And P.S. - "Slagging" is not a word. You might want to check your grammar, too - not a stellar example of the "dedicated" teachers out there.

Believe me, my heart goes out to underpaid, overworked, stressed out teachers. I am a psychologist, and several of my favorite patients are teachers. Your thoughts about being an advocate for all children, voicing complaints to the govt. etc. are sound in theory. You miss, however, the main point. This will, at best, take years to correct--NOT at the expense of my child, thank you very much. When my gifted daughter in second grade was being forced to read books and discuss them for weeks, when she had read them at four, it was too personal a problem to be a political activist. We were rapidly losing her enthusiasm for learning, and the school system's "gifted" program did not start until fourth grade, and should have been called "bright average, compliant, and lots of homework". With homeschooling parents, you're "preaching to the choir" about all the public school problems and frustrations, however if I have the means, and yes, the ability to make the great sacrifices to provide my daughter the higher level of enriched learning she requires, and YES, lots more groups of kids to interact and thrive with, I will do that, even if it is deemed selfish by some. If you had a relative dying of cancer, are you going to concentrate all your resources seeking the best treatment, or go out and campaign against smoking? NHG

There is always two sides to the story. Just like public school teachers, home school teachers have good and bad days. Some public school teachers are wonderful, some are horrible. I just don't feel like taking the chance again. My daughter is still not back to herself after her experience and it's been almost a year.

I hope I was able to get my point across.

A mom loving home schooling,
Doreen

I, too am a school teacher. I WAS teaching at my daughter's PRIVATE CHRISTIAN school when after the first semester I had to make some major changes in our whole lifestyle!

I saw my children going "without" every day just so that I could "Be all that I could be" for everyone else. I love working with children and I do realize that there are people in the teaching profession that do not earn enough money financially to become independent. However, that is no excuse to sit back and do nothing.

If you have chosen this profession, you did so with full knowledge that it is more of a sacrificial job than many other lay person jobs. Hopefully you entered this noble profession to make a difference in the mind of a young person. Or maybe you chose this profession to have a grasp on the youth of tomorrow, and have the ability to mold a young person's character. Only you can answer this, however, I applaud your initiative, it just sounds sadly as if you are "Burned out!"

Maybe if you could focus on why you began this career, and realized what you are giving, instead of what you are NOT receiving you may be a much more satisfied person.

I personally chose to leave for my children, who were physically always sick, they were tired of being dragged around to school and different meetings, and I saw that my family life made a drastic turn towards upheaval! I did not make this decision without regret and even remorse at leaving the children behind, however, I did have to do the more appropriate thing for my own family's sake. I can gladly say today I know without the shadow of a doubt I made the right choice. It is a sacrifice. We do without in a lot of areas because we are not having a second income, however, my husband and I felt it was/is our family first.

This is not about me however, and I fear it sounds as if you have already begun to be so cynical that you may not receive this in the way it is intended. I do care for the education of America's children. I do believe some teacher's are overworked, and underpaid. I have seen first hand what can happen to the luster in the eagle eye of a teacher when they begin to slip into remorse. I have seen great teachers become horribly dull, cynical and even abusive to their once loved students. I hope you are not in this category. I have seen children at school being verbally abused, simply because the teacher was having a BAD day. Is that fair? Absolutely No! However, it happens more than I care to say. Somewhere between the days, years, and so on, I guess they simply forgot what they were there for in the first place. It certainly wasn't to be a millionaire!

I also believe that we are the product of what we see and believe about ourselves. No matter what your circumstances you have a choice in how you react to them. You can either become negative, unfeeling, and simply puffed up with resentment. Or you can find something to be glad and rejoice about in all things great or small, and find the silver lining in every rainbow. I choose to think the cup is half full, what do you think?

Sincerely,
A new homeschool Mom with a love for the Lord in my heart!