Court: Teaching Credential Required To Home School

[KatK]

Oh, private schools will be next! Some of their teachers aren't qualified either. There are some teachers in the public school that my have the qualification but aren't teaching. I know because I have had to teach my child at night how to do the work he was suppose to learn at school. Don't let a piece of paper lull you into thinking that everyone in public school is getting a great education. If that were so, you wouldn't have children graduating that can't read or write.

Oh, aye, and aye again! But, we have to start somewhere don't we? Of course they are going to look at the places that need the least fixing, then (we can hope and pray) move inwards, hopefully not stopping until the travesty that is the public education system is also bettered! This town's school system is sub-par. But, I wouldn't homeschool my kids (if I had any to do so with) without having a teaching certification and something detailing the State's curriculum so I could follow it, so they could pass the tests and prove they were "properly" educated myself. So...

 

[LinasK]

Just so you know, where I teach, we don't leave the children. We may step across the hall to use the restroom, but the door is opened and the teacher next door notified.

My principal would write me up in a heartbeat if I left students unsupervised to make a phone call or go to the restroom. My district is actually very strict on this, as are most of the surrounding ones.

I'm sure it happens at other schools--but the impression that teachers are routinely leaving their students unsupervised and that all public school employees are okay with that, is not I wish to leave uncorrected.

It doesn't happen here either, the teacher doesn't leave the room to xerox or anything else unless there is another adult to watch them. I know for a fact because I volunteer one morning a week.

 

[KOOL LOOK]

I care about making sure my babies get a proper education also. That's why I homeschool.

Ding ding ding, here is the winner with the answer and explanation. This is why this will be overturned or not obeyed.

 

[MCDRAW]

It doesn't happen here either, the teacher doesn't leave the room to xerox or anything else unless there is another adult to watch them. I know for a fact because I volunteer one morning a week.

Unfortunately our teachers do. They don't leave them for long periods of time, but lots of things can happen in 5 minutes. I worked in the school system until this year.

 

[Karanjeff]

I commend most of the parents out there that can do it. I would if I knew in my heart I could do a better job and it was best for my girls I would.
I think we should look at other countries because apparently what they are doing here in the US is going nowhere.

We are a military family and have had kids in Australian schools, military schools, and now Illinois schools. I must say the Australian schools were more hands on outside the box. The military schools are advanced and if you haven't been in them or a really good stateside school your kid can be left behind. Here in Illinois they watch too many non education movies, take too many teacher days, and have too many activities during school.

I have to pay for the bus, textbooks, sports fees, and always sending money in for this and that. Where the hell are my taxes going to? We paid 2000 in school taxes only; I like many others in this community fill out paperwork for the school to get federal money because of all of the military children here.

And don't get me started on the IEP scam that they have going on here. My daughter has been tested recently and low and behold she's not anywhere close to needing it. But they want to keep her and are trying to drag my youngest one in. FOR MONEY OF COURSE!

But as I complain we have looked into alternatives and being on military budget we can't afford to send them to private school. Even with me working full time we can't afford it.

What are people like us supposed to do? I wouldn't homeschool my own because I don't think that they would enjoy it. My kids are social butterflies and after living and moving having to make new friends all the time I feel they would suffer being home with me.

But there are people out there homeschooling and if it works for them than so be it. Kids are gonna learn and do what they want to. Pretty much all of us have those friends that were homeschooled and some excelled at college and then there were some that just went a different path in life. It all depends on the person.

I beleive the gov has no rights to tell one where and how their children should be educated till they fix the school systems we have. A major mistake and reason why many homeschool is crowded classrooms, violence, and just want to teach them christian values.

DON"T GET ME STARTED ON NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND!

I think they should come up with an alternative education plan like in Australia where you can test out in 10 th grade and do like a votech/ trade school option. We do need people to do trade jobs here, which they say are becoming a demand as the babyboomer go out.

Just my thoughts on it all.

 

[Karanjeff]

Check this out.......


http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/001779.html

 

[southcitymom]

Check this out.......


http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/001779.html

Interesting link - and great post before that!

 

[Glow]

Check this out.......


http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/001779.html

Interesting link. Especially the part about Finnish students spending less time in class than students in any other industrialized nation.

 

[MCDRAW]

When I had to send copy paper, soap, paper towels, and kleenex to the school, I have wondered the same thing. Where is our tax dollars going? So far I have decided that our schools aren't getting it, certainly not the teachers. To me home schooling is a choice. It's not right for everyone. There are people that abuse it. Others do a great job. I myself worry about the social aspect. My girls play softball and soccer. They attend church and play with the neighborhood children all the time. I still worry. I told a friend of mine, if your child goes to school and doesn't learn anything, you can blame it on a crappy teacher. If you home school, then all the blame is on you. To me that is scary. This is my first year to home school. I honestly wanted to pull my hair out and kept threatening to put one of them back in school. It turns out, it was my fault. I was giving her way to much work. We did 9 weeks of work in 4 weeks. Needless to say, it has gotten better. Will I home school forever? I doubt it. My two little ones have learned so much this year that I don't plan in putting them back in public school for a while. I don't think one type of school is better than the other. They each have their pro's and con's, each individual is different. Although, I will say that I think that there is a problem with the education system in this Country. I want to be able to make that choice about what is best for each of my children. No one loves them or knows them as well as I do. I just do not want the Government telling me what is best for my children.

 

[philamena]

It doesn't happen here either, the teacher doesn't leave the room to xerox or anything else unless there is another adult to watch them. I know for a fact because I volunteer one morning a week.

LinasK,
Same here. There is an adult in the room at all times.

 

[SeekingJana]

There may be some parents who actually do give their children a superior education at home, with 6 hours of dedicated and ability challenging lessons 5 days a week. No TV on, no personal phone calls, no sliding by. However, the practical part of me says "NO WAY this is the norm of a home-schooling parent." I think that most people who keep their children out of formal educational programs, whether private, parochial, or public schools are doing so out of either religious fanaticism, laziness, saving money on the plethora of school associated costs for clothing, school meals, school activities, transportation, extracurricular activities, etc.

Our house was built for a family who homeschooled their 4 children and 2 more from their church. The room built for their classroom is a huge room with wall to wall, floor to ceiling uncovered windows. The beautiful custom windows overlook the decking, patios, pool with slide and diving board as well as the former site of a huge fort, treehouse and play yard. We bought the house and extra adjoining property on the condition that the play equipment was removed before we moved in. I laughed myself silly when our realtor explained that a different carpet was used in the room because it was a school room. There's no way 6 children could concentrate long enough to learn anything with an elaborate playground fit for a celeb's kid set up 10-12 feet from them. It's our dog's habitat now, and they LOVE the sunlight pouring through the windows. LOL. They stare out the windows in their sleepy haze for hours at the time ( several are elderly). I think of those children quite often while looking at my drowsy dogs.

I used to read the blog of a former child celebrity-turned-fulltime-wife- and-mother. Lisa Whelchel, who was a Mouseketeer and then starred on the show " The Facts Of Life".
Lisa didn't have very much formal education due to her dreams of stardom and acting, voice, and dance lessons which started in elementary school. Her daily blog entry was usually heavily edited by her webmaster. In the entries which she posted from a mobile Blackberry or the like, there were enough grammatical and spelling errors to make a person wonder if a child was writing the entry.
Lisa, to my eternal fascination and horror, home-schooled her 3 children, one of whom she self- diagnosed with ADHD. I think she did the homeschooling because it was cheaper, made her look really homey and motherly in the eyes of her pastor-husband, and also because she didn't want to have the trouble and expense of sending her children to a regular classroom. ( She and her hubby ran through all her money within a year of their marriage many years ago).

I can't speak for all parents, but I support the CA law 100% and hope it becomes a law in all states. Unless the parent who chooses to homeschool has a degree in secondary education and keeps current in continuing education credits, then they have a questionable ability to provide their children with an equal or superior education to that provided by college-educated teachers with a formal curriculum of study for their students.

 

[RGSG99]

There may be some parents who actually do give their children a superior education at home, with 6 hours of dedicated and ability challenging lessons 5 days a week.

In a homeschool setting, 6 hours is usually not needed to get the "lesson plan" done for the day. As it is a much more intimate setting than a classroom, the teaching/homework can get done much, much faster.

I have a huge problem with this law. I, personally, do not homeschool but it is always an option for me if or when the school my youngest son attends gets to be out of control with their teachings. I will not have my son learning some of the things I know are taught in other schools. I want my son to learn to think for himself instead of being spoon fed revisionist history or the like. This is my right as a parent and it is not up to the government to control what I teach my child.

I can't speak for all parents, but I support the CA law 100% and hope it becomes a law in all states. Unless the parent who chooses to homeschool has a degree in secondary education and keeps current in continuing education credits, then they have a questionable ability to provide their children with an equal or superior education to that provided by college-educated teachers with a formal curriculum of study for their students.

These college educated teachers with a formal curriculum have several other students to teach as well as my son. If Johnny that sits by my son hasn't eaten breakfast that morning, that's up to the teacher to see that he eats. Then we have to deal with Sarah who won't sit down because she has ADHD and she wasn't given her medicine. Next is Ben who was sent to school even though he was sick by a parent who couldn't take time off work to care for him. It goes on and on ad nauseum. I'll take the one on one attention of homeschooling if it becomes necessary, thank you.

 

[Trino]

Any teacher can tell you that kids with behavior problems take time away from lessons, as do kids who don't want to be in school at all.

Schools want to keep students on the rolls, and IMO it isn't because they are caring institutions. It's all about the money they lose when a kid drops out. Some schools - first hand experience here - keep kids on their rolls they haven't seen in weeks just to meet enrollment dates from the state.

Where does the money go? Good question. Years ago as a teacher I could go into Target and make a personal request. Now, Target gives to the district, and teachers must dig into their own pockets to buy kleenex, pencils, paper, notebooks, resources. I laugh when I read the sign posted at Target stores, indicating they give money to education.

 

[Karole28]

I can't speak for all parents,.....

But, that is exactly what you're advocating that California do.

Believe it or not, you cannot control how other parents teach or raise their children.

 

[LinasK]

There may be some parents who actually do give their children a superior education at home, with 6 hours of dedicated and ability challenging lessons 5 days a week. No TV on, no personal phone calls, no sliding by. However, the practical part of me says "NO WAY this is the norm of a home-schooling parent." I think that most people who keep their children out of formal educational programs, whether private, parochial, or public schools are doing so out of either religious fanaticism, laziness, saving money on the plethora of school associated costs for clothing, school meals, school activities, transportation, extracurricular activities, etc.

I can't speak for all parents, but I support the CA law 100% and hope it becomes a law in all states. Unless the parent who chooses to homeschool has a degree in secondary education and keeps current in continuing education credits, then they have a questionable ability to provide their children with an equal or superior education to that provided by college-educated teachers with a formal curriculum of study for their students.

Exactly Jana,:clap: :clap: :clap: I am a Californian who fully supports my state's law and hope it stands. It's not taking away anyone's rights, just regulating that those who do homeschool are actually teaching and are qualified to do so. I've seen the lazy parents who use it as an excuse and most of the time the children are spending their time playing- in the street I might add, or they take them shopping during normal hours when public schools are in session!
Kids who home school generally aren't well socialized- we have a niece like that who thinks it's acceptable to throw toys at other children, and she's going on 7. When I told her that wouldn't be allowed in public school, she just laughed and said, "Well, I'm not in school!"


P.S. If I think in public school, my daughter isn't being challenged enough, then I supplement her homework and work more with her. That's how you fix the public school system, not by abandoning it!

P.P.S. The ADHD-type girl in my daughter's class is given time-outs when she is disruptive and minimizes her interference with the class.

 

[GlitchWizard]

I had to laugh when I saw this. I earned my teaching credentials and saw from the inside out how pathetic the school system was in reaching every child at their level - then CHOSE to homeschool because I knew I could do a better job.

This is like making sure a 5 star chef can estimate the size of a 1/4 teaspoon of something.:bang:

 

[angelmom]

I don't understand why taking your homeschooled kids out during the "normal" school day is such a crime. One of the major benefits of homeschooling is that you can adapt to your own schedule and that it takes significantly less time one-on-one than when you are dealing with 28 kids who are all on different levels.

The waiting is almost completely cut out. I remember the year my son got in trouble for quietly taking out a book and reading when he was done with his work. When I asked what he should be doing for the 15+ minutes before the teacher was ready to move on, I was told that he should have the self discipline to sit quietly in his seat. He was 9 at the time. All those 15 minutes add up to a lot of hours in the day.

Also, my one close friend who homeschooled her two sons (both now have graduated with advanced degrees from GA Tech, have overcome being socially inept and somehow managed to get married and find jobs, and are wonderful, productive members of society) did many math lessons at dinner time, especially with volume, fractions, the metric system, chemistry, etc. So that time would be taken off from the morning school work, because public school kids certainly weren't at school at 6 PM.

I don't homeschool my kids b/c I'm not sure I could handle it, and I do think there should be some checks in place, but I absolutely agree that a teaching degree in no way guarantees that a person is a good teacher. Just read our Crimes in the News page for more details. And if you think there are no bratty kids in public school, then I'd love to know what system you are in b/c it must be a phenomenon to be studied and duplicated!

 

[SeekingJana]

But, that is exactly what you're advocating that California do.

Believe it or not, you cannot control how other parents teach or raise their children.

Believe it or not, I have the right to express my OPINION about proposed or impending legislation. Expressing an opinion does not mean that I wish to control anyone else's poor little children who are under their misguided tutelage.
Believe it or not, I don't wish to control how other parents teach their children. I report abuse and neglect when I see it, other than that, people can raise kids in the woods in a tent- it's their right, I guess. They can hug the trees while they're there.
I expressed a desire that the law pass in CA and nationwide for the good of this country's children. The proposed law is not about you or your preferences either unless you are a CA lawmaker.
Since I am not even a CA resident and have no children of school age, it's not up to me whether children are actually taught enough to pass their college entrance exams and become productive citizens or not. If the next generation is a generation of slackers, so be it.
Their liberal parents will have to live with the fact that their grown children are failures in society.

I have high standards. I do not think that most of the people I know are qualified to teach their children a broadly based, well-rounded education throughout the secondary school levels.
I stand by my position that homeschool is mostly a handy venue for parents who don't want to spend the time or money to give their children the necessities such as a full, trendy wardrobes of clothing, private transportation, and money for school projects. Add in the many after school extras which come with going to a private, parochial or public school, and I feel extremely sorry for homeschooled children. They are being deprived of a great deal, intellectually, socially and economically.... unless, that is, they were the children who originally lived in my home. Those kids played in their fort, treehouse, pool and huge custom built gym, according to our next door neighbors. Thus, their deprivation was only intellectual.

If parents want to keep their children out of a school environment, then they should hire tutors for the duration of the child's K-13 education. Privelege comes with a high price and lofty goals!!!

 

[GlitchWizard]

The only homeschooled kids I've ever seen have excelled beyond anything possible in public school, however, I don't see every homeschooled child and can see that it probably happens the way you say you feel it does, sometimes. Homeschooling (correctly) is insanely difficult and you have to be totally dedicated with the right relationship with your children - no doubt. Most parents are not up to the task. I took in other kids to homeschool at the same time as I homeschooled my own - so socialization wasn't an issue. The only thing I saw the kids lacked, was having to put their heads down for a long time to punish a class that wasn't there, and failing a test because they weren't adequately prepared to take it.

I doubt it's a "is it good or bad for the kids" as much as it is "how is it being done" on a case by case basis. I think the only objection most homeschooling parents would have (the good ones) is that it's yet another thing to have to do that is not necessary. I'm sure they aren't afraid of it.

Believe it or not, I have the right to express my OPINION about proposed or impending legislation. Expressing an opinion does not mean that I wish to control anyone else's poor little children who are under their misguided tutelage.
Believe it or not, I don't wish to control how other parents teach their children. I report abuse and neglect when I see it, other than that, people can raise kids in the woods in a tent- it's their right, I guess. They can hug the trees while they're there.
I expressed a desire that the law pass in CA and nationwide for the good of this country's children. The proposed law is not about you or your preferences either unless you are a CA lawmaker.
Since I am not even a CA resident and have no children of school age, it's not up to me whether children are actually taught enough to pass their college entrance exams and become productive citizens or not. If the next generation is a generation of slackers, so be it.
Their liberal parents will have to live with the fact that their grown children are failures in society.

I have high standards. I do not think that most of the people I know are qualified to teach their children a broadly based, well-rounded education throughout the secondary school levels.
I stand by my position that homeschool is mostly a handy venue for parents who don't want to spend the time or money to give their children the necessities such as a full, trendy wardrobes of clothing, private transportation, and money for school projects. Add in the many after school extras which come with going to a private, parochial or public school, and I feel extremely sorry for homeschooled children. They are being deprived of a great deal, intellectually, socially and economically.... unless, that is, they were the children who originally lived in my home. Those kids played in their fort, treehouse, pool and huge custom built gym, according to our next door neighbors. Thus, their deprivation was only intellectual.

If parents want to keep their children out of a school environment, then they should hire tutors for the duration of the child's K-13 education. Privelege comes with a high price and lofty goals!!!

 

[southcitymom]

................I think that most people who keep their children out of formal educational programs, whether private, parochial, or public schools are doing so out of either religious fanaticism, laziness, saving money on the plethora of school associated costs for clothing, school meals, school activities, transportation, extracurricular activities, etc. .....

This is in absolute and direct contradiction to my experience of scores and scores of families I know personally (IRL and online) who homeschool. Even the religious ones I know aren't at all what I would call fanatical. None of the ones I know are lazy and all of the ones I know spend good money on their children's educations (all the while still funding the educations of other children).

Do they keep their children focused 5 days a week, 6 hours a day on dedicated lessons? Hell no - and why should they? They don't waste nearly the time that is wasted in a more formal schooling environment and they don't have as many students to teach. For most homeschooling families, learning is a 24/7 thing that their kids crave like food, air, light and water. They are not beholden to the silly schedules that dictate when Johnny should be learning this and Jane should be learning that. Bah! What silliness! But I guess it's "necessary" silliness if we educate en masse.

Children are born wanting to learn unless/until someone or something (often school) clubs that desire out of them.

ETA: we have some close friends who homeschool their two boys. The mother is a nurse with an advanced degree and the father is college educated and a successful business owner. Both of them would meet the qualifications of homeschooling on paper. But their youngest son - who is 8 - isn't reading yet. He's not even a little bit interested. That doesn't bother them or me, but I'll bet it would bother a lot of folks and my friends still wouldn't be "found out" because of their degrees. A degree is a bogus way to measure who is or isn't successful at homeschooling - or who should or shouldn't be doing it.