Public Schools Are Too Overwhelmed with Other Issues

First, there was Columbine. Then, No Child Left Behind financed charter schools and took funds from underserved public schools. Coupled with social media bullying went to another level.
Newtown, Connecticut, and Parkland broke our hearts and sent a huge message about gun control and mental health in public schools.

Public schools were in trouble even before yours truly was born.  Brown vs. the Board of Education challenged and defeated segregation in schools. However, with big changes in the Supreme Court over the last twenty plus years, poor children of color continue to get the short end of the stick.

The arts, gifted, and special needs programs face huge budget cuts.  Children are passed to the next grade for the sake of job security. Teachers abandon the classrooms to fight for more pay.
No wonder homeschooling is on the rise.

Our kids need an education that serves their needs.

See all 31 Days of Homeschooling is the Best Because posts here:

The Great Educational Divide

Someone wrote if Rip Van Winkle woke up today the only thing he would recognize is the education system.   Have you walked into a high school or any public school lately? Hairstyles, fashions, and music have changed, but not much else.

In Finland, children attend school twenty hours per week. Recess is two hours. In America, kids are lucky if they get thirty minutes.

No wonder they don’t want to do homework when they get home; they’ve been in prison all day!
As quiet as its kept, public education divides our kids into haves and have-nots. Smarter kids get into honors programs, have special privileges, and receive better treatment. Those who don’t make the cut rank lower than superhero sidekicks.

We called kids like that the teacher’s pet in my day. That phrase has been replaced with nerds.  And if a child is a nerd, then that child becomes a bully magnet.

Therefore, we may not be able to place all the bullying blame on bad parenting when the current system rewards one set of kids while ignoring another.

Homeschooling versus public schools

Public education is filled with tests and standards that are nearly impossible for a struggling child to meet. In Texas, if a child fails the state test, regardless of passing for the year, they fail for the year. The tests count for fifteen percent of their grade.

Fifteen percent may not mean much, but for a student with a learning problem, it all but guarantees failure. Plus, there simply aren’t enough resources to make sure that student is going to get the help they need to be successful. Incidentally, some children have more than one disability.

Homeschooling provides a safe place for learning. Children can learn at their own pace. Parents and tutors can focus on the child’s needs without worrying about pass or fail.

In homeschooling, children go to the next level when the parent or tutor feel they are ready.

No Family Left Behind

Family night school frustrates parents and teachers. Teachers complain about lack of parental involvement, but few ask why it happens. There’s no place a parent would rather be than gushing over their child’s achievements, but public school makes it hard.

In 2017, fifty percent of parents work outside the home. In a single parent household that number nearly doubles.  Attending parent night is nearly impossible because most parents can’t take time off.

With that being said, public schools operate in a time machine.  Name one mom you know whose house is clean and has time to bring her husband’s slippers and a beer at the end of his workday.

Nope.

All things considered, most parents want to be there but can’t. And for those few that make it, they deserve a pat on the back. For the rest who can’t, they deserve a little understanding.

Homeschooling is best because a parent can be truly being hands-on in their children’s education.

Conclusion

Homeschooling isn’t for everyone, but by the same token, it’s a better fit for families who want more for their children. Time with our children goes by in the blink of the eye. With the right guidance, the cute little baby in the delivery room is going to be a happy and whole human being.

Homeschooling parents have more influence; therefore, our children learn much more than what’s inside of textbooks. Homeschooling parents have the power to shape their lives by giving them experiences they wouldn’t get in a brick and mortar setting.  Briefly and by large, for raising well-rounded kids, homeschooling is best.

Bonnie blogs at Adhdhomeschooled.com and can be reached at [email protected].