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Homeschooling: Less Religious and Conservative, More Focused on Quality

1 points by sebg 4y ago

jqpabc123 4y ago
The missing element in the home schooling discussion --- the quality and capability of the teacher. For example; if the parent/teacher hates math and doesn't really understand the subject, what are the prospects for the child learning it?
- sebg 4y ago
  From what I've been personally told, the parent/teacher role evolves into more of a "Principal" role who puts together curriculum from outside sources together and helps to supervise / administer the material.
  - jqpabc123 4y ago
    An effective teacher needs to be able to explain, answer questions and provide examples and guidance. Assembling "curriculum from outside sources" is not teaching. At best, it is facilitating self learning. Some kids may do ok with this --- but a lot won't.
    - sebg 4y ago
      True, though a fair number of curriculum from outside sources includes sessions with teachers in small groups where students can interact with each and the teacher to receive explanations, ask questions, and receive guidance.
      - jqpabc123 4y ago
        In other words, the home schooling parents need to be trained as teachers.
- Kon-Peki 4y ago
  It isn't even close to a missing element. As the article points out, the growth in homeschooling is being driven by a desire for higher quality education. There are more resources available to homeschoolers than in traditional education settings. Again, as the article points out, the pandemic led a lot of people to give it a look. Once they did, they realized that it was nothing like the reputation it had at the time. That reputation is changing.
  - jqpabc123 4y ago
    There are more resources available to homeschoolers Resources still need to be chosen and applied effectively. What happens if the parent/teacher doesn't understand the subject and isn't qualified to make these decisions? The underlying assumption here --- parents are just as qualified as trained teachers --- in every subject. This is almost certainly not true in many of not most cases. How about we give home schooling parents a test of some sort to determine if they have what it takes to be an effective teacher of a particular subject?
    - Kon-Peki 4y ago
      > How about we give home schooling parents a test of some sort to determine if they have what it takes to be an effective teacher of a particular subject? LOL, if you want this to be the hill you die on, go right ahead. Ultimately it boils down to figuring out where the rights of the state exceed those of the parent, and you have an awful lot of case law against you. But please, think of the children. And while we're at it, let's apply the same standard to public and private (and religious) school teachers.
      - jqpabc123 4y ago
        And while we're at it, let's apply the same standard to public and private (and religious) school teachers. Great idea! This standard already applies to most public schools. You can't get hired to teach without some sort of certification in most areas.

1 points by sebg 4y ago

The missing element in the home schooling discussion --- the quality and capability of the teacher. For example; if the parent/teacher hates math and doesn't really understand the subject, what are the prospects for the child learning it?

sebg 4y ago
From what I've been personally told, the parent/teacher role evolves into more of a "Principal" role who puts together curriculum from outside sources together and helps to supervise / administer the material.
- jqpabc123 4y ago
  An effective teacher needs to be able to explain, answer questions and provide examples and guidance. Assembling "curriculum from outside sources" is not teaching. At best, it is facilitating self learning. Some kids may do ok with this --- but a lot won't.
  - sebg 4y ago
    True, though a fair number of curriculum from outside sources includes sessions with teachers in small groups where students can interact with each and the teacher to receive explanations, ask questions, and receive guidance.
    - jqpabc123 4y ago
      In other words, the home schooling parents need to be trained as teachers.
Kon-Peki 4y ago
It isn't even close to a missing element. As the article points out, the growth in homeschooling is being driven by a desire for higher quality education. There are more resources available to homeschoolers than in traditional education settings. Again, as the article points out, the pandemic led a lot of people to give it a look. Once they did, they realized that it was nothing like the reputation it had at the time. That reputation is changing.
- jqpabc123 4y ago
  There are more resources available to homeschoolers Resources still need to be chosen and applied effectively. What happens if the parent/teacher doesn't understand the subject and isn't qualified to make these decisions? The underlying assumption here --- parents are just as qualified as trained teachers --- in every subject. This is almost certainly not true in many of not most cases. How about we give home schooling parents a test of some sort to determine if they have what it takes to be an effective teacher of a particular subject?
  - Kon-Peki 4y ago
    > How about we give home schooling parents a test of some sort to determine if they have what it takes to be an effective teacher of a particular subject? LOL, if you want this to be the hill you die on, go right ahead. Ultimately it boils down to figuring out where the rights of the state exceed those of the parent, and you have an awful lot of case law against you. But please, think of the children. And while we're at it, let's apply the same standard to public and private (and religious) school teachers.
    - jqpabc123 4y ago
      And while we're at it, let's apply the same standard to public and private (and religious) school teachers. Great idea! This standard already applies to most public schools. You can't get hired to teach without some sort of certification in most areas.