Q:
How does a homeschooler change a light bulb?
A:
First, mom checks out 3 books on electricity from the library. The kids make models of light bulbs, read a biography of Thomas Edison and do a skit based on his life.
Next, everyone studies the history of lighting methods, wrapping up with dipping their own candles.
Then there is a trip to the store where they compare types of light bulbs and cost per hour of use and then figure out how much change they'll get if they buy 2 bulbs for $1.79 and pay with a five dollar bill.
Finally, after building a homemade ladder out of branches dragged in from the woods, the light bulb is installed.
And there is light!
Nothing wrong with that. Much better than the other extreme:
"Hey, Mom! The light is out in my room and I can't find the TV remote."
"Sorry, son. I'll call a handyman service first thing tomorrow. You'll just have to watch TV with Dad in the living room, if you can agree on a program."
I wouldn't doubt it.
While I see where this is going, I've met some folks who were home schooled (most in fact) that the parents/teachers, didn't have sense enough to pour pi$$ out of a boot with the instructions on the heel much less do long division, grammer, or much anything else. There are some good ones out there, but the majority that I've had contact with were either,
A. Sheltering a hot daughter from sex (when you boil it all down and had the wildest of daughters to boot)
or
B. Had a hard on for the school system and didn't like the way little Johnny got treated.
Keep in mind, when I was in school, which wasn't all that long ago (I graduated in 1995) they still beat the hell out of us at the drop of a hat. Zero tolerance for most everything except fighting on the practice field. The the loser got wore out and the winner got to go on about his business. The coaches took somewhat care of the situation and let things play out as the needed to. I do notice with my kids, and I'll have a Freshman next year, it appears to be a kinder, gentler school system that has put away the rod and spoiled the child to some degree, so maybe it's more of a viable option than it once was.
We homeschool and this is about how it goes. 😉
Kris: I didn't realize that you had met a large enough cross section of homeschoolers to come to such a definitive conclusion (seeing as how there are 1.5 million homeschooled students in the U.S.).
Anyone who makes the choice to home school does it with the knowledge they are taking on a very big job. They also care enough about what their kids learn and the attitudes and values they acquire they are willing to take it on. I admire those people and it seems that where the results have been tested the home schooled kid does much better than the public school product. When evaluating who makes the better teacher you must take into account that the typical public school teacher has never gotten out of school and have their roots into that system so deep and strong that the literature they read, the people they associate with and the opinions they express have been guided by the school system they are a product of. They have no experience outside of school to comprehend that they often harm the future of this country because of that lack of experience that effects their judgment, thereby limits their ability to look outside of the system they are a product of for answers. Programing the kids early and consistently is the tool of social engineers, used down through the ages resulting in short term power, then disaster.
jud
Adam
It's definitive for the x-sec that I've met. While I didn't keep score, or use least square regression on it or fit it to a curve, that was what I found.
Evidently, you're different. Good for you.
Adam
My wife is an amazing teacher, all of the credit would go to her. I teach practical application things for now (my girl is 8 and my boy is 6). Teaching your children should be a constant thing, whether or not you homeschool. I will participate more in the formal education when they reach higher maths (Algebra through Calculus).
🙂
Kris
You forgot
C.) the nuts who want their kids to believe the world is flat, that it's only 6000 years old, and that the sun goes around the earth, just like it says in the Bible.
From my experience, and yes, I've met a lot of homeschoolers, there's a huge number who fall into that category.
I know of a home-schooled kid who was born and raised in the Aeneas Valley of WA State. Hundred miles round-trip by bus to the nearest high school, so home-schooling was a good option. His parents are very smart folks, although you could definitely say they were hippies of the first order. Jasper was raised and educated in how to live off the land, tend the gardens, read voraciously, and wonder at the universe. He ended up with a masters degree from Stanford, and a PhD from MIT.
Another kid who was raised in the same place (further down the creek) at the same time and "home-schooled" such as it was (by different parents), has ended up an alcoholic meth-head whose only stable existence has been within the WA State correctional system.
Both kids probably started out equally "bright".
Ya gotta roll the dice and hope for the best, but I think it is 100% contingent on the parents.
Amen!
Because they're "Brighter"-Adam
While I fully see the humor in the post then I will say that Al Chace and I have discussed this several times. He teaches at the college level in NY and I did teach at the same level in Oklahoma.
We both found the home schoolers to be well adjusted kids that communicated well with the other kids and that they usually had a much better rounded education than those from the public school system. And especially in the math and sciences.
I do not fault the public schools, as the big difference is that home schoolers have a lot of parental feedback. Some send their kids to public school and then never offer up any help at home to their kids.
I have never had ANY discipline problems with home school kids and they often went the extra mile when doing homework. They are much more inquisitive and will question everything you teach.
I have never heard one utter any religious talk in my time teaching. Surely, outside of the classroom with like friends but it did not come into play in the classrooms.
I believe that public, private or home schooling is effective if the family is involved in the entire process of the education. That is the key difference in those that fail. Often from broken homes or parents that are forced to hold down multiple jobs just to keep a roof over their heads.
One of the people that I greatly respect is Sam Clemons and he and his wife home school their children. They are devout Christians but from listening to Sam then the kids are free to explore any topic. Often in the public schools you get to the end of the chapter and that's it. With home schooling you can continue a topic of interest to it's logical conclusion.
A huge thing Sam mentioned is the maturity of the student. Some of his kids were ready for higher math when very young. Some not until they were older. In the traditional school you get one shot at most of the topics. If you are not ready then you will not gain as much.
Sorry for the long winded message but I support those that take the effort to home school their kids and be a part of their lives.
Because they're "Brighter"-Adam
I support those that take the effort to home school their kids and be a part of their lives.
That is the key. My mother didn't really have the education to help us kids with homework, etc., but she definitely took an interest in how we were doing in school, academically and otherwise. She got regular reports from teachers beyond the six or nine week report cards.
