Teacher here. In a purple state, but red district so we have a lot of “homeschool” kids who unenrolled due to protest. They inevitably enroll again after a year or two when parents want free childcare again, but from personal observation those students have made zero progress while their peers pass them in every sense of academics. The average parent is NOT equipped to teach their own child and most children don’t have the self motivation to do an online program without rigid structure.
Everyone wants to think you will be the outlier for homeschooling your kids, and that you can probably do better since you went to school for so many years and can do the work yourself. In reality, explaining/teaching is not as easy as doing the work yourself. Getting younger children into routines for something like a private online program is very difficult and they are probably watered down to keep their customers paying.
The top performers in my area may be homeschooled, I can think of a core group of kids who crush everyone at science competitions each year, but they have private tutors they bring in which costs a lot of $. Most parents who unenroll their kid don’t have the time or resources required to provide an adequate education at home for their child and it amounts to neglect when they return to public schools years later performing at multiple grade levels Lower than their peers.
As a teacher fighting the good fight, don’t die on the homeschool hill. Fight for education reform and encourage more pedes to go into education.
I disagree with your statement that most parents are not capable of homeschooling. I understand that as a teacher yourself, you probably see the outlier examples that "flunk out" of homeschooling and return to the regular school, but you never see the ones that are successful and never need to step foot back into a traditional PS. It's sort of like an unwilling selection bias.
I know this is likely the case for you because we have lots, and I mean lots, of teachers in our extended family. They are skeptical of HS for just the reasons you stated. That and the lame "socializing" argument (which is a load of crap unless you live in the boonies or lock your kids in the house).
We homeschool and know several others that do as well. Our children, all of them, read at a higher grade level than their age and are ahead in math and science. Whenever we hit a wall on topics that we aren't as sharp in, several of us HS parents utilize each other for their expertise. It works great.
If a parent is not capable of doing HS they are probably not in it 100%. That's their choice if they'd rather send their kids to PS for free childcare (which some parents totally do, I agree with you there). HS isn't perfect, but it's imperfections can be quickly fixed to fit the child whereas PS cannot because it has to fit everyone sort of so it fits no one well.
I definitely hear you and have seen amazing kids come out of homeschool settings. My point is we need to stop pushing the idea that homeschool is for everyone. It’s not. MOST parents aren’t going to be as dedicated as you are. MOST parents are too busy trying to work multiple jobs that they can barely find time to eat dinner with their kids let alone watch them all day AND be there teacher. Honestly though, I think it depends on your socioeconomic status and it’s definitely not outliers to have kids falling behind in HS programs if they are poor. My poor rural mostly white school has about 40-50% of the children being raised by grandparents now (I WISH I was exaggerating-dead, prison, or junkies) and about 20% have shit parents who are strung out and the kids would be better off living with grandparents if they have some around. There are more poor schools/areas like mine than there are wealthy I can promise you.
I agree, with the way we've arranged society now, single income earner households are difficult. Also, I agree that not every parent should be homeschooling because they are not whole individuals themselves. Your example about the grandparents having to raise their kids supports this. We probably wouldn't want the actual parents, as they are, educating the kids. (Appalachians btw?)
That said, there are a large number of couples that could make it work if they wanted to. As a personal example, we live off my modest (definitely not amazing, strictly modest income). We don't have a lot of excess luxuries to make this work. Some families could make homeschooling work if they were willing to trim the fat as it were on their lifestyles.
But that right there is the problem, most people are willing to give up their personal wants and comforts, even for their loved ones.
Teacher here. In a purple state, but red district so we have a lot of “homeschool” kids who unenrolled due to protest. They inevitably enroll again after a year or two when parents want free childcare again, but from personal observation those students have made zero progress while their peers pass them in every sense of academics. The average parent is NOT equipped to teach their own child and most children don’t have the self motivation to do an online program without rigid structure.
Everyone wants to think you will be the outlier for homeschooling your kids, and that you can probably do better since you went to school for so many years and can do the work yourself. In reality, explaining/teaching is not as easy as doing the work yourself. Getting younger children into routines for something like a private online program is very difficult and they are probably watered down to keep their customers paying.
The top performers in my area may be homeschooled, I can think of a core group of kids who crush everyone at science competitions each year, but they have private tutors they bring in which costs a lot of $. Most parents who unenroll their kid don’t have the time or resources required to provide an adequate education at home for their child and it amounts to neglect when they return to public schools years later performing at multiple grade levels Lower than their peers.
As a teacher fighting the good fight, don’t die on the homeschool hill. Fight for education reform and encourage more pedes to go into education.
I disagree with your statement that most parents are not capable of homeschooling. I understand that as a teacher yourself, you probably see the outlier examples that "flunk out" of homeschooling and return to the regular school, but you never see the ones that are successful and never need to step foot back into a traditional PS. It's sort of like an unwilling selection bias.
I know this is likely the case for you because we have lots, and I mean lots, of teachers in our extended family. They are skeptical of HS for just the reasons you stated. That and the lame "socializing" argument (which is a load of crap unless you live in the boonies or lock your kids in the house).
We homeschool and know several others that do as well. Our children, all of them, read at a higher grade level than their age and are ahead in math and science. Whenever we hit a wall on topics that we aren't as sharp in, several of us HS parents utilize each other for their expertise. It works great.
If a parent is not capable of doing HS they are probably not in it 100%. That's their choice if they'd rather send their kids to PS for free childcare (which some parents totally do, I agree with you there). HS isn't perfect, but it's imperfections can be quickly fixed to fit the child whereas PS cannot because it has to fit everyone sort of so it fits no one well.
I definitely hear you and have seen amazing kids come out of homeschool settings. My point is we need to stop pushing the idea that homeschool is for everyone. It’s not. MOST parents aren’t going to be as dedicated as you are. MOST parents are too busy trying to work multiple jobs that they can barely find time to eat dinner with their kids let alone watch them all day AND be there teacher. Honestly though, I think it depends on your socioeconomic status and it’s definitely not outliers to have kids falling behind in HS programs if they are poor. My poor rural mostly white school has about 40-50% of the children being raised by grandparents now (I WISH I was exaggerating-dead, prison, or junkies) and about 20% have shit parents who are strung out and the kids would be better off living with grandparents if they have some around. There are more poor schools/areas like mine than there are wealthy I can promise you.
I agree, with the way we've arranged society now, single income earner households are difficult. Also, I agree that not every parent should be homeschooling because they are not whole individuals themselves. Your example about the grandparents having to raise their kids supports this. We probably wouldn't want the actual parents, as they are, educating the kids. (Appalachians btw?)
That said, there are a large number of couples that could make it work if they wanted to. As a personal example, we live off my modest (definitely not amazing, strictly modest income). We don't have a lot of excess luxuries to make this work. Some families could make homeschooling work if they were willing to trim the fat as it were on their lifestyles.
But that right there is the problem, most people are willing to give up their personal wants and comforts, even for their loved ones.