Home is no place for school - Homeschool Alert

USA Today Op Ed ^ | September 3, 2003 | Dennis Evans

[Damocles]

Home is no place for school
Wed Sep 3, 6:49 AM ET


By Dennis L. Evans 

The popularity of home schooling, while not significant in terms of the number of children involved, is attracting growing attention from the media, which create the impression that a "movement" is underway. Movement or not, there are compelling reasons to oppose home teaching both for the sake of the children involved and for society.

Home schooling is an extension of the misguided notion that "anyone can teach." That notion is simply wrong. Recently, some of our best and brightest college graduates, responding to the altruistic call to "Teach for America," failed as teachers because they lacked training. Good teaching is a complex act that involves more than simply loving children. Research on student achievement overwhelmingly supports the "common-sense" logic that the most important factor affecting student learning is teacher competency. While some parents may be competent to teach very young children, that competence will wane in more advanced grades as the content and complexity increases. 

But schools serve important functions far beyond academic learning. Attending school is an important element in the development of the "whole child." Schools, particularly public schools, are the one place where "all of the children of all of the people come together." Can there be anything more important to each child and thus to our democratic society than to develop virtues and values such as respect for others, the ability to communicate and collaborate and an openness to diversity and new ideas? Such virtues and values cannot be accessed on the Internet. 

The isolation implicit in home teaching is anathema to socialization and citizenship. It is a rejection of community and makes the home-schooler the captive of the orthodoxies of the parents.

One of the strengths of our educational system is the wide range of legitimate forms of public, private or parochial schooling available for parental choice.

With that in mind, those contemplating home teaching might heed the words of the Roman educator, Quintilian (A.D. 95). In opposing home schooling, he wrote, "It is one thing to shun schools entirely, another to choose from them."

Dennis L. Evans directs doctoral programs in education leadership at the University of California, Irvine.

[calvin sun]

Please be polite if/when you contact Dr. Evans...

Dennis EVANS
Email Address: devans@uci.edu
Mailing Address: University of California, Irvine
Education
Irvine, CA 92697-5500
Title: Director - Administrative Services Credential & Ed.D. Programs
Department: Education
Office Address: 2028 Berkeley Place
Zot Code: 5500
Phone: (949) 824-7608
Fax Number: (949) 824-2965

[ladylib]

It's growing 10% in every state of the union every year according to this article:

http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20030903/5464068s.htm

[AngryJawa]

"Can there be anything more important to each child and thus to our democratic society than to develop virtues and values such as respect for others, the ability to communicate and collaborate and an openness to diversity and new ideas?"

Since when have the government schools accomplished any of these goals?

In practice, Gschools are a cesspool of student-student and teacher-student disrespect. In practice, Gschools do a lousy job of teaching kids to communicate in anything approaching English. I won't even comment on "openness to diversity and new ideas" because I'm laughing too hard.

[11th Earl of Mar]

The popularity of home schooling, while not significant in terms of the number of children involved, is attracting growing attention from the media, which create the impression that a "movement" is underway

Does anybody remember the media creating a "movement" when three homosexual couples across the United States tried to go to their school's prom dance together?

There are a lot more homeschoolers than gay highschoolers trying to go to prom.

[Dante3]

Yes. From what I've read, home-schooled children score far higher.

While it isn't for everyone, for growing numbers it has presented a positive experience. Among other reasons to support it, it gives us more choices at a time when we are losing choices.

There are many things going on to make us more and more dependent on government.

[Damocles]

Office Address: 2028 Berkeley Place 
Zot Code: 5500 
Phone: (949) 824-7608 
Fax Number: (949) 824-2965

 

He has a ZOT code.  Well this explains quite a bit.

[HungarianGypsy]

I am beginning to wonder if some of the nay-sayers are right. I'm becoming disillusioned about my ability to teach after teaching my son since he was 3. He's now 9. Yesterday we started school and all I got was an attitude about such mundane things as a spelling test or a short math exercise. He can read. He can do math (when he wants). He needs a lot of work on his spelling. He loves science. He's in fourth grade and can write, but I didn't teach him cursive. I wonder if I am failing him. The only reason he says he hasn't wanted to go to regular school is because of my opinion of it. Otherwise, he has stated that he would like to test it. I don't even know where to look for another school.
We had plans on having a holiday at the end of the month. The children were to meet an artist showing at Yarnell art gallery, plus we were going to do a bit on Az. history and
nature studies. I am ready to give up on teaching him, though. Even when I find things that I plan out things focused on his interests, I still end up butting heads with him. I have other children who do want to learn in a home setting. It just may not be for him.

[Alter Kaker]

You oppose Lincoln and King? Why?

anyone who disagrees is a racist or anti-Semite.

I see no reason to believe you are anti-Semite.

[knuthom]

I am of the impression that home-schooled children consistently score higher on SATs and other placement tests than children educated by public schools.

Here are the ACT numbers for 2001 (the most recent I could find).

Home Schooled 22.7
All Students 21.0

[Mind-numbed Robot]

I doubt very seriously if this man has met many types of homeschoolers.

I suspect Mr. Evans is like most liberals, especially the academics, in being totally devoid of real world knowledge and experience. Perhaps he should visit with some reformed human shields who realized once in Iraq that Saddam intended to use them for that purpose. Once life was no longer a pious but empty protest, they quickly lost interest in their goal. Reality can be a tough teacher in its own right.

[My2Cents]

I'm glad we finished homeschooling our kids before the Edufascists goosestep over the movement.

[JonathansMommie]

I For one am all for HomeSchooling. My son is almost 2 years old and he can count to ten with me and say some of his ABC's.

[Damocles]

Each kids is different, and homeschooling is not the end all.

Sometimes it just doesn't work out, but for most it is a shining opportunity to better the level of education their children are receiving.

[DeFault User]

Dennis L. Evans directs doctoral programs in education leadership at the University of California, Irvine.

If ever there was a useless department in any university, it has to be the Department of Education. They are dedicated to employing the academically unemployable and coming up with new theories and studies rather than enforcing principles and methods that work.

IMHO, future teachers would be better served by majoring in academic studies pertinent to their area (liberal arts, science, math, etc.) and then taking one or two required courses in teaching methods/psychology (6 hours max) in order to be certified. Stop wasting so many class hours on theory and jargon--learn the subjects.

The fact that homeschool teachers/parents have not gone through his self-sustaining department of indoctrination is probably what galls him the most. It must be especially maddening for him to realize that homeschoolers excel as scholars and seldom have a problem beating students from public schools in the academic arena.

[My2Cents]

It is a rejection of community and makes the home-schooler the captive of the orthodoxies of the parents.

The sad thing is that 60 years ago, this guy would have been alternately laughed down, and then dismissed as a menace to society.

[Damocles]

Unfortunately we are just starting with our 4 year old.

[c-b 1]

Then why is PUBLIC SCHOOL failing?

The government schools are not failing, they are doing exactly what they have been designed to do. This did not happen accidentally, it was carefully planned, long ago, by the likes of Horace Mann, and John Dewey.

[Semi Civil Servant]

Fascist drivel from some educationist hack worried about his future.

I heard this nonsense when we started home schooling fifteen years ago. Only the educationists and their thralls in government oppose home schooling today -- not out of principle but out of selfish economic reasons. It's accepted by most everyone else.

[Onelifetogive]

home-schooled children consistently score higher on SATs and other placement tests than children educated by public schools.

Your definition of "teach" is different than their definition of "teach."

See "indoctrination."

[Tax-chick]

I think you've got a typical boy (or any kid) thing for this age. My 9yo is a pain, too. Management from their Dad is good! Are you giving him plenty of exercise?

Regarding cursive - he needs to know how to sign his name, but other than that, the majority of adults regularly use printing.

With spelling, you might want to search out some of the different theories on how people learn spelling, and see if can pick out a program that would work with your son. I know there are many different approaches, because my friends have tried them all. I haven't yet had a child struggling with spelling, although I may be getting there with my second-grader (the kid who can spell every work phonetically correct, but the wrong spelling.)