Following the discussion from last week’s post of parents’ responsibility for teaching children, this week’s topic is the secular education of families. Although spiritual and secular learning can be combined, some parents choose to separate. Any way a parent chooses to educate their children helps guide them to a successful life choice. When parents become involved with their children’s education, it shows how much parents really care.
I started sending off my children to public school as they turned five. But as time went on, there were difficulties in the classroom. This is not uncommon to many families. Administrators and teachers cannot keep on top of everything at school and some of my children missed learning concepts in their younger grades. On the other hand, some of my older children were fast learners and became bored with the repeating of the same information given in the classroom and needed something more. Other classmates were taking up the time of the teacher in constant discipline.
It was also the day to day labors of having to get up for school and be ready at 8am. This can be difficult for children under 10 years old. There was homework to keep up with and it seemed that the school was more in charge of my own children’s life than I was. I felt that I was missing out of being with my children and what they were learning. I only saw them after 4pm. If these thoughts sound familiar, then join the club. Public and private school do have their place for parents who cannot educate their children at home but here is also another choice.
Educating your own children at home definitely has its advantages.
1. You have the control of what your child learns and you can make sure each concept is learned as they progress through their learning.
2. Your children can speed up or slow down their progress depending upon ability. This is something public school teachers can’t do because there are too many in the classroom.
3. You won’t have teachers or public school administrators calling your child stupid. (Yes, this still happens in the classroom–mothers have told me)
4. Many times the field trips you take with your children are more personal with a smaller group. We’ve actually went on trips public schools couldn’t.
5. If you are worried about college, there is another advantage. Colleges and universities love homeschool students. They have the reputation of being better students.
They are self-motivated and they involve themselves with their community.
The only disadvantage to home schooling your child is the sacrifice of your own time. You give up that time you would have for your own to school your child. It is a sacrifice to give up those years but in the end it is a wonderful blessing.
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Parents of public school children can be involved with their children’s education as well. There are so many needs a parent can fulfill for a school to help teachers and administrators. When parents are involved with school activities and classroom functions, children will participate and care about learning more which will help their success in school.
Marilyn Price-Mitchell, in “Helping Teens Believe in Themselves” says:
“‘Upon the subject of education,’ Abraham Lincoln firmly stated, ‘I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people may be engaged in.’ In fact, research suggests that adult support may be the single most important aspect of how children succeed in school and life.”
I also like what Ms. Price-Mitchell said about partnering teachers and parents: “We must view parents and teachers as partners in education. Why? As philosopher George Santayana simply said, ‘A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.’ When both groups are inspired to facilitate learning, children are the winners.”
Whether it’s homeschool or public school, any way a parent supports education in their children will help them be successful in life.
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Valerie Steimle has been writing as a family advocate for over 25 years. As a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she promotes Christian living in her writings and is the mother of nine children and grandmother to twelve. Mrs. Steimle authored six books and is a contributing writer to several online websites. To her, time is the most precious commodity we have and knows we should spend it wisely.
To read more of Valerie's work, visit her at her website, The Blessings of Family Life.
I am schooling at A public school. I find it very good because of all the friends you can meet and you can hang out with mates you already have. I believe Public Schoola are better than homeschooling though.
Well, actually, you only get a chance to know the students in your own class. Usually, public school students are made fun of if they spend time with students younger than them, which also means the older students won’t hang out with you. I hardly ever found anyone in my classes I had anything in common with.
My children switched to homeschooling after a while, and then they had the whole world to make friends with. They met people in their neighborhoods, at church, in the classes they took, at their volunteer projects, at places we visited. Homeschoolers don’t just stick to people their own ages, so they had friends of every age, even adults. They also had more time for friends. When they were in school, there was only recess and lunch. The kids got home around four, thanks to buses and then had chores and homework. There was no time for friends. Homschooling only took us fifteen hours a week and then they were free to be with friends. Their only challenge was that there were no public school kids free for hours and hours. Fortunately, they had homeschooled friends who were also free after lunch.