A school custodian weighs in on Home Schooling...
Posted on 07/25/2005 7:26:05 PM PDT by Millicent_Hornswaggle
Schools With Good Teachers Are Best-Suited to Shape Young Minds By Dave Arnold
There's nothing like having the right person with the right experience, skills and tools to accomplish a specific task. Certain jobs are best left to the pros, such as, formal education.
There are few homeowners who can tackle every aspect of home repair. A few of us might know carpentry, plumbing and, let’s say, cementing. Others may know about electrical work, tiling and roofing. But hardly anyone can do it all.
Same goes for cars. Not many people have the skills and knowledge to perform all repairs on the family car. Even if they do, they probably don’t own the proper tools. Heck, some people have their hands full just knowing how to drive.
So, why would some parents assume they know enough about every academic subject to home-school their children? You would think that they might leave this -- the shaping of their children’s minds, careers, and futures -- to trained professionals. That is, to those who have worked steadily at their profession for 10, 20, 30 years! Teachers!
Experienced Pros
There’s nothing like having the right person with the right experience, skills and tools to accomplish a specific task. Whether it is window-washing, bricklaying or designing a space station. Certain jobs are best left to the pros. Formal education is one of those jobs.
Of course there are circumstances that might make it necessary for parents to teach their children at home. For example, if the child is severely handicapped and cannot be transported safely to a school, or is bedridden with a serious disease, or lives in such a remote area that attending a public school is near impossible.
Well-Meaning Amateurs
The number of parents who could easily send their children to public school but opt for home-schooling instead is on the increase. Several organizations have popped up on the Web to serve these wannabe teachers. These organizations are even running ads on prime time television. After viewing one advertisement, I searched a home school Web site. This site contains some statements that REALLY irritate me!
* “It’s not as difficult as it looks.”
The “it” is meant to be “teaching.” Let’s face it, teaching children is difficult even for experienced professionals. Wannabes have no idea.
* “What about socialization? Forget about it!”
Forget about interacting with others? Are they nuts? Socialization is an important component of getting along in life. You cannot teach it. Children should have the opportunity to interact with others their own age. Without allowing their children to mingle, trade ideas and thoughts with others, these parents are creating social misfits.
If this Web site encouraged home-schooled children to join after-school clubs at the local school, or participate in sports or other community activities, then I might feel different. Maine state laws, for example, require local school districts to allow home-schooled students to participate in their athletic programs. For this Web site to declare, “forget about it,” is bad advice.
When I worked for Wal-Mart more than 20 years ago, Sam Walton once told me: “I can teach Wal-Mart associates how to use a computer, calculator, and how to operate like retailers. But I can’t teach them how to be a teammate when they have never been part of any team.”
* “Visit our online bookstore.”
Buying a history, science or math book does not mean an adult can automatically instruct others about the book’s content.
Gullible Parents
Another Web site asks for donations and posts newspaper articles pertaining to problems occurring in public schools.
It’s obvious to me that these organizations are in it for the money. They are involved in the education of children mostly in the hope of profiting at the hands of well-meaning but gullible parents.
This includes parents who home-school their children for reasons that may be linked to religious convictions. One Web site that I visited stated that the best way to combat our nation’s “ungodly” public schools was to remove students from them and teach them at home or at a Christian school.
I’m certainly not opposed to religious schools, or to anyone standing up for what they believe in. I admire anyone who has the strength to stand up against the majority. But in this case, pulling children out of a school is not the best way to fight the laws that govern our education system. No battle has ever been won by retreating!
No Training
Don’t most parents have a tough enough job teaching their children social, disciplinary and behavioral skills? They would be wise to help their children and themselves by leaving the responsibility of teaching math, science, art, writing, history, geography and other subjects to those who are knowledgeable, trained and motivated to do the best job possible.
(Dave Arnold, a member of the Illinois Education Association, is head custodian at Brownstown Elementary School in Southern Illinois.)
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NEA or its affiliates.
Excellent! Kudos to you and your fine children. I love hearing reports like this.
When someone tells me they're homeschooling I go out of my way to pat them on the back profusely. I get some pretty strange looks, but I don't think there's much more important to this nation then the next generation. It pleases me immensely to see people do an end run on 'the programmers'.
Dear kcvl,
Could you point out whereabouts at that website your data might be found? Thanks,
sitetest
I do ALL of my home repairs and I help to homeschool too. Go piss up a rope, NEA.
BTW, cement is the dry powder preparation mixed with sand and aggregate to make concrete. When one mixes cement with sand and lime, one prepares mortar. Thus, cement is an ingredient in concrete or mortar. Those who work in the related trades are known as concrete finishers or masons. One does NOT make cement or do cementing work. Of course, being a teacher is a good excuse to hold forth ignorantly. Homeschoolers do better because we experience life and teach from it.
Dave Arnold is showing what pubic education can produce. sheesh!
A school custodian weighs in on Home Schooling...
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LOL! Now ain't that the broom calling the mop dirty. Dave Arnold can kiss my mop bucket.
Normally a true statement. I will note that professionals in other fields work in a competitive environment where if some other professional can do it better and cheaper, they are out of a job. Competition makes sure the nitwits and retards are put out of business by virtue of bankruptcy. Further, only the better people succeed and the rest find another line of work.
Not so with the MONOPOLY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. Some public school systems graduate less than 10% of their students. Anyone want to hire a plumber with that success rate ?
So how does this "authority" explain the achievements of those who are/have been home-schooled?
"So how does this 'authority' explain the achievements of those who are/have been home-schooled?"
Dumb luck?
The funny thing is, I know a few different custodians homeschooling their children and doing a tremendous job. If only Dave knew how capable he would be, too...
Btw, the story continues... Yes, this article has been circulating for awhile, and a homeschool dad wrote a sarcastic letter to Mr. Arnold, who didn't recognize the sarcasm (as probably only homeschoolers would) and replied to thank him. It turns out, he knows a family homeschooling and just doesn't think they're doing the right thing:
http://www.nataliesnexus.blogspot.com/2005/07/and-award-for-snarkiest-letter-of-year.html
I actually feel bad for the guy at this point. He is being flamed all over the internet.
I would prefer a competitive marketplace for schools. Give all the kids vouchers and let them pick the school. Professionals usually are better except when they are a monopoly.
Well said Congressman. That is exactly what the NEA needs, competition.
Very interesting...
'Clean cup! Clean cup! Move down! Move down! Move down!'
Since this guy's just a janitor at the school maybe he's worried that all the pretty little girls or boys won't be available to look at every day if too many parents remove them from publik skool.....I smell a perv alert!
They don't choose. The union appoints all construction/maintenance labor.
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