Recently, Jason and I have talked a lot about homeschooling. Without a doubt, we had decided to homeschool Harper and any other kids that we are blessed enough to have in the future. Kaelin was a more difficult decision. She’s already been in both the public and the private school systems. How would she take to homeschooling? Would I even be able to homeschool her with her, um, personality?
Then we get a letter in the mail informing us that the school district didn’t do well enough on whatever standardized test they do and no longer met the No Child Left Behind requirements. Okay, so I have reservations about NCLB. Maybe it’s because I did AWESOME in school or maybe it’s because I haven’t had to deal with a struggling child, but if you aren’t ready to be promoted a grade, you shouldn’t be. Teachers really can only do so much with a room full of kids and expecting them to take extra time to help a failing student is time they take away from helping an excelling student. Just because my kid is bright and can figure things out on her own doesn’t mean she should be given a pile of busywork while the teacher explains why 2+2=4 yet again. Anyways, since they sucked on the test, the school district isn’t eligible for federal money.
Because Berkeley County schools are rolling in the dough. Kaelin’s school, which last year was only open to military members living on base, went from about 200 students to almost 500 students. Yeah, they bus in an extra 300 students and only gave the school an extra 3 teachers. Class sizes doubled in one year. I can tell you from 18+ years of schooling (as a student and a teacher) that class size is one of the most important things when it comes to getting a good education.
Obviously, that’s not the only reason we decided to homeschool. We are military and Kaelin’s already been in 3 different schools over 4 years. Schools aren’t universal. When we moved to SC, Kaelin was starting the 3rd grade. Her 3rd grade math is basically what she learned in 2nd grade at her last school. She wasted a year sitting in class learning what she already knew. But what happens when we move to the next school who’s 4th grade math builds upon stuff she hasn’t seen yet? Will she spend the year struggling? With homeschooling, she’ll have a customized curriculum based on what she already knows and what she should be learning.
A big issue with homeschooling is socialization. People assume that homeschooled kids are weirdo Jesus freaks who don’t know how to talk to others. I’m sorry, but that’s crap. First off, look at the kids in the school system. This year, Kaelin’s been threatened and bullied. She’s learned some really bad words without knowing what they mean or why she shouldn’t say them. I’m not sure these are the kids I want her socializing with anyways. Second, there is no shortage of local clubs and sports teams to join where she’ll get to play with other kids with similar interests. There are youth groups at church. There are a ton of kids who live in the neighborhood. The schooly system isn’t the only place to meet other kids.
Like I said before, this was a really difficult decision to make. Both Jason and I went to public school. I absolutely loved my high school. It was a brand new school, not yet overcrowded. I had AP classes to choose from. I had tons of extracurriculars to be involved in. Most of all, I loved the teachers I had. They were the type of teachers who really enjoyed their jobs and wanted to pass their passion for learning to you. Sadly, I don’t see many of those around anymore.
