Posted on 11/27/2006 7:04:44 AM PST by meandog
Schools With Good Teachers Are Best-Suited to Shape Young Minds
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.)
On this board HS isn't everything, it is the ONLY thing!
Consider the source.
Perhaps that's true. When the NEA becomes more of a professional organization than a political agitator and self-promoting trade guild, I'll take it seriously.
"The homeschooling movement intends to DESTROY the educational establishment. "
Hmmm. the homeschool market share is about 1-2% of kids.
Will Macs destroy the PC? I dont think so.
"Actually the rise of "Big Education" has destroyed it already, but it retains a death grip on the children of the country."
Correct, but I dont see that changing soon. We spend more and more on education than ever before. Ideas to fix the schools and reform them fundamentally, ie, vouchers and school choice, need to be given a chance - but are not.
Too many are complacent.
" These parents are willing to pay their taxes and not receive benefits because they feel so strongly that public schools do more harm than good."
I feel strongly that something has to be done.
As long as the sheeple vote Democrat, and confuse "good education" with "more spending on public school bureaucracy" we will get nowhere.
The most demanding job in education today is in special education...so there may not be a public school to help your daughter in your community. However, I have yet to find any public school not offering the subjects you list. I do, however, support your notion of private schools as I believe them much better at teaching than homeschooling.
"What our obsolete public schools produce: ..."
Your link was blocked as objectionable here... hmmm.
In other words, you should be using your child as fodder for his battle. Hmmm... That would certainly explain all of those private school students who's parents are public school teachers!
I was going to quote that same thing. And reply, what poppycock that a commie unionist would ever be fired! Their jobs (i.e., money) are so precious!
Just because someone is an amature does not mean they are not the best.
Custom car amatures make autos superior to any professional.
The NEA should be welcome this because this means more space and monies directed to the students. OOOPS I forgot the NEA has nothing to do with teaching students.
Not by everyone here. We've utlized public, private and homeschooling - all successfully, I might add.
We've had some wonderful public school teachers, but when we had bad teachers, the "system" protected them to the point of criminal behavior, imo. Ever had a kid locked in a closet for forgetting homework? :( :( :(
And still teaching years later?
The sad thing is, the kids who are not quite as smart, or driven, or whose parents don't supplement their education, are having a terrible time, both when (if) they go to college, and in the work force. They don't learn what they need to know, and the idea of slacking as being acceptable, is reinforced. Bad for them, bad for America, bad for the world.
Education is the only profession, soi dissant profession might be more accurate, wherein amateurs regularly outperform degreed and gooberment approved "professionals".
Imagine what engineers would be paid if amateurs regularly did better design work than engineers. What would we pay a physician if home based, self taught non-physicians could regularly and reliably do better diagnostic work?
Just wondering.
See #257
Still less known fact: Attucks was in the process of attempting to murder a British soldier in the middle of a street riot. The "Liberty Boys" of Sam Adams were not exactly your model citizens. Fortunately after the excesses of the "Boston Massacre" Sam's cousin John and other more responsible citizens of Boston were able to squelch Sam and his confederates, thus avoiding a foretaste of the French Revolution.
But they won't teach you that in history class.
"it is called Saxon Math."
Saxon Math is great. It was used in the private school for our kids, and then when they went to public schools, we decided to 'supplement' with saxon math. The public schools dont give enough homework out, and saxon math is strong of repeating and building up concepts.
Anyone who has been to College and/or made it past HS math can teach the early grade math with it, and real math learning has to happen in the kids head anyway.
Vocabulary loses a lot of meaning in the politically correct environment.
...meandog whines too much about being flamed on Freepers...he/she ought to post the blandest, most pallid remark in support of Intelligent Design and see the grilling that results...the personal insults start about post #3 in the thread...
I would describe Attucks as a "perpetrator." He's a "victim" in the same way that a street thug who gets shot by the real victim in an attempted carjacking is a "victim."
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