Please vote in Costco's Poll!

[Sandy in Indy]

Every month the Costco magazine runs a poll on some issue. This month's issue is: Should parents be certified to homeschool their children?

 

http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/200809/?u1=texterity (Go to page 17.)

 

I also sent them a comment and told them to please notify my two children who are graduating this spring (one from college and one from high school) that I wasn't certified to teach them high levels of material. I assured them my kids would laugh as they waved their honor cords!

[E_Edgerton]

Glad to cast my vote!:)

[BakersDozen]

I not only voted but left my thoughts on the certification requirement and the laughable "standards" of public education that the "experts" think homeschooled children should be held accountable to.

[JFSinIL]

Where is it? Could you provide a link to the actual poll? I can not find it.

[HSMom2One]

I also voted and added my comments for debate. Thanks for the heads up on the survey. :)

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[Tracey in TX]

I voted. Thanks for the heads up on the poll.

[Tracy in Ky]

I voted:)

[Perry]

Try this link. If it doesn't work, go to "Contents", then page 16 "Debate" and click on "Click here to vote".

[Kathleen in VA]

Done. I really liked Michael Smith's answer that he didn't think public school teachers should have to be certified either.;)

[Chris in CA]

Voted, thanks for the link!

[Parrothead]

Voted!

[Sandy in Indy]

Bumping!

[dragons in the flower bed]

Found this on a friend's LiveJournal:

 

Costco's Magazine has an article asking whether parents should be certified if they wish to teach their children at home. You can also vote in their survey. Choose the "Content" tab, then "Page 16, Debate."

[Storm Bay]

Found this on a friend's LiveJournal:

 

Costco's Magazine has an article asking whether parents should be certified if they wish to teach their children at home. You can also vote in their survey. Choose the "Content" tab, then "Page 16, Debate."

 

Bumping so people can see this. I think it always helps to put our voices in.

[Storm Bay]

Here's the link directly to the survey. http://www.imakenews.com/costco/index000290018.cfm and to the article http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/200809/?u1=texterity Note that they put the pro-certification article and comments first:glare: and that they used a group not all homeschoolers like for the anti-cerification (but at least it's anti-certification.)

[clementine]

Costco's Online Magazine is running a poll asking whether parents should be certified to homeschool their children. When I voted this morning it was 53% yes - regardless of your stance, place your vote here:

 

http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/200809/?u1=texterity

 

Thanks hive :-)

[JFSinIL]

Thanks for the link - I had never found the survey before, although folks have mentioned it.

[clementine]

I'm just wondering why they would have a debate on this topic. :confused:

[ma23peas]

Because it made headlines when California had the legislation glitch about homeschooling a few months ago...but ultimately, I think it's agencies like NEA and others trying to push this through because they're losing funding and control.

 

Tara (I voted!)

[Tracey in TX]

That's a pretty even split for homeschool certification. Even if certification were required by individual states, it wouldn't likely be any more difficult than each state's standardized testing. Would it really be such a bad thing, other than the fact that it's insulting and time consuming? All states have teacher requirements. Why not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a parent is fully capable of teaching one's child/ren the minimum. I'm not advocating the idea, just pondering the possibility.

[Tap]

There were a couple of posts earlier in the month for this same poll. I am only mentioning this in case you don't get a lot of responses to your post. I don't want you to think that we are all indifferent to hsing regulations :tongue_smilie:. I am sure there are a lot of people who didn't see it before who will be happy you posted it.

 

 

 

~~Tap

[Paula in MS]

That's a pretty even split for homeschool certification. Even if certification were required by individual states, it wouldn't likely be any more difficult than each state's standardized testing. Would it really be such a bad thing, other than the fact that it's insulting and time consuming? All states have teacher requirements. Why not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a parent is fully capable of teaching one's child/ren the minimum. I'm not advocating the idea, just pondering the possibility.

 

 

Because parents shouldn't have to answer to the government about their children's education. It should only be the other way around.:D

 

Paula

[clementine]

Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see it before - I got my Sept. 08 magazine, so I didn't even think about it probably being sent out in Aug.

Thanks for the heads-up :-)

I'll have to search past threads to find it.

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

So many parents are jumping in not realizing the responsibility involved in homeschooling and the homeschooling community is hell bent on making excuses for lack of education and putting down the public schools. I fear the only answer to this is more regulation since the homeschool community won't police itself.

[Tracey in TX]

Because parents shouldn't have to answer to the government about their children's education. It should only be the other way around.:D

 

Paula

What about the parents who do not educate their children, but pull them out of

ps under the auspices of homeschool? That is the only reason which it might be deemed acceptable. It would probably be the minority, but there are lazy parents out there.

[Rosy]

I responded to this a couple weeks ago--thanks for the heads up though!

 

Even if certification were required by individual states, it wouldn't likely be any more difficult than each state's standardized testing. Would it really be such a bad thing, other than the fact that it's insulting and time consuming?

My understanding of the question is whether homeschoolers should be required to go through the *same* certification process as ps teachers. In Washington State, that means a BA + a 5th year that is geared toward classroom management and internship. This would be of no value to me as a homeschooler, obviously. If it was a simple test on the level of standardized testing, it would be annoying but not a problem. I would need 3 more years of full-time college to be certified to teach in Washington state though.

[Rosy]

What about the parents who do not educate their children, but pull them out of

ps under the auspices of homeschool? That is the only reason which it might be deemed acceptable. It would probably be the minority, but there are lazy parents out there.

 

I've known families like that, and I think it is horrible, but I don't think it's the government's place to tell parents how to raise their kids. Also, even if some level of government intrusion was desirable, I don't think becoming a certified teacher is necessary--they can provide oversight in other ways.

[Storm Bay]

I responded to this a couple weeks ago--thanks for the heads up though!

 

 

My understanding of the question is whether homeschoolers should be required to go through the *same* certification process as ps teachers. In Washington State, that means a BA + a 5th year that is geared toward classroom management and internship. This would be of no value to me as a homeschooler, obviously. If it was a simple test on the level of standardized testing, it would be annoying but not a problem. I would need 3 more years of full-time college to be certified to teach in Washington state though.

 

Right. And, in the interest of the question raised about perhaps it might be a good idea (just for discussion, I got that!;)) I'm sure many of us realize that that would cause great difficulty if child in public school needed to be pulled out as quickly as possible, or at least within a year and the parent(s) involved didn't have a BA, the money to afford private school, etc. Not to mention the fact that it's very apparent that many "qualified" teachers are doing a poor job, either because they're not very good or because they're working with a system that makes it next to impossible to provide a good education. There are other points, of course, but I'll just take this much. After all, I did learn to take turns and let others play when I went to school...

[lwilliams1922]

I'm not sure if this has been posted already, but I just received it....

 

 

 

It takes less than a minute to vote.

 

Vote NO that parents don't need to be certified to homeschool their

 

http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/200809/?u1=texterity

 

Costco member? Even if you are not you can vote about whether you

think parents need to be certified to homeschool their kids. This is

the Costco Connection newsletter debate for the September 2008 issue.

Right now 57% think parents DO need to be certified in order to

homeschool.

Follow the link above, then click on "click here for this month's

debate", then click on the red "click here to vote" icon on the right

side.

[lwilliams1922]

:)

bumping

[Tammyla]

I voted...it was easy.

[Retired]

well I have only heard of Costco from this board, but I did vote for no certification

[CookieMonster]

I clicked the wrong link at first...and I didn't spot the "vote here" option easily...but I voted.

 

 

I guess the don't have up-to-the-minute surveying results available to view? I didn't see anything...

[Lisa]

I voted...NO!

[melmac]

I voted no.

[CookieMonster]

Costco's Online Magazine is running a poll asking whether parents should be certified to homeschool their children. When I voted this morning it was 53% yes -

 

As far as I can see, they don't show up-to-the-minute results of the poll. The poll results you can see on the page where you click to vote, are the results for last month's poll: Do eco-tourism costs outweigh the benefits? 53% said yes in that poll.

[CookieMonster]

What about the parents who do not educate their children, but pull them out of ps under the auspices of homeschool? That is the only reason which it might be deemed acceptable. It would probably be the minority, but there are lazy parents out there.

 

Exactly. There are lazy parents out there who public school and private school their kids. Parents who let their children graduate from high school without every actually learning how to read. Parents who never check their kids' homework and excuse months' worth of absences each year.

 

But these parents are not subject to government scrutiny. They are not required to take courses, pass tests, or meet other requirements.

 

I know it sounds like a great idea, at first. I used to think so myself. But, in the end, what you end up regulating is parenting itself.

 

There was quite a discussion about this a while back, I'll see if I can find it and link to it. Here it is: Homeschool Accountability.

[Storm Bay]

Exactly. There are lazy parents out there who public school and private school their kids. Parents who let their children graduate from high school without every actually learning how to read. Parents who never check their kids' homework and excuse months' worth of absences each year.

 

But these parents are not subject to government scrutiny. They are not required to take courses, pass tests, or meet other requirements.

 

I know it sounds like a great idea, at first. I used to think so myself. But, in the end, what you end up regulating is parenting itself.

 

There was quite a discussion about this a while back, I'll see if I can find it and link to it. Here it is: Homeschool Accountability.

 

Exactly. Of course, some (but not me) might argue that at least they've put their kids in ps where certified teacher are teaching them;).

 

IMO, ps is a service, but parents are responsible to oversee their dc's education regardless of where they learn. I expect that most on this board share that opinion, but I'm stating the "obvious".