It's hard to think of a rightwing attack on public institutions that I hate more than the voucher system. (CG)
How about home schooling?
mbs ---------------
Home schooling. Hmm. I have a slightly less hostile reaction to those plans, as long as home schooling isn't sucking off public money. I have a good friend whose wife decided they were going to do home schooling. I see them often and know the kids (boy 8, girl 10yrs).
In this case, the home schooling is run as a co-op with parents trading off duties, subjects, field trips, and misc organization details--all Berkeley Left types. So, from my perspective this example is the best of all possible versions of home schooling.
Since I spent a lot of time with my son going over reading, writing, and arithmetic problems, exercises, and homework, I still have a relatively clear idea of what reading, writing, and arithmetic skills are appropriate for what grade levels and ages. So, I have been thinking about my friend's kids. They are clearly behind in concrete skill mastering in all three areas. Socially they are fine, and in fact somewhat advanced for their ages. They are good at self-organization, and are more diverse in what they can do. They are pretty cute as little performers (both play music--piano and voice). But that isn't a substitute for getting down the three R's. In other words, what seems to be happening is that they have followed what they enjoy and what brings them a certain social satisfaction--show offs that they are. But still, kid's work is still work, and that work isn't getting done.
They happen to be at that threshold period of getting over intellectual humps like an ease and familiarity with the written word, being able to move back and forth between reading and writing, feeling a certain competence at those skills--in short knowing that they can become accomplished, because they already have a solid base. That is what is missing. They are unsure and do not feel secure in their work.
Reading, writing and math are areas that demonstrate what good teachers really do well. Anybody who has watched a classroom full of kids who get themselves together into groups and start their reading assignments, reading aloud and quizzing each other on words, spelling, meanings, grammar, sentences and so forth, knows how valuable a good teacher is and how much they can accomplish with kids. That is what is missing in most of the home school sessions I've seen.
On a personal level, I prefer public school with plenty of community support, a progressive board, and good teachers to any alternatives. It is important to remember the reason public education is and was failing is quite simple--no money. So, before dreaming up a bunch of bullshit, how about coughing up the damned money and skipping all the moral smoke and mirror issues. Better pay, clean, new, well managed facilities, well stocked libraries, and so on. You know, fix the problems, instead of inventing nonsense around them. Here, the best way to do this is to changed the State regs and get rid of the proporitional property tax allocation system, along with the Average Daily Attendence system. In others words, spend the same on every kid in every district in the state.
So, for those people who want more out of education, maybe its time to put more in--more time and more money. The whole impulse to home schooling is fine, but how about as after-school or special programs run with and in the schools instead of against them?
Chuck Grimes