Home School

Education is very important, but there seems to be a lot of confusion these days as to where to get the best education. It wasn't that long ago that all the kids went to one school and one classroom. They usually didn't get past the sixth grade before they had to leave school and go to work. Read your history, some very famous and important people had very little formal education. Then we had the regulation of child labor and children started going to public school until they were 16; again many of your most influential people had very limited formal education.
From the beginning of time children have been home-schooled, either by their parents or by tutors - a lot of them turned out to be wealthy, influential people.

Now, when you bring up the subject of home-school; people start shouting "your not qualified", "you need to have at least a bachelors in education", yada, yada, yada.  I know many people who provide terrific educations for their children; from the privacy of their homes. A parent knows his or her child better than anyone and can encourage their talents while building up their weak areas, much more quickly and efficiently than a public school teacher.

Another argument against home schooling , and the biggest one I have encountered is : They don't learn social skills. That is not true. If the parent has social skills , the child will learn them. As for socializing with children of their own approximate age - many have siblings and friends. There are also organizations that help connect home schoolers with other home schoolers in their area. Home Schooled children form their own athletic teams and some even play on public school teams.

An additional complaint I hear is: "We work and we don't have time."
Contrary to what public school officials want you to believe; it does not take 9 hours a day to educate a child. You do not have to have classes during any particular time frame and if you still don't feel up to the challenge; you can appoint anyone you want to educate your child.
A relative, A friend,  etc.

I say it is a parents right and responsibility to educate their children and if they don't feel qualified and appoint that responsibility to someone else, they at least have a responsibility to be involved in that education. To oversee what their child is being taught. Instead of the schools doing background checks on the parents; parents should conduct background checks on every adult their child is going to come in contact with at that school.

For more information and resources in your area, please visit the Parent Taught Education Association @
http://www.ptea.info