A Question For Public School Teachers

[Reefgazer]

This is just a curious question, not one of any importance, really.  Did you choose to homeschool because of what you (or your spouse) have seen at your job as a teacher?  I'm wondering on public school teachers' takes on the homeschooling environment as compared to the public school environment.

[Michael12]

It was a factor, not the only one by any means.

 

Many teachers are frustrated by their district administrations. Even the good teachers are not allowed to make their own choices (based on their knowledge and experience) on how best to teach students. Schools change their approaches on a regular basis, basically just for the sake of change (and to purchase some shiny new curriculum). In spite of all this change and research, schools are getting worse, not better.

 

I also saw a whole lot of mediocre teachers.

 

A good book on this is David Guterson's Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense. http://www.amazon.com/Family-Matters-Homeschooling-Makes-Sense/dp/0156300001

[freesia]

We both taught in the public schools. The only way our homeschooling was a reaction to our experience is we both saw the benefit of one on one teaching. I also thought I could spend more time on creative unit study--I didn't figure in toddlers, I guess. But there were other non-school related reasons that led us to homeschooling.

 

I'm not sure exactly what you are asking from the second question. There are materials I used and loved as a classroom teacher that haven't really worked --or been worth the effort at home. It is a completely different "way" of teaching and learning in my experience. Every year has looked different which has surprised me. There are ways some of my kids would have done better at school, but the same kids would have done worse in other areas, imho. My oldest is at the age when he needs some outside accountability so we are doing online classes. Again, in some ways school may have been better--competition could be good for him, but in other ways I know home is good, too.

 

I love the family learning experience and knowing my kids and being able to "keep their hearts" and, since we live in a high pressure wealthy area, not having some of the immense pressure other kids are under around here.

 

It hasn't been the perfect utopian experience I imagined as a teacher (if only I were homeschooling x,y,z wouldn't be in my way), but, as I mature, I am learning that nothing really ever is. I still believe it is an excellent educational choice and I would do it all over again and will continue to do it for the forseeable future.

[Jean in Newcastle]

It was a big factor.  I was frustrated as a teacher because of discipline problems and being hamstrung by the administration.  I was frustrated by the amount of busywork.  I was frustrated by the lack of individualization.  I felt like I did a good job as a classroom teacher but felt like I was constantly trying to help the kids learn dispite the limitations.  I know there are some benefits - the ability to work together, for one, but those benefits did not outweigh the negatives for me.  I also saw and felt like public school was best for those kids right in the middle of the road but not for kids on either side of that.  My kids are not right in the middle of the road.  

 

Homeschooling is more like a one-room schoolhouse (which I attended as a child) than a modern age-segregated classroom.  The teaching style needed is closer to that used in a tutoring session.  I still do teach large groups of kids during the summer and enjoy it but am glad that it is not all the time!  

[73349]

This is just a curious question, not one of any importance, really.  Did you choose to homeschool because of what you (or your spouse) have seen at your job as a teacher?  I'm wondering on public school teachers' takes on the homeschooling environment as compared to the public school environment.

 

I've taught both public and private.

 

My broad opinion about institutions (schools/systems, churches, hospitals, whatever) is that they have a fundamental tension between serving the people they're supposed to serve, on one hand, and working for the preservation and convenience of the institution, on the other.

 

Looking at public schools in particular, the teachers are rather hamstrung by administrative decisions handed down from on high, from the school calendar to state testing to pre-selected textbooks to class scheduling to field trip policies.

 

These factors did influence our choice to homeschool, especially in combination with having a sort of non-standard kid.

 

 

ETA: Interesting that Jean and I cross-posted and both chose the word "hamstrung."

[creekland]

Yes - 100%.  The standards I wanted for my guys exceeded what the school I work at provides.  It never occurred to me to homeschool until I'd been working there.  I had the advantage of going to a great public high school, so I knew what school could be like academically.

[Dmmetler]

For me, it was definitely a factor-when I sat at DD's IEP meeting and the principal and admin folks promised the world, and the receiving teacher had a panicked look on her face, I knew that it meant she was trying to figure out how the heck she was supposed to manage with 24 other kids in the room, several of which also had IEPs-which was when I made the final decision to pull my little statistical outlier.

 

In the years I taught in the PS system, I can only think of 2 teachers who I wouldn't have trusted with my child. They were nice, loving, caring people (and even for those two it was more a personality thing-they were people who has very dictatorial personalities and teaching styles). However, I can only think of about 2 teachers, total, who I think, maybe, might have been effective teachers for her in a classroom setting. Every other one she would have gotten lost in the shuffle of too many needs, too little time, so focus on the greatest one. And both of those women ended up leaving public school teaching as soon as they had kids of their own-because they couldn't teach and parent. Actually, one of them is currently homeschooling :).

[RosieCotton]

This is super interesting for me and helps a lot right now. I have pressures from folks close to me who work in public schools and I swear they are just blinded by the light and only see the good things when they walk thru the doors every day.

 

Would love to read more posts from teachers out there. . . .

 

[wintermom]

It was a big factor.  I was frustrated as a teacher because of discipline problems and being hamstrung by the administration.  I was frustrated by the amount of busywork.  I was frustrated by the lack of individualization.  I felt like I did a good job as a classroom teacher but felt like I was constantly trying to help the kids learn dispite the limitations.  I know there are some benefits - the ability to work together, for one, but those benefits did not outweigh the negatives for me.  I also saw and felt like public school was best for those kids right in the middle of the road but not for kids on either side of that.  My kids are not right in the middle of the road.  

 

Homeschooling is more like a one-room schoolhouse (which I attended as a child) than a modern age-segregated classroom.  The teaching style needed is closer to that used in a tutoring session.  I still do teach large groups of kids during the summer and enjoy it but am glad that it is not all the time!  

 

:iagree:   Public school can work out great for many children, but it hasn't been a good fit for mine. 

 

 

As for the second part of the question (public school teachers' thoughts on homeschooling) it really depends on the individual and whether they have any experience with it. Teachers who have experience working with children who don't fit neatly into the convenient boxes that public schools cater to, for example teachers who have worked at alternative schools/classrooms, have a much more open mind about the potential benefits of homeschool situations. 

[Southern Ivy]

Absolutely 100%. 
I am still teaching and my dd is in a private, non-rigorous preschool. However, we will start homeschooling when she is 5. 
I have been less than impressed with the way the standards are addressed at my school and, frankly, am horrified at the skills that are left out.  

Also, I have had several years of hell within this district. I have taught in other districts and have never seen the amount of behavioral issues that are coming from this area. I would rather not have my child in a room/building where students attack other students, throw chairs, threaten to kill teachers, etc (and that's just in the 4th grade). Granted, our new principal deals with these issues much better than our last; but the damage is done and I'm so over it.

I love the majority of my co-workers. There are several I would trust whole-heartedly with my child. However, as a whole, the district is lacking in things that I believe to be important to her education. I want just want more for her. 

[Southern Ivy]

Others may disagree with this article, but I found I agreed with quite a bit. I do think that teachers are "indicator species" with regards to homeschooling vs public school. 

http://sallieborrink.com/teachers-who-become-homeschoolers-are-the-indicator-species/

[bluemongoose]

My experience is about the same as previous posters. I didn't enjoy teaching when I was "hamstrung" (perfect description of it!). I had quit teaching before I had children (no jobs in the area-sub market flooded), and I never gave homeschooling a thought... and then I had DD. It never would have worked for her to be in PS. It would have been a nightmare. So I continued working with her at home while DH and I discussed. In the end we were "officially" homeschooling and we never looked back.

[Rosie_0801]

That was the reason dd's father initially agreed.

 

 

[AggieMama]

I an currently a PS teacher and afterschool when I have the time and in the summer. I work in the same school as DD and have resisted her being in PS from practically her birth. DD is in kinder and says she hasn't learned a thing all year besides Constitution Day. This is a great school according to test scores and much better than the school she is suppose to go to, but I'm still disappointed in the school overall. DD brought home some homework today that reviewed a few letters and sight words. DD can read Stage 2 readers. I know she won't again anything in math either as she has already mastered the kinder curriculum. Gifted testing testing is in December and services begin in March for 30 minutes a week. I guess I am frustrated right now because kids with Special Education services get personized curriculum, but the other end hardly gets anything. If I could find a way to keep my pay but homeschool I would. Any suggestions???

[Targhee]

No. I chose to homeschool because of my student(s). It was not an anti-public school decision.

[Junie]

I taught in a private school before I had children, and it just solidified the decision to homeschool any children that I might have.  The main reason was this:  wasted time.  There is so much wasted time in a school day.  I taught high school and had to take attendance 7 times a day.  And pass out papers.  When I would teach grammar, many of the students grasped the concepts quickly.  However, I was required to assign every lesson.  And some of my students never did grasp some of the lessons.  

 

Also, some of the students took much longer to read literature than others, which made discussions difficult as the students were not in the same place in the book.  (Some would read ahead; others didn't read at all.)  It was frustrating for everyone.

 

When I was in high school, I was the math student who was too smart for the remedial class, but too slow to keep up in the regular class.  But, the teacher had to move on for the sake of the majority.

 

And don't get me started on homework...

[Farrar]

No, not at all.

 

I went into public school pretty cynical and already intending to homeschool any future kids. Not everything was bad there, but it wasn't for me. I left. Went to teach in private schools and abroad.

 

I think it can go both ways. People who teach can be inspired by bad schools to homeschool. But also, people who are interested in education are more likely to become teachers and more likely to want to homeschool their kids. That was certainly the case for me.

[eternallytired]

In the years I taught in the PS system, I can only think of 2 teachers who I wouldn't have trusted with my child. They were nice, loving, caring people (and even for those two it was more a personality thing-they were people who has very dictatorial personalities and teaching styles). However, I can only think of about 2 teachers, total, who I think, maybe, might have been effective teachers for her in a classroom setting. Every other one she would have gotten lost in the shuffle of too many needs, too little time, so focus on the greatest one. And both of those women ended up leaving public school teaching as soon as they had kids of their own-because they couldn't teach and parent. Actually, one of them is currently homeschooling :).

I taught in both public and private schools, and this right here was my heartbreak.  Even as a teacher who truly cared about her students, I felt like I had no chance of really getting to know them all or really individualize their instruction--there were just too many of them, even in the smaller classes I taught (18 or 19 vs. 24 or 25 kids).  I felt awful that I saw these kids for more waking hours than their parents and still could tell you very little about them as people.  Sure, I knew their names and a little about their families and personalities, but I only had a relationship with the ones who really put themselves out there.  Most of them did not, and I didn't have the time to pursue that many kids individually.  And the curriculum met the needs of the middle-of-the-road kids.  Many of the kids either understood the material from the moment they laid eyes on it and could easily have moved at double-pace OR desperately needed me to slow down...but I couldn't possibly do both, so I had to do the best middle-of-the-road I could.  I felt like I failed so many kids.

 

That said, my teaching experience was not the sole determining factor in our choice to homeschool.  In fact, we were planning to utilize our highly-acclaimed public school system up until the year before our oldest started kindergarten, but stories regarding the mentality and methods of the schools from friends with kids a year or two older combined with the capabilities and personality of our oldest helped to steer us toward homeschooling.  The longer I homeschool and the more stories I hear bout our public system, the more I love homeschooling and see myself continuing indefinitely.

[Reefgazer]

Duplicate post.

[Reefgazer]

Duplicate post.

[Reefgazer]

Thanks for the responses.  I got to wondering about this because I was thinking about the things that drove us from public school after DD completed 5th grade, and I was starting to wonder if I was crazy or unreasonable.  But it turns out that many of you "insiders" were frustrated at many of the same things, so I guess I'm not all that crazy.  :)

[G5052]

We decided to homeschool for the advantages of individual instruction and for religious reasons.

 

But I've been a community college professor since my oldest was a toddler, and that has helped me stay the course (one graduate and one 11th grader now). I teach in a STEM field, but seriously 1/3 of my classes cannot write a decent paragraph. And their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities are a big concern for me. The product of the local public schools just doesn't impress me at all.

 

Yes, there are some good teachers out there. Yes, you can get sports and music that would be tough to do at home. But I've remained firm that what we do at home is better overall and in the long run.

[lmrich]

Yes! The district I worked in had some strange policies that continually undermined the teacher. It started feeling like they wanted all teachers to do exactly the same thing so the kids would do exactly the same thing. I think both teachers and students should be viewed as individuals.  Do not even get me started on discipline issues or teacher quality. 

[Reefgazer]

I also teach at a local university, and this has been my concern as well.  I keep vowing that DD will not be one of my students; they are woefully underprepared.

  I kWe decided to homeschool for the advantages of individual instruction and for religious reasons.

 

But I've been a community college professor since my oldest was a toddler, and that has helped me stay the course (one graduate and one 11th grader now). I teach in a STEM field, but seriously 1/3 of my classes cannot write a decent paragraph. And their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities are a big concern for me. The product of the local public schools just doesn't impress me at all.

 

Yes, there are some good teachers out there. Yes, you can get sports and music that would be tough to do at home. But I've remained firm that what we do at home is better overall and in the long run.

 

[G5052]

I also teach at a local university, and this has been my concern as well.  I keep vowing that DD will not be one of my students; they are woefully underprepared.

 

Yes, woefully is an understatement. Even the honors grads. I actually had one apologize several years ago for his poor preparation for college. He told me in great detail how what he had done in high school was way short of what we were expecting at the college level.

 

Last night I was trying to help a student navigate the textbook to look up something, and he was having a horrible time using the index to look up multiple subjects to put them together into the steps needed to do an IT project that I assigned. He freely admitted that his math and previous IT courses in high school were all formulaic without expecting them to do the sort of thing I expected. It was sad. 

[DesertBlossom]

Yes. DH and I were both teachers. I taught, fresh out of college, back when NCLB was being implemented. I was frustrated by NCLB but didn't see it the big picture and how NCLB was part of a bigger problem.  I loved teaching though and didn't see any problems at the time.

 

DH taught in an inner-city school and was very frustrated. The administration was terrible. It was like they didn't even want good teachers there. His was a "failing" school, so they had outside companies coming in to "teach" the teachers how to do their jobs more effectively.  What they tried to require of the teachers really was ridiculous. The school had an extended-day, because, you know, the more hours of school, the better. *eyeroll*  But then his 2nd year of teaching they took away the extra stipend for the longer school day so the teachers were essentially teaching an extra hour a day for free.  DH loved teaching, but was increasingly frustrated.

 

While I'm not anti-public school, I do think there are some big problems with the system and I don't see it getting any better. 

 

DH has a teacher friend who thinks that homeschooling, private and charter schools take good kids away from public schools, and that's part of the reason schools are getting worse. He thinks "good kids"  (aka: white, middle class) should *have* to go to public school because it benefits all other kids.  My head is still red from the head-banging over that one.

[threeofakind]

My experience was I worked part-time and loved my job and school I was at.  My kids went to the same school and I had full confidence in the school.  However, my son was 'struggling' and I pulled him out of school early each day to work one-on-one with him.  It was during that time he said how much he loved the one-on-one and it made more sense and less distractions (other kids), etc...  From there my husband and I decided to homeschool our kids.  It was hard to leave becuase I loved it so much- but I love my kids more and we wanted to do what was best for them (son).

 

I am back part-time and I do not like what I see, but we still homeschool- they are older and more independent.  I feel they undermine teachers and it is not quite the same- just not a fan of where they are headed.  But we need the money, so I will chug along...

[Reefgazer]

I feel so sorry for most of these kids, but it is hard to give them each the intense help they need to get up to college speed when you have so many students in a class.  When I give it thought, I am incredibly angry at the adults who are running the educational show (and I include parents who don't stay engaged with their kids' education) because they are the people who are responsible for this mess.

Yes, woefully is an understatement. Even the honors grads. I actually had one apologize several years ago for his poor preparation for college. He told me in great detail how what he had done in high school was way short of what we were expecting at the college level.

 

Last night I was trying to help a student navigate the textbook to look up something, and he was having a horrible time using the index to look up multiple subjects to put them together into the steps needed to do an IT project that I assigned. He freely admitted that his math and previous IT courses in high school were all formulaic without expecting them to do the sort of thing I expected. It was sad. 

 

[Farrar]

Thanks for the responses.  I got to wondering about this because I was thinking about the things that drove us from public school after DD completed 5th grade, and I was starting to wonder if I was crazy or unreasonable.  But it turns out that many of you "insiders" were frustrated at many of the same things, so I guess I'm not all that crazy.  :)

 

I think a lot of teachers are very frustrated. They're angry, they're leaving the profession, they're fighting from the inside and doing the best they can, but they're cynical or fed up. Or they know it's nonsense, but they have enough tenure to nod to the administration then close the door and do the best they can and take pleasure in the good moments with the kids.

 

But I also think a lot of teachers are only mildly frustrated or are only frustrated in a sort of abstract way. Like, yes, this does seem crazy, but hey, all jobs have something, life is just like that, what are going to do about it? That sort of "frustrated" which is to say... not that frustrated. And I think that the teacher education process is helping weed out the real thinking people anyway. If you're a serious critical thinker or someone with initiative, then it's harder to get through teacher education in the first place because there's a boatload of nonsense to sift through. I'm pretty convinced at this point it's all by design.

[Sneezyone]

I think a lot of teachers are very frustrated. They're angry, they're leaving the profession, they're fighting from the inside and doing the best they can, but they're cynical or fed up. Or they know it's nonsense, but they have enough tenure to nod to the administration then close the door and do the best they can and take pleasure in the good moments with the kids.

 

But I also think a lot of teachers are only mildly frustrated or are only frustrated in a sort of abstract way. Like, yes, this does seem crazy, but hey, all jobs have something, life is just like that, what are going to do about it? That sort of "frustrated" which is to say... not that frustrated. And I think that the teacher education process is helping weed out the real thinking people anyway. If you're a serious critical thinker or someone with initiative, then it's harder to get through teacher education in the first place because there's a boatload of nonsense to sift through. I'm pretty convinced at this point it's all by design.

 

This, so much this. I couldn't do it. My alma eventually eliminated its undergraduate program for this reason. Only graduate studies remain.

[abba12]

I have a friend who was a teacher until he left the job to be a SAHD and homeschool. Definitely, the schools were the reason for him. The behaviour issues, the expectations and lack of individuality. 

[EKT]

I taught high school English. I actually taught in a great public school! It is great mainly because it is located in an extremely wealthy neighborhood (NOT a neighborhood I could ever afford to live in! lol) where the parents are highly, highly educated and very involved. It was pretty much the best-case scenario I can imagine possible for a public school. The kids I taught were mostly great kids and the school was well-run by a wonderful principal. All the teachers in my department were wonderful, too. But it's worth pointing out that it's pretty clear, for a variety of reasons, that my former school is like an educational unicorn...definitely the exception rather than the rule. (Of course money and resources have everything to do with its success.) That said, cheating was rampant there and I don't think much authentic learning actually occurred; instead, it was mainly Ivy-league-bound kids jumping through the necessary hoops, know what I mean? 

 

Anyway, I actually never intended to homeschool! I became a SAHM when DD was born, but I fully intended to return to teaching once our kids were in school. But when my oldest DD was about a year old, I started voraciously reading books about education and child development. (As an educator, I was inherently fascinated by these topics and wanted to learn more now that I was a parent.) I bought John Holt's book, How Children Learn, on a whim, based on the title alone. (I assumed it would be a book about child development, not education.) Well, as anyone who has read Holt can tell you, it blew my mind and the rest is history! From there, I read every single book on homeschooling theory I could get my hands on, TWTM included. Basically, even though I had seen good public schools first-hand through my teaching and student teaching, I came to realize that for our family, homeschooling offered SO MUCH MORE than any institutional school ever could--especially as far as freedom, flexibility, and creativity, etc. are concerned. My husband and I talked it over for a few years and we saw that we had this incredible opportunity presenting itself to us and it would be such a waste and a shame to squander it. We decided to go for it and I am so glad we did! Choosing to homeschool radically changed our financial plans (we have been a one-income, one-car family for 9 years now!, etc.), but all the sacrifices have been so worth it. So now, I am pretty much living out every teacher's dream: teaching what I want, how I want, to students I adore. :-) 

 

I honestly don't know if I will return to teaching once the kiddos are grown up. Seeing how incredible homeschooling is, I'm not sure I can return to the classroom and once again face all the ridiculous tests and grades and rules and limitations and censorship. Not to sound too harsh, but institutional schools seem so dreary and dead in comparison to homeschooling! I suspect I will use my English degree (I have degrees in both English and Education) to do something else when I go back to work years from now. 

 

And, just because it's interesting: Even though I was an English and Education double-major in college, I was taught NOTHING about alternative educational theories. Seriously--they taught us nothing about Montessori or Classical education or anything at all besides the public school agenda. I've always been fascinated by this--by the fact that the public schools are so seemingly threatened by alternative ways of thinking that they can't even expose their future teachers to the mere ideas. Learning all about education and homeschooling on my own really opened my eyes to the fact that you really must depend on yourself for your education. I hope to instill that in my own children!

 

I could go on and on about all this, but I guess I'll stop here. :-D

[EKT]

I also teach at a local university, and this has been my concern as well.  I keep vowing that DD will not be one of my students; they are woefully underprepared.

 

I agree with you both as well. Two of my sisters are college professors and they are routinely shocked by their students' writing. They both swear that some of their college students can barely cobble together a coherent paragraph. It's just...unacceptable. As a former English teacher, I fall more and more in love with WWE and FLL, etc., every year! SWB's resources provide such a solid foundation and I am so grateful to have found them.

[Renai]

EKT, I'm on my phone so it's unwieldy to quote. But the only way to get other educational theories is to take the early childhood classes. It always was weird to me that although EC goes through 3rd grade, even K-3 teachers don't get those classes unless they specifically take ECE classes, and most do not. K-12 get mostly the same thing, and it doesn't include child development. I learned more child development in my psychology classes than education classes.

[Michael12]

In many college situations, the education program is designed to prepare the student for working in the public education world. It's just a practicality of things - especially in state schools. You are there to get the "admission ticket" which is the state certification that allows you to teach in that state's public schools. Teaching material beyond what is immediately relevant to that is, to them, superfluous. Totally agree that one needs to take charge of one's own education and that homeschooling presents a much wider view of what that can mean.

[Southern Ivy]

And, just because it's interesting: Even though I was an English and Education double-major in college, I was taught NOTHING about alternative educational theories. Seriously--they taught us nothing about Montessori or Classical education or anything at all besides the public school agenda. I've always been fascinated by this--by the fact that the public schools are so seemingly threatened by alternative ways of thinking that they can't even expose their future teachers to the mere ideas. Learning all about education and homeschooling on my own really opened my eyes to the fact that you really must depend on yourself for your education. I hope to instill that in my own children!

 

I could go on and on about all this, but I guess I'll stop here. :-D

I remember doing a project based on "alternative" teaching ideas. I remember thinking that people who sent their kids to Montessori schools had to be absolute hippies and must not care if their kid learned anything. lol 

My oh my, how my educational philosophy has changed since those early years! 

 

We were briefly introduced to the ideas, but we certainly didn't go into depth. 

 

[Southern Ivy]

EKT, I'm on my phone so it's unwieldy to quote. But the only way to get other educational theories is to take the early childhood classes. It always was weird to me that although EC goes through 3rd grade, even K-3 teachers don't get those classes unless they specifically take ECE classes, and most do not. K-12 get mostly the same thing, and it doesn't include child development. I learned more child development in my psychology classes than education classes.

I took ECE classes (P-4 certification) and even then, they barely addressed the different philosophies and methods. :/ 

Not sure I would have appreciated them then, but I certainly would now! 

[G5052]

I honestly don't know if I will return to teaching once the kiddos are grown up. Seeing how incredible homeschooling is, I'm not sure I can return to the classroom and once again face all the ridiculous tests and grades and rules and limitations and censorship. Not to sound too harsh, but institutional schools seem so dreary and dead in comparison to homeschooling! I suspect I will use my English degree (I have degrees in both English and Education) to do something else when I go back to work years from now. 

 

 

A good friend of mine went back as a public high school English teacher after homeschooling. She loves her colleagues and her students, but she hates the system. She takes it as a calling though and deals with it.

 

I could never do it. I teach for a private school and at the college level where I have more latitude.

[73349]

I was introduced to Montessori and Reggio Emilia in my ed classes, even though I went for secondary certification. Nobody mentioned homeschooling, though.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I was introduced to a variety of educational philosophies in teacher ed classes - specifically in a class called "Educational Philosophy" which all ed majors had to take.  I also took Child Development but since I was also a special ed. major, I am only one class away from a psych. degree and I cannot remember if the child development was for everyone or not.  

[EKT]

A good friend of mine went back as a public high school English teacher after homeschooling. She loves her colleagues and her students, but she hates the system. She takes it as a calling though and deals with it.

 

I could never do it. I teach for a private school and at the college level where I have more latitude.

 

Yes, this is my struggle exactly! I absolutely loved my students, colleagues, and the novels/literature I taught, but the system (now that I'm out of it and can recognize it for what it is) is one I'm not sure I want to work in anymore. I can definitely see approaching it the way your friend does--as a way to help the students who are "stuck" in the system as well as I am able.

 

Lots to think about over the coming years! :-)

[EKT]

In many college situations, the education program is designed to prepare the student for working in the public education world. It's just a practicality of things - especially in state schools. You are there to get the "admission ticket" which is the state certification that allows you to teach in that state's public schools. Teaching material beyond what is immediately relevant to that is, to them, superfluous. Totally agree that one needs to take charge of one's own education and that homeschooling presents a much wider view of what that can mean.

 

Yes, this was my experience. (I went to a large state university and am certified to teach 7-12.) It totally makes sense, from the university's perspective--they are specifically training teachers to teach in that state's public schools, so why "waste time" exploring ideas that cannot be applied in those public schools? But man, major thinkers like John Holt, etc., should not be ignored. I guess now I just resent the fact that I was supposedly trained in education, yet was ignorant of many important modes of thought until I discovered them on my own. 

 

Now that I've been thinking on it, we did study Nancie Atwell's wonderful book, In the Middle. (She runs a fantastic lab school in Maine; I think she is truly wonderful and inspiring.) Unfortunately, it is pretty much impossible to apply her teaching methods in the public school. I tried my best, but the public school setting just doesn't work that way. 

[EKT]

I was introduced to a variety of educational philosophies in teacher ed classes - specifically in a class called "Educational Philosophy" which all ed majors had to take.  I also took Child Development but since I was also a special ed. major, I am only one class away from a psych. degree and I cannot remember if the child development was for everyone or not.  

 

We did have to take child development classes, which was helpful. (We took a general one and then ones that dealt specifically with teens.) We just didn't take a class that presented all the different theories of education that are out there, which I think would have been inspiring. (More Sir Ken Robinson, please!! lol.) Our Intro to Education class was more a history of the school system in America. So, that was good, too, but again...huge gaps. Looking back, it was all conveniently bent to favor public schools and present them as this wonderful, effective system. 

 

Again, I want to emphasize that I had a wonderful teaching experience in a wonderful public school! Great public schools exist! But it's just interesting to me how hard a certain agenda is pushed. 

 

I'll shut up now. :-) 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Our local public schools include Montessori, so it was included in teacher ed.  Though we didn't get the very specific training that exclusively Montessori teachers get.  And people in our teacher ed. program went on to teach in private schools as well so a number of approaches was helpful.   But most alternative methods really just got about a paragraph or two of teaching.   

[Verity]

I got my degree in Secondary English Education then immediately chose to stay home and educate my recently (at that time) diagnosed Aspie. When we moved three years ago I had the opportunity to teach at a small, private, religious school and decided to give it a shot - I thought it might be a great opportunity for my kids to have more social experiences than I was good at providing (I love to teach but I'm more of an introvert). The younger two boys stayed with the school for two years, my eldest was still overwhelmed by what turned out not be a good learning experience for him and I ended up changing him to virtual school in the middle of the first year. 

I love teaching a classroom but was relieved to be home this year with all three boys because I realized that the quality of education even in a small private school just couldn't replace what I can give to them and even if I worked full time we couldn't afford a top quality private education for three boys.

What I've experienced during internships in public schools (elementary, middle and high school) convinced me that I wouldn't want my kids lost in the shuffle. I'm grateful that I can homeschool and look forward to finding some kind of co-op once we get moved where they can get to spend more time with other kids.

[Momling]

No - I'm homeschooling because I know I can do it well and I like teaching. I have one daughter who happily attends public school and my homeschooled daughter will go to public high school next year. In my opinion, schools are great and homeschooling is great. I don't support the fear-mongering I hear about public schools in some homeschool communities.

[Southern Ivy]

No - I'm homeschooling because I know I can do it well and I like teaching. I have one daughter who happily attends public school and my homeschooled daughter will go to public high school next year. In my opinion, schools are great and homeschooling is great. I don't support the fear-mongering I hear about public schools in some homeschool communities.

I think this is important. I have some homeschooling friends who are constantly bad mouthing something they have never been been a part of and it concerns me, especially when they spout many untruths. 

 

For us, ps a non-option due to my experiences in my district (which is where dd would go).  However, we also plan on moving. If there is a public or private school that fits our needs/expectations, then we are definitely open to those options. I think it's wise to keep your options open and make decisions on a case by case basis. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

I'm not anti-public school.  It sure beats no education at all and it does educate a large percentage of the populace.  But I recognize that there are some draw-backs to even a well run public school esp. for a child who is a "square peg".  And I recognize that recent policy decisions have made it more difficult for even seasoned teachers.  I am not currently teaching in the public schools but many of my friends are, and have thirty years experience where they can evaluate some of the changes over the years and they tell me that it has become increasingly difficult.  And that they've had to do what someone mentioned upthread - close the door and teach the way they know works anyway.

[sbgrace]

I taught in the public school for 10 years before homeschooling.

I initially started homeschooling because of my son's special needs. That's kind of related to my experience as a teacher, but only in that I knew a classroom teacher wouldn't be able to give him the attention he was going to need to learn. But I didn't, and don't, have any negative feeling about public schools in general. It's a hard, nearly impossible in many ways, task to educate a full classroom of divergent thinkers well. I think it's even harder than it was when I was teaching. But if it weren't for my son's "stuff", I'm sure that's the route we would have taken.

[Michael12]

If my knowledge of public schooling consisted only of my own personal experiences as a public school student, I would have a much higher opinion of it. Of course, that was just one district and it was a long time ago. Certainly back when I started teaching, I still planned to send my future kids to public schools. But my years teaching in three different districts (as well as seeing how my hometown schools went downhill) gave me a very different view. Things have changed, and the way to cover the content and achieve the standards you want is to do it yourself. Subsequently reading a lot of homeschool propaganda like Guterson, Holt, Gatto, Esolen, et al. just helped me grasp how widespread and how entrenched the kinds of things I observed were. Those books also clarified the reasoning behind what public schools were doing. So many of the problems that are built into the public schools can be resolved through homeschooling. Of course, it's very tough and it requires many, many sacrifices, but no public school will ever consider making those changes because they are based on a totally different model and their priorities are not your particular kid(s). But I don't think anyone reading this here needs to be convinced on this.