O'DonnellWeb Monthly Archives

A Monday Morning Fisking

Another public school teacher has embarrassed herself by writing about home education in a public forum. Even worse, she has completely misrepresented an article by Beverly Hernandez. This teacher is either willfully misrepresenting Beverly's writing, or she can't read and understand context. I'm not sure which one is worse.

Most Americans agree with the concept that our children are this nation's most prized resource.

The oil under the state of Texas is national resource. My children are my children. The nation has no claim on them.

As a public educator with 25 years of teaching experience and 20 years of personal school instruction (not including numerous workshops and training sessions), I often ask myself if the average parents who homeschool their children are truly capable of handling the gigantic job of educating their own children.

It's only a gigantic job if you are part of a bureaucracy intent on making it more complicated than necessary to limit competition. Somehow, homeschool parents turn our better educated kids in half the time, and without sleeping through numerous workshops and training sessions.

Granted, many parents who homeschool have college degrees and the determination to spend the countless hours needed to prepare, teach, evaluate and reteach basic core subjects (English, math, social studies, science, computer technology) in an environment that both nurtures and still holds the child responsible for meeting the expectations set forth by their parents. These parents are sure that the social development of their student is met through church activities, independent sports participation and involvement in a growing number of homeschool neighborhood organizations.

The college degree is not relevant, and it doesn't take countless hours to prepare. Notice that every single argument she makes is about the process of teaching. Results don't matter. It's all about degrees, methodologies, and hours spent in workshops and training sessions.

Beverly Hernandez, who offers a homeschool Web site, informs parents that homeschooling is usually difficult and shouldn't be taken lightly. She tells parents to consider the following before making the homeschool decision:

Since Beverly typically doesn't discourage potential homeschoolers, I think we are about to get a lesson in taking material out of context. Actually, Beverly may want to follow up with the paper, as this teacher has totally twisted the meaning of Beverly's original article.

Time commitment. A parent must be willing to invest a large amount of time to plan and schedule for their child's educational needs.

I'm sure all those unschoolers spend 100's of hours planning their curriculum :) I don't think this teacher understands the concept of education. It's not about planning. It's about doing.

Personal sacrifice. Homeschooling leaves little "alone" time for the parents.

Do the schoolie parents drop the kids off at school and then run to the nearest Motel 6 for a quickie?

Financial strain. For the student to receive the maximum benefit of homeschooling, the teaching parent will not be working outside the home. There also will be expense in obtaining teaching materials.

Of course, homeschool parents don't have to deal with the pressure to spend $1000 on new school clothes each year, or all the expenses associated with a second full time job. I hope she isn't a math teacher.

Socialization. The parents will need to ensure that their child has chances for positive interaction with other children.

Aren't we doing that by keeping them out of school?

Houshold Organization. Normal home activities must be organized to include homeschooling.

Repeat after me, only professional teachers that have been to the required workshops are capable of organizing a day that includes education. If the birds can manage to clean the nest, feed the fledglings, and teach them to hunt and fly, I think the average parent can handle the laundry between spelling lessons. And if you do need to outsource something, outsource the laundry. Your kids education is too important to be outsourced.

Willingness of the child. The decision to homeschool ultimately is the parents' to make, but success will be hard to achieve if the child is extremely resistant to the idea.

The have ways of making your child talk learn.

One year at a time. Most families make one year's commitment at a time, as family situations and needs can change.

Heh. Beverly was totally presenting this point as an advantage.

Intimidated by the teaching? There are curriculum and teacher materials available to help with planning and teaching; however, a parent with a limited education needs to look at the situation realistically.

Again, Beverly's point was that it isn't that difficult. Willful misrepresentation, or ignorance?

Why others began. It might be helpful to visit with other families who are successful at homeschooling their children.

Huh? This doesn't even make sense in relation to the rest of the article.

Neither the state nor the Texas Education Agency requires homeschooling families to submit curricula for review or approval. The courts have affirmed that families who teach their children at home are private schools; as such, they are not regulated by the state as to curriculum, hours or teacher credentials. Who, then, will hold parents to the same high standards that are required of public and private educational institutions?

If this teacher is an example of those high standards...

Many families strive for and reach a high degree of educational success for their children, and the children flourish. However, some students are not having even the basic skills taught them in an environment that is conducive to learning. As a new school year approaches, each family needs to make a firm commitment to the educational well-being of their children.

If you live in Amarillo, TX the first thing you should do is make sure your kid is not in this teacher's class. In the real world, an employee can be fired for embarrassing their employer in public like this. She'll probably get a raise.