Home schooling in CA

[wendybeth]

I didn't really feel like I was being criticized, BTD, but I will cop to feeling defensive with regards to comparing the homeschooling quality of education to the public school experience. They both have their advantages and drawbacks and both rely heavily on motivated students, parents and teachers. In my case, I am both parent and teacher, and as such am even more invested in a positive outcome.

[DreadPirateRoberts]

We have been homeschooling for the past 2 years. Our experiences have been similar to MouseWife's.

[wendybeth]

Originally Posted by Strangler Lewis

Speaking of private schools, Eliot Spitzer and I prepped together. Well, not really together. He was three years ahead of me, and I didn't know him. The school was all boys when I started in seventh grade. It went coed the next year except for the junior and senior classes. Spitzer was in the junior class. After eighth grade, we moved to southern California where I went to a coed and somewhat startlingly precocious public school. I probably did not get as good an education, and my path to power, well, it was just shot. I have, however, never been to a prostitute, much less a ring of them.

Maybe Spitzer's just trying to get a little of what he missed out on- some coed-ucation.

[Alex]

I don't really give a damn if someone uses a prostitute (since I think it should be legal anyway).

But when a politician does it, it really calls their abilities into question for me. Not because of any moral question but I do have to wonder about the decision making capabilities of a person willing to trade the non-trivial risk of embarrassment and disruption to their agenda for the incredibly short term benefit of ejaculation.

[BarTopDancer]

The choice to homeschool should be there. I think the way that MW had to go about doing it (meeting with teachers, ensuring that her children were learning and where they should be) is the way to go.

It concerns me that nearly anyone who wants to homeschool, can. There is nothing stopping someone who is illiterate or has no concept of basic skills from teaching their kids (and passing on the lack-of-knowledge).

There is also nothing mandating socialization. Yes, there are a lot of options available, but nothing that requires kids to be around other kids. How are they going to learn basic skills like playing with others, problem solving with their peers, sharing, stuff like that. How are these kids going to function in the real world?

[katiesue]

For some kids homeschooling is the best option. But I think taking your kid out of a public school just because you think the quialty is low doesn't help. What if you instead helped out at the school? Your impact would be greater. Or lobbied to help fix the programs that are broken. Maddy's elementry school had an art teacher. Her salary was paid for by the PTA. The parents wanted art so they made it happen.

Someone who is orgainzed and motivated enough to homeschool their child would probably be a great help in the classroom or with the PTA. In my experience the schools are only as good as the parents who help keep them going. And motivated parents also work with their kids at home as well to follow up on things learned in school.

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by katiesue

For some kids homeschooling is the best option. But I think taking your kid out of a public school just because you think the quialty is low doesn't help. What if you instead helped out at the school? Your impact would be greater. Or lobbied to help fix the programs that are broken. Maddy's elementry school had an art teacher. Her salary was paid for by the PTA. The parents wanted art so they made it happen.

Someone who is orgainzed and motivated enough to homeschool their child would probably be a great help in the classroom or with the PTA. In my experience the schools are only as good as the parents who help keep them going. And motivated parents also work with their kids at home as well to follow up on things learned in school.

This pretty much sums up how I feel about home schooling. I think it takes more than good government and a good education system to make educated children. Every parent who home schools their child could have a similar impact on not only their own child but other children who don't have parents that CAN spend the time with their children.

I've never really thought that home schooling is the answer. I DO believe that different children have different way of learning and that our schools are too large and too "assembly line" oriented to give each child what they need.

[MouseWife]

I was a very involved parent. Of course, time available to volunteer was limited by having to take care of my other children. And, it all depended upon the teacher and how much involvement they wanted from me. And, most teachers don't want you in the classroom anymore after first grade, they just want you to make copies, check papers, etc. Not things I was there for, and, I felt they should be correcting the work to see where the students were at.

Our schools PTA are very poor. I was involved with many a project that previously had funding from the PTA and then they said they had nothing to offer.

I think the involvement that I had with the schools only made me more upset at the level of their education/treatment of the children later and why I pulled them out.

We have always contributed to the classrooms. In kindergarten, always a room mother. On fieldtrips, working with the students as well as helping the teacher when she needed help organizing projects.

One first grade teacher was very open to our help; we brought in pets for them to tend to, plants for them to grow, I made a 'store' for them to learn about money and math.

Even when we weren't involved with the PTA, we were involved with trying to make the school a better place. When the school tried to stop the trick or treating, we worked together to make sure it happened. {much better for the kids} When the budget called for cuts for the sixth grade activities, we fought for them as well as trying to find ways to get funds for them.

Wow, and ya know, other parents {those of kids not in your childs' grade} don't seem to give a care about anyone but their own grade. Never would they imagine that their child would be in that grade, eh? We seemed to end up fighting parents as much as the school for a lot of funding.

The other thing that we had issues with; when our children were sick and missed school, the disctrict would send out threatening notices. That really p'd me off because I couldn't help if they were sick. Perhaps if other parents kept their kids home sick so many others wouldn't miss school because they caught what they had?

{Homeschooled, my kids never got sick.}

And, on that note, when my kids were in grade school, I remember being told not to send the kids in if they had a fever within the past 24 hours {like say the evening before}. Or, if they may have vomited, keep them home. Now, they keep kids at school when they are sick. This can't be a very good way for them to learn and it is how the sicknesses are spread.

[Prudence]

Originally Posted by katiesue

For some kids homeschooling is the best option. But I think taking your kid out of a public school just because you think the quialty is low doesn't help. What if you instead helped out at the school? Your impact would be greater. Or lobbied to help fix the programs that are broken. Maddy's elementry school had an art teacher. Her salary was paid for by the PTA. The parents wanted art so they made it happen.

Someone who is orgainzed and motivated enough to homeschool their child would probably be a great help in the classroom or with the PTA. In my experience the schools are only as good as the parents who help keep them going. And motivated parents also work with their kids at home as well to follow up on things learned in school.

This assumes that the school is open to accepting the help you feel is needed. Your PTA wanted to support an art teacher and the school accepted that help. What if the school had said "we don't want to include art in our curriculum. Any donated PTA monies will be used to fund our pilot underwater basketweaving program"?

Wendy already mentioned Washington's obsession with the WASL. I certainly can't speak for all school districts, but I know local parents who have not been permitted to contribute additional enrichment activities because the school is all WASL, all the time, and will not devote space or time to non-WASL activities. (Goodness knows competent people graduated prior to the creation of the mighty WASL - why not try employing some of THOSE techniques? But that's a rant for another day.)

If I had children and lived where I do now and could not find a private school I found suitable, I would absolutely home school. I think they should have certain skills upon graduation, and receive a well-rounded education, but I want that education to be the goal, not passing the great and mighty WASL. Until the local public schools are freed to follow a similar goal, I wouldn't send my kids there.

[wendybeth]

Originally Posted by Prudence

This assumes that the school is open to accepting the help you feel is needed. Your PTA wanted to support an art teacher and the school accepted that help. What if the school had said "we don't want to include art in our curriculum. Any donated PTA monies will be used to fund our pilot underwater basketweaving program"?

Wendy already mentioned Washington's obsession with the WASL. I certainly can't speak for all school districts, but I know local parents who have not been permitted to contribute additional enrichment activities because the school is all WASL, all the time, and will not devote space or time to non-WASL activities. (Goodness knows competent people graduated prior to the creation of the mighty WASL - why not try employing some of THOSE techniques? But that's a rant for another day.)

If I had children and lived where I do now and could not find a private school I found suitable, I would absolutely home school. I think they should have certain skills upon graduation, and receive a well-rounded education, but I want that education to be the goal, not passing the great and mighty WASL. Until the local public schools are freed to follow a similar goal, I wouldn't send my kids there.

Thank you , Pru.

The WASL is a monstrous waste of time, resources and talent. It forces teachers to teach to the test, to the detriment of all other disciplines. That means very little to no art, geography, music, foreign language, etc. It's an incredibly high-stakes test created by a for-profit corporation and it's ruining our schools.

As far as changing things from within: fine, if you're into quixotic pursuits. I hope you enjoy bumping heads and egos with suburban soccer moms hopped up on Starbucks. Our PTO was a flippin' Peyton Place, and I have no tolerance for that kind of merde. It's not something I can even adequately describe- anyone who doubts will just have to experience it for themselves. Did it for two years and regret every second of it.