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.
Poor Dave, I guess having those well meaning parents turn out better educated children must be a real blow to him.
Nobody can teach perversion like the professionals
At least the libs are frank about what education means to them.
"Schools With Good Teachers Are Best-Suited to Shape Young Minds By Dave Arnold"
Well, that's nice.
HOMESCHOOL -- IT'S THE BEST OPTION.
Well meaning amatures beat Politically Correct Agendaed Incompetents any day of the week.
If the N.E.A. has reached the point where they can no longer ignore home schooling then there are BIG problems at the N.E.A.
The fact that had to coment on home schooling has just legitimized the home schooling as EQUAL footing as paid teachers.
In a related story the Kansas City Royals say they are a better baseball team than the St Louis Cardinals. LOL!
Cementing? Like gluing things together?
I assume this idiot meant masonry work. Leave it to the NEA to make teachers look stupid.
As opposed to public schools which are run by amateurs who aren't well-meaning? Amateur educators, that is, but professional propogandists and political hacks . . .
Okay, if he can use examples, so can I. Publik Edjikashun is like hiring a roofer to do a job, only to have them walk out on you.
You can't make this stuff up!
After Dave lectures us all about how we are not qualified to to educate our own children, it turns out Dave is a elementary school custodian.
Sounds like Dave is looking for a raise and/or promotion.
By the time you start home schooling a five year old you have had 6 years plus your age of experience and education. No matter how good a "teacher" is they can not care like a biological teacher can. It's a job.
I dunno about Illinois, but down here the "head custodian" is the janitor-in-charge....
I missed the sarcasm tag.
A janitor proposes to lecture me on whether or not my child should be taught by me?
A jamitor says that I am not capable of teaching my child?
Blow it out yer broom, bud, and, oh yeah, some kid just barfed in the hall.
Could ya get that, huh?
Where do I start with that condescending, sanctimonious bunch of tripe? The homeschooled children I know are far, far, better educated than 90% of the government educated kids. And the social? Getting teased, taunted, or even shot at in some cases? Yeah boy, some great social there. Give me a break.
Yeah, right.
One of the things that FR has convinced me of is the importance, effectiveness, and URGENCY of Home Schooling.
IIRC, the last bazillion winners of the National Spelling Bee have been home schooled.
Many generations ago, teaching was a position of pride. Now it is the refuge of those who can do no other work (this is a broad statement based on obesrvation -- I am sure there are at least some true teachers out there. But they are in the minority).
Yes, the National "Edukashun: Association is scared of the burgeoning home-schooling phenomenon. More and more states are accepting and accommodating this, legally. More and more, the standard tests, the special contests (Spelling Bees, etc.), and college admissions, have home-schoolers beating public school students.
The NEA FEARS competition, because the public schools fail in comparison.
Congressman Billybob
The nea is a bunch of morons.
The most common name of social studies teachers is "coach"!
THey get handed a book and THAT IS ALL THE TRAINING they get. They just follow the book with indifference.
Perhaps the nea should talk to real teachers not union HACKS!
So the public schools want to make sure the students are qualified to work at Wal-Mart...nice to know. Working independently gives students the opportunity to figure things out on their own and makes it so that they don't as easily succumb to peer pressure. Also, homeschooled kids find out a lot of information on their own and have the chance to work with things that interest them. These skills make a person more likely to be able to problem solve. How many adults do we all know who don't have the gumption to find out information for themselves - but rather just take someone else's word for it? How many want to start a business but can't figure out how to get started?
The fact the nea had to give a "response" due to the success of homeschooling, just legitimized all homeschooling.
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.