What is Your Measurement of Success

by Andrea Hermitt | More from this Blogger

13 Apr 2007 07:43 AM

I just read a post that has me thoroughly confused. Basically, a Rhodes Scholar and grandmother did not approve of her grandchildren being homeschooled. She felt that if public school was good enough for her kids, then it should be good enough for her grand children. After all, her kids turned out fine. She then listed their accomplishments: Her kids were "one minister, two general contractors and one career Army" person.

While these careers are noble and good, after reading her whole diatribe about homeschooling, unqualified parents and her own accomplishments, I rather expected her to say her kids were astronauts, professors, and that she had produced more Rhodes scholars. Don't get me wrong, I would be very pleased were my children to take on the careers hers did but, as far as I can see, public school did not educate her children to the level she herself was educated. From one generation to another, the level of dumbing down of public education is clear.

So with the difference between a Rhodes Scholar and general contractor from one generation to another, what would we expect the grandchild to be? The odds do not look good. One would think that the children would trump the parents.

I thought about these things when I was considering homeschooling. I looked at my parent's education and ambition, and that of my older siblings, just 8 and 10 years older than I did. My mother could speak fluent French, my dad, who was a high school dropout, could converse on a collegiate level, and my sister was a highly ambitious executive. As for myself, I did not feel as if I had been equipped to keep up with them, academically, or in level of ambition.

Fortunately, I am from a multigenerational family. Just as I had siblings 10 years older than me, I also had siblings 8 years younger. I have first hand evidence of the educational gap between 1976, 1986 and 1994. While there were more regulations for my younger siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews, sadly the rate of success had plummeted. Where my parents and older siblings had accomplishments, education, and ambitions coming out of high school, I had the ability to seek out more knowledge and learn what I needed to cope. My younger family members... they had depression and feelings of severe inadequacy.

So I said all that to say this. How can you look your accomplishments as a Rhodes Scholar and say public school was good enough for your kids who did not even come close to your accomplishments? How can you deduce that homeschooling ruined your grandchildren when you did not even give their mother a chance to homeschool them and pushed and pushed until they were in school. What is your measure of success for your grandchildren... a piece of paper? How long will it take you to realize that your measure of success has depreciated in value over the years?

Chime in on these forum discussions on education:

Should words be spelled the way they sound?

Are schools expecting too much of our children?

*Have a question about homeschooling? Just ask.

*Want to know more about homeschooling? Start with the 2006 homeschool blog in review!

Learn more about Andrea Hermitt

Andrea Hermitt is a native New Yorker currently residing in GA. She has been married for over 16 years and has two teenage children.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger