The Problems with Public Schools. Part 1. The Academics.

How many of you guys noticed that there is an entire list of blogs on my blog all dedicated to the Homeschooling Parent? When I created this blog, I wanted to be sure to include these resources because I am a BIG supporter of homeschooling. I have been planning since the creation of Living Half Alive to be posting about homeschooling and my feelings about it… I figured I’d better get around to it. So, without further adieu, this is a shout out to the homeschooling community (which is bigger than you might guess.)

Fact about me: I am a future homeschooling parent. Another fact about me: I am turned off to the umpth degree with public schools. They disgust me. They frustrate me. They scare me. Now, first and foremost—this is not a dis on the teacher. For the most part, the teacher is not the problem. The teacher is only able to work with what they are given, and most teachers that I know and work with do their very best with what they are given, which isn’t much. Most teachers I know are golden. There are some schmucks who ruin the reputation of all the rest, but overall, I am a fan of the teacher. I respect the teacher. I love what they do. I love what they get gray hair trying to do. I love what they stand for and why they became teachers. The problem I have is from the higher authorities. The school districts, the board, the superintendents, the federal government who likes to think that everyone in the entire country should be the same and therefore should be taught the same thing by the same methods (ahem… communism). It's the standardized tests. It's the forced curriculum. It's the class sizes. It's the DRUGS that we give to the little boys in the name of ADHD who actually are just unable to learn the same way as the little girl. Yes—I hate the public school system. And like the feminist movement, this is something that is going to take so long to discuss that it has to be broken down into several postings.

Once again I want to reiterate that I know what I am talking about. I work in the public school systems as a substitute teacher. I see daily what is going on. I deal daily with my frustrations. I have done research, read articles and books, and studied homeschooling communities and I feel qualified to make statements I am making. I also am very good friends with several teachers who have expressed their frustrations in having so many desires, yet having their hands tied behind their back unable to make those desires happen because of the big bad school districts.  

 

Before we go any further in discussing which alternative is better—home or public, we must understand the importance of education. Education is crucial to our future because we are ultimately educating our future. We are educating our future leaders. We are educating our future inventors. We are educating our future business men and entrepreneurs. We are educating the political leaders who will decide on our laws of society and laws of finances. Each and every person in our future is going to make some kind of contribution to our economics at some point in the future. Even the smallest business owner has some kind of effect on our economics. Therefore, we must put the highest emphasis on quality education for our future, not what is the easiest. (Sure public school is easier for the parent. I myself get exhausted at the thought of homeschooling, and I don't even have kids yet!) Yet the fact remains, the emphasis and sacrifices we make for education will reflect back on our society in the future. We have to think critically about the education we are providing our future with. We meaning you—yes you! Don't just shrug it off to the next guy to think about education. You need to figure out what you can do to enhance the quality of education of your children.

So, Here's Part One: Academics.

You parents who send you children to public schools, I wish you could be a fly on the wall and observe the actual “education” that your child is getting. You. Would. Be. Shocked.

Let’s start in elementary. This is where I see the problems of education beginning. Right away, they shove 30 kids in one classroom who all have different talents, IQ’s, natural abilities, drives to work hard, parenting, common sense, and aptitudes and expect that one teacher can successfully address each of those needs specifically. Can't happen. So what inevitably has to happen? Mainstream. And where does the mainstream have to be? Below average. There are too many needs and too many different levels of intelligence and talents to effectively meet the individual needs of each child so we have to cater to the slowest in the class. What happens to the smarter kids who are able to grasp concepts quickly? BOREDOM for starters. And also, in my experience, the students are given a task to complete and then I walk around helping those who need special help. I am happy to assist these children and get excited when my help allows them to grasp and conquer the concept. However, without fail, in any subject and in any elementary school and any grade, about five minutes after the task has been administered, and every 30 seconds afterword, while I am helping a student I am interrupted with “teacher, what do we do when we are done?” I have nothing to offer these students except, “go sit quietly at your desk until everyone is done.” This is no way to foster education and talents. Clearly there are many students who need a greater challenge than the task or worksheet that was just given, yet other students need more detailed instruction before being given the task. However they are all mainstreamed into one category. There is no way that we can justify that 30 students of the same age can be learning the same things at the same pace. In my opinion that is very poor education. Consequently, the curriculum is tailored and mainstreamed to those who are the slowest of the group. Those who excel past the curriculum are asked to wait until those who are slower catch up. Then everyone may move on together.

In doing this, in holding back the above average students so that no child be left behind, the schools cannot encourage individuality. They do not inspire naturally talented children to excel. It's a bummer really. In homeschooling situations, each child gets the exact amount of attention he or she needs. Their learning style is catered to and a child can learn through the most effective means. Also, there is no time wasted waiting around for others slower than the child. Once the child is finished, you move on, 100% of the time. How refreshing.

All that is important in public schools is the grades. When I was going to school I knew the bare minimum I needed to do to get an A or a B and I would do that and only that. I would memorize things for tests, not learn them. I would not put forth any effort to learn, because I could put forth minimal effort to get good grades. There is a big difference. Admittedly, on occasion I would cheat on an assignment, still getting the credit but learning nothing, except for ways to get away with cheating. I see this more and more in my experiences. This would not, could not happen in a homeschooling situation. There are no grades in homeschooling. When there are no grades, the students are simply left to the task at hand; Learning, not memorizing. Learning and learning at their own pace, not learning at the pace of the slowest in the class.

I have a friend who teaches 3^rd grade. One time I asked her that if she only had 1 student, how long it would take her to accomplish everything that she accomplishes in a 7 hour school day. She told me that it would probably take her about 2 hours.

2 hours!!! And we are sending our children to school for 7 hours? What are they doing the other 5 hours!?! Lunch- 3o minutes, recess 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the school. That leaves us with 3 ½-4 hours of the day not accounted for. You parents might be surprised with the confessions of a fly on the wall, (aka a substitute teacher) when I tell you, it is spent on waiting. Waiting for the slower students to finish the work. Waiting for those who do not understand the concept to get the special attention. Waiting for the questions to be answered. Waiting waiting waiting. Or, as I see it, wasting time, wasting time, wasting time. 2 hours out of your child's school day is spent on education. Only 2 hours. And remember that it is not even quality education—it is education mainstreamed to cater to the slowest student.

These are some of the many reasons why I will home school.

I hope I have at least been able to stop some of you and think about what is going on in the public schools. (Oh! and this is only really on the elementary level. Junior high academics will be discussed.) If I have not, don't worry, there will still be several postings to continue to shove nudge you along. And many more arguments posed. And the gold at the end of the rainbow too-- what specifically you personally can do to assist with the remedying of the situation.