Despite the opinions of
some highly vocal people on Twitter and other social media, I do not think the
public school system is evil. I don’t think private school is egalitarian. And,
I don’t think charter schools, homeschooling, or any other system of schooling
are 100% right for 100% of families.
I have homeschooled my son for the past 9 years, and it has worked wonderfully for the two of us. It was easily one of the best family decisions I have ever made.
I have homeschooled my son for the past 9 years, and it has worked wonderfully for the two of us. It was easily one of the best family decisions I have ever made.
But, does that mean it’s
right for your family?
Not necessarily.
McKenzie and Todd both
wrote recently about their frustration with kindergarten registration (HERE and HERE) and both
mentioned that they don’t plan to homeschool anytime soon. It simply doesn’t
fit their lifestyle at this time. And, maybe it never will—time will tell.
I pulled my son out of
public school—a terrific school with amazing teachers, by the way—because the
system simply wasn’t working for us and I couldn’t afford the other options
available, no matter how amazing they seemed at the time.
One of my dearest
friends started out homeschooling her daughter, then added homeschooling a
group of siblings her family adopted, transitioned them all to private school,
and currently has the oldest enrolled in a charter and the younger three in
public school.
Many of my friends have
always homeschooled. Others have always public schooled. Others have only ever
sent their children to private schools, charter programs, or alternative
non-homeschooling programs. Some have started with one model, tried something
else, and tried yet something else.
The point is, we all
have unique families with unique needs and we all move through various seasons
in life, whether individually or as a whole with our families, and no one
situation is totally right for everyone.
I truly wish all public
schools were created equally, addressed the needs of all students, and resulted
in highly educated, well rounded, happy and thriving young adults.
Unfortunately, that is not reality.
As you can see in THIS
post, my own experience with my son and the public school system varied for his
first several years of formal education. And, while we had a great experience
at the last public school he attended, it turned out that homeschooling was the
best option for us. And, over the last few years, we’ve even moved into
unschooling.
But, at the same time, I
have stayed connected to multiple educational models through my own teaching
and tutoring experiences and meeting other parents both inside and outside of
the homeschooling world.
I have taught at an
elite, but public, combined junior and senior high school in Queens, New York,
a vocational college catering to recent adult immigrants from Asia and the
Caribbean, and a private Christian college. I have spent thousands upon
thousands of hours tutoring students of all ages and widely varied backgrounds
in a number of subjects and skills. And, I have become an exceptional trainer
in my most recent non-teaching jobs.
Why am I telling you all
of this?
Because I want you to
understand that the mission of Mom2MomEd.com is NOT to tell you that you must
educate your children in any one way. We wish to work with you to find methods
and opportunities that best fit your family’s needs—even if that means different
methods for different members of the same family!
While we’ve been posting
quite a bit about parenting and family life, we also are heavily focused on
education and over the next few months will be rolling out both educational and
family materials for use as stand-alone items or in conjunction with mentoring
from Mom2MomEd.com. We are also developing mentoring and coaching packages,
planners, and even some curriculum!
We would love some
of your input as we get underway—what are your biggest struggles as parents
when it comes to raising your children or dealing with educational issues? If
you were to seek out help in these areas, what would you most need?
Please
leave a comment on this post, use the comment form on our blog’s sidebar, or
email us. We’d love to hear from you!
Or, find us over on Facebook and drop us a note there!
Be sure to join us on Facebook and here on the blog in July as we read The Trouble with Boys: A Surprising Report Card on Our Sons, Their Problems at School, and What Parents & Educators Must Do by Peg Tyre.
Pick up a copy of Tyre's book at your local library or from Amazon HERE. We'll get started on July 5th!
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