Thoughts on Schooling

Perhaps I have given the wrong impression. I do not believe that everyone should be homeschooling. Nor do not think public schools are evil and that homeschool is the answer. Well, I do think that there is evil in the pretext of public schooling, why else would it be so high on Marx's list of must haves? But that is a digression. I certainly do not think the people teaching and administrating at the schools have anything but the best intentions. They are there because they passionately believe in what they are doing and are trying to make a difference in the lives of children.

I do not think that schools were necessarily better 100 years ago than they are now. What I do object to is the cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all way of teaching (much of which was around 100 years ago). I do not believe that children are all the same or should even have to learn the same things, let alone at the same rate or age. Daniel Boone is a good example for me. He had minimal schooling, but he was very educated. Yet, his intense schooling had nothing to do with a pencil and paper and books; he had a different mission. I do not object to standards. After all, I have standards that I want my children to meet before I let them graduate. But I do not think that politicians are the best ones to set standards.

What I like is options and variety: Choices. There are many ways of teaching that are perfect for others, even though I would not choose them. And I am perfectly fine with someone not choosing my way. I just want to have the choices available and the opportunities to take advantage of them. I would like to see each child mentored on an individual level with a curriculum catered to him/her; but that is my way.

One problem I do see in public schooling is that it has largely alleviated parents of their responsibility to school their children. Public schooling has become a crutch to lean on so that parents are not required to make some of these choices or even to consider possibilities. Not that all parents do not take it seriously, but many do not think it important; it is being taken care of. The one thing that repeatedly came up in all of my classes was "what about the parent's who do not care, or support, or etc.?)

Anyway, what it comes down to, is that I love education! I get excited when I see the many different approaches taken to learning both formally and informally. I do not want to see those options restricted be they public, private, charter, home, or something else. They all have a place and fill needs.

Enough of that.