Home Schools Run by Well Meaning Amateurs: Part 2

by Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger

30 Sep 2006 04:24 PM

If you're just joining us, we are discussing this article, written by our custodian friend David who thinks that homeschooling is a bad idea. David has already said that teachers have the training necessary to teach kids and parents. . .well, we do not. Despite the fact the teachers themselves don't feel confident in their training to handle various situations; David the custodian does!

David further points out that kids need experienced teachers. Teachers with the right training and the right experience. I am wondering if part of this elite group of experienced teachers would include graduates from the New York City Teaching Fellows Program?

The premise of the program is that it takes highly successful individuals (people with advanced degrees, high GPA's or otherwise noteworthy accomplishments) and sticks them in a classroom while they simultaneously take classes towards a Master's in Education. The idea is that successful people are successful no matter where they go because they possess some inner drive. I am sure that the program does help fill some teacher shortages and that there are some good teaching fellows who are really serving our city. However, I have yet to meet a public school teacher that says the teaching fellows are well trained enough and I have even met a few teaching fellows who have all said they are in way over their heads. An interesting side note: my husband meets all but one of the criteria for applying to the program. What's the one requisite you might ask? They only want completely unexperienced people and when he was looking into it he had already had 4 years of teaching experience!

Another survey showed that in New York City, approximately one third of new teachers are likely to leave their jobs in the "near future". So let's go back to our math work. If I were to send my child to the local public school, she is fairly likely to have a teacher with less than 5 years of experience.

The truth is, you don't need a lot of experience to teach well. If you did, cities like New York wouldn't fund programs that allowed inexperienced teachers into the classroom. If a lack of experience was so devastating, schools would enforce a "residency" program for teachers before they actually gave them their own class. But the reality is, you don't need a lot of experience to be a good teacher. Do you get better with more experience? Sure--especially if you're teaching in a school setting. But the question here is can you teach your own child at home without a lot of experience and the answer is a resounding yes!

The difference is the teacher to student ratio. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that my kids learn to read, do math, and love learning. I have a good friend (who is by-the-way a fantastic teacher) who was just talking about how she hasn't really gotten to teach too much yet because she has to do assessments. I have no such assessments to do. I know where my kids are at, what they need to work on and what sparks their curiosity.

After reading his full article, I kind of wonder if David our friendly custodian has enough of the right training and experience to comment on the education of our nation's future!

Related Articles:

Part 1 of This Blog

Flat Traveling

Why I Don't Believe in Early Childhood Education

Learn more about Valorie Delp

Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line.

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Gwyllum (301) 01 Oct 2006 04:25 AM

Valorie, well done. Part one and part two of your blog reveals the important role of home school education. You identified and tackled the issues appropriate to the needs of children educated in this manner. I strongly support your views and your experiences as stated. Individuals may have different values, lifestyles and beliefs in many areas. Perhaps even within right wing philosophy. However, the desired outcomes are a point of common focus. In my opinion, formal school teachers most definately are not the sole 'experts' in the area of education. Nor does the home coordinator of a child's education need to be experienced and or knowledgable in teaching some specific subject matters. As a young child of around 11 years of age, I was home schooled in what was then a very remote area of Australia. Two of my five, now adult, children were home schooled in Australia when we lived overseas. They needed to return to family in Oz for medical reasons. Then later, as teenages, they were again home schooled for a short period of time. In those days, home school was not as well organized as it is now, both in the USA and in Australia. Both these children are now well educated at tertiary level and are seasoned, world travellers. Both are as articulate, or even more so, than their siblings and peers. However, they were also privileged in attending good quality private schools in Australia and overseas. I believe their experiences of home based education gave them a greater insight and overall interest in all areas of life. When all five children attending formal schooling, my husband and I frequently protested to school teachers, principals, and also the Dept of Education or school board - which ever it was at the time, about inappropriate teaching skills and content of educational subjects. That action never did much in the way of positive outcomes though! It is unfortunate that by putting into practice the conviction of our beliefs, we sometimes seem to be our own worst enemy.

Valorie Delp (49340) 01 Oct 2006 05:03 AM

Thanks Gwyllum for sharing your experiences. I am always very appreciative of those who have pioneered for homeschoolers so that I have this option!