I was searching for something to blog on when I came across this article from the NEA. In big bold letters it claims, “Schools with Good Teachers are Best Suited to Shape Young Minds.” It summarizes why, in this man’s opinion, homeschooling is simply a bad idea.
Our friend, David the custodian at a public school in Illinois, says that teachers have the right training and are the best prepared to teach our children. Parents simply don’t have enough knowledge to teach in all academic areas.
What’s interesting is that public school teachers don’t agree:
71% of school teachers felt adequately prepared to maintain discipline and order in the classroom.
41% felt trained in implementing new teaching methods in the classroom.
36% felt prepared to implement state standards.
28% felt prepared to use appropriate assessment techniques.
20% felt prepared to integrate technology in the classroom.
Let’s do a little math. If I sent my daughter to the local public school, she could end up in any one of 8 classrooms. 1.6 of those possible 8 teachers she could have feels like they can integrate technology in her classroom. 2.88 of the teachers she could have feel like they can implement state standards. In fact, according to these statistics she is more likely to get a teacher who doesn’t feel like they are adequately trained in anything except classroom management. That sounds like a big risk to me.
David, the friendly custodian, further asks, “How can parents feel as if they have enough knowledge in every academic subject area to teach their child?” I am actually trained as a teacher but I honestly believe it’s not necessary in order to home school your child. You can home school your child because you know them. You don’t have to know all the learning styles and how to reach each kid–you just need to know how to reach yours.
You also don’t need “expert” knowledge in every academic subject area. Most teachers don’t have it at the elementary level. Furthermore, many teachers (at least here) end up teaching in an area that they’re not certified in or was not their major. Why? Because principals, whether they’ll admit it or not, recognize that you don’t have to be an expert to ignite a mind and spark further investigation.
To be continued. . .
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