The New Homeschoolers
It seems to me that homeschoolers are seen as unconventional, but I would like to publically challenge that perception here today. We, as a nation, educated our children at home longer than our government has. In 1776 we issued the Declaration of Independence, and by 1783 we were officially recognized as the great independent nation of America. For over 135 years we homeschooled our children or hired tutors to come into our homes. The obvious pitfall with this system was the fact that not all kids had the opportunity to receive an education. In 1918 the education of our children became big business for our government. This was the beginning of compulsory education. This public education system gave all children the right to education, but this system has so many flaws.
I am all for universal educational opportunities. But the government’s “universal” plan is clearly not producing universal achievements. According to a New York Times article (Dillon, 2009) in 2009 there was just a 53% high school graduation rate in the inner cities as opposed to the 71% graduation rate seen in the suburbs. I believe this issue, and the many others, can be rectified in a number of ways. The most obvious starting point would be to give some power back to the local residents. Decisions about curriculum need to be influenced on a local level. This would allow communities to help develop programs and curriculum based on common belief systems.
America’s public school system used to involve heavy community support for the teachers. Teachers often times ate in the homes of the students, and even lodged there on occasion. In the beginning, teachers and parents had close relationships due to the financial necessity of community involvement. Now we are discouraged from getting “overly involved” in the education process. And by overly involved, I mean parents in some school districts are not allowed to attend the celebration of their child’s birthday in the classroom. I think this is ridiculous.
I love having the option to home school my kids. I have the ability to create a learning environment and curriculum based around my belief systems as opposed to the belief systems of people who have made it their life goal to become known for their innovative “common core” movement. I have no desire to be known for the methods in which I educate my kids. I only want to make sure that my children have a solid foundation of knowledge before they enter the world as adults. I have tailored each child’s process to their strengths and weaknesses. Each of my kids learns through a slightly different approach. Having the ability to adjust my teaching methods according to each child’s needs, has been one of the greatest aspects of teaching my children at home.
This is partially why I am such an advocate for homeschooling. I have the ability to guide the learning process of each of my children. I can tailor the way information is presented based on the learning styles of each of my children. I am back in a position where I can truly guide my children towards a healthy, highly educational, God centered life. I never thought I would be one of “those homeschooling moms”, but circumstances have molded me into exactly that.
Dillon, S. (April 22, 2009). Large urban-suburban gap seen in graduation rates. New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/education/22dropout.html?_r=0