US Homeschoolers and abandoning the coomon good?

[Mynyel]

http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/08/21/4086856_nc-homeschools-and-abandoning.html?sp=%2F99%2F108%2F&rh=1

 

:huh:

 

"When parents are committed only to their own child’s education, that affects the education of other children, those whose parents don’t have the time or inclination to fight for improved school conditions, those whose parents must work long hours and can’t devote evenings to school projects and PTA meetings. When parents are committed only to their own child’s education, that affects communities for whom schools have long been a source of unity. What does that do to education in North Carolina, education in the United States?"

 

So it is my responsibility to take over for those parents that can't (or won't) do anything? Humph.

 

"The problem is seeing opting out of the system as a solution. Instead of looking for solutions within the system, these parents remove themselves and their students, making it more difficult for the school environment to improve for other students. What do these children learn about community?"

 

"When we drop out instead of tackling challenges head on, our world narrows. We suggest that our family is the only one that matters."

 

 

Oh, now this makes me mad. The reason I started homeschooling was because the "system" wouldn't lift a finger to help us. I asked, I pleaded. Nothing. So don't tell me it is because parents don't want to tackle challenges.

 

This person, whoever they are, obviously hasn't watched the news or tried to actually DEAL with the system!

 

 

[DianeW88]

In the nicest way possible....I don't give a rat's patootie about "all the other kids" and how their parents choose to educate them.  It's not my job to pick up their slack.  My responsibility is to my own children.  I chose homeschooling 21 years ago because the public school system was failing all the kids I knew.  I wasn't giving it the opportunity to fail mine.  And my children are not going to receive a less than adequate education "for the public good."  This person is off his rocker.

[jewellsmommy]

Well, a byproduct of homeschooling ds is a contribution to the common good. He would take time away from other students, a lot of time, even with an IEP. He was in public school before me, so I am not guessing. I can state for a fact that he was more than the school could handle. His teacher recommended homebound or homeschool as a better option to his prior guardian. Plus, he has been a physical danger to other children in the past. Honestly, on the bad days, I feel as though the ps parents should thank me for not unleashing him upon the ps classroom. :lol:  ... ;) Only on the bad days.

[marbel]

Hey, I freed up space in the public school system.  

 

I find the abandonment argument tiring.  We knew brick-and-mortar school was a not a good fit for one of our kids.  Our second came along for the ride.  We're not making a statement, just doing what's best for the people we are responsible for.   

 

And while I rarely snark about the public schools, and public school kids, are they serious that my kids' world is narrower than that of their public-schooled peers? The girls who won't talk to my daughter at the library volunteer meetings because she's not in school with them every day?   The boys who walk away from my son because he is not a Phillies or Eagles fan and thus not worth talking to? 

 

Please note I am making a broad generalization about my kids' experiences with schooled kids they have met.  I do not believe that all kids are like that.  These are my experiences only.

 

 

[snowbeltmom]

http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/08/21/4086856_nc-homeschools-and-abandoning.html?sp=%2F99%2F108%2F&rh=1

 

:huh:

 

 

This person, whoever they are, obviously hasn't watched the news or tried to actually DEAL with the system!

This, exactly.

 

I have had similar conversations in real life. The individuals spouting such nonsense are either childless or have children under the age of five. I politely tell them to look me up once their children start school and we'll continue the discussion then.

[AimeeM]

This argument infuriates me, especially as it always seems aimed at homeschoolers. What about the very large number of people who choose private school? They aren't working within the system any more than us "homeschoolers". Regardless, I do not know ONE homeschooler, who chose to take their child out of public school because of issues WITHIN the public school, who didn't try FIRST to work with that system, and change it. We learned quickly, and early one, that parents have almost no voice within the public school system.

[Jane in NC]

Sigh. When I began homeschooling my son, a woman I know in the community told me of her disapproval and said that our public schools can work.  She then proceeded to tell me that she visited the principal of the high school weekly to fight for her son, had regular meetings with teachers, went to the school board to lobby for expanded options. It seemed that I could spend energy fighting for my son or I could educate my son.  Was there really an argument here?

[Farrar]

Well...  I think to some extent that's true.  I don't know why everyone has to be so dismissive of it.  When people who really care about education leave the public schools, then the public schools suffer.  If you care about your community and your community's schools, then that is an argument to stay with them.  It is not the only factor and it's probably not the most important one for most families, but there are some people who consider and then choose not to homeschool in part for this reason and there are many homeschoolers who regret what they feel is the necessity of their choice because they do believe that schools are better when the community as a whole participates in them.

 

Obviously it didn't sway me though. ;)

 

One of the things that's frustrating about this framing of it in the N&O is that it makes no mention of what is almost certainly one of the biggest factors driving that huge surge in NC homeschooling: the abysmal schools and all the recent funding cuts and teacher retention and pay problems.  Yes, some people are leaving the public schools.  But more people are being driven away from them in NC, possibly by government officials who are pleased by this outcome.  

[Miss Mousie]

 

"When parents are committed only to their own child’s education, that affects the education of other children, those whose parents don’t have the time or inclination to fight for improved school conditions, those whose parents must work long hours and can’t devote evenings to school projects and PTA meetings. When parents are committed only to their own child’s education, that affects communities for whom schools have long been a source of unity. What does that do to education in North Carolina, education in the United States?"

 

 

 

:confused1:  

 

I was supposed to work my own long hours, then devote evenings to my own kid's school projects, and then ... call up some other kid whose parents were not inclined to do the same for their kid and help that kid with the projects, too? 

 

And because other parents are not inclined to fight for improved school conditions, I'm supposed to do that for them?   Sorry, I was already taking too much time away from work trying to fight for every little scrap of help I could get for my kid from people who didn't understand and didn't care to learn and just wanted him to shut up and sit still (which, as I explained to their deaf ears time and time again, they could have achieved had they only given him some work that was appropriate for his level and needs).

 

Sigh.

[HS Mom in NC]

I wrote a response at the website.  I'm glad to see so many people thought the author was way off base.

[8filltheheart]

Well... I think to some extent that's true. I don't know why everyone has to be so dismissive of it. When people who really care about education leave the public schools, then the public schools suffer. If you care about your community and your community's schools, then that is an argument to stay with them. It is not the only factor and it's probably not the most important one for most families, but there are some people who consider and then choose not to homeschool in part for this reason and there are many homeschoolers who regret what they feel is the necessity of their choice because they do believe that schools are better when the community as a whole participates in them.

 

Obviously it didn't sway me though. ;)

 

One of the things that's frustrating about this framing of it in the N&O is that it makes no mention of what is almost certainly one of the biggest factors driving that huge surge in NC homeschooling: the abysmal schools and all the recent funding cuts and teacher retention and pay problems. Yes, some people are leaving the public schools. But more people are being driven away from them in NC, possibly by government officials who are pleased by this outcome.

The problem with the underlying premise is the mistaken belief that parental involvement and being outspoken about problems actually results in effective change. That is not the experience of my family members who are all engrossed in the ps system. Parental feedback is not often well received. Parents are told to accept the authoritarian role of the system.

[snowbeltmom]

Well...  I think to some extent that's true.  I don't know why everyone has to be so dismissive of it.  When people who really care about education leave the public schools, then the public schools suffer.  If you care about your community and your community's schools, then that is an argument to stay with them.  It is not the only factor and it's probably not the most important one for most families, but there are some people who consider and then choose not to homeschool in part for this reason and there are many homeschoolers who regret what they feel is the necessity of their choice because they do believe that schools are better when the community as a whole participates in them.

I am so dismissive of it because the public schools don't care what the parents think. Speaking from experience, there is not point in staying with the public schools if your voice is completely ignored.

[Rosie_0801]

 Parents are told to accept the authoritarian role of the system.

 

Teachers too, for that matter.

[8filltheheart]

Teachers too, for that matter.

Definitely. It is why I never taught in ps. It is also why I made the decision yrs before I had children that my future children would never attend ps.

[MeghanL]

I think this is the central problem with that argument:

I am willing to stay-at-home and sacrifice my earning potential for my children to receive what I feel to be a superior education. 

 

I am NOT willing to stay-at-home, sacrifice my earning potential and spend time at the school for my child to receive what I feel would be a sub-par education.

 

IF I weren't a homeschooling parent, I wouldn't be an advocate parent at the school making it better for all. I'd be working 40+ hours a week like everyone else I know with kids in school. And, in fact, I don't know anyone who would make it their full-time job to be the greasy wheel at the school.

[Farrar]

I think most people do experience public school that way - as impossible to make a difference, but involved parents can make a difference.  It's not always the difference they want to make - you can't change the testing culture, you can't fix the funding or fire the bad teachers or pick a better math program.  And you can't always fix the school for your individual child - schools that aren't serving gifted or special needs kids often can't be forced to do a better job.  However, schools with really involved parents who run tutoring programs after school or raise money for better lunches or more books or better equipment or who come in to relieve teachers so there can be art programs or who plant gardens and organize school plays and so forth for enrichment are better schools than ones where parents aren't around to do those things.  They just are for the majority of kids.

 

Look, in the end, my kids came first, no question.  But it's not an invalid argument to me.

[shawthorne44]

What kind of lowlife is willing to sacrifice their children to the "greater good"?  Someone that really shouldn't have had kids in the first place.  

 

I don't think that parents CAN change schools for the better for everyone.  At BEST they can change the school for their own kids by being the squeaky wheel.  For the last 10 years before my dad retired, he had what we called Musical Managers.  I think they even called it that within the workplace.  My father had had excellent reviews at work and wasn't easily replaced because his was a legacy programming language that ran payroll.  He really truly did not care what the managers thought.  He knew they would be gone as the natural order of things.  I think school admins and educrats look at parents the same way.  

[8filltheheart]

I think most people do experience public school that way - as impossible to make a difference, but involved parents can make a difference. It's not always the difference they want to make - you can't change the testing culture, you can't fix the funding or fire the bad teachers or pick a better math program. And you can't always fix the school for your individual child - schools that aren't serving gifted or special needs kids often can't be forced to do a better job. However, schools with really involved parents who run tutoring programs after school or raise money for better lunches or more books or better equipment or who come in to relieve teachers so there can be art programs or who plant gardens and organize school plays and so forth for enrichment are better schools than ones where parents aren't around to do those things. They just are for the majority of kids.

 

Look, in the end, my kids came first, no question. But it's not an invalid argument to me.

What you are advocating is that volunteers compensate for the problems of a multimillion dollar broken bureaucracy?

[hjffkj]

All of those home schoolers still pay taxes that go to public schools. They also free up a significant amount of money that if managed properly could be spread out to go towards helping the students still in the system. Focusing on how less kids in public schools could help the system rather than accusing them of abandoning the common good is more productive.

[KrissiK]

Personally, I think the system is far too broken to even begin to effect change. What could one person do? What could even a group of people do? And where would you begin? I think this is where charter schools and private schools and homeschools sprang from. Frustration with the system and a feeling of helplessness when it comes to the idea of real change. It's kind of like when you're grading a kid's essay. Some kids' grammar is not so bad, just make a few fixes in the existing sentences and you're good. But I've read some kids' sentences and it's like, you can't even fix this it's so bad. Just start again with a whole new sentence. I don't want to bash the public education system, I have friends whose kids are there, I respect them, etc. etc., but for our family.... we don't even want to mess with it.

[shawthorne44]

Teachers too, for that matter.

 

I will never forget the moment I overheard two teachers chatting about the fact that our high school graduation was the Saturday BEFORE final exams.  They said, "Yes, makes sense to me."  These were the teachers in a club I was in, so I asked them what were they thinking.  They said that they saw so much ridiculous stuff that to stay sane teachers have to adopt a "Makes sense to me" to everything that doesn't make sense.  

The reason the graduation was before final exams was because the very large school district hadn't bothered to reserve the cities convention center until January.  Then they found out that a few months before, i.e. after the final exam dates were known, the Pig Farmers of America had reserved the convention center for that weekend for the next 30 years.  You really can't advocate that level of stupidity out of an organization.  

[73349]

A) If I couldn't cure PS while working as a teacher there--and I couldn't!--why would I be able to as a parent working full-time elsewhere?

 

B ) My kid's presence is not going to make a PS classroom better. (Ask his Sunday school teacher, if you think you'll get a candid answer.) We are one less discipline-related phone call for the teacher to have to make on a regular basis.

 

C) I pay the same amount in taxes whether they educate him or I do. He will be a better citizen if I do it.

 

D) My district--where the News & Observer is located--is already going crazy trying to build schools fast enough to keep up with the population growth. They do not need the 5% of kids who are homeschooled and the 5% who are private-schooled dumped in as well.

[Farrar]

What you are advocating is that volunteers compensate for the problems of a multimillion dollar broken bureaucracy?

 

Of course not.  But any program runs better when more parents pitch in and that includes schools.  Even if the schools were well funded and run, parents volunteering and being involved would be a part of that picture.  The sort of charter and private schools that many on this board do consider "good" often have solid parent involvement and that's part of what makes them good schools.

 

I don't think any PTA - no matter how good - can fix what's at the heart of the problem with public schools in this country, which I think are approaching education in a fundamentally incorrect way.  And that's part of why I would never send my kids to public school.  No question in my mind.  But on the other hand, do many schools benefit from having involved parents and communities?  Yes.  I'm sorry, but that's a no brainer to me.  Of course that's true.

[Farrar]

What kind of lowlife is willing to sacrifice their children to the "greater good"?  Someone that really shouldn't have had kids in the first place.  

 

Seriously?  If someone lives in a community with a decent school but they think they might be able to do a better job homeschooling and they weigh their options and decide that the benefits of the school and their own ability to participate in the community and improve things outweighs their concerns, then they're a lowlife who shouldn't have had kids in the first place?

 

Look, folks, the decision to homeschool is a complex one for most of us.  We all have to consider money, philosophy, education, ability, socialization, and so on and so forth.  If someone also thinks that participating in their community by attending public schools is a positive thing and that's one of the many things they want to take into account, then that does not mean they don't care about their kids.

[Reefgazer]

I think the author of the article is spot on.  Although she is unfairly singling out homeschoolers, because you could make the same argument against those who move to private school.  I would say to her in response:

 

Yer darned tootin' my kids are my priority, and if everyone thought the same way, the public schools wouldn't be the mess that they are.  The fact is, people walk away because they see that reforming the system within their child's school lifetime is all but impossible.  I know, I tried for a very long time and got no where.  Parents are unwilling to sacrifice their children's education when the education establishment 1) resists all attempts at true reform, 2) refuses to educate all kids (not just those who are average or below average), 3) refuses to maintain safe schools and not tolerate behavioral disruptions in the classroom, 4) refuses to reform the testing culture and not allow for-profit companies to direct reform, 5) insists on undermining parental moral teachings and demanding conformation of thought, 6) is unresponsive to parents' educational concerns, and 6) treats students with disrespect.  I realize that everyone's mileage may vary, but these are the problems I had personally with my kids' zoned public school.  So yes, I walked, and I walked without a stitch of guilt, because my first responsibility is to my own kids.  If everyone does this, the public schools will indeed crash and burn and be non-functional.  Then perhaps the educational establishment will take reform seriously and begin rebuilding real educational institutions.  Until then, I will ensure my kids are well-educated.

 

The author seems to feel that there are solutions left within the system, but based on my experiences, I disagree.  I do believe the system needs to be dismantled and re-built by people who truly care about education.  Such a result is detrimental to society only if one (such as the author) assumes that a better system will not take it's place.  One could also argue that homeschoolers, because they personally work hard to produce children who are educated, responsible, and think independently, are actually contributing to a stronger society in the long run, even while helping to dismantle public schools.

[mamaraby]

Is the assumption that homeschooling parents will spend all the time they spent homeschooling, volunteering in the pocal school if their kids were enrolled?

 

That's a pretty big assumption.

[Farrar]

Is the assumption that homeschooling parents will spend all the time they spent homeschooling, volunteering in the pocal school if their kids were enrolled?

 

That's a pretty big assumption.

 

I think the assumption is that people who homeschool care about their kids' education and are more likely to be involved at the school, not that they would spend all of that energy and time, but that they would be more likely than the average parent to spend some time.  I think that's probably mostly true.  Many school parent who work spend time at the school on various things.

[Rosie_0801]

CPS will come after me if my child isn't learning. CPS won't come after me if my neighbour's kids aren't learning.

 

[jenslp]

I think the more educated a society is, the better for the whole society.  So if homeschooling or helping children with their after school projects results in better educated citizens, then it helps the whole society.  I think the logic of the author was off.

[rebbyribs]

I find this sort of argument offensive.  People who want to use the public schools buy houses in the super-expensive neighborhoods so their kids can go to the good public schools with other affluent children, high test scores, arts & enrichment programs etc.  They volunteer at those schools and donate money to fund programs in their school district - they're not helping kids in poorer neighborhoods.  The parent organizations for the good school districts in our area have suggested donations of several hundred dollars per year per child.  

 

I've now seen several articles chastising homeschoolers for hurting the public schools by opting out.  But I have yet to see anyone seriously suggest that upper middle class families buy houses in neighborhoods with middling schools, send their kids to the middling schools, and then donate the difference in housing costs to the neighborhood schools to try to improve conditions there.

 

When it comes down to it, most of us are looking out for our own families first, whether we choose private school, home school, charter school, or public school. 

[kiana]

The problem with the underlying premise is the mistaken belief that parental involvement and being outspoken about problems actually results in effective change. That is not the experience of my family members who are all engrossed in the ps system. Parental feedback is not often well received. Parents are told to accept the authoritarian role of the system.

Yep. This is why our family was homeschooled.

 

My mother was very pro-PS and spent quite a bit of time advocating. After several years of banging her head against the brick wall and being told 'Look, Mrs. Kiana, you don't understand. You put them on the bus, we take it from there.' she gave up and pulled us all out.

[Mom22ns]

All of those home schoolers still pay taxes that go to public schools. They also free up a significant amount of money that if managed properly could be spread out to go towards helping the students still in the system. Focusing on how less kids in public schools could help the system rather than accusing them of abandoning the common good is more productive.

 

See, this is my thought. I pulled my kids out, but my tax dollars stayed. That means they get the funding, but not the kids. I have one that was on IEP with significant $$ spent on services. All the other kids get more because we aren't there. There was nothing that I did or could do to make the public school significantly better for anyone else's kids. I know, I've been there. So looking at the balance sheet, my kids were better off and so were the kids who stayed. Everyone won. 

[Carol in Cal.]

Sure, I'm out of the public school system, and it is a loss to them.  Because I'm one who would have volunteered a lot.

If we could not have homeschooled, I still wouldn't have been in the public school system that is in my community, because it does not prioritize the good of the students over the teachers and buraoucracy (no idea how to spell that, sorry). So I would have either used a charter school, an interdistrict transfer to another district, or a private school. In any of those scenerios I would have volunteered.  Yup, that's a loss right there.  

 

OK, fine.

 

I believe it, I own it.

 

So what actually happens?

 

Because I was a homeschooler I learned how to teach well.  I didn't just teach my own, but ran classes for a few others here and there.  I also read up on educational philosophy.  I got involved with starting charter schools--three of them, actually.  These were alternative education models that worked for some kids, and moved education as a whole forward.

 

And I also made a commitment that when I'm done homeschooling I would volunteer in the public schools to some extent, specifically to make up for the lack while I was focusing on my daughter.  So I did.  I met an awesome principal at a public elementary school in a very tough neighborhood, and volunteered there once a week for two years.  I formed a girls' group for 5th graders, in which we read hard books and talked about them, and celebrated national holidays, and did some science experiments.  It was a fun, awesome thing to do, and I felt like I 'evened the score.'  I dragged my high school aged daughter along, she loved it, and she decided to write and present a poetry writing summer camp there, for free, as one of her high school senior projects.   While I was there I also realized that a friend of mine, still homeschooling her 4 kids, was volunteering weekly there also.  And others heard about this school from us and offered to participate.

 

It is easy to see and demonstrate that a lot of homeschoolers help the public school system in various ways.  That is as it should be. Education helps everybody.

But although I and many other parents are willing to sacrifice some time and effort for this, we are not willing to sacrifice our children.  Nor should we do so.  Period.

[AimeeM]

Seriously?  If someone lives in a community with a decent school but they think they might be able to do a better job homeschooling and they weigh their options and decide that the benefits of the school and their own ability to participate in the community and improve things outweighs their concerns, then they're a lowlife who shouldn't have had kids in the first place?

 

Look, folks, the decision to homeschool is a complex one for most of us.  We all have to consider money, philosophy, education, ability, socialization, and so on and so forth.  If someone also thinks that participating in their community by attending public schools is a positive thing and that's one of the many things they want to take into account, then that does not mean they don't care about their kids.

 

I guess that's the issue. The schools that need more parental involvment, aren't generally classified as good, or decent, schools. So when a parent sends a child there, for the sake of the community, yes - they are sacrificing their child for the greater good; they are, on a principle they hold, putting their child knowingly in an environment that isn't good for them, to make a point, or to work towards the greater good.

 

[Crimson Wife]

The schools don't actually WANT real parent involvement in the day-to-day operations. They SAY that they value parent involvement, but what that actually means is that they want parental money and free labor to use primarily for fundraising activities.

 

The district that we lived in when we first started HSing had a parent-led petition to try to get Singapore Primary Mathematics that I supported. It got denied by the educrats, who instead adopted the notorious Every Day Mathematics. The reason given was that Singapore was supposedly  "not appropriate for English Language Learners". The kicker is that most of the parents pushing for Singapore were immigrants who were themselves not native English speakers!

 

If the educrats actually allowed parent-run co-op schools like the parent-run co-op preschools that exist in my area, then I might be swayed by the argument. But I know the truth- and that is that schools only value parental money and are not at all interested in empowering parents to have any substantial say over school operations.

[kiana]

I guess that's the issue. The schools that need more parental involvment, aren't generally classified as good, or decent, schools. So when a parent sends a child there, for the sake of the community, yes - they are sacrificing their child for the greater good; they are, on a principle they hold, putting their child knowingly in an environment that isn't good for them, to make a point, or to work towards the greater good.

 

 

Regardless, calling them 'lowlifes' is really a tad extreme.

[73349]

 It is easy to see and demonstrate that a lot of homeschoolers help the public school system in various ways.  That is as it should be. Education helps everybody.

But although I and many other parents are willing to sacrifice some time and effort for this, we are not willing to sacrifice our children.  Nor should we do so.  Period.

 

That's what it comes down to, isn't it? The institution is there to serve the children, to improve their lives and give them opportunities; it shouldn't be the other way around.

 

[ElizabethB]

It was my tutoring, helping public school students, that convinced me to homeschool!

 

I actually help more public school students learn to read because I am homeschooling than if my children were in school, our flexible hours let me teach more classes and reach more students.

 

If I were volunteering in the schools, I would not be able to use my methods, I would have to follow their guidelines and/or hide my methods. (Sadly, my main resource, Webster's Speller, was once standard fare for learning to read in school.)

[Lang Syne Boardie]

We ran a series at Sandbox to Socrates about why our authors homeschool. A recurring theme was that all parental attempts at being involved were rejected, sometimes very rudely. "Put your kid on the bus and send money," was the tone. The parents had been room monitors, fundraiser volunteers, PTO members, all of it, but they still couldn't figure out what their kids were doing at school all day or if they needed help with their lessons.

For some parents, spending lots of hours and cash and hovering peripherally feels like involvement and support enough, and I'm sure their contribution is appreciated and important. But if what they want to help with is actual academic improvement, they are shut out. If they have the sense that their child is struggling, whichever end of the spectrum they might be on, they are VERY shut out.

[Ethel Mertz]

Yeah, we tried the public school system for preschool. The teacher physically abused my kid (pinching him on the upper arm and upper thigh when he didn't conform). We didn't look back. Since then, we try to support the public schools in the community via their fund-raising events and school performances, but they aren't getting my kid again.

[HS Mom in NC]

Since this is TWTM boards, let's not forget that content of ps compared to a Classical Education in any form isn't exactly a good commercial for ps when it comes to parents who are homeschooling for academic reasons.  The greater good?  With  that content?  I think not. 

[OneStepAtATime]

Half my family work in the ps system in the United States.  I see how hard they are trying to turn the trends around from within.  I see the frustration and depression they experience over the educational system as it exists today and how powerless they are to make any real changes from within the system.  

 

My nephew is dyslexic.  He is extremely bright, possibly gifted.  He graduated high school unable to read at more than a 2nd grade level.  He can barely add.  He has struggled to find a job.  He does not think he will ever get in to college.  His mother is a school teacher.  His parents fought for more help for him for years, over and over and over.  And they failed.  The system failed.  And he carries tremendous emotional and academic scars because of it.

 

My daughter was in a brick and mortar school of one kind or another for 7 years.  I was heavily involved on a daily basis in her education and knew every single assignment, bought every single textbook for additional work at home, talked to every single teacher at least weakly, volunteered in the classrooms, organized fund raisers and book fairs, and worked 7 days a week, every single week to reteach the school material to my daughter since she was not learning in class.   And it was killing us.  My daughter is dyslexic.  Not one teacher would admit there was a problem.  Not one administrator accepted there was an issue until our final year in school.  My daughter by 4th grade was so depressed she was making statements like "There is no point to life."  She withdrew from everything that had ever mattered to her.  Staying in the system and continuing to fight would not have netted us anything but potentially a child dead from suicide.  Working within the system was useless.  I tried for 7 years.  It never netted anything for my child but stress, worry and sadness.  She didn't learn to read in 7 years of school instruction.  She learned to read when she came home.  And my only regret is that I didn't pull her out much, much sooner.

 

I went through ps.  I had some great experiences.  I do care about the ps system.  I care deeply.  I care about every one of the kids in school today and hope with all my heart they have a great education and a wonderful life.  And I hope with all my heart that significant changes can be made to the educational system and soon because while there are some great things about ps, there are some trends that are quite alarming to me.  The system is failing many kids and I do believe changes need to be made.  I am more than willing to help make those changes happen.  But I will not sacrifice my own children to do it.

[PeachyDoodle]

The schools don't actually WANT real parent involvement in the day-to-day operations. They SAY that they value parent involvement, but what that actually means is that they want parental money and free labor to use primarily for fundraising activities.

 

"Liking" this wasn't enough.

 

For three years, I tried to be involved at dd's school. The only things I was told I could do were plan parties (twice a year) and solicit donations of money and supplies from the other parents. And, of course, provide treats for the teachers. Not that I mind thanking my kids' teachers with little gifts (we've always done them at Christmas and for Teacher Appreciation Week), but it was a little irritating getting multi-page lists of each teacher's likes and dislikes, requests for gifts that were upwards of $40, and demands that we do things like provide a weekly volunteer to take the class to lunch and bring in lunches for the teachers from places like Outback Steakhouse and Olive Garden (which, aside from being more pricey than a sandwich, are a good 20-30-minute drive from the school).

 

Like a pp said, I was as "involved" as I could be (by far the most "involved" parent in dd's classes) -- and I still had no idea what she was learning and no way to improve her education, much less anyone else's. And it was patently obvious that the system was designed that way.

 

[Miss Tick]

My taxes still go there.

 

My school system is great, apparently, but a lot of the parents would choose working over volunteering. I don't think they even make a conscious choice in most cases. Why is their choice more valid than mine?

[mamaraby]

I think the assumption is that people who homeschool care about their kids' education and are more likely to be involved at the school, not that they would spend all of that energy and time, but that they would be more likely than the average parent to spend some time. I think that's probably mostly true. Many school parent who work spend time at the school on various things.

It's still a pretty big assumption. When ds went to ps I didn't automatically sign up for the PTA and run out soliciting donations for the fundraisers. Help my kid with his homework? Absolutely. Advocate for him when he was having difficulties? Yup. We showed up to a few evening things and paid our buyout of the fundraising money.

 

Just because I'm involved with my kid doesn't mean I would be super involved with the school. I suppose that makes me selfish. Meh. Just because I love my own kids and enjoy homeschooling them doesn't mean I love kids in general or large groups of other people's kids.

[Violet Crown]

What I love best about this classic argument against homeschooling is that not only am I hurting the common good of the public school system by "opting out," I am also - so I've been told - damaging the parochial schools, and thus undermining the Catholic community, by "opting out" of them. Two school systems at once!

[duckens]

 

Jewellsmommy says:

Well, a byproduct of homeschooling ds is a contribution to the common good.

 

--Well educated citizens are ALWAYS a contribution to the common good.   I'm sure that people told George Washington's mom that she was harming the common good, too.  Or Thomas Jefferson's mom.  Or Abraham Lincoln's stepmom.

 

--Financially, Iowa homeschoolers save the school system $164M every year.  Potentially, that's an extra $164M they could spend on Iowa's public school children.  Why doesn't the author wonder where that money is?  Why doesn't the author wonder whether even half of that could be spent on Iowa's school children in the form of grants to defray the cost of old buildings, technology for smaller/poorer school districts, and access to college level classes every semester at every high school? Or free preschool/afterschool for another chunk of low-income parents?

--The issue is, once we leave the school system, do we still vote/support/advocate for the children still in the school system?  Do we vote for bonds to replace schools that are 70 years old?  Do we support or resent the pay of the school teachers that are there?  Do we care what type of education children less fortunate than ours will receive (Art? Music? Class size?  Working bathrooms? Asbestos?)

 

--The reality is that a lot of families homeschool in Kindergarten.  The reality is also that those numbers dwindle as we reach middle school and high school.  There is a fair chance than anyone reading this will have kids that end up in the public school system.  For that reason, most of us ARE concerned about the public school system. 

 

--We also know that our kids will share society with these school children some day.  We want them as educated as possible so they can solve all of the problems our generation has not been able to solve.  

 

--And as a fiscal conservative, I also want them as educated as possible so they can get good jobs and pay lots of taxes.  :D  (I can't help it;  I just see everything as $$$).

The author of the article may think that homeschoolers don't care about the public school system, but it's just not true.

[Lucy the Valiant]

There are other parties in the public school system who have "abandoned the common good" - many of the unions (not speaking of the teachers themselves), school boards, administrative teams, janitorial staff; the "greater good" has been redefined to mean political correctness and heavy professional salaries (again, NOT speaking of the teachers, who I believe deserve a great deal more power AND salary). 

 

 

[Space station]

Is the assumption that homeschooling parents will spend all the time they spent homeschooling, volunteering in the pocal school if their kids were enrolled?

 

That's a pretty big assumption.

This was me. I spent all of my time volunteering at their school. I know that I helped lots of kids there, but the school could not give my kids what they needed while I was giving everyone else's kids what they needed. So I decided to concentrate on my own kids. It is what I should have done all along.

[Targhee]

I do give that rat's ass about how other kids are educated, because I know my kids are going to have to deal with those other kids, and I know that my country and society is going to be populated with those other kids.  Universal suffrage is wonderful and scary at the same time.

 

I won't NOT homeschool because of this argument.  But I still stay abreast of what is going on in the schools, and am still a concerned citizen.