Get Schooled

By Molly

April 21, 2006 12:42 PM | Link to this

I homeschool my 9 year old. We begin each day with math. I opted for the Singapore math curriculum (available at www.singaporemath.com) as I felt it was rigorous and well thought out. It also was very highly recommended by homeschooling parents with math and science backgrounds. Once we finish math, our days are fairly flexible. We frequently visit local museums and historic sites. We study literature, history, writing, grammar, spelling, and science using a variety of resources - many of which I obtain through the public library. There is an amazing array of homeschool curricula available for just about any subject under the sun. One good source is www.rainbowresource.com, which provides a review of many of the materials offered.

My daughter takes a few courses through LEAD, a secular homeschool group based in Decatur (www.leadhomeschool.org). There are many groups like this available in the Atlanta area - some secular, some religious.

My daughter visits a local nursing home once a week to read to the residents and visit with them. She participates in many of the same aftershool activities as children who attend school, such as soccer, girls scouts and our church choir. She does not lack for social opportunites.

By Robert

April 21, 2006 01:25 PM | Link to this

Great topic! I have other questions for parents of home schooled students that I have been curious about for a while…

Thanks!!!

By Ann

April 21, 2006 01:35 PM | Link to this

Pedrhaps the Book Nazi from Gwinnett can start homeschooling her kids since she can’t control what they read but she wants to control what my child reads.

By Kristin

April 21, 2006 02:18 PM | Link to this

Robert,

Our children are required to take standardized tests. We administer and retain the results of a standardized test every 3 years beginning at the end of the 3rd grade. The ITBS, CAT, or other tests like these are what is required. There is no specific curriculum test because there is no specific curriculm for homeschooling. Besides continuing with our normal “school” subjects, I’m going through a test preparation book with her that I bought at the School Box.

As for high school sciences, that is a concern of mine (when we get to high school), but there are several “hybrid” schools in the Atlanta Metro area where parents can pay a fee and send their children for specific subjects. Maybe they attend for just science, maybe for all the core subjects, maybe only for electives - wherever the parent feels necessary. This would be an excellent choice if there were concern about science lab materials.

As far as AP classes - I was an AP student in high school, and the curriculum my husband and I are crafting for our children in high school will be as or more rigorous than anything I took back then. And if they need more math along about their senior year, there’s also the possibility of joint enrollment at a local college.

Hope these answer your questions!

By Leia

April 24, 2006 08:39 AM | Link to this

This is so strange! When the topic is about public school education - the homeschoolers have so much to say. Now, that the topic is about homeschooling - there are only 4 posts!

By Karen Armsby

April 24, 2006 08:48 AM | Link to this

Leia, Maybe the homeschoolers are on spring break?

By Lori

April 24, 2006 09:01 AM | Link to this

Our tpyical homeschooling day - While each day is a bit different than the one before, here’s a sample day:

Room chores, breakfast and devotions based on the Bible. Then we do math & language, outside playtime, work on hobbies & crafts, do a load of laundry and then we are off to our classes taught by other people. I cover math, language and Bible here at home and they attend a homeschool co op of classes for science and history. Also, they are involved in baseball,a homeschool track team, piano lessons and ballet at a schol of the arts. Our days are full and wonderful. I wouldn’t trade this time with them for anything. We have time to pursue their interests rather than following a plan for 25-30 children. I am so not turning this into a “why homeschooling is better” debate, but the one on one tutorial method is the best way to facilitate learning- more lesrning, less time and the teacher completely know her students. Yes, we do test starting at the end of 3rd grade and then continuing to do so every 3 years. One poster asked about science classes. There are homeschool science classes all over metro Atlanta complete with labs and everything for a fee that’s usually quite affordable. The most informative and concise way to begin a home school is to know the law. Go to www.HSLDA.org I pray this helps anyone reading who is interested in schooling her own children.

By Lori

April 24, 2006 09:01 AM | Link to this

Our tpyical homeschooling day - While each day is a bit different than the one before, here’s a sample day:

Room chores, breakfast and devotions based on the Bible. Then we do math & language, outside playtime, work on hobbies & crafts, do a load of laundry and then we are off to our classes taught by other people. I cover math, language and Bible here at home and they attend a homeschool co op of classes for science and history. Also, they are involved in baseball,a homeschool track team, piano lessons and ballet at a schol of the arts. Our days are full and wonderful. I wouldn’t trade this time with them for anything. We have time to pursue their interests rather than following a plan for 25-30 children. I am so not turning this into a “why homeschooling is better” debate, but the one on one tutorial method is the best way to facilitate learning- more lesrning, less time and the teacher completely know her students. Yes, we do test starting at the end of 3rd grade and then continuing to do so every 3 years. One poster asked about science classes. There are homeschool science classes all over metro Atlanta complete with labs and everything for a fee that’s usually quite affordable. The most informative and concise way to begin a home school is to know the law. Go to www.HSLDA.org I pray this helps anyone reading who is interested in schooling her own children.

By oldteacher

April 24, 2006 09:01 AM | Link to this

Good one, Karen.

By lynn d

April 24, 2006 09:30 AM | Link to this

Robert,

Private schools in Georgia aren’t required to give those tests (high school graduation, end of course, CRCT) and homeschoolers aren’t either.

As for AP, I suspect that if a parent feels that they can prepare their child for the exam, it is permitted. As others have said, they are people all over Metro Atlanta who offer courses, especially high school courses, that parents may not feel they can teach.

By Anotherone

April 24, 2006 10:53 AM | Link to this

I am a public school teacher, but I think that when the right parents homeschool, it is a great success. Who knows the kids better than the parents? Most (not all) homeschooled kids are very smart and very well educated. Most are very polite. I have attended several spelling bees where the homeschoolers are also contestants and they do extremely well. I am all for homeschooing, even if it does away with my job. I just know that most parents can’t or don’t want to homeschool.

By mistresninos

April 24, 2006 10:54 AM | Link to this

What’s a typical day?

A typical day for us consists of the “normal” stuff of “regular” school such as Math, Grammar, etc. However, I am able to choose curriculum that will help my son instead of being forced to use whatever the rest of the district is using. He had trouble with reading so I was able to research and find an alternative to the typical “phonics” programs. The program we chose has helped him learn to read and spell much better than he would have otherwise. A lot of reading goes on as well each day because we use the so-called “living books” teaching for History and Science instead of textbooks. He has learned much more reading real books than he ever did when we were using textbooks.

Where do you get your curriculum?

Since we spend our own money we buy our curriculum wherever we can get the best deal. There are many places online where one can order catalogues for just about any need.

What social activities do you and your child participate in?

We keep our children locked in their separate closets all day…oh, wait, that’s just what the rest of the world thinks…

Our children are involved in several activities based on their age and maturity. They are in ballet (a tough thing to get boys who are in ps to do because there is far too much peer pressure to behave in an animalistic way) and in sports. They also attend church activities and play with every person they meet at the park.

Of course, any good homeschooler will point out that the most important socialization goes on in the home where the children learn to interact in an appropriate manner. I attended public school and I can assure you that they learn much better social skills here than I ever did there.

Leia, et.al., You will note that the entry was published on Friday. From my four-year experience on homeschooling boards, and now blogs, homeschoolers are rarely online over the weekends. Most homeschoolers are far too busy with family activities and, for some, church on the weekends to be bothered with the Internet. That’s for the wee hours before the kids are up and for coffee breaks.

By MEME

April 24, 2006 10:57 AM | Link to this

I have known a few parents who have taken their children out to home school. I taught these parents and 2 of them were barely qualified to pick up trash. There should be some type of qualification for people who home school.

By Leia

April 24, 2006 11:28 AM | Link to this

mistresninos - As I stated earlier, the homeschooling parents seem to find the time to bash public school education any other day!

By MEME

April 24, 2006 11:33 AM | Link to this

Gee, mistresninos, homeschooling parents are on the educational blog all the time - when it suits them.

By Elizabeth Gieseking

April 24, 2006 11:33 AM | Link to this

I have been homeschooling for 12 years. My oldest daughter is 16 and is a first year student at Furman University. I homeschooled her all the way from kindergarten through high school. I also have 3 younger children at home, ages 9, 8, and 6.

Regarding standardized testing, my children have taken the ITBS every 2-3 years starting at third grade. My oldest took the PSAT and SAT in high school and was a National Merit Scholar. She also took three SAT-II subject area tests. I taught her AP classes at home, including labs. I bought Teacher’s Guides from the College Board for suggestions on college textbooks to use and to see what was covered in each course. I also purchased Released Exams for practice. She got almost all 5’s and ended up with a year and a half of college credit.

Our schedule has changed a lot this year since we now only have elementary school children at home. We start the day with Bible. We work on a memorization passage and then we are using a three year program that covers all of the historical books of the Bible. We then go on to math. My two middle children are close in age so they do all of their subjects together. For Math they are using Singapore Math Grade 4. It has a lot of Word Problems and just enough problems to learn a concept without getting tired of it. My youngest is Using Singapore 1. After Math, we do history using curriculum and books mainly from Sonlight Curriculum. They have a variety of real books - not just textbook type books. Then we usually take a break. We have a puppy so we normally take him for a walk around 10:30. After our walk we do a lot of our Language Arts and Reading. We are using Bob Jones English 4 and Wordly Wise for vocabulary. Their reading material is from Sonlight. My youngest is Using Horizons phonics. It has a lot of reading from the beginning of kindergarten.

After lunch we do science (Bob Jones Science 6) and finish up anything we didn’t get to earlier. My kids take music lessons so they practice either in the afternoon or before we start school at 8:00. They are involved in a variety of activities including Girl Scouts and gymnastics in the afternoon. We also have activities with our homeschool group most weeks. They have competed in Science Fairs, Spelling Bees, and Geography Bees through our homeschool group.

By Leia

April 24, 2006 01:21 PM | Link to this

mistresninos - As I stated earlier, the homeschooling parents seem to find the time to bash public school education any other day!

By Manny

April 24, 2006 01:25 PM | Link to this

mistresninos wrote: *Leia, et.al., You will note that the entry was published on Friday. From my four-year experience on homeschooling boards, and now blogs, homeschoolers are rarely online over the weekends. *

This blog is not open on the weekends! It is only available Monday through Friday until 5:00, except on Tuesdays, when it is available until 9:00 pm.

So, I must agree with my fellow public school teachers who noted that most of the homeschoolers who frequent this blog have virtually nothing to say unless it is to denounce public school education. Funny!

By Amy

April 25, 2006 11:29 AM | Link to this

I’m a homeschool mother of 3 and I’m what is known as a relaxed homeschooler so our schedule can vary from day to day. We cover core subjects like math and spelling and writing every day. Other subjects like science, geography and history are covered on particular days when we can spend a lot of in-depth time on them. We also take a lot of field trips and take advantage of educational opportunities in the community. Next year I am trading off with a friend who will teach my children grammar while I teach her children science.

I love homeschooling for the flexibility it provides. Day to day I can decide what the emphasis is going to be based on my children’s ability and interest level. We still cover everything but try to do it in a way that keeps us all engaged.

The other thing I love about homeschooling is the sense of community and support we get from other homeschoolers. Most homeschool moms will go out of their way to give each other encouragement and to offer help and support where needed. For those who are trying to find out information about homeschooling the GHEA website is a great place to start.

Robert, as far as labs go, there are former science teachers and science-oriented homeschool parents who are willing to teach those subjects for those who don’t have the ability. They set up the necessary equipment in their homes. A lot of the experiments though can be done with things at home in the kitchen or garage.

And for those who were asking where the homeschoolers are. It is actually a busy time right now for homeschoolers. The end of the school year means that everything your child was involved in is ending and a lot of them have year end projects or performances. Also, the end of the school year is a time when homeschoolers reflect back on the year and see if there’s anything they had wanted to cover that had fallen through the cracks. Personally, I didn’t see this topic til Sunday evening and the posting had already been turned off. Same thing yesterday.

By Susie

April 25, 2006 01:04 PM | Link to this

Patti, (or anyone!) something called “unschooling” has come to my attention recently, and I was wondering if there’s anyone who actually does this or knows more about it. The general concept (well actually there IS no concept)is that the parents don’t send their kids to school, and they also DON’T homeschool. They just let the kids “learn” from everyday life. In other words, they just watch tv or go outside and play every day. Supposedly everything they do during their unstructured day is a learning experience, so they don’t feel the need to actually teach their kids anything. This is the way it was explained to me, so I’m writing here to ask if there’s more to it than this, if anyone knows.

My first reaction is, this just sounds like people who don’t want to be bothered with school, but don’t want to be bothered with actually teaching their kids the way a good homeschooler does. In other words, the lazy way out. How do these kids learn to read? To do real math? I think there are just some things that really do have to be taught. If you could just “pick up” reading along the way, why are there adults who can’t read?

Does anyone know anything about this?

By MrLiberty

April 25, 2006 01:30 PM | Link to this

First of all a big complement to all the homeschooling parents out there. You are the hope for our educational future. You are absolutely doing the right thing, and your kids know it !

Ann, maybe you should consider pulling your child out of the government school system instead of contantly having to worry that one wacko mom or a group of wacko parents, or a group of wacko educators will force your child to suffer from another experiment like book burning, whole language reading, or the “new math.”

As for the rest of you critics, maybe the homeschoolers post more about government school failures because they are forced to continue paying for those schools while they have to pay more of their own money to really educate their children. Also, maybe they have seen the back and forth criticisms that come from most of you and just don’t feel like being criticized by parents who haven’t bothered to study the history of the government school system (or its real purpose), haven’t really looked into homeschooling, don’t know anything about basic economics, and don’t recognize the inherent immorality of forcing others to pay for the education of their children.

These parents don’t need to defend their choice in education. You do.

By MrLiberty

April 25, 2006 02:08 PM | Link to this

Frankly, with such a beautiful day going on outside, I suspect that the homeschool parents are out enjoying it with their students. Meanwhile, the government school kids are either at schools that were built without playgrounds or have so many trailers that their playgrounds are gone. Either that or recess is no longer part of the curriculum.

Thank god for Ritalin. Without it and no recess what would the teachers do with normal, active, energetic kids?

By Linda

April 25, 2006 02:25 PM | Link to this

In response to those who were wondering “where the homeschoolers are”, I just want to start by saying that I do not frequent this blog. I just found out about this topic today from a post on a homeschool list I belong to.

In answer to Susie’s question, I might be able to explain a little better about “unschooling”. That term means different things to different people, but of all of the people I know who consider themselves to be “unschoolers”, none are “taking the lazy way out” or neglecting their children’s education.

The things that “unschoolers” (parents) seem to have in common are: 1) A dedication to basing their children’s education on the children’s own interests and learning styles; 2) A preference for: informality, non-stressful approaches to learning, creative approaches to learning, and a very diverse range of educational activities. 3) A willingness to challenge mainstream ideas about the age at which most subjects/levels/information/skills need to be learned, and even which areas of study are most crucial for a child to learn in order to become a well educated, self sufficient, happy, healthy adult.

I have heard of the occasional “unschooled” child not learning to read until the age of 9, or 12. But most of the many “unschooled” children I know personally, or know of from online groups, learned to read between the ages of 3 and 7, and, except for the few who are dyslexic, they tend to be avid readers.

They spend a lot of their time engaged in activities based on their interests and passions. For some, that is science or history or computer programming. For others, that is dance, art, or music.

They all (I’m talking about the unschoolers whom I know, either in person or online) take a variety of classes, attend museums frequently, are involved in volunteer or community-based projects, read a lot and/or listen to audio books, attend performances of the arts, and get together with friends on a regular basis. (I’ve noticed that most of the younger ones seem very interested in studying nature, and their parents enthusiatically do what they can to further that interest.)

Not one of them, above the age of 7, is unable to read, nor sounds ignorant, apathetic, or dull. They all seem to know a lot about something, and love to talk about what interests them. I have never met or heard of an “unschooled” child who watches t.v. all day! I have never heard of an unschooled older teen who was unable to get into college because of a lack of credentials. The worst case scenario that I know of is an 18 year old having to postpone college for a semester to finish math and foreign language requirements. I’m talking about just catching up on the tail end of 12th grade studies. This is certainly not an indication of a total lack of education! (In general, “unschooled” teens tend to take quite a few highschool and college level courses from a variety of sources, including local classes, online, parent-taught or private tutoring, study groups, and more. They also learn from real-life job experience.)

By Linda

April 25, 2006 02:26 PM | Link to this

In response to those who were wondering “where the homeschoolers are”, I just want to start by saying that I do not frequent this blog. I just found out about this topic today from a post on a homeschool list I belong to.

In answer to Susie’s question, I might be able to explain a little better about “unschooling”. That term means different things to different people, but of all of the people I know who consider themselves to be “unschoolers”, none are “taking the lazy way out” or neglecting their children’s education.

The things that “unschoolers” (parents) seem to have in common are: 1) A dedication to basing their children’s education on the children’s own interests and learning styles; 2) A preference for: informality, non-stressful approaches to learning, creative approaches to learning, and a very diverse range of educational activities. 3) A willingness to challenge mainstream ideas about the age at which most subjects/levels/information/skills need to be learned, and even which areas of study are most crucial for a child to learn in order to become a well educated, self sufficient, happy, healthy adult.

I have heard of the occasional “unschooled” child not learning to read until the age of 9, or 12. But most of the many “unschooled” children I know personally, or know of from online groups, learned to read between the ages of 3 and 7, and, except for the few who are dyslexic, they tend to be avid readers.

They spend a lot of their time engaged in activities based on their interests and passions. For some, that is science or history or computer programming. For others, that is dance, art, or music.

They all (I’m talking about the unschoolers whom I know, either in person or online) take a variety of classes, attend museums frequently, are involved in volunteer or community-based projects, read a lot and/or listen to audio books, attend performances of the arts, and get together with friends on a regular basis. (I’ve noticed that most of the younger ones seem very interested in studying nature, and their parents enthusiatically do what they can to further that interest.)

Not one of them, above the age of 7, is unable to read, nor sounds ignorant, apathetic, or dull. They all seem to know a lot about something, and love to talk about what interests them. I have never met or heard of an “unschooled” child who watches t.v. all day! I have never heard of an unschooled older teen who was unable to get into college because of a lack of credentials. The worst case scenario that I know of is an 18 year old having to postpone college for a semester to finish math and foreign language requirements. I’m talking about just catching up on the tail end of 12th grade studies. This is certainly not an indication of a total lack of education! (In general, “unschooled” teens tend to quite a few highschool and college level courses from a variety of sources, including local classes, online, parent-taught or private tutoring, study groups, and more. They also learn from real-life job experience.)

By penguinmom

April 25, 2006 02:43 PM | Link to this

I have friends who do a very structured curriculum for their homeschooling and I have friends who don’t have much structure at all (unschooling). They each do what works best for their family and their kids. Sometimes an unstructure mom will have to add structure to her life just because she has a child who needs it and sometimes a very structured mom will have to loosen up because she has a very unstructured child.

Homeschooling is a journey. Each family takes a different path.

As far as homeschooling parents not teaching their kids well. I will tell you that with as many homeschooling families as there are in Atlanta, I’m sure there is someone out there who started doing it because they thought it would be a lazy way out. But, believe me, being with your kids all day does not make your life more simple or easier. Homeschooling is great and I love my kids but, I know for sure my days would be freer and my house would be cleaner if I chose to send my kids away for 6 or 7 hours a day to school.

By luvs2teach

April 25, 2006 04:57 PM | Link to this

Wow - what interesting comments…

When my daughter was 4, I researched homeschooling. She’s now 19, so this was 15 years ago and many of the current available resources weren’t around - including the internet and home PCs. Knowing her personality and mine, and given the limited resources I had access to (I hadn’t finished my degree yet, either), I opted not to do it - it wasn’t the right choice for me.

Those that have posted seemed to have put a lot of thought and work into their homeschooling experience.

What all of this really shows to me, is that being there and being aware, and taking an interest and making a choice are what matter most!

I know there are lousy homeschooling parents - just like there are lousy parents who foster their children off on the “government schools” as Mr. Liberty calls them. But I also feel that any parent who makes a conscious choice to be proactive in their child’s education will ultimately be successful, no matter what route you take.

Since I do partially pay for my government school, I opted to go that route, but I also was an educated consumer and an active participate - it makes a difference!

While I don’t agree with everything Mr. Liberty says, I do agree that the government schools have problems, and I often wish all schools could be private - I really think we would get different results if we had to pay for it (and I don’t mean by writing the property tax check).

We can’t agree as a community what we want in our schoools - look at the Gwinnett Harry-hater or the Cobb evolution stickers, for example - if they were all private you could vote with your checkbook.

And as a teacher, I could feel that my pay was directly tied to my performance (like it was when I was in the business world), and not to what ever pay step I am on - but I am happy to have that security in a government school, when I can’t pick and choose my students.

I am for choice in education (not vouchers, thank you very much - that’s about as Marxist as you can get, IMHO - it makes me laugh when Republicans support it), but you need to support and participate in your choice - no lollygaggers.

By Pompano

April 25, 2006 05:11 PM | Link to this

Sorry Mr Liberty but I disagree that homeschooling represents our educational future (though I do agree w/you that it bites having to pay for the education of other people’s [words deleted…keep it tasteful, please! PG]).

Many of us prefer to hire competant trained professionals to assist us in educating our children. No different than the tried&true business practice of Outsourcing. While I’m a rather intelligent & successful businessman, I do realize what my core-compentantcies are & know that I can hire someone to do a much better job of educating my child than I can.

However, I do applaud the Home-schoolers for taking the education of their children as their personal responsibility rather than sitting back and accepting the deficiencies of our public educational system.

By Pompano

April 25, 2006 05:23 PM | Link to this

Come on now luvs2teach - vouchers are Marxist? I love to hear the rationale (or lack thereof) on how allowing parents school choice & promoting competition fall under this label. Scares me that you’re a teacher.

Sounds like someone has been drinking the Democrat Koolaid that all ideas Republican are evil. Bet you see the Voter ID requirement as a conspiracy as well.

By Spunky

April 25, 2006 07:09 PM | Link to this

While I wouldn’t call vouchers Marxist. They are not exactly the best thing for us either. I just posted on my blog about how Christian schools that accept vouchers in the Milwaukee area are subject to accreditation rules by a new law. If homeschoolers accept these vouchers you can bet they will come with regulation and in my opinion stragulation of homeschooling.

by way of analogy, approach education like we do grocery shopping. Would you accept this scenario? Give the government $100. Then the government takes $25 and gives you back the rest for groceries. And then after you make your purchases they look to see that you spent them appropriately. We would never accept that. But vouchers would do exactly that.

Vouchers are complete state control of education funding. Why give them the funds just to have them give us back a portion? That’s a redistribution of wealth with a heavy price tag. (This is a lot to say in a short comment box.)

While I’m not so sure that I would go as far as saying its Marxist it certainly is very socialist. And interestingly the very socialist countries of France and the Netherlands have a VERY low population of homeschoolers.

You can read more about this and other homeschool issues on my blog.

www.spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com

Regards Spunky

By luvs2teach

April 25, 2006 07:36 PM | Link to this

Pompano - I’m not a Democrat, FYI - never have been, never will be. I’m not a Republican either. Neither party speaks for me. I agree with some stances of both parties, but overall it disappoints me that we don’t have the ability for true, viable third parties in this country.

You can keep your Koolaid - I don’t think ideas are “evil” - just different from mine. I have no feelings one way or the other about the Voter ID law - it’s a non-issue to me. Depending on how it’s implemented in the future, I may change my mind.

Didn’t mean to scare you - I’ve explained in the past on this blog why I think vouchers are Marxist - if Marxism is defined as “from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs,” then explain to me how taking money (and more money at that from those who are wealthier - “from each according to his abilities”) and cutting a check to only those with children in school (“to each according to his needs”) ISN’T Marxist.

If it makes you feel any better - I’m a science teacher, not a social studies teacher.

By luvs2teach

April 25, 2006 07:54 PM | Link to this

Thank you, Spunky, for further clarifying the “evils” (LOL) of vouchers!

The choice they purpote to offer is an illusion - if you can’t afford $8,000 a year, then a $2,000 voucher isn’t going to help you pay for a $10,000 a year school. If you live in a rural area, and the next nearest school is too far away, what good does the voucher do? If you live in an urban area, but have no transportaion to the “better suburban school,” what good does the voucher do?

And, I’m not entirely convinced that, no matter which party is holding the money bag, that there will be no strings attached - Spunky’s blog is evidence of that.

Surely, some political party can come up with a better solution than that.

Boo!

By luvs2teach

April 26, 2006 08:31 AM | Link to this

argh - “purport” - one of these days I WILL learn to type…

Good thing I’m not a typing teacher either, I guess!

By Gwyneth

April 26, 2006 10:06 AM | Link to this

I noticed someone mentioned GHEA. To quote their site: “The Georgia Home Education Association is a network of home education families and support groups dedicated to observing the Biblical commands for parents to train their children.”

They also link to the HSLDA which has a much larger mission than homeschooling rights. Many homeschoolers do not agree with their stance on such issues as gay marriage.

A more inclusive group is HEIR.

By Pompano

April 26, 2006 10:10 AM | Link to this

luvs2teach - I can understand your defense of a system whereby money is taken from working families & then those families are told what school their children must attend. All kids attend the same cookie-cutter program regardless of abilities or interest.

With no choice or accountability it makes your job a whole lot easier. To label a voucher system as Marxist in light of our current system appears to have been some scheme dreamed up by the teachers unions to protect your precious turf.

Let’s face it - most teachers could not cut it in the private sector. A voucher system would provide such controls - which scares the heck out of you guys.

By luvs2teach

April 26, 2006 10:43 AM | Link to this

I don’t defend the current system - please read my posts more carefully. I’m against a one-size-fits-all solution - if you read this blog regularly, you would realize that. I simply don’t advocate vouchers as the solution. They are a politician’s false promise - including your idea of “controls.” I’m not accepting some political party’s spoon-fed pap of a solution - why are you?

We don’t have unions here in Georgia, and if we did, I don’t know that I could, in good conscience, join. I came up with the Marxist comment all on my own - free-thinking, if you like.

I’ve been in the private sector, and I did very well. Unfortunately, teaching was my calling, and I couldn’t deny it any more. I’m happier here with my pay cut and lack of respect from the general public than I ever was in my little cubicle. I do make it my mission to promote the good things in education when I can, but I will never deny that there are problems.

See (www.jamievollmer.com)

By luvs2teach

April 26, 2006 10:54 AM | Link to this

Pompano - from my post yesterday (to save you the trouble of looking for it):

While I don’t agree with everything Mr. Liberty says, I do agree that the government schools have problems, and I often wish all schools could be private - I really think we would get different results if we had to pay for it (and I don’t mean by writing the property tax check).

Doesn’t sound much like I like how things are currently done now, does it?

As to why I teach in a public school? Like Willie Sutton’s fondness for banks - “it’s where the money is!”