Posted on 10/15/2010 10:46:04 PM PDT by citizenredstater9271
Fans of 42% effective government schools come after homeschools for only being 99% effective.
Here's how to keep up to date with Homeschooler Michelle's concerns:
http://forum.nhliberty.org/index.php?action=profile;u=270;sa=showPosts
Agreed. When I mention testing for diagnostic purposes, it is simply that. I use the tests to make sure we are on track, but no one but me gets the test results... not the local school district, not the state, and most certainly not the federal government. (I *may* let my family members see the results, but more likely than not, it won’t mean anything to them)
It is my opinion that government needs to get the heck out of education. Completely.
My college professors would often say that you could memorize the entire Encyclopedia Britannica and you’d be worth about a thousand dollars (what it cost in those days). What they were interested in was if you understood the concepts of what they were teaching.
Where schools fall really short these days is in teaching kids how to think. Regurgitating facts to achieve a certain score on a standardized test, is no demonstration of an education. If all they have done is filled the kids heads with facts without teaching them what to do with them, they’ve wasted everybody’s time and money.
And they can’t even do that right either. Kids today know next to nothing. They can hardly read and barely calculate.
Some education.
Believe it or not IL is the freest. There are nearly zero rules governing homeschoolers.
I am on the AP email list and the tests are biased nonsense, at least in the social sciences.
The number of teachers wholly ignorant of basic facts and the level of leftist bias are incredible. Our best and brightest are intentionally being taught wrong.
They’re being “taught to the test”. That parents can’t or won’t see this in general is shocking.
BTW For a terrific background on the Am. Rev. try Paul Revere’s Ride by David Hackett Fischer. It’s great and my kids love it.
Your probably right about that.
I should sit my girls down and have a real dialog with them regarding home schooling. It’s pretty dumb that I haven’t done that yet.
Many parents are overwhelmed at the thought, but there’s no harm in trying.
At the very least, make it a trial run and see how it goes. You can certainly do what the public schools do so they’re not going to lose any ground. If it doesn’t work out, you can always send them back. It’s not a permanent decision.
There are plenty of us who can advise on curriculum choices. It’s still overwhelming, but you really don’t have to worry about missing anything in the curriculum you buy. Most curriculum providers make sure that their curriculum covers what needs to be covered to be equivalent in content to what the public schools claim they are teaching.
The first few months is going to be an adjustment from everything I’ve heard, as you get settled in to a routine and the kids get used to you directing their school work. But I know few people who aren’t happy with the decision.
You can do a lot of math in baking and shopping, you know. And the practical kind that gives a reason when the kids whine *Why do I have to learn this? I’m never going to need it.* (I’ve heard that one often enough....)
The real rewarding year came when my oldest daughter started seeing the connection between the different subjects she was learning. When she was able to start applying all the math she was learning to the science, she thought that was so cool.
I haven't seen a melt down this bad since I said I believed judges should make laws.
I know what you mean....it was crazy. I don’t understand why people have such issues with homeschoolers. My entire office homeschools and they love it and their kids are very stable and intelligent. I guess some people just bash to bash.
Now that is funny. Have a great Monday.
I do and I apologize too. My office is full of Homeschoolers and they do a great job.
Ok....I did go overboard, but I cannot believe how a person can write a simple thing like taking a test and be vilified. You would have thought I killed animals or something. I apologize for the verboten language and attitude, but I feel that I was attacked for a simple statement that could have been handled differently on all sides. I would have answered these yesterday but I was on duty all day and night long (Sunday and then I worked all day today)
Nice and you are a preacher????? Really? At least I am not a preacher with my potty mouth.
I figured you were working or tied up and couldn't respond.
I hold the homeschool ping lists and was going to ping this thread to them anyway. I just did it as part of my response because it was easier.
The comment of yours that set of the firestorm was this.....If the students do well on the national standardized testing then they should be allowed to continue homeschooling. If they fail them or are below level than they should not be allowed to homeschool.
It's the *allowed* part. Allowed by whom, do you suggest? Did you think through what you're advocating?
It isn't the taking of tests that's the issue with homeschoolers. In NY standardized testing is required at certain grade levels and NY homeschoolers are fairly well regulated. That chafes at some. It didn't bother me. Knowing I was accountable helped give me the motivation to do the work. It at least gave me an excuse to the kids of *why* they had to do the work.
I tested my kids every year anyway because it was either submit test results or a evaluation of their progress, which is a royal pain in the butt. The testing was easier. But that didn't mean my kids got a better education because they were tested.
What irritates, and alarms, homeschoolers is the idea that they must be accountable to someone for the success of their homeschooling.
There are several reasons for that.
One is the abysmal failure public schools are. We're doing a far better job and we have to answer to the public education system which is inferior to us to let them know that we're doing what they consider an acceptable job?
No.
Another issue is being *allowed* to homeschool as long as we meet some arbitrary criteria. And if we don't meet that criteria, then what? Send them back to a public school which isn't doing as good a job? And just who does the public school system answer to when they fail in the education a child? The kids stay in that school. They aren't required to send them somewhere else for a *better* education. What they're doing is holding homeschoolers to higher standards and more accountability than they themselves.
That is not received well either.
The other issue is just who do the homeschoolers answer to? Inevitably, it's a government agency. That then is giving the government intrusive power over private citizens, all for our own good, of course.
The government is in no position to determine the quality of a child's education and the success of a homeschool. That means they have to set up the standards, determine compliance, and enforce compliance. And if you refuse, or don't meet their standards, then what? DSS at your door for educational neglect or child abuse, FORCING you to send your child back to public schools if you can't afford private education, which is actually a reason many choose homeschooling. Private schools aren't cheap. And they aren't without their problems either.
HA HA HA!!!!
Can you imagine me sending my kids to CATHOLIC school? What would they think when my kids wanted to go sit on the roof so they could be the first to go when the RAPTURE hits!
Or what would those nuns do when my kids are so moved by the Holy Spirit that they burst out speaking in tongues during a particularly fascinating science class?
I have Catholic friends whom I love dearly, but I would never send my kids to a Catholic school! Or any religious school, for that matter. My religious views (not someone elses) are mine to pass on to my kids...
Glad you could muster it...nevertheless.
Always thought you were a woman....So at least we got that cleared up.
If by "duty" you mean military....I thank you for your service.
That all said....you might need to read up on Home Schooling...and Catholic, and Christian Schools...while you're at it.
FWIW
What’s up, girl!!???
I never liked the idea of the 'school' for groups of homeschoolers, because it's almost the same dynamics as being in a regular school. The only school our high schoolers attended was a few classes they took at the local Community College. These were quite different, because there was a mix of ages in the classes.
Guess you missed my tagline... figured your superior Catholic education would have equipped you with the ability to pay attention to details.
23 years... thank you for your service, sincerely... now, back to our flame war.
I really shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near FR... or the internet right now... maybe I should go on Facebook and see how many real friends I can piss off... lol
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.