Unsure About Homeschooling

[Ebony]

Me:
> > What do we do with the other 90% of the kids whose parents can 
not (or in many cases will not) feasibly home school their children?

Amy Z.:
> The same thing we do now.  They go to school--private if they want 
to and can afford it, public if not.  


*Exactly.*

This is the #1 thing that bothers me about homeschooling.  In most 
cases, home or "un" schoolers don't come from at-risk homes.  

It is a great personal decision for parents and one that I respect.  
I used to wonder if I'd homeschool my own unborn in the future for at 
least a period of time (not unschooling, sorry!).  Yanking kids with 
involved, caring parents out of public education is not a panacea for 
ailing schools, though.

I spoke of dating/being related to homeschoolers.  I've also taught 
former homeschoolers.  Some are extremely bright and their home 
education was far superior to what they could have gotten in a public 
school.

BUT--others could barely read, write, or compute.  *That* is the dark 
side of unschooling that no one talks about.  And then, parents send 
these kids back to the Horrible Schools to fix their mistakes.  I've 
seen this.  I've worked with these poor kids.

And I'm sorry, but to be quite honest, the handful of homeschoolers 
I've known in personal life have had at least a few socialization 
issues when they entered high school/college/the workplace.  To be 
sure, they were all homeschooled between 5-15 years ago.  Perhaps 
this could have been rectified in the manner that today's 
homeschooling parents employ--through play groups, extracurricular 
activities, and even arranging to take certain classes with the local 
school district.  

As a TAGged kid who struggled through major social angst from K-5, I 
am SO glad that my stay-at-home mom made the decision to send me to 
school anyway.  Even when things were the worst, she told me I had to 
tough it out... that "you just can't run away from a problematic 
situation, honey."  It was good for me.  I learned a great deal about 
life and human nature.  And even though I went to school, I was 
*still* homeschooled.  Mama taught us music theory, home ec, arts and 
crafts, history, sex education, and about a zillion other things 
during our evenings, vacations, and summers.  I got a chance to 
explore everything I wanted to... I wrote two novels, started a non-
profit organization, and cycled through three businesses.  All with 
my mother's help.  All while in public school.

Instead of homeschooling us, my mother went and volunteered in the 
public schools almost the second my baby sister was old enough to 
attend school.  She's been there a decade and a half.  She's still 
there, just a paid teacher's aide now.  She also runs an after school 
program.  I think a good chunk of Detroit's youth and young adults 
calls her "mom"... I keep meeting people everywhere who know her. 

Having us in public school was healthier for her too.  My cousin (mom 
of the two homeschoolers) had no time for herself, really... my 
cousins are good kids, but she was really stressed out.  But even 
working at the school 4+ hours every day, Mom still had time for 
herself, time for chores, time to cook dinner, time to sew and start 
her own business.

The same things that make homeschooling and unschooling work could so 
very easily be applied in public and private schools if we are 
willing to make education a priority in our society.  Many of the 
good points of individualized education ARE being applied in many 
private and public schools.

I'm like my mom, I guess.  I care about whether or not all kids in 
our society are learning, not just those who because of excellent 
parenting were bound to succeed anyway.

(Disclaimer:  Like Jenny, I am a public high school teacher.  And an 
increasingly active member of the Evil Education Union (also known as 
the NEA/AFT).)
 
--Ebony AKA AngieJ