The Future of Education?
If I could, I’d love to homeschool my kids. I have enough education and experience working with kids to do it well, even if I’m not a certified teacher. And as public schools are cutting programs, curriculum, and employees, homeschooling sounds better and better.
But it’s not a good financial option for my family right now, and even if it were, I still care about all the other kids, whose parents perhaps don’t have the time or ability to teach their children, and whose parents can’t afford a private school. I think every child deserves a quality education.
I wish I could help. I’d like to create a real neighborhood school. I could teach my kids, and those from a few more families. And maybe the other parents could help, either by teaching or in some other way.
We could all just pitch in as a community.
Is that something that’s even possible? I know homeschooling is possible, but there are laws about creating actual schools.
I do think it’s time to create something new. Clearly the current system isn’t working, especially financially.
This post has 5 comments
May 11th, 2009
I think the public school system is like many other institutions in American society (say, health care): schools serving wealthy families are the best in the world, and schools serving poor (especially black, Latino, and American Indian) families are among the worst. It makes me so angry I don’t even know how to talk about it.
May 11th, 2009
It’s not even a matter of wealthy or poor – in a decently-funded school district (I know people whose districts have run out of paper!) my teen is in classes with over 30 people. His teachers don’t have time to deal with each one properly, and if one needs more time, even if they have ARDs or IEPs, how are they going to get it done?
And there are constant expenses involved. Our 6th graders are required to spend a year in band, orchestra, or choir — unless they’re in choir, they’re looking at $500 worth of extra expenses for that class alone, and the schools constantly send requests home — send in tissues, send in hand cleaner, send in batteries — and we comply, because the alternative is our underpaid teachers buying it with the very little money they have.
I remember, and frequently tell people about, Jesse Jackson telling a group of students that if they won’t *give* you an education, you better go and TAKE it. The more time I spend being involved with the fight to see our kids educated, the more I think he was right.
We have to be responsible for giving our kids the skills to educate themselves, and the understanding that it’s important. The system is broken and we can’t win any other way.
May 11th, 2009
I seen a segment on one of those news shows like dateline and a group of parents in..MA? who all had autistic children got to gather and chartered a school. It is like a better then public and cheaper then private school. I am sure there are rules about either $$ or volunteering. Apparently, making your own school isn’t a big deal though. You just need others interested and a place to gather.
Lesson plans for these autistic children included things like waiting in line for 3 minutes.
May 11th, 2009
I have a friend in California that home schooled all three of her girls. She did it in a home schooling team. There were about ten children and their parents. The parents took turns teaching what they were best at. They rotated as their schedules permitted, sometimes having the kids with one parent for a week straight before going to another parent’s home for a couple of days.
They were sponsored by the school district and received their textbooks from the local school district. They had to submit their lesson plans to the school district but it was well worth it to the families.
This was, of course, in California. She began with the oldest who is now about 28 and finished with the youngest who just graduated last year.
I don’t know about Oregon home schooling but it would be worth some research.
May 13th, 2009
I was homeschooled.
I also went to public school until 4th grade.
It was the best thing my parents could have done for me!