward mobility, and the good faith and drive of many well-intentioned educational reformers who conceived education as the main avenue to build a more democratic, more egalitarian, and better society.
That is the history.
So why did the Public School system fail us in the last 30 years? I don't know.
One answer? No more factory jobs. Therefore industrialists no longer lobbied the Fed govt for such public education programs? Still reading studies on the matter myself.
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