Homeschooling again

I have been a little surprised by a few opinions about homeschooling on this board, since this group is made up of mostly non-traditional education consumers. I would like to ask how earning a degree via distance learning is different from homeschooling?

 

It could have something to do with the home school curriculum, or lack of it. I know it varies from state to state, but don't parents essentially get to make up their own curriculum? Perhaps it wouldn't be as much of an issue if the parents followed a curriculum such as that provided by Keystone High Schools.

 

DL students are generally self-motivated adults who are driven to complete their education not because they have to, but because they want to.

Compare that with the typical grade-schooler to high-schooler, most of whom would rather be doing anything else except schoolwork. My teachers had to practically chain me to my desk in grade school, but I earned three college degrees with no one pushing me except myself.

 

In Massachusetts, home schooler parents can design their own curriculum but it has to be approved by the Department of Education.

 

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I keep hearing curriculum mentioned, but every homeschool family I know uses curriculum. Even a literature based reading curriculum IS a curriculum. Buying a sophisticated package, individual subjects, or a workbook at Walmart- parents LOVE to buy curriculum. It's a whole industry ya know.

Since homeschools and distance learning schools both use curriculum, this wouldn't be a difference.

You are not honestly proposing a national curriculum are you???

 

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This is true, but I am asking about the mode of education rather than the learner.

 

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Each of the 50 states have law that any homeschooler (who chooses to educate legally) must obey. The degree of involvement of your local Dept of Ed will differ according to state law. In many states (mine included) homeschools are legal private schools. The local public schools have no jurisdiction over (or entitlement to) information about my school or any of our students. They certainly don't get to "approve it" in any way. This is not the norm, and in many states, there are extensive approval processes. Interestingly, there is no correlation between increased regulation and improved student outcome.
For a brief state by state overview www.hslda.org

But..... this isn't a difference between distance learning and homeschooling. We know regulation, accreditation, state approval, and licensees vary greatly.

 

Well, distance learning typically retains professors with all of the conventional qualifications. DL simply facilitates professors communicating with students in remote locations through telecommunications (or correspondence).

As I understand it, homeschooling advocates seem to be proposing that parents replace professional teachers. There's often an implicit argument hidden in there that people randomly selected with no concern for their ability or commitment will teach children more effectively than credentialed teachers with training and experience.

Again, I have no doubt that well-educated and highly-motivated parents with the time to commit to the task can homeschool very effectively.

My skepticism arises when it's suggested that this success can be scaled up to the general population. I worry when homeschooling becomes a mass movement, and I worry doubly when it's closely linked with highly-alienated political/religious agendas.

 

Let's not forget that homeschooling pre-dated "conventional" schools in many parts of the country. I'm both a credentialed teacher who teaches in a private high school and a homeschooling parent (though my wife does the lion's share). Homeschooling parents aren't "randomly selected". They choose to educate their children themselves. Nothing random about that. Some of the best educated and most well-adjusted "students" I've seen are home schooled. Certainly there are trade-offs between the two modes (and lots of variations within each mode), but it's hard to beat the individual attention that a motivated parent can give his or her child.

These days homeschoolers supplement their curriculum with a wide selection of classes that are offered for homeschoolers. Small group language, science, and music classes abound.

Educating 28 kids in a classroom is a compromise. This I see everyday. Most of the traditional criticisms of homeschooling (lack of socializiation, for example) are a thing of the past.

 

What Bill Dayson said.

 

You're missing what is really important with a professor/teacher/facilitator or whatever you want to call them. Any credible DL course or program will hire only those people with the credentials (a minimum of a Master's degree usually) and experience to have a mastery of the subject matter. When I give someone a bad grade for a substandard research paper, I have the credentials (degrees) and experience (having written dozens of them myself) to back it up.

I'm reasonably sure I could teach my kids simple reading & mathematics, but I have no credentials, training, or experience in the child learning process, how to gauge advancement, or when a child is ready to move to the next level.

We pay professional police officers because no one likes the thought of vigilantes with guns roaming the streets, and professional firefighters because no one wants to try to save their home with a garden hose. With something as important as my children's education at stake, I'm going to leave that to the professional teachers.

 

Bruce,

I see your point, yet somehow you and I were entrusted to be parents without any qualifications/credentials. Homeschooling isn't really that different. I'm a credentialed teacher. I teach. I have one kid in traditional Catholic school and one kid homeschooled. I have my feet in all phases off this. Home-schooling parents who don't feel qualified in certain areas have lots of options. At least in my area there are tons of small classes designed for home-schoolers in language, science, writing, art etc. My son is home-schooled in the basics but takes outside classes in Spanish, Latin, Art, and writing, with an occassional science class at UC's Lawrence Hall of Science.

The best and most important qualification is being a parent. Having a teaching credential is having a piece of paper. Perhaps it helps a little, but in the end it doesn't mean a lot. I know, I have one.

 

No, certainly not. I'm not sure how you derived this from my post.

 

I am pro-teacher, but you cannot tell me that there aren't an abundance of 22 year old teachers that are a little clueless about how to teach a child. With such limited exposure to the real world and children, their education would have a hard time competing with my determined, uneducated wife who is smarter than a whip.

Of course this is just one example. There are plenty of clueless parents as well. There are home schooling parents that really are do not do enough. Some of their children are the same ones that will struggle in public school due to the parents not being involved.

 

Basic teaching courses could be very helpful to a homeschool parent. I do not currently homeschool, and my child is only 6 weeks old, but I feel that based on my education, I would have an additional advantage over most parents. I have taken coursework in human growth and development. I know when my child should reach certain milestones. I have taken coursework in the teaching of reading, and therefore I know strategies that help in teaching someone to read, who may have difficulty with traditional methods. I know about multiple intelligence theory and learning styles. All of this would help me not only be able to homeschool, but be a better parent in teaching my child anything.

However, you are right. A piece of paper means nothing. The knowledge that backs it up and the ability to implement those strategies learned truly makes the difference. I work with some amazing people... and I also work with some outright duds. We all have teaching licenses (which are earned via coursework and experience) but our abilities at implementation is what makes the difference.

I am sure the same goes for parenting. In working with my students' parents, it is quite obvious which ones are "good" and which ones are "bad". I just aim to do everything I can so that when my child enters school, I'll be one of the good ones!

 

I obviously agree with you here. Of course, I'm biased because I am a professional teacher. This is why I hate it when arrogant politicians try to make claims that by putting "working professionals" into public school classrooms they'll do a better job at teaching than teachers. Simply having knowledge of a subject does not mean that the individual can teach it effectively. And by all means, simply standing before a crowd of students and spouting off information through lecture is not exactly a good teaching strategy. In fact, it's one of the worst. If knowledge of a subject was all that was required, the anatomy teacher at my school would be doing surgery.

 

I'm sure there are an abundance of 55 year old teachers who have been "teaching" for 30 years and who have grown kids of there own who are clueless about how to teach a child! haha

Speaking as one of those former 22 year old teachers (I'm 26 now) when I entered the profession I did have very little knowledge of how to teach. Of course, I was hired under an emergency (the person they hired quit 3 days before school started) and they just happened to know me. Most 22 year olds who start teaching have been through a teacher education program. I had not. However, knowing how to teach a child is only one part of the necessary skill set required to teach in a public school.

The BIG issue many teachers have, which hinders their teaching ability, is classroom management. We have to deal with students who have no desire to be in school, no basic skills because they have simply been socially promoted their whole lives, and no concept of manners. If every student entered the classsroom, sat down, remained quiet during lessons, and actively participated, then anyone with a knowledge of education could teach effectively. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Because numerous students are never taught how to behave, we get students who tell us to "F off" and such. I bet homeschool teachers don't have to deal with that. And IF they did, there are certain things a parent could do that a teacher could not in terms of discipline.

Despite all of these issues, I enjoy my job. I suppose I'm just naive enough to think I can make a difference. Which is why I'm now pondering about entering an administration and supervision program rather than a history program.

 

No not at all. Keep your zeal for believing in making a difference. There is plenty of room for that heart and attitude in education.

I agree with the classroom management problems. I don't know if I could handle it. My hat is off to everyone who does it.

 

As a classroom teacher, I agree completely with what you say about classroom management being a major obstacle. This is where home schooling trumps the traditional classroom. To be sure, even home schooled kids have problems with motivation and concentration (what kid doesn't?), but it's a whole different ball game. Moreover, in a home school setting, it's not 8:30-3:00, in 50 or 85 minute chunks. The schooling takes place constantly. The opportunities are endless: take the kids out to dinner, calculate the tip; doing some gardening - a good time to talke about plants, bugs, phtotosynthesis etc.; make a stop at the library a part of midday errands; have your kid pick out the groceries, figure out the better deal, pay for it, and verify the change... and it goes on and on.