Home-schooling: do you have a right to teach your kids at home?

I have a friend who plans to home-school her son, starting this fall. While I admire her, there's another part of me that keeps expecting aliens to jump out of her chest, because the thought of home-schooling my kids is so foreign, so terrifying, so outlandish, that you couldn't pay me a million dollars to do it. I'd fear that my kids' education would eventually suffer, once my initial enthusiasm waned. Their education would get as much attention as my housework. And just so you know how low housework is on my list of priorities, I confess I found actual dust bunnies in the bath-tub last week. In my defense, it was the guest bathroom tub -- not the regular tub, which I do use to bathe the children at least once a week. But it was surprising finding those dust bunnies. Either I really need to clean more often, or we need guests to come at more frequent intervals -- because apparently 6 months is too long to let it go.

So, while home-schooling (and house-cleaning) are not my cup of tea, it seems like the current trend in the US gives most folks the freedom to home-school if they choose. But that may change. A California state appeals court has ruled that only parents with recognized teaching credentials can home-school there.

What do you think? Do you home-school? Do you think you have the right to home-school, regardless of teaching credentials? Do you fear this California court ruling could lead the way to similar laws in other states, including Oregon?

Comments

[Heather]

Well, home-schooling is not for me either, but I hope they don't restrict it to only people with teaching credentials. The home-schooled teenagers I've known have all been incredibly smart, well-adjusted kids and the parents really devote themselves to it.

[Nadine]

I'm keeping homeschooling open as an option if public school disappoints. I have the same worries about my schooling efforts equaling my lack luster housecleaning. It is important to remember that home-schooling doesn't have to be done at home by mom alone. You have the whole world and community to draw from.

I know a few home-schooling and unschooling families and they seem just like Heather said. Smart, well adjusted, with dedicated parents.

We are lucky to have a great community of support for home schooling in Portland. I think it would be sad if only those with teaching credentials were allowed to home-school. Many parents home school to get away from things like grades and tests and teaching methods that promote external motivation. I wish gov't would step aside. (Yeah right) Obviously, No Child Left Behind wasn't the greatest idea.

[cristina]

I homeschool after 6 years of public school that ruined my daughter's love of learning. For 2 years we had to catch up on subjects that they didn't even teach. The whole point in public school is not to educate, but to advance their liberal agenda. Shame on them!

[carie]

I am so curious to see what is posted.My kids aren't in any school yet and I feel from my own experience and now what I've seen/heard in Portland that the school unions are all about their own agenda, leaving the kids by the side. Will the charter schools be the saving grace? Private schools just as bad? There has been lots of coverage in the O about homeschooling, in the recent past, so I do feel that if I had to homeschool my child would be better off than sitting behind a desk learning how to keep quiet and make projects/pictures that look just like the next kid's.

[Allie]

I'm with the other comments. The kids I've met are pretty darn together, intellectually and emotionally stable.
I wonder how they (California) are going to handle all those parochial school teachers. Oregon doesn't require them to be licensed or even have a degree! That also means they don't need to have continuing education credits each year either. So if you're looking for a more progressive, up-to-date, style of teaching you may want to look elsewhere. I considered that tidbit when trying to decide a school for our kid.

I feel that our public schools are much more creative in teaching these days because of the liberal transfer policies. Each school is trying to find a specialty, their niche, a strength, to attract families and students. Even home schooling is becoming more hybridized. Now they have home schooling "centers" where kids can take courses taught by someone specializing in a certain field of study. Because of the proliferation of online home schooling curriculum, families are customizing their kid's education and augmenting public schooling at a very reasonable price. The best of both worlds type of education.

The recent court ruling in California is quite a blow to home schoolers! Will we be seeing more people moving here from CA?
I feel fortunate for all of the eduational options we have here. I think kids have a much better chance at finding the right "fit" for them.

[Rachel]

My husband was homeschooled up until the last two years of high school. Now he is of the opionion that home school or private school is the only way to go. I agree. Our local public school has a TERRIBLE reputation. I attended a private school after my mom felt she had reached her limit in what she could teach me. In our area, we have private tutors who are college graduates that give parents a great alternative to any of those options. They're not teachers, but teach kids in the homes so the parents are involved too. It's a great idea.

[melanie]

different perspective here. from my experience as a teacher, i unfortunately also saw the bad examples of home schooling. the kids who came in way behind academically and socially. I had a kid join our class after being home schooled and told me that his mom was usually too tired to do school. he was so far behind and he also did not know how to get along with the other kids, which lets face it, you get a lot farther in this world if you can get along and work well with all different kinds of people. i'm not saying people can't home school, but the dedication required to do it is enormous. and it seems to me that at some point i don't know how parents can do it all. how are they teaching their kids in multiple areas at the level their older kids may need. i also really believe that kids are most directly affected in their education by the teachers and parents, not "the district." i taught in arizona where we were given 35 pencils (one for each kids) and one ream of paper and sent on our way. i think i did a darn good job of teaching those kids!

i just think that as with everything, there's no perfect school, no environment that's going to give your kids (and every kid) exactly what they need. that's where our job as parents comes in. we supplement and expand on their education. we give them tools to help navigate and learn how to succeed socially in school. (by the way, i'm not saying that all home schoolers are locked up, never socializing with their peers, but i have seen some...)

everyone needs to do what's right for them, there's just no way in the world I could home school my kids!

[jill]

I taught elementary school for 7 years before becoming a SAHM. I support homeschooling and public or private schools but I disagree with the previous statement that the public school's point is to "advance their liberal agenda." I became a teacher because I have a passion for helping children. I chose to do that by teaching. It is disheartening to hear people falsely accuse teachers of indoctrinating children when most of the teachers I have known deeply care for their students and are interested in teaching them the "academics." Teachers work for little pay compared to other professional careers and get very little respect.

[Tina]

It interests me that you think that anything we do, educationally, with our children (you, me the collective 'our')should be subject to regulation by law. My children do not belong to the US government nor to any other govt.- national, state or local. Of course there are laws governing abusive situations, I'm not speaking of that.
My children are mine and by bringing them into this world I have taken on the task of bringing them up to be decent members of the society we choose to live in. That is *my* job, not the job of a government agency or of someone who went to school and got a degree so that they might teach children in a traditional school setting. I admire teachers and school administrators and parents who choose the path of public or private education over homeschooling just as I admire anyone who chooses the right path for themselves and is unapologetic about it. It's just that when questions of my rights to raise my children come into question, I wonder how brainwashed our society has become? Does the government really have so many people convinced that the govt is more important, that the rights of the govt are more important, than our own or those of our kids? I hope not.

[Renee]

Hi Tina - for clarification, I posted about potential legislation in the state of California regarding establishing teaching qualifications for homeschooling. While I have no plans to home school my kids, I also have no problem with anyone's decision to do so. Live and let live. Our blog is about discussion. It's always interesting to see what other moms have to say about current events.