Gregory J. Millman is co-author, with Martine Millman, of "Homeschooling: A Family's Journey," to be published in August. Read his article on homeschooling in The Washington Post.
Conventional schools are like the nation's Rust Belt companies, designed in the 19th century but struggling to meet the standards of international competition today. School boards and administrators should be concentrating on ways to make schools more like home-schooling -- not on ways to force home-schooled children to go back to schools. People who are free to think for themselves usually get together and find solutions that are better than what bureaucrats can devise.
HT: HE&OS
That was a really interesting read. Thanks for the link!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome.
ReplyDeleteI liked the fact they brought up that people have different reasons for choosing to homeschool.
That was great. I really liked the bit about his son who picked up reading at age 8, but wasn't forced to learn earlier. I was a late bloomer in math and having to constantly move ahead when I had trouble grasping the basics led to a poor math education. I wasn't LD, I was just slow to catch on. Makes me happy that people can adjust the material, so to speak, for their kids.
ReplyDeleteI had the same problem in my public high school. About the time I finally caught on to something in Algebra they were moving on to something else, so I was always struggling with the material and never really got a firm foundation. So being a typical kid I decided I just wasn't good at Math. It wasn't until I was in college and several of my Professors that taught Math classes pointed out to me that I was good in Math that I got over my Math phobia.
ReplyDeleteMy husband had the same problems with reading at a young age. Reading aloud was torture for him in school, because he was having to keep up with a class that moved much faster than he could.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to see such a negative reaction to the parents allowing the kid to go at his own pace in the comments. I saw several that outright said that by age 8 a non reading child needed intervention!
I must live on a different planet from these people. I'd rather kids work/learn at their own ability levels and find joy in the material or the ability to do it when it comes naturally. But that's me. Judging by the comments, I'm an oddball. :)
I think it's hard for most people to grasp that all kids do not develop at the same rate. They have it in the head that you are suppose to be doing such and such by age ___ and if you are not there is something wrong with you.
ReplyDeleteThere have been numerous studies done that show males and females develop differently but public schools do not take that into account.
"Scientists now accept that there are fundamental differences between the sexes' learning skills, communication abilities and interests. These differences show up from the first months in the way that babies develop, but also in the way that adults mould them to fit the cultural stereotypes of male and female behaviour.
It is generally accepted that girls reach the accepted 'developmental milestones' earlier than boys. Toddler girls generally talk before boys so have a head start in using language, picking up language and using it in dialogue. It appears that girls process language more easily than boys. Their chattering gives them more practice and the opportunities to acquire different types of language and vocabulary, particularly between two and three years when they are breaking through into fluent speech."
http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/talktoyourbaby/gender.html
And of course each individual is different. My eldest son seemed to be born knowing how to spell words and construct grammatically correct sentences, it was a struggle for my youngest (who is more like me).