I
will start out by saying that I have zero judgment towards parents
who choose homeschool over public school, public school over
homeschool, private school, or no traditional schooling at all.
There are so many factors that go into deciding our child's education
and not all of them are things we can do much about. Also, my saying
"public school" throughout this post really means any kind
of organized, get up in the morning and go to a building where there
is a staff that would teach my child rather than doing it myself. I
KNOW it's not all considered to be public. But for the sake of
convenience, I will use it that way.
That
said, the school system in my area is absolutely terrible. So much
so that I wish I could take my school-aged niece and nephew out of it
and homeschool them myself. A will not be going to public school,
and ESPECIALLY not if we are still in this area when she is that age.
However, even if we move I don't think I will put her in school. I
have always loved the idea of homeschooling. We get to choose the
curriculum, the trips, the activities. We can do things during
"school hours" that we wouldn't normally be able to do. It
would be less hectic, and A would get a lot more out of what she's
learning because we will be able to teach her the way she learns
best.
I
love, even now, being able to teach A at the pace she is ready to
learn at. She is doing A LOT of things at 2 1/2 years old that most
4 and 5-year-olds are just now learning in school, and with other
things she's not quite progressing as quickly. In public school, she
would be hindered in both directions. She wouldn't be allowed to
blossom fully where her strengths are concerned and she wouldn't be
given the time and attention to learn what she may struggle with. To
have a scale from below average, to average, to gifted (as a public
school does) doesn't really give kids a chance. Some kids learn
faster than others, and not everyone can comprehend something the
same way, but they are all put through and all are expected to
perform the same, which doesn't happen and that approach is
ineffective. I believe that most of the kids who struggle in school
would benefit if they stopped trying to keep everyone at the same
level and just worked with them on an individual basis.
I
want A to have the best possible chance at a good education, and I
know I can provide that for her. I won't let her education be a
competition to see who is the smartest and who will go into the dumb
kid class. No child is dumb, but some are made to feel that way
because no one will take the time to figure out what THEY need to
succeed. I don't think public education would be a bad idea if more
people cared about making it the best it can be, and making sure
EVERY student has a shot. The teachers who care, and the parents who
want the best for their child need more support and people need to
see that these kids ARE our future. Though, I guess that would be
getting more into politics and investing in education what with
having enough teachers and enough money to be able to do all of those
things. That is a topic for another time.
Every
parent has to make that decision for their child and their family. I
choose homeschooling, because I feel that it will give A what she
needs to do the best that she can. I choose to take responsibility
for her education because while there are SO many wonderful and
hard-working educators out there trying to give kids the best, there
are too many who just don't care. I'm not willing to put A's future
in the hands of those people. What better way to ensure my daughter
has a good education than being taught by someone who knows her the
best? Me.
If you are interested in homeschooling or just want more information, here is a good resource:
http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/default.asp
If you have any topic suggestions, please pass them along to thecaseofthemissingcheerio@gmail.com
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