Why do those against home school question teacher qualifications?

Question

Are public school teachers better qualified to teach than parents?
Does being trained in particular curriculum produce better results than parent who teaches to child's specific learning style, interests, and needs?

Answer 1

Some might actually be concerned about the quality of education but most have an agenda. Many criticize homeschooling based on ignorance. People think they know what homeschooling is based on what they have been told, what they have read in the newspaper or what they have seen on tv. They typically hear or read negative things and form negative opinions on homeschooling. Of course, good news doesn't sell newspapers or drive tv ratings so we typically see the few abuses of homeschooling coming from these outlets.

Also, people are naturally conformists and are threatened by things that are different and people who are willing to blaze a new path. Even though homeschooling is not new and was actually the primary way to educate kids in the early years of our country, it is now seen as new and very different from the norm. People are not comfortable with this. It is foreign to them. They feel threatened by it and as a result feel the need to criticize it.

Lastly, people like the teacher who opposes homeschooling do so because it threatens the power base of the educational establishment. The NEA has issued policy statements against homeschooling. They feel threatened by a bunch of "untrained non-professional teachers" who do a better job than public school teachers who are the supposed trained professionals. The vast majority of teachers are critical of homeschoolers based on this bias and/or their "vast" experience with a couple of homeschoolers who didn't measure up in their eyes. Odds are you are related to, are friends with or live near a teacher, administrator or someone else in the educational field. It is a massive field which is expanding at an exponential rate, mainly in the rank of overpaid administrators. Few of them have a kind word to say about homeschooling, which they see as the competition. It must be humiliating to be a "trained professional" and be outdone by the untrained parents.

Homeschoolers outperform both public and private schooled kids on standardized tests. This is despite the fact that many public school classes have become glorified test prep courses. Very sad.

Answer 2

Like anything else in society that is different they questions, make fun of, often don't like because it doesn't conform to what society deams "nromal" and right. It is so sad. We live in such a judgemental world. If they would only take the time to research homeschooling thoroughly before opening their trap to say anything or have solid "Proof" that these parents aren't qualified. How in the heck do they know that these parents aren't qualified to teach their kids? Do they live in that house to watch what goes on? Do they know specifically what knowledge the parents have? What schooling they have had themselves? What their degree is in? I think not. No being trained in a particular curriculumn does not give better results. I know first hand because I am a former Teacher and now am homeschooling and have talked with former Teachers who are and have homeschooled. You don't get very much time to reserch the new curriculumn. Like the parents who homeschool we have to reserch on our own time and essentially learn it at home and learn as we go and teach the children. We learn over time just like parents on what works and what doesn't. It isn't like Teachers get a curriculmn and get a whole year to learn it in a classroom with an Instructor. I don't know what these people that have these comments are talking about. I think those that open their big traps just do so out of sheer Ignorance. I don't know why people even want to waste their breath on something they haven't researched and really have knowledge about.



You really have to shrug these type of comments and people off. Our world is full of Idiots that like to yack their heads off about things they have no clue about because they haven't experienced it themselves.

Answer 3

There's no reason they should. I would agree with glurpy that I was not taught in college with the same curriculum that was later used in the elementary classrooms that I taught in. I did have some classes that were useful to me in homeschool, for example some classes that I happened to take as electives such as Children's Literature. But you could learn the same info by reading books about selecting children's literature from the library and save yourself a lot of money and time.



I was also taught some inaccurate information. For example, one of the big trends of the time 10 years ago when I received my degree was the "whole language" trend and phonics was looked down on. Since then, of course phonics has been found to be an important part of a reading program.





The trend, at least in my classes was that teaching could produce perfect students. For example, if you as a teacher in your classroom were doing everything right, every child should be a perfect reader, perfect in every subject, etc. There should be no special needs students, dyslexics, etc. I personally do not agree with this theory. (Having two special needs children with dyslexia and my dh and mil also have dyslexia I really doubt that, esp. when my son attended school & had tutoring from me and was still having reading problems like his dad and grandmother before him.)



Also, a lot of teaching classes are geared to teaching large groups rather than one or a few children. So I think that a teaching degree is nice to have when you are homeschooling, but I have learned 95% of what I know as a home school teacher from the actual experience of home schooling my two children, reading home school books, and home school sites like this one!



Edit: Sorry, I just wanted to add after reading the comments below mine. We have gotten my children diagnosed, they also have been diagnosed with sensory integration & PDD-NOS which autism spectrum (although through our private insurance, the public school system said my son should be just fine!) and my children have had OT and speech therapies and play therapy and psych visits and all the therapies.



Btw, I think homeschooling is also a great idea when you are doing all these therapies, I think it would be very disruptive to try to attend regular school and be missing classes and school to try to attend a lot of the therapies. We were able to fit therapies and activities into our school day with the least disruption, although now that the children are older we have finished up therapies at least for the time being.



I was just trying to make the point that the universities, or at least the one I attended, teach that learning disabilities are often just the result of incorrect teaching, & that testing for them should be a last resort. Actually you should be testing for autism & reading disabilities as soon as you realize there may be a problem so you can start appropriate therapies!!I think a lot of home school moms probably know more than the average student teacher truthfully.

Answer 4

It is hype. The public educational system in the U.S. for the most part is a failing one. If you are a part of this conglomerate, monopoly, you have to be certified to be counted as anything. If you are a school, it has to be accredited. Unfortunately, as you can see, Accredited schools and certified teachers don't always produce avid learners.



Parents can be better teachers, in many cases. Parents often are ignorant of this fact and are intimidated by the system.



Let me say something here. I believe that there are many excellent schools and teachers in our country. Unfortunately most are stuck in a bad system. Their hands are really tied and the best that they can offer doesn't shine through.



Parents make better teachers if they dedicate themselves to the task because they don't have to answer to the Government in the same fashion.



If you are ever in S.D., There is a place called Mt. Rushmore. Check it out. All four of those great men were products of homeschooling.



The trend to homeschooling is accelerating because families are shifting priorities. There are less distractions and your curriculum can be greatly expanded.



On a personal note, my wife started homeschooling our children without any formal training. While training our children, she went back to school and have obtained a Master's Degree. So, just like a good teacher who continues to hone his or her craft, a parent who desires to homeschool has the same options. The just happen to be able to do it without jumping through hoops.

Answer 5

People presume homeschool is run identically to public school. In reality, most homeschoolers work toward a self-directed learning goal. This means that instead of opening up the top of a child's head and dumping in knowledge, the child is taught how to seek out answers. Children might contact experts, visit museums, read books, or search appropriate websites. Parents and children often learn together and teach each other. This allows children to develop an excitement for learning and the ability to learn throughout life, whether or not a class is available. This type of learning best prepares children for college, where much of the learning happens independently. In addition, when the family learns together, it strengthens the family bond and encourages intelligent dinner table conversation.



When I was in school, teachers often stayed one chapter ahead of the students. The facts I memorized there escape me today, but the self-directed learning my parents taught me after school remain with me still, helping me immeasurably in my career as a professional author.

Answer 6

Oh thank you so much for asking this so that I can vent!!!! I started homeschooling my son when he was in mid 4th grade. Prior to that, he attended private Christian schools from pre-school on. Oh how I wish I had those thousands of dollars back!!! The teachers couldn't even spell, the administrators of the school (Lutheran) were more interested in forcing the children to learn at break-neck speeds and to learn at grade levels one or two levels ahead, instead of teaching at a reasonable pace and providing a Christian atmosphere. It was pure hell...if a child couldn't complete 100 multiplication equations within 3 minutes, they were punished and shamed in front of the other students. Thank God I was able to quit my full time job and start homeschooling. No one supported my idea of homeschooling..not my husband, not my mother, and not many of my friends. But I knew that I had the intelligence and patience to teach my child, so I became self-taught about every subject that he needed to learn. He went from a child who hated school, feared and loathed math, and had a poor self-image (thanks to the Lutheran schools), to a young man who now LOVES and does very well in math and all subjects, is confident, is volunteering, is kind and mature. I am so incredibly proud of him!! And I'm proud of myself!!! It took tons of courage for me to decide to homeschool, and I still have times when I worry that I'm doing the right thing, but here he is, in the last month of 8th grade, and is going to start a correspondence course out of North Dakota for high school. If a parent stays focused and dedicated then the child can thrive and learn to love learning. We have had art class on the front porch on sunny days, math and English class at the park after walking the bike path, so many great and priceless memories. I would highly recommend an on-line course called "Time4Learning", which is $19.95 per month and is free the first 30 days. Saxon Math is the very best I've found, and you can find lots of used Saxon Math on ebay and Amazon.

Answer 7

Children learn best from life experiences - be it holidays in new cultures, the zoo, the beach. A program is a program. I don't know enough about home schooling really to comment on the learning styles and needs. But you would certainly know your child more regarding their interests!!!! If your child has learning difficulties or some form of special needs then I would assume that you would have taken your child to the relevent proffesionals ( eg Behavioural psych, speech therapist, occupational therapists would all set you in directions and strategies/ adjustments in programs needed) I only wish as a teacher in a classroom that I had more 1:1 time with each child - rather than sharing myself in limited time between 35 children! In Australia ( being a massive country with lots of outback!!! ) we have plenty of long distance education via the internet and web cam - similiar to home schooling ( I would guess?) They have programs across all learning areas and a teacher on the cam. There really is such a thing as social, emotional, and cognitive development. You are taking care of the cognitive - and as long as the child has other children around to develop his/her emotional and social development then all your bases are covered! We are 'trained' in teaching, including all of the learning areas as well as educational psychology and behaviour management. Then we specialise in different areas etc Having said this resources thanks to the internet are available to all! I have seen teachers that are brilliant 'academically' and are extremely intelligent, but there is no care/warmth in their classes. Seen some that are in it for the control!!!! TERRIBLE!!! Me, I'm heart...so I'm in it for the love of the job and hopefully making some change for the better. I don't believe one to be better than the other! That 1:1 attention is certainly priceless. I would assume you know about the multiple intelligences - always interesting. As for people and their opinions don't take it onboard - perhaps they need you to educate them further...ignorance is bliss for some!

Now...do teachers make better parents? LOL...(I haven't any children yet :( and I would love a whole tribe!) It seems to be the law of nature that psychs and chalkies have the worst behaved!

Good on you - and goodluck.

Answer 8

Parents that homeschool are always going that extra mile to make sure their children have the best education that can be provided for them.



Those against homeschool that question the qualifications of people who homeschool are simply looking for some reason, to point fingers and say "You can't do it!".



We get the same teacher editions of student text books (with the answers) that we use just like any teacher does when we buy our curriculum. We research any curriculum we create just like any teacher does. The difference is we can take as long as needed on any one subject if the student isn't 'getting it' to make sure they do 'get it'.



And homeschooled children do get to be around other children and socialiZe.. the whole issue of 'socialization' was begun for no other reason than to create prejudice against homeschooling.

Answer 9

Because our nation missed the point of that To Kill a Mocking Bird scene where scout was told that even though she could some how read, that it was wrong for her father to teach her because he didnt know how(that part always makes me laugh). Unfortunately in order to be seen as intelligent by society you have to conform. But a degree wont make things perfect. I've asked several public school teachers about how much their education really prepared them and half of them said it was wonderful, the other half told me it was all crap. It really does depend on the teacher though. In most cases when a class doesnt respect their teacher they'll behave like a pack of wolves going in for the kill, but if they do respect their teacher(please note I said

"respect" not "like") they're like little angels awaiting a message from heaven.

Answer 10

" But we, the teachers, actually learn what the best ways are to motivate children and to give them knowledge."



Interesting. I was never taught that in my teacher training. However, just about any parenting book and website can give someone ideas on how to motivate a child. As for "giving them knowledge"... What??? How hard is it to show a child that 1+1 is 2? And with they myriad of programs out there designed to have parents teach their kids to read and do basic math... All other knowledge can be learned by the child without having some adult see their job as "giving" the knowledge to them.





"Parents don't know everything about a certain subject, nor do teachers but I think their knowledge still goes deeper."



At the elementary level, I definitely have to disagree. I did not know the social studies nor the science curriculum I was teaching before I had to teach it. I used what was given to me to work with. And then the government changes the curriculum every 7-10 years, so it's always something new.



My own husband taught junior high science for 5 years. He didn't take a single course related to that in his teacher training.





"Plus, I still think it is essential for children to be around other children and socialise. "



So do I. That's why we do things with others regularly. I think it's horrible that kids are sequestered according to age for 7 hours a day for 12-13 years of their lives.





"Children also have to get a feeling for competition because although it is not nice, that is just what the outside world is like"



My children have been competitive with themselves and others since the day they were born. When I was in school, we didn't compete with each other except in sports or the odd game that was given and we were put into groups. I had no competition for grades. I don't know where this "ideal" of competition comes from. It's actually usually viewed as a BAD thing which is why we spend so much time trying to train kids to enjoy playing sports without focusing so much on the winning or losing, on looking at progress made instead of getting 100%. You might consider reading a few books on the effects of competition. Alfie Kohn's a good place to start. And using the cop out of "that's what life is like" is just that: a cop out. It's saying, "Well, it's unfortunate, but that's what life is like and there's nothing we can do about it so we shouldn't try." I disagree. I want my kids to be proud of themselves and what they do regardless of what others around them are doing. I think this is a step towards creating a better society instead of just acting as though I'm powerless to make a change.





"I'm totally against homeschooling, school is important in a child's process to become independant and learn how to solve problems with other children and teachers themselves."



Wow. So what did people do before mandatory schooling? Seems to me that kids were learning to be independent by the time they were 15/16 before they were all carted off to school and not graduating until they were 18. Now look at them--at 18, many are still very much kids and don't have a clue. College is often seen as some big party. They don't usually grow up and be truly independent until they're past 21. But you must be right: the Roosevelts, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln and others must never have learned how to become independent and solve problems.





"What about pedagogics and didactics? "



The pedagogics/didactics of home instruction are that there is one parent and usually a few children. You do not have to employ a variety of different techniques to meet 20-30 different learning styles. You do not have to stand up in front of the children and try to capture their interest. This is TUTORIAL learning. Furthermore, do professors have teaching degrees? Not in the slightest. Could any but those in the department of education tell you what pedagogics and didactics are? Nope. Does that make them bad teachers? Some, yes. Others, no.



Oh, and btw, many private schools do not require their teachers to have teaching certificates. Yet private schools often have better results than public schools. What does that say about teacher 'qualifications' being a requirement to teach someone well?



****

So, why are so many against the whole idea of homeschooling because of teacher qualifications? Because they don't understand homeschooling, they don't know how people learned in the past and they are too darn stuck in the model they grew up with and are currently living to think that anything beyond that could actually work.



ADDED:

Is the first responder German by any chance? Or at least influenced by Germany's laws forbidding homeschooling?



I don't know what education is like in Europe, but over in Canada and the US, it's strikingly similar and the kids at the high school level do most of their learning from books. Yes, it's handy to have someone teaching who has a deeper understanding than just what the books have, but sometimes teachers here DON'T (I lived it myself) and to not have that deeper understanding does not mean that basic education is suffering.



Btw, there are plenty of classes here that kids can take through summer, evening or weekend to learn things like German or even high school classes if the parents truly don't feel capable. HOMESCHOOLING DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN DOING ALL YOUR LEARNING AT HOME. There, enough said.

Answer 11

What about pedagogics and didactics?



I'll admit, I had to look those two up. Uh-oh, I just taught myself, but I am not qualified to do that!



As for motivating MY child.... I can do that better than anyone on the planet.

Answer 12

High school teachers Generally have a BA (that means 10 course in a field, like Science or English or Math or Art).



Most NEVER held a REAL WORLD JOB in their lives.



A metal head or punker who has played on stage doing originals or cover tunes for 10 years as a bass, guitar, drummer or keyboardist is FAR more qualified to teach music than any BA teacher is!



Even if they dropped out of high school.



A secretary, especially one trained in short hand (Gregg, for example) who has done it for 10 years, is FAR more qualifed to teach business, keyboarding, short hand and ENGLISH GRAMMAR than any BA high school teacher



These type of people would be able to get at least 40 to 60 units of COLLEGE EQIVALENT credit from many brick and mortar colleges that award class credit for work experience.



That's half a BA degree.



I did sound recording since I was 10, 8mm movies since I was 12, I went to electronics school at the age of 12, I've typed since I was 7 years old with all my fingers, I got into astronomy at the age of 11, was published in Sky and Telescope at the age of 16, taught myself dark room and astrophotography by age 15, went on to 16mm sound film work by the age of 19, produced my first TV commercial at the age of 29, taught myself guitar at the age of 17, started doing bass at the age of 18, taught myself keyboards by 20. Was on stage by 21. Produced my first musical recording which got ASCAP current performance status world wide in 1985 at the age of 40. Have been published in a wide variety of peridocials. I worked in the motion picture and audio music industry for 30 years off and on and am one of hte formost experts in Women Filmmakers, Animation and Music on Film and I used to teach university professors about new facts of history.



I taught myself BASIC, Modual2, Pascal, C and worked on the Atari ST, Amiga, PC DOS, PC Windows, MAC 64, TRS80, CP/M and I also studied a little Assembler.



I compiled a definitive book on BASIC covering 36 subsets on 12 platforms with substitutions and generic code.



I never finished college because I was too busy working.



There are few college professors in undergraduate work that can touch my skill levels.



Right now I deal with $500,000 in CAD CAM photographic manufacturing equipment and I take them apart and fix them, set them up, upgrade them and keep them working with a 97% up time level.



Now, WHAT, exactly are the credentials of your teachers in highschool.



What publications have they made. What music have the put on radio, what films have they put on TV, what shows have they don't at that Los Angeles Coliseum.



My former TV producing partners even got a show to pilot for NBC.



My former band mates produce for Saban and did the Power Ranger music.



I, myself, was responsible for putting material into TV shows like Space Above and Beyond, Nowhereman and music videos for CBS Epic records.



The only reason kids would rather be HIGH SCHOOLED then homeschooled by me is that HIGH SCHOOL is less demanding than I am.



I'll make them re-write papers 10 times until they get it right.



That's how I learned, that's how I get published.

Answer 13

The bigger problem than qualifications is that we are developing separate realities since Christian kids are home schooled or sent to religious schools and therefore have little overlap in common knowledge with everyone else, and of course are taught a profoundly skewed view of science.

Answer 14

Parents might have knowledge and a closer relationship with their children. But we, the teachers, actually learn what the best ways are to motivate children and to give them knowledge. Parents don't know everything about a certain subject, nor do teachers but I think their knowledge still goes deeper. Plus, I still think it is essential for children to be around other children and socialise.

Children also have to get a feeling for competition because although it is not nice, that is just what the outside world is like.

I'm totally against homeschooling, school is important in a child's process to become independant and learn how to solve problems with other children and teachers themselves.



Edit: s_elaine, we don't just point fingers, I explained why I don't think that "you can do it". What about pedagogics and didactics? Where are your skills and experiences in that department? You don't just learn things from books, you learn by experience, teachers have plenty of classes in their life while you maybe only have 2 children...



Well Glurpy, I'm not talking elementary level here. You think you can learn German as good as a native speaker with a master's degree and teach it to your children, I highly doubt it.

That goes for most other secondary school level subjects.



Other than that, don't be so arrogant Elaine, I live in Europe, it's still "socialise" here, look it up in a dictionary.



That's bs Earl D, really is, I have a master's degree. I started working when I was 14, I have done everything from cleaning lady to Mc Donalds. I worked as nurse's helper at an old people's home to pay for my education. That's rubbish that most teachers never had a real job.I believe I have seen a lot before going into teaching and am glad about it as well.