Even if you take away many of the negative things public school has to offer such as: socialization, evolutionary teachings,bullying, drugs, and cafeteria food (sorry it had to be said) the question remains, Is the public school system doing it's job? Is public school succeeding in educating our children and preparing them for the world?
First of all, I have to say that I am not speaking negatively about teachers. I know a lot of teachers and people who are going to school to become teachers. I believe that the majority of teachers are good teachers and work very hard at doing their job. But, they are stuck in an impossible system. Even if you take away the impossibility of trying to successfully teach over 20 children who all learn differently there job is still made more difficult. The system's biggest focus is not on educating our children, but to increase test scores on standardized tests. That is what they work on all year round starting as soon as children enter school and continuing until their graduate. Subjects that don't appear on the test are no longer being taught and electives like Art and Music are becoming obsolete. School districts are forced into teaching to increase test scores because their funding and bonuses depend on it. Is it working? Are students testing higher or learning more? No. Test scores are not improving and in some places teachers have been cheating on standardized tests in order to show higher scores so they will not lose their grant money. Students are not learning more, they are actually being taught much less than even a few years ago. It is not getting any better, it will continue to get worse. I read a quote once that said trying to reform education is like trying to cover a serious gunshot wound with a band aid.
This trend to teach only to increase test scores is just another good reason to homeschool. We get to teach for the purpose of educating our children and prepare them for their future. We get to watch them delight in doing a hands on science experiment or all of the snakes that live in Arkansas not just because they need to pick the correct answer on a multiple choice test but because they are learning. Why homeschool? Because you can provide the kind of education at home that public school can't.
I agree. Very well said.
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