I have a friend who is considering homeschooling, and she asked me the following question. I'm just sticking my answer here for future reference.
Question: "Having been through traditional school.. I've been looking back and can
pinpoint a few extraordinary teachers that changed my life, or my view
of myself. Do you worry about the kids not getting that kind of influence?"
ThoughtfulMom's answer:
No, I'm really not.
There are several reasons why.
1. For the two I was rather fond of, there were a minimum of 40 that were mediocre at best, and there were at least six who were actually terrible and each did some damage to either my education or my perception of myself.
2. Homeschooling is not anything like public school at all. I believe that I can be a better teacher and overall influence on my child than anyone else could be with the help of the Holy Spirit. I know these children - I understand how they think, what they enjoy, what they hate, and can (with much prayer and discernment) figure out how to give them the best education for each of them - tailoring things to their individual needs and going at the pace they want to go at.
3. I know that the teachers I remember fondly were the ones that were truly interested in me. As a homeschooling parent, I have the opportunity to be truly interested in my children on a daily basis and to know them better than anyone else. I hope and pray that when they are grown, they have fond memories of all the times we were reading and discussing things together and learning together and from each other. I guess I see learning as more of a family affair than as a student-teacher affair.
Question: "Having been through traditional school.. I've been looking back and can
pinpoint a few extraordinary teachers that changed my life, or my view
of myself. Do you worry about the kids not getting that kind of influence?"
ThoughtfulMom's answer:
No, I'm really not.
There are several reasons why.
1. For the two I was rather fond of, there were a minimum of 40 that were mediocre at best, and there were at least six who were actually terrible and each did some damage to either my education or my perception of myself.
2. Homeschooling is not anything like public school at all. I believe that I can be a better teacher and overall influence on my child than anyone else could be with the help of the Holy Spirit. I know these children - I understand how they think, what they enjoy, what they hate, and can (with much prayer and discernment) figure out how to give them the best education for each of them - tailoring things to their individual needs and going at the pace they want to go at.
3. I know that the teachers I remember fondly were the ones that were truly interested in me. As a homeschooling parent, I have the opportunity to be truly interested in my children on a daily basis and to know them better than anyone else. I hope and pray that when they are grown, they have fond memories of all the times we were reading and discussing things together and learning together and from each other. I guess I see learning as more of a family affair than as a student-teacher affair.
4 comments:
As a former public school teacher who would strive to really know each of the 120 kids she had in a day, I have to say that a homeschooling mom who cares about her kids and their education can do so much more than one teacher can do for a few minutes in a classroom with 30 other kids in the room. I hope your friend takes your advice.
That would have been my answer too. My husband seems to think it's important for our boys to head back into the public system in time for Billy's last year of elementary school so he can be the big man at school. He says it's important. I say NO WAY. Our kids are having a completely different childhood and don't need that. Sheesh.
I'm with you. I'm on a forum with many with children in pubic school. The nightmare stories are endless. Mainly the teachers are instilling so much fear and rejection on these children teachers are breaking their spirits.
Plus, there will be so many opportunities to connect with adults that you have personally "vetted" for suitability, not just happenstance of this kid gets this teacher this year. And they will be adults from all walks of life, not just academia!
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