The Edutopia Poll
by Sara Ring
Do parents need professional credentials to homeschool their children? The answer is a resounding yes, according to a recent California appeals-court decision. The controversial verdict, upholding an unenforced ruling from 1953, requires California parents to receive teacher certification in order to homeschool their kids. The homeschooling community has reacted to this decision with outrage: These parents insist they are both entitled and equipped to educate their own children. But many educators applaud the decision, believing that certified teachers should always be the ones who educate students, whether at school or at home. Was the California decision the right one? Tell us what you think.
Should the state require teacher certification for parents who homeschool their children?
Yes. Regardless of the setting, students should always have professional, certified teachers educating them.
37% (103 votes)
No. Parents have the right to educate their own children without the unnecessary burden of earning teacher certification.
57% (158 votes)
None of the above. (Comment below.)
5% (15 votes)
Total votes: 276
For Homeschooling
Submitted by Heather (not verified) on September 28, 2008 - 11:33.
I have read almost every comment on here and I just wonder, for those who think a parent can not educate their children at home without certification, I would like to list things that parents do that a certified teacher does not do unless they are a parent....
1. Teach your child to sit up
2. Teach your child to crawl
3. Teach your child to walk'
4. Teach your child to climb stairs
5. Teach your child how to talk
6. Teach your child how to use a spoon and fork
7. Teach your child how to use a sippy cup
8. Teach your child how to color
9. Teach your child their name
10. Potty training!!!!
I could go on forever of the things a parent teaches their child. And they do it all with no prior knowledge on how to show their children these things. Parents lay the ground work. Yes there are great teachers out there who can do wonders with the typical child, but there are others who let things go by if they have trouble.
I know some children who are very slow learners and yet instead of taking more time with them so they can be just as educated, they are thrown in a class that says they are slow and lets them pass each grade so they can get rid of them in a few years. I have seen this in several states so I know it is not just one school.
I have a 9 month old, my first child, and she already knows the difference between a cat and dog, crawled early, walked early, sat up early, and already says 8 to 10 words and at least 2 phrases, plus is learning sign language and understands no.
I did not know how to show my child these things when she was first born, but learning how she learns, I can adapt to show her things to teach her. I am well educated and will adapt our learning as she gets older and give everything she needs to be a well educated little girl that can make good decisions.
For those that don't think parents can do this, please email me so that we can make plans so you can come and potty train my daughter, because obviously I can not teach my child how to use the potty without state certification.
mommyheather1207@gmail.com
Homeschoolers
Submitted by John Traxler (not verified) on September 29, 2008 - 07:56.
You see, ladies & gentlemen, homeschoolers (Parents & children) know that the single most important life skill is love. These parents teach their children because they care about them as individuals with a desire to make sure that they learn to be positive contributors to society. I not so sure that the same can be said for children attending a public school. There are teachers out there that are only concerned about doing their time and going home; No more, No Less. Oh, and by the way, Pay your Union Dues too!
Teaching a child to walk and even use the 'potty' is just as important as learning to read and do math problems. Bravo! Homeschool parents, Bravo!
John
RE: Homeschoolers
Submitted by Melissa (not verified) on November 1, 2008 - 09:13.
I am a certified public middle school teacher who who did in fact vote "NO" to the question of whether or not home school parents should be certified. I believe that if parents wish to take this route for their children I applaud them, especially for having and taking the time to do it.
On the other hand, I would like to correct you in saying that public school students do learn to become positive contributors to society. Yes, there are some teachers out there who are only concerned with themselves. Please, however, do not fail to mention the many many many other teachers who spend countless hours outside of their regular paid schedule to ensure that the youth of our nation are ready for society.
Public school, homeschool, private school, we're all in this together, all in this to raise adults who as you state can become positive contributors to society.
I'm also a mom. I've taught my son to use the potty, to walk, to talk, and now I'm working on teaching my daughter. My children will go to a public school and they are loved and know how to love.
A Product of Homeschooling
Submitted by Sarah Carpenter (not verified) on September 21, 2008 - 13:02.
My parents were one of the first families in Northwest Alabama to begin homeschooling (one of the first ten to fifteen families, I believe). We entered into this educational project shortly after my sixth birthday, so now almost exactly nineteen years ago, with no teacher training, incomplete college degrees, and a limited budget (my father was a blue-collar worker who subsequently became disabled, while my mother had quit her "pink-collar" job concurrent with my birth). Neither my sister (younger) nor I ever attended a public or private school until I began my freshman year at a state college in the fall of 2001.
Both my sister and I earned academic scholarships. She is still in college, earning excellent grades. I graduated magna cum laude from the University of North Alabama just over two years ago, with bachelor's degrees in English and Spanish. I received my Master of Arts in Spanish from the University of Alabama this spring, and became employed as a teacher at a private high school within three months of graduating. I don't know the national statistics, but based on the evidence around me, I'd say the two of us have done pretty well.
After a few weeks of teaching high school, even in the relative freedom of non-public schooling, I can say with deep conviction that I would unhesitatingly homeschool my children: not because I believe the school for which I work does anything less than what is humanly possible to provide an excellent education background for the students who attend it, but because every day I teach I am frustrated. I can't give these kids what I had.
What did I have? The ability to develop as an individual, without pressure to conform. We teach to the "norm." We can't help it: not even the best teacher can take a room full of 20+ students and tailor each lesson to each of them, timing the progress, following their personal interests. Even in a Spanish class, like mine, where the freedom to express oneself is important, keeping order is a priority. When I was being homeschooled, we would frequently throw out the day's lessons plans for two or three hours at a time to investigate some topic that had come up and seemed interesting. One day we were too excited about reading Plato's Dialogue's to do anything else; another day we just couldn't stop researching black hole theory. That sort of unrestricted love of learning was going on all the time, when I was growing up. My mother set us free to fall in love with knowledge, and to get carried away by it. It was chaotic and hectic and passionate and wonderful, and it just wouldn't be feasible to do that in a school classroom.
I said all of that to say this: court mandates and societal debates about whether parents should be trained as teachers miss the point. Parents aren't going to be anything like schoolteachers, and I see no reason why they should be. Most of the teachers I have known are proof positive that you don't have to be an expert in a subject to teach it. My sister and I both surpassed my mother in certain fields long before we earned our high school diplomas, and we never suffered from it. Most of what is taught in teaching programs relates to how to present material while managing a classroom full of students, which, unless you have more than a dozen children, is irrelevant for homeschooling, because you don't have a classroom full of students anyway. What the state wants and teacher training programs instruct you to create is a "product" that is as conformist as possible, the "good," quiet child who thinks inside the box, colors inside the lines, and doesn't ask the difficult questions. Parents have a truer focus on helping the individual to achieve his or her fullest potential, and the state has no business interfering with that. If the state is concerned with educational quality among homeschool families, I believe the facts speak for themselves. The real question to ask is: What is your educational goal, a enactment of 1984 or a generation of free-thinking, responsible human beings who are well-equipped to deal with the challenges of contemporary society?
Homeschool
Submitted by John Traxler (not verified) on September 15, 2008 - 07:36.
The local Educrats have no business sticking their noses any farther than they do now. The extent of their 'oversight' ends at the property line. The real, underlying issue is homeschoolers are performing above the NCLB standards in the absence of 'Qualified' educators. That indicates there may be a problem with the status quo school systems. I believe Heismann Trophy winner, Tim Tebow, debunks the myth that homeschooled children cannot socialize or compete in the 'real world.'
Certification for parents who homeschool
Submitted by CN Blackwell (not verified) on July 6, 2008 - 19:32.
As an educator I don't believe the state has the right to demand that parents be certified by state standards if they are going to homeschool. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't 92 of CA's current districts in jeopardy of being placed under state control for poor performance? So tell me how a state that is producing that many poor performing districts tell a parent concerned for their child's education how to go about it.
However, I also don't believe parents should be going it alone. I believe that if parents are going to homeschool there should be an accountability standard. And that standard is usually some sort of admissions test for college. So, If the child performs well enough to gain admission, then I'd say the parent did the job that needed to be done.
Admissions Test
Submitted by John T. (not verified) on September 15, 2008 - 07:39.
If your assertion that college admissions testing be the metric for evaluating success of a homeschool child, we should then eliminate all public education since not every child gains entrance to college. Admissions testing is not a valid evaluation method.
Homeschool
Submitted by Angela Hudnell (not verified) on July 20, 2008 - 05:37.
In your post, you mention that if a child performs well on the entrance exam to college the parent has done their job. What do you think should happen if a child gets to this part and does not do well on the college exam? Their academic years have been wasted. Who do you feel should be to blame?
Homeschooling can be good if the parent is knowledgeable of the educational theories, strategies, and practices. I think that there has to be an accountability piece each year a child is homeschool. If the child is not performing well on standardized test then measures need to be taken to ensure that child has success in their academic.
homeschooling parents
Submitted by Patricia Courtney (not verified) on July 1, 2008 - 04:15.
I plan on homeschooling my son - we actually have been homeschooling him the past year - he's three. He can do kindergarten work , with the exception of writing skills.
One of the main reasons homeschooled children excel is because they have one-on-one attention from their teacher.
A teacher with 12-18 students at one time is not capable of taking the time to better explain to one student the concept they are trying to teach; and take the time necessary until that particular student fully understands it.
Likewise, a student who excels in a specific subject in a school setting - the teacher cannot simply skip ahead with one student and leave the rest at the current pace.
That is one of the blessings with homeschooling - my son is doing kindergarten work; because he is young I am going to repeat kindergarten this year and maybe the next. However after this year, I may not need to repeat kindergarten. He might be ready to go ahead with 1rst grade work. Or, he may do 1rst grade and certain subjects and kindergarten in the rest.
With homeschooling, you can customize it to whatever suits your childs needs the best.
You cannot put every single student in the same mold for the next 13 years and expect them all to succeed at the same rate.
As far as the certification thing goes, well I have a few "certified teachers" that didn't know how to teach! I have seen several students in school do poorly under the instruction of a college graduate teacher.
I had a teacher when I was in high school - algebra teacher; she would rush through the concepts on the blackboard as fast as she could and expected us to get it. The whole class was failing. So she would rush through it again. After the second time, if the class still didn't get it, she decided to just skip that section. Now, everybody knows that with math especially, you cannot skip a section..
You cannot subtract until you know how to add.
You cannot divide until you know how to multiply. Everything in math - well other subjects too - is a pyramid - you can't go to the next level until you understand and can apply the first level. that's why homeschooling is great! I can take whatever time I need with him until he fully gets it and I can mix and match if I need to!
If it comes down to it, I will do whatever I have to get my certification - if that is the only way I can homeschool my son.
It's not just the education that I am concerned about... there are many other things (immorality) that I don't want him surrounded by in an environment that teaches it's okay.
The last time I checked, I haven't heard of any shootings at a homeschool!
There are certain things that the state has taken upon themselves to teach in school that has no place in the school system.
I believe it is the parents' responsibility to teach their child "sex education" by whatever method they feel is right. Not sending their child to school to have them watch a video and being handed condoms and birth control.
If more parents taught their kids to keep their pants up, skirts down and keep their legs closed, we wouldn't need condoms or birth control at their age.
By homeschooling, I can teach my children moral values and God-like principles without someone breathing down my shoulder saying "that's not politically correct" we don't want to offend anyone.
Okay, sermon over.
Patty
I do think that parents
Submitted by Jennifer (not verified) on June 11, 2008 - 12:36.
I do think that parents should be able to home school their children.No situation (public, private, or home school) is able to provide for every single child, nor should they be expected to. There are many children who may excel in one environment and not another. However, I have read many of the comments from both sides of the issue, and I think that one problem on both sides is that they are talking about the best case scenario. Yes, there are good and bad teachers. Yes, there are good and bad homeschool situations. I think the main problem with taking one position or the other is that it does not provide for all children, which is what both sides seek to do. The state has huge issues with money. They cannot, and should not, have to pay to hire teachers to review portfolios of home schoolers. If parents want to home school, and don't want to take advantage of the free public schools, then they should have to pay for assessment and monitoring to ensure that the child is learning. This will allow them to exercise their rights as parents to educate their child the way they see fit, while ensuring that no child is a slave, abused, or neglected. This will also allow the state to spend their money on the public schools, so that the rights of the majority are not affected by the rights of the few. By paying for the assessment and monitoring, the parents who send their children to the public schools will not have to get by with less money because someone chooses to homeschool. It is not like the money for one child is only spent on that child. The state has to use money from many children to provide gym, art, etc. Thus, if just a few children leave, this may disporportionately affect the children left behind. The public school children, many of whom come from poor or abusive homes, should not get less than others just because their parents don't care. While many parents do care, it is our job to protect all children, even the ones who have parents who won't protect or educate them.
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