Posted on 05/16/2007 7:41:28 AM PDT by MortMan
Barbara Ballard realizes it’s a bold move.
Her daughter, Katie, is 4. The state says she should start kindergarten in the fall.
But Katie won’t be boarding a school bus and making macaroni art projects with 25 other children. Instead, she’ll have “school” by herself at her mother’s office in southern Lawrence, where Ballard owns a technology company.
Ballard plans to home school her daughter, and in doing so joins a growing number of families who choose not to send their children to public or private schools.
“It’s a strong statement: I don’t think the professionals can do as good a job educating my child as I can,” Ballard says.
More parents are agreeing with that assessment, according to government figures and groups that advocate home education.
(Excerpt) Read more at 2.ljworld.com ...
So then, the teacher/lady, was poorly served by the “professionals”. That takes us back to your comment, doesn’t it?
Plus the flexability to really “live” is fantastic!
Last week “our” Marine got home from Iraq. It was no problem at all to pack up the children and head out of town to be there with the rest of the fam when he got back.
You are spot on.
The push for ever more guvmint schooling also is fueled by parents who find it a convenient and cheap daycare. Many parents actually cringe if the kids get an unexpected day off from school-—whatever will they do with them?
My sons have made comments to the effect that one thing they want in a wife is a woman who shares their desire to homeschool their kids. And my sons are nowhere near marrying age. Just thinking ahead, I guess.
And expressing how important (and just plain fun) they have concluded homeschooling is.
For all the jabberwocky about shutting down the liberal agenda, the fastest and surest way to do it would be for ever conservative who possibly could homeschool their children to do so.
Want to change our country for the better and fast? Support a massive shift to homeschooling.
?????????
This is in reply to my #31????????
There are four basic types of learners. Hands on, reading, visual, audio. When a child is not learning it usually means that you have not yet matched your teaching style to his learning style.
There are few "stupid" kids and very few "learning disabled" kids. Most of them are simply not being taught properly.
Flexibility is the name of the game.
We have a daughter that is very involved in ballet. There are always classes to go to, rehearsals, master classes, performances, all non-stop, all year round. We wouldn’t be able to do all that and still know our daughter without it.
Tell them not to marry anyone who isn’t on board with it! That’s something that’s hard to persuade someone to after the fact. Much easier to find a partner up front who sees the value in it.
I never expected to be fortunate enough to marry another homeschooler (which I did) but I knew he’d have to agree to it before we got married or no go.
You got that right. My oldest two are extremely visual, but my youngest is hands on and auditory. It really helps homeschooling if you learn to recognize those different styles and are able to work around them and with them.
The point is, teachers are not really *professionals*, they just have a teaching degree that allows them to legally teach.
They just sell you that line to convince you that no one else can do the job they do and that’s certainly not true.
I did a far better job with my kids than anyone else could have.
Have you ever tried to do the job that teachers do?
Define professional. I do not have a teaching degree, yet I teach. I have certification only.
You teach, therefore you are a teacher, therefore you are not a professional either by your own standards.
I am sure that you did a fine job homeschooling your own children, and I am 100% for that. You have a right to do what is best for your children, but blatantly calling we who teach "not really *professionals*" is ironic, considering you must lump yourself into that same field by virtue of teaching.
Tell me, what would have happened to the young man who was born to a crack mother, had he not been adopted and placed into a public school? I can provide you the link to this story here on FR if you would like. Last I heard he is an attorney now.
The reason you may not have run into this type of family is that they do not go into homeschooling willingly, but as a last resort. The ones that I know personally are being homeschooled in the very loosest sense of the word, and would be unlikely to be members of a homeschooling group. These types of kids generally return to the school system after their 1 year out.
I can't really say if it is a wide-spread practice. I work in a school with about 500 kids and maybe 1 gets expelled every 2 - 3 years. Our county is rural and small. I know that in a large county such as Fairfax, VA there are several alternative schools for middle schoolers and for those without IEP's.
If I find any published data on how many have gone from public schooling to homeschooling as a result of expulsion,, I'll send you a link.
BTW, I read some of the comments on your article. You make great arguments for homeschooling without resorting to name-calling or innuendos, something I notice others on that board used in comments to you. Embarrassing. Every kid and every family has individual needs. It is not up to me to say "your child should..." or "you should..." You are a reasonable adult, and obviously intelligent. Your choices are going to be right for you and I respect your decisions.
I think part of the problem comes in when parents look at their own child whom they home-schooled and say "Hey, I did a great job! This wasn't that hard - anyone can do this!" and to a point, they are right. Pretty much anyone with normal intelligence, a modicum of patience, and good resources can teach the average to above-average child or small group of children the basics and even further. This is especially true with families where the bonds are tight and the parent/teacher is loved and respected by the child. Metmom, I have no doubt that you did an outstanding job with homeschooling your kids. I would imagine you could have doubled the amount you taught and still did a great job. My best 'teaching' has come from my 1 - 1 tutoring and when I've been able to structure my day to work in very small groups. A lot can get done when an adult can devote a lot of attention.
The problems come in when the group is expanded to 20/25, with motivated learners, unmotivated learners, non-English speakers, different SES groups, learning disabled, children who disrespect their parents, and transfer that to all authority figures, and children that walk through the door who witnessed some horror I don't want to picture, but have had to hear about when the child breaks down in my class sobbing. (and trust me, I get them to the counselor as fast as I can - to someone better trained than I to deal with traumas). It is when one is confronted with this type of diverse group with diverse needs that professionalism kicks in because good teachers go back day after day to try to get those kids on grade level so that they can pass the tests the state tells us they must pass to graduate, teach them to be good citizens and try our best to pass on moral values. It's hard and it doesn't get easier year by year. And Lord, Lord, don't get me started on administration. I've heard of great principals and I believe they exist, I'd just like to work for one.
I personally don't get too concerned about whether or not I'm a "professional." I'm a teacher and that's enough of a title for me.
Good point. Perhaps I should be a bit more thickly skinned about such things.
I have gotten a slew of little notes and cards this year from some of my students who are graduating on to bigger and better than lil’ ol’ me will ever hope to accomplish, but these students took their time to tell me thank you for being something to them in their lives.
And SBM, you are right, the title of professional does not mean much the more I think about it. I made a difference in a child’s life.
Sling all of the negative comments my way you can, I made/make a difference in the way a child, turning to adulthood, looks at the world.
Maaaan, I don't need no stinkin' titles, I got all I need.
I think wouldntbprudent was just trying to add support for the idea of homeschooling - not as a counterpoint, but more as a complementary message.
JMO
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.