This is a post that is, in a way, an ode to school teachers.
And a declaration of peace, from me, a homeschooling Mommy, to the teachers of the world.
I think that sometimes we homeschooling parents come off as very anti-teacher. Which, if I may speak for the majority of us, we are not (or we shouldn't be!!)
I commend, applaud, and wish I could award school teachers--- and especially public school teachers. I do not believe (and maybe this is idealistic of me, but I don't think it is) that ANYONE goes into the profession of teaching with anything other than a true servant's heart. Do some teachers turn "bad?" Sure. So do some Pastors. And some Police Officers. And some Firemen. But no one enters into the profession of teaching with dreams of lots of time off and plenty of expendable income that comes after a nice, slow season's work in a perfect little classroom. Maybe there is the idealistic dream that one or two of their students will turn out to be something truly great--- curing cancer or bringing about world peace--- and bring them a bit of celebrity and glory. But that's a pretty awesome goal, isn't it? I know there are teachers out there who are just plain no longer good at their jobs, or have stopped caring, or are now just trying to make it to retirement. I do not think that any of them started out with these expectations.
And I want to say, right here and right now, that I DO NOT think I can do a teacher's job better than they can. That seems to be a very common accusation when people find out a parent is homeschooling.
"What, do you think you can teach better than a person who was trained in college and has been doing it for 20 years can?"
My answer is No... and Yes... and No.
All things being equal, I *know* I cannot teach better than a professional teacher. If I was given a classroom full of 30 (35... 40) kids, some of whom (who? whom?) don't speak English, some of whom have parents that could not care less what their kids do all day as long as they're in free childcare, some of whom are waaay below grade level... I would fail. Miserably and quickly. If I was given (what I think is) a ridiculous curriculum, with ridiculous standards to live up to, under a ridiculous bureaucracy, with a ridiculous time frame... I would fail.
And, reversely, if that same teacher was given a welcoming "classroom" (a home-like setting, maybe) with only one (or three, or eight) kids to teach, and got to spend lengthy, quality time getting to know those children and their personalities and their histories, and was able to choose curriculum based on those children's strengths and weaknesses and learning styles, and was able to work on a schedule that worked best for everyone... they would soar. And, to be traitorous to the "No one can teach my child better than I can," under *these* circumstances, they most certainly would do it better than I can. Their training and education in teaching methods and learning styles and... well, let's be honest, I don't really know what else they cover when getting a teacher's certification... would allow them to thrive and perform better than I could.
But, let's be honest.
All things are not equal.
Even Mrs. Michelle Duggar has a classroom size smaller than the average US Elementary School Classroom (20.3, in case you're wondering. And I'm going out on a limb and saying a few really low outliers are throwing that off. Just look at the numbers for most CA Public Schools--- closer to 30!). Teachers are using a generalized "common" curriculum. There is little to no wiggle room for teacher or student personality, learning styles, strengths and weaknesses, etc. Classrooms are cold, crowded places with few supplies and even fewer of the learning tools that all the education classes in college teach are really necessary to "foster" learning.
So I guess my answer is... Could I do a teacher's job better than they could? No. But can they teach my child, given the current educational circumstances, better than I can? No again. That doesn't mean I hate them or think they're doing a horrible job--- If I haven't made it clear enough, I honestly believe public school teachers are HEROS in today's society. Let's all hold hands and sing Kombaya (?? "I can't believe you're going to teach your kids and you can't even SPELL") and realize that we (as homeschool parents) and teachers are working for the same goal.
We are not at war.
Give peace a chance! (Sorry, I really couldn't help it)
Beka Out.
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