Writing about homeschooling and public school I am afraid
that I may seem to be criticizing teachers in the public education system. That
is not what I mean to be doing. Teachers attempt to be the living spark that
crosses the distance between the institutions and necessities of public
education (separation of learning into subjects, standardized tests, large
classes with one schedule for many minds, and many more that public school
teachers can identify more accurately than I) and the needs of living breathing
students. The fact that teachers do this and even do it well is nothing less
than incredible, and they have my constant respect.
On the other hand, homeschooling is highly stigmatized. Most people seem to think that parents who choose to homeschool their children are religious fanatics, abusive, or both. I'm sure there are families who sadly choose homeschooling for both of these reasons, but I don't know any. I knew a few homeschooling families who were sheltering their children more than I would have been comfortable with, and some families including my own who were not entirely functional emotionally. But I found a much higher percentage of children who thought badly of their minds when I started public school, and was shocked to find that only a few exceptional public school students even seemed to have a clue about how they learned and what characterized their individual minds. I think every homeschooler I know could have explained pretty confidently by the time they were eight years old whether or not they would learn from a lesson, and how they would need to supplement what a teacher or parent did to make sure that they did learn from it.
Obviously it is possible for a public school experience to lead to developed and fulfilled minds, but I am hoping that my voice as a former homeschooler can help me and others to think about some of the reasons that it often doesn't. Because, honestly, I think that I received one of the best elementary-age educations in the country.
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