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Response to Letter to the Editor
Or...Unsympathetic Public School Teacher  
 
From:  DEBBIE41280  
I started homeschooling in January 1999, so I'm still fairly new. I read a lot of information on homeschooling issues. I decided to homeschool because I have a child with learning disabilities and because of all the violence in schools. Also I spent so much time helping him in the afternoons, I decided I might as well be teaching him myself. The question I have to ask is why does the public school system always need more money to teach better. What is the money for? I'm teaching 3 boys, my daughter finished this year. Maybe I'm naive but I don't understand this argument. Can someone please enlighten me?
 
From:  JDWLN1  
Many homeschooling parents are stressed, frustrated, and feeling under appreciated just like the public school teacher who responded to the original 'stressed out' message. This public school teacher wants us homeschoolers to leave our kids in the overwrought public systems all over the country and speak out aggressively to achieve pay parity and better working conditions, thus better schooling conditions for the kids. Well, many of us have ALREADY done that and more to no avail. Should we allow our children to be abused or overlooked to make a point? I think not. As for sending a message to the powers that be that more money, prestige, and support be given to public school teachers and to public schools, I ask this question. What larger statement do our elected officials need than children - IN DROVES - being withdrawn from public (and private) schools? What could be a more powerful message than this: WE REFUSE TO ALLOW OUR CHILDREN TO CONTINUE TO BE ABUSED, OVERLOOKED, AND MADE TO CONFORM TO ANTI-INDIVIDUALISTIC GOVERNMENT-ORIENTED STANDARDS. There! Is that clear enough? 
jd in st.louis, homeschooling advocate, consultant, and mother of 3.
 
From:  BLUESCLUE 
I believe that as women/men who love the Lord need to humble ourselves before his thrown and consider this teachers frustration. I think he/she is upset and feels insulted that so many parents are pulling their children out leaving the ps and the teachers behind. It doesn't matter where your child is enrolled in school. Private and public schools both have great teachers/bad teachers. We must look within to examine our own children. While in the chat rooms, time and time again I hear that they pulled their children out of school because they were in middle school age and couldn't read in that level or other things. I am not bringing judgement on anyone but I am wondering how the parents let something that important pass by.

In my heart, I can't come out and bad mouth public/private schools for majority of the people were educated there and turned out great. I never, ever want to let my children think that homeschool children are better and it must be a horrible to go to school. My kids still hang out with their old friends from school and they are all doing great. I love homeschooling and wonder why I didn't listen to God sooner but here I am loving it.

Let's remember to pray for this teacher. Let us pray that he/she will find peace and joy doing what she does and we want to let them know that we do appreciate teachers all over this world. Thanks for listening everyone.
 
From:  ANNAMAIRE  
Although the teacher makes very valid points of the overwork many teachers in the public school system face, the point that is missing is the people who choose to homeschool as a whole are making a statement to our local, state and federal government. Attendance is everything to our public schools. That is how they get their funding. If attendance drops dramatically then finally those elected or appointed in government will make changes. People have rallied, complained any way possible and still nothing changes. Hit them in the pocket and people take note. We are all tired at times whether we homeschool, have a career or own a business. By encouragement from those who walk a similar path do we gain strength to continue our journey. Those who don't walk with you will never understand or have empathy for what you do. To the teacher, only you as an individual in your teacher's union can you stand up and make the changes necessary. If everyone as a whole chooses not to join forces to accomplish the same thing which is to educate our children to be prepared to be responsible strong adults then each of us has failed in our own way to improve our culture as a whole.
Good Luck to both of you.
 
From:  cjmarugg 
This teacher really angers me. If he thinks homeschooling is so terrible what is he even doing ready about it on the internet? He said that we should not just be thinking about our own kids but all the other kids as well, don't get me wrong, I love children but it is MY duty as MY children's mother to think of them first and how the situation that they are in is affecting their education. A parent never gets a second chance at providing the best education possible for their child and if classrooms are overcrowded and teachers are too stressed out to teach then why would any parent that has the option to homeschool not take the opportunity to teach their child at home! The one on one attention is what most children need and they need to feel as though they are accomplishing goals. They cannot do that in a overcrowded classroom with an stressed out teacher. In closing, who wants your child to succeed more than you do? I want to be there for every learning milestone that my children come across and I'm so glad that I have the option to teach them myself! Public school is not for my children! They have been put on this earth to accomplish many great things and without the best education possible they will not achieve that! My husband and I are the best educators for our children and they love learning with us!
 
From:  starmom4 (STARMOM41) 
This teacher is like most, he is afraid of losing his job because so many people are becoming disenfranchised with the public school system and are looking for alternatives. All teachers, whether public school or home school, become frustrated at times. The difference is as a parent, you are vitally interested in the success of one child, your child. You will continue to rededicate yourself again and again. You will also, continue to look for new ways to motivate your child and adapt to their learning style. A public school teacher, no matter how dedicated, does not have that luxury of time or is motivated by the same reasons. We must remember that public school as we know it is an invention of the last 100 years. Throughout history, parents taught their children at home. There is no true data that will ever show that herding children in groups day after day is the best means of teaching. Almost anyone will admit that it is the individual one on one attention that ensures success. That's why there is so much discussion about teacher to student ratio. That is why a parent is amply qualified to do the job.
 
From:  4KIDS2TEACH 
Wow are you getting feedback or what? You have lots of reading to do. :-)

>>why not raise loud voices to governments who direly under funded schools, and seriously underpay teachers?<<

Government officials don't always listen. Why should they? Many if not most of them send their kids to private schools. I can't cite specific stats on this but I have heard it from many sources. Some school systems don't spend the money they get on teachers they pay the super. more. This happened in South Bend, IN a few years ago. The superintendent took a raise ($90,000/yr if I remember correctly) then said there wasn't enough in the budget to give the teachers a raise. I hear she is no longer with the school corporation.

>>Instead of merely standing up for their own kids, why not stand up for all kids?<<

Not all parents care. Some like public school because it gets their kids out of their hair for a while. Not all parents agree on what is best for the school system or their kids. Some are for year round school and all day kindergarten. Others are opposed to them. I'm sure you have heard of the evolution debate here in KS.

>>Instead of hiding their light under a bushel?<<

Not sure but this seems like a slam against the religious reasons for homeschooling. I haven't had time to read your article. Did you mention religion? I'll have to print it and read it for myself. May help with the burnout I suffer from time to time.

I have not dealt with a public school system since I was in it. Before homeschooling our daughters were in private schools. Most of what I know about our local schools is from news reports and testimonies. Some are good and some are bad.

I imagine that almost everyone suffers burnout from time to time it is not job specific.

I also think the e-mailer sounds a little bitter about something. Maybe someone was removed from their school. I wouldn't know, but I don't think he would say these things to someone who wasn't treading in his territory.

In another forum there is a thread about reentry of homeschoolers and how they behave and how prepared they are. One teacher said she had dealt with many and they were just like any other new students trying to fit in in a new place. Some were well behaved and well prepared; others were not.

Sorry, I only meant to write a short post, but words just started coming.

I hope you find what you need to respond in these posts.

thanks for all you do for us.

 
From:  EULA7   
This teacher is exactly right. If you would tell your elected officials that children, all children, are important then maybe schools would have adequate space, well paid good teachers that want to teach and have the training and the ability to teach. If you think it's only important that you teach your child, consider who will pay welfare for the children that don't receive an education or who's house they will rob when they can't find a decent job. All children are important and a great teacher isn't just born it takes talent and training.

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