Well, I am not going to go back and quote everyone's posts on this topic.
First off, I make tons of typos while typing on the computer and generally forget to go back and check them. I am guessing that would make me also seem somewhat illiterate at times, as well.
Secondly, I am fully supportive of the public school system in cases where it works. I got through my life in a public school and turned out okay. I see now that I actually could have had many more opportunities had my parents had the opportunity and desire to homeschool.
My daughter went to public school for kindergarten and had a wonderful experience with the school and the teachers. We moved to a different county and thus changed schools for her. She started first grade with dreams of reading all sorts of new books and learning new things. This was not the case. The teacher was ill-equipped to handle 20 kids in a class with differring learning skill levels and proceeded to convince my daughter that she was only to read for 15 minutes each day and ONLY with me. This nearly devastated her since she had been reading roughly 3-4 hours on her own in addition to reading to her brother for several 15 minutes sessions a day while I observed. This among other issues led us to finally decide to pull her out of public school. She went into a local home study program reading at a roughly 4th-5th grade level, and left last June reading at a 7th-8th grade level. She is excelling far beyond where she would have been allowed to in any public school. Regardless of my educational level, or literacy level, she would have excelled that quickly just being given the opoortunity.
So you may think "That's fine, she is smart enough to do this on her own. What about kids who have trouble?" Homeschooling can be extremely beneficial to those with learning disabilities, even severe disabilities like autism. Children are eager to learn from the moment they are born and strive to keep going despite the odds they may run into. Think of babies learnign to walk. They have no instruction manual, no real examples of how to do it, and yet most learn to do this within the first 18 months of life. If given the opportunity to find their own way of learning and using their own interests they can excell far beyond kids in public school as well. I know of at least three people in which this is the case. One being an autistic boy that his parents were told he would never be able to talk or become a useful part of society. He is now 16, working at an apporopriate level in high school work, and working hard to learn how to control his outbursts as he is now very aware that they are an issue for him. Having met his mother, she is not exactly Einstein, but is giving him the tools and the opportunity to further his education without the constraints of the public school system.
I am not a religious freak that thinks God will not love me or my kids if I don't homeschool.
I was hoping to be able to let me daughter return to public school this school year, but will be unable since she is a "second grader" by age and at least a "third grader" or beyond in the school work she is doing.
By law it is your right and your responsibility to provide your children with an education. There are many ways of dong this. Public school is one. Private school is one. Homeschooling is also one. If each parent chose the appropriate method for each of their children the problems with illiteracy that we have in the US would most likely disappear. Each child is different and need different avenues in which to reach their full potential.
sorry couldn't resist.
Facebook
Twitter