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.
I respectfully disagree, Destro. I'm an administrator for a private school for homeschoolers. Families of all income brackets homeschool and do it quite successfully with very little $ output.
The decision to home educate one's children includes a certain amount of $ sacrifice, simplicity - as is required - in living, willingness to do what is best for our children as we see fit, and the committment to accomplish the goal. And no homework.
We're in our 9th year of home education and don't regret it for a second. Scores are high and love of learning is great.
We live in Northern California can be rather pricey - but we live simply - not a grand lifestyle that we may have had if I had continued working outside the home. Many (perhaps most) times it just doesn't compute $-wise to have mom working outside the home. After the higher tax bracket is considered, and daycare, car expense, clothing expense, lunches out, dinners out or take-out, not much $ is left. There was a study done on just this subject...wish I could recall where I read it. I'd like to have it linked.
:o)
What book have you been reading? It is not expensive to home school and you don't have to be a real teacher...lots of people across are doing it and they are not rich!!!!!
I'm not sure I understand the problem here. Not enough family time together because of school? (Try homeschool!) "Having to do it at home" is a problem to get under control? Which is it?
We homeschool. That saves an hour of traveling, for starters. Then we get an extra seven hours a day of family time. And that's just the stuff you can quantify. :)
To re-use some of the words from the title, 'imagine that', a child who is taught by their mom or dad and also learns to think on their own without some de-facto government teaching employee to map out their day for them. This is revolutionary! See, you really don't need a village, just your parents.
I read this letter in our local newspaper and thought it would make an interesting topic of discussion. Since the current education secretary is stepping down, I'm hoping that the ridiculous "No Child Gets Ahead" will be dropped for some kind of sane national education policy.
No vouchers and NO tax cut for education like the Public and Private teachers get to take during tax season.
All at our own expense, but well worth it.
One thing to take into consideration regarding the "no child left behind".
Can you recall in your lifetime ANYTHING being tried to better the schools?
I am in my mid 30's and have never before seen anything done. This is a first step, and it was a big one. I think Bush's education reform efforts were a good yet subtle, because if he'd jumped in with both feet, he would have never been able to get it going without NEA revolting and calling for a strike.
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/
If you can't afford to buy a curriculum this is the way to go.
"Most Americans require two incomes to maintain a middle class lifestyle."
Bull. It all depends on what you call a middle class lifestyle. Most people are able to put food on the table, a roof over their head, clothes on their back, a car in the garage, etc., with one income. Our family did it while my wife homeschooled our daughter. We didn't have the biggest house or the newest car, but it all depends on what is important to you. Keeping up with the Joneses is a waste of time and energy.
It may be time for the people who gave birth to these children to realize that they bear full responsibility for these children. What a concept, eh? A lot of the married women who are going out to work are working to pay the cost of working. Perhaps if you thought about it and prayed about it, you could live on one income and devote your time to your child? If you are home all day you can cut a lot of cosr by doing your own cooking and cleaning instead of buying packaged food and hiring a maid. And you will be more relaxed and your child will be learning.
Instead of whining about how the Village needs to raise your child, look in the mirror and remember who gave birth to her and govern yourself accordingly.
How do you do that without putting government in control of homeschooling? You might as well just give people money instead of vouchers and be done with it.
(better yet, cut taxes)
Homeschool. Sounds like that is already happening.
Most of them. I have a "hick" cousin in Wyoming that homeschooled his two daughters. His children are well above average and doing very well in college. The two blonde girls seem like total airheads, and in public school they would have been, but due to their parents' homeschooling, they are actually literate. Neither of their parents went to college or make more than $35K/year.
Since it is your answer, more power to you. I have the highest regard for those who choose homeschooling - but it is not for everyone.
By the time our daughter was 3 I knew I wasn't cut out for it, and it wouldn't be in her best interest. We enrolled her in a private home-school preschool program and put our house on the market to move to an area with a better school district.
She's in the 1st grade and half way through the 2nd grade reading curricula. the only reason she was not skipped directly to 2nd grade from kindergarten is her maturity level with other children. She is completely at ease with adults, but has some difficulties with children her own age.
Our decision to not home school has nothing to do with needing a 2 income family to keep up with the joneses - I haven't worked outside the home since I learned I was pregnant, we live in a small house and drive used vehicles - our decision was made based upon what we as parents felt best for our child.
"They send you a free computer, printer, books, educational materials, the works. They pay your internet fee. No charge for anything at all."
THEY= The Government
CHARGE= Taxes
GOVERNMENT + TAXES= The right to tell you how to educate your child.
If your want a good education, be leery of these state's easy-ins to homeschoolers. Also, since Charters are not considered homeschool, but public education, you will not be able to join the Home School Legal Defense Association. This team can help greatly when a social worker or truancy officer shows up at your door.
"why don't you just give up?"
Yes, she should give up...give up public schools.
When the government takes children away for 7 hours a day and then tells the parents the children need 1-2 hours more each night, when is it family time? If 1-2 hours a night, why not 10?
Give me a child for just 3 hours a day and they will graduate any engineering school in the country by age 18. In public schools children can barely read by then.
ping for later
I think she meant that her daughter doesn't even have the patience to sit through Pokemon much less do 1 1/2 hours of homework a night.
I would be very suspicious of a school that gave a first grader 1 1/2 hours of homework a night. Something is radically wrong somewhere.
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