In the first part of our discussion last time, you began to learn the reasons why you should homeschool.

We reviewed the problems in the public school system, and were ready to discover the underlying problems and why there’s not a simple solution. Let’s continue…

What is the problem? Can we fix it? And is it even worth fixing? Unfortunately, there’s not a simple answer or a one-click solution because it’s a complex problem.

The short answer, at least from a learning standpoint, is this: The public schools have abandoned the principle of teaching students HOW to think and have instead (by mandate) emphasized telling them WHAT to think.

It’s geared toward rote memorization of material that’s likely to show up on the standardized tests. And achievement is no longer rewarded the way it used to be for fear of “offending” the slower learners.

Actually, the bigger question you may have to ask is this: Is it a good idea to even HAVE public schools in the first place? Think about it for a minute.

From the time your child is born, you’re teaching her. At first, it’s just basic stuff, like how to eat, how to play with baby toys, and so on. Then it’s how to say those first words, and other simple tasks, progressing further as they grow.

This bonding process and emotional development is very critical to the long-term success of your child. Suddenly, your child is sent off to a school to be taught by someone he doesn’t know, and the bonding process is cut short. A good idea??

Although public schools seem to have been around along time for most of us, they are a rather recent development from a historical perspective.

Until the mid-19th century, most childhood education worldwide occurred within the family or community. Today most children are institutionally schooled.

At least ten of our U.S. Presidents were home-schooled. James Madison’s mother taught him to read and write.

John Quincy Adams was educated at home until he was twelve years old. At age fourteen, he entered Harvard University.

Abraham Lincoln, except for fifty weeks in a grammar school, learned at home from books he borrowed. He learned law by reading law books, and became an apprentice to a practicing lawyer in Illinois.

Thomas Edison’s public school expelled him at age seven because his teacher thought he was feeble-minded. Edison, one of the greatest inventors who ever lived, had only three months of formal schooling.

After leaving school, his mother taught him the basics at home over the next three years. Under his mother’s care and instruction, young Edison prospered in his studies.

Edison became one of the most prolific inventors in history, holding 1,093 U.S. patents in his name as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France and Germany. (See more about Thomas Edison at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison).
 
We haven’t even discussed the other hot-button issues, like the power of the the teacher’s union and the NEA, the political  factors involved, and so on. But I think you get the idea.

The problems are there, and we have to face the reality of the situation.

So now that you’ve seen that there are good reasons to not have your child be taught at a public school, how do you decide if you can homeschool? Will you have the time to do it?

 We’ll talk about that next time…