On Feb. 28, a panel of three judges in California ruled that parents and tutors, who wish to home-school children, must be certified. The law has since been suspended until a rehearing in June; however, home-schooling parents across California are understandably concerned about the outcome. If the law is passed, most children participating in homeschooling at this time will be forced to attend a public or private school. This law would also set a precedent for others states, affecting homeschooling families across the nation. In the past, I have researched home-schooling for two research papers, so I feel I am informed enough to say that this is a direct violation of parents' rights and completely unnecessary. While I do tend to prefer those states that apply certain guidelines to home-schooling, I do not think parents without certification are incapable of providing a suitable education to their children.
While I think public schools are adequate and successful, I also feel home-schooling has its benefits. In no way, should it be seen as something reserved for radicals or religious zealots. Many parents simply feel their children will benefit more from a one-on-one learning environment. Sometimes home-schooling is opted for, due to high levels of school violence. Also, home-schooled children have more opportunities to interact with people from different age groups and socioeconomic backgrounds than children in school environments, who spend most of their time with their peers. Studies have shown, more often than not, home-schooled children are just as likely, if not more likely, to relate to others in social situations outside of school, especially once past the school-age years.
Whatever the reasons parents choose to home-school their children, I feel it should be their right do so, on one condition. I do think that some parents are not equipped to teach their children, due mostly to a lack of self-discipline. That being said, if parents can prove their children are learning what will be required of them in the "adult world," it should be their choice. I prefer the rules set by states, such as ours (NY), that require students to take yearly exams to prove they are maintaining an acceptable level of achievement. This term,"acceptable," is only meant to say a child not given an education that will be useful in society is being treated unfairly and will be at a disadvantage in the workforce. If a child is learning enough material to remain on, or exceed, the level of other children his age, I do not think anyone has the right to tell parents how their children are to be educated. Maybe they have certain areas of interest they wish to focus on, maybe they feel they can reach their child better than a teacher could, maybe they fear for their safety, or maybe they do want religion to be a part of their child's education. In any case, it should not matter how a child receives an education, so long as it is effective.
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2 comments:
I think that requiring parents and tutors of homeschooled children to be certified is too extreme of a move. Although it is important that children are getting an adequate education so that they aren't at a disadvantage in the workforce, as Lori says, the NY method of using tests to measure their level of success in homeschools is more effective. Some parents want to hone in on certain topics, topics which in public schools may be only briefly discussed. Religion is important to many parents, and educating them and using their religion in their teachings is their right as parents. Lori makes some good points about the benefits of homeschooling, and the idea of requiring California homeschooling parents to be certified is a bit much in my opinion.
I think there should be some form of certification for parents who wish to homeschool their child or children. However, I do not think it needs to be the same certification required for teachers in school. My aunt homeschooled my cousins, and they both feel they did not receive a sufficient education. My younger cousin is 22, and she does not plan to attend college because she does not feel comfortable in a social environment. She is also afraid of the classroom setting because she has never experienced it. My older cousin is 24; she tried going to college, and she had severe difficulty in English and Math. She quit because she felt she was too far behind the academic level of the other students in her classes. I'm not exactly sure how their homeschooling was monitored, but I would like to find out. While homeschooling can be successful, I think it needs to be monitored closely. I also think parents have to make sure their children are interacting with peers other than siblings if they do not intend on enrolling them in public or private schools.
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