Posted on 01/05/2007 5:53:42 PM PST by Lorianne
I think that homeschoolers should regulate the public schools.
Link please.
Here in Alberta the parents of homeschooled kids get the money that was set aside for them if they were to enter the public system. With that money the parents purchase all the tools needed to teach. The only stipulation is that the kids need to pass the same standardized exit exams that the public schools kids take. Works like a charm here...
My family has just left Pennsylvania for Oklahoma with homeschool regulation being a major factor in our decision. I personally know at least 6 other families that have left for the same reason.
Ooops, I forgot to include the link:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53622
"… [Y]ou must realize we all have this moral and ethical responsibility to deal with those situations where clearly it's nothing more than a child abuse situation when parents pull their children out of school, say they're being homeschooled just because parents ... don't want to be involved in the education of their children. ..."
What a laugh. Parents wanting to be involved in the education of their children is EXACTLY the reason parents homeschool.
This isn't an issue for homeschoolers. It IS an issue right now in LA where the "refugees" living in Government sponsored trailers are not sending their children to school because "they are too depressed", and nothing is being done about that.
"Here in Alberta the parents of homeschooled kids get the money that was set aside for them if they were to enter the public system. With that money the parents purchase all the tools needed to teach."
Wow. What a dream come true. Just thinking of what I could buy if I were able to use the money that my public school spends per pupil.......
PA has an atrocious regime of homeschool regulation. You would think dat homeschoolers were da Philly public schools, or somethun...
At the college where I teach, I have been able to observe a small number of home-schooled students. Home-schoolers are not only well prepared, but they are more mature than their public-school classmates. I think that this comes from their having spent much quality time with adults. They are not shy, and can speak without stammering, nervousness, and the uncertainty which characterizes the attempts of many state-schooled students in class.
So, who looks more mature socially? I have found that home-schooled children often have had plenty of play-time with other home-schoolers and with siblings, and (perhaps most importantly) with people not of their own age group. Their confidence level is generally high, and is reinforced by their relatively good success.
It is time we sank this ignorant "socialization" argument once and for all.
FReepers and Christians - KEEP IT UP! Homeschool your progeny and give them all the essentials to succeed. We need our youngsters to be ready to carry on the battle for freedom.
Read tomorrow!
Posted before: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1762907/posts
But unnecessarily excerpted.
Thank you for posting the entire article.
Thank you for posting this. My boys (homeschooled since birth) both took college classes while they were in high school and they stood out in this way, too. It's so funny that people always try to make it sound like these homeschooled kids will have a hard time in a classroom someday because my kids went into their college classes without batting an eyelash. My second son started taking college classes in tenth grade where he frequently had to do presentations and he just went in and did them. I never heard a word about being nervous or not knowing what he'd say. It surprised me because when I was his age, I was scared to death of standing in front of my class and talking.
I homeschool 2 of my 4 kids, though I've put them all in public school from time to time depending on our financial or living circumstances (Hurricane Katrina, selling house, more time for wife to teach older kids, etc.). Here's my experience:
-K-3rd grade in public school is as good if not better than anywhere else you can teach them, including home school or exclusive private school. The teachers are more dedicated, the classes can be better-controlled, and the parents are more involved. That's why I'm not afraid to put my 1st grade twins into public school.
-4th grade on, that's when the quality of education goes down terribly. I think there's some study out there that shows how US children go from being near the top against other children up to 4th grade, but near the bottom of the industrial world by 8th grade. We'll definitely have our kids homeschooled through Middle school.
What aggravates me is the teachers and administrators who come up to me and claim they're "concerned" about the quality of my kids' education. When we had to put the older kids into public school temporarily after Katrina, they regularily tested 2-5 grades higher than the norm. My little girls, going to a new school after home-schooling for a semester, graded up to 2nd and 3rd grade in every subject.
Are we high-speed, hard-core homeschooling parents? Not necessarily. We tend to be pretty lazy and actually let the kids get by with things we should be tougher with them on. However, we're still giving our kids a better education than you could give them in school (public or private). There's something to be said for 3-5 hrs. a day having a parent standing over you and helping you as opposed to being one of 20-30 having to share attention with other students.
Hank Bounds sounds like one of those arrogant know-it-alls who's upset that homeschoolers do consistently better than his students, and wants to bring them down to his level.
I hope that's what you meant. Otherwise, the display of ignorance typed out on your keyboard would make me question how you made your way to the internet in the first place.
Otherwise, the display of ignorance typed out on your keyboard would make me question how you made your way to the internet in the first place.
Excuse me. I am a homeschool mom of many. A module on government and activism sinks many a bad homeschooling law.
Fair enough. Maybe you should FReepmail Mrs. L,TOWM. She might appreciate having a little bit more time, let alone "all the time in the world". You may be able to point out ways to optimize her schedule...
;-)
I hate to say this but in the next few years, State government will make home schooling illegal. You watch.
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