RE: what maeks you think you are qualified to teach your children? (Full Version)

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peculiar_lady2 -> RE: what maeks you think you are qualified to teach your children? (4/7/2008 12:13:24 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChelseaRae

Thank you ladies!!! You are all so wonderful.

I will put a link to this thread when I reply to her, I will let you know how that turns out.

I`m really not all that concerned about what she thinks, she obviously knows nothing about homeschooling and has done no research to back up her opinion, I just want to educate her, that is my main purpose.

all you can do is point her in the right direction, it's up to her to open her own mind to outside thinking and educate herself. I hope and pray she gets it though...cause closed minded thinking doesn't get you anywhere



roligirl -> RE: what maeks you think you are qualified to teach your children? (4/7/2008 4:40:14 PM)

My college degree has been very helpful in homeschooling our children- it gets me out of the parental certification classes required in some states! In WA and CO, so many college credits seems to qualify you to the "professionals" that you are okay to educate your children. I can share the college experience with my children, help them navigate the application process, and emphathize with late night study sessions, but my degree doesn't make me a better teacher.

I have met so many ex-elementary teachers that are now homeschoolers, that share how they have to throw everything they learned out the window. Their education tends to be just an obstacle when they go to homeschool their own children.



creationtalk -> RE: what makes you think you are qualified to teach your children? (4/7/2008 9:44:50 PM)

I am qualified to teach my son because I am his mother. I need no other qualification. I have his best interests at heart and am willing to spend all week working on his pronunciation of the sh sound if that what it takes for him to finally get it. I'd like to find a public school teacher who has both the time and the desire to expend that much energy on a single child. I am willing to work with my child to help him channel his excess energy in positive directions rather than drug him into compliance...

Of course, for the purposes of your friend...I have a masters degree in math, a masters and PhD in physics, the equivalents to MS degrees in astrophysics and chemistry--I am qualified (and have) taught all four subjects on the university level. When I was teaching math, a good portion (20%) were teaching students. It was that experience that made me decide to homeschool. Until I taught a few of the nation's future teachers (current teachers now, presumably, since that was 17 years ago) it would never have entered my head to homeschool. However, in those few years I learned enough about teaching credentials and many (not all, but more than 60 %) of the student teachers, that I did not want them anywhere near the education of any child of mine. I began researching homeschooling then and I discovered that homeschool students, regardless of the education level of the parent tend to score better on standardized tests than PS students. I also learned a lot about how children learn. Most children are either visual or kinestetic learners...most schools are geared primarily to auditory learners with some for the visual learners. Sorry I'm not sure of the resources with statistics now. It's been a long time. You may be able to find a link on the A2Z Home's Cool website (google the name, the URL has changed since I was last there and I can't remember it).

do a search on John Gato (I believe that is the name) he was named teacher of the year multiple times in New York State, and has some very scathing things to say about public schools



Jenny-Fair -> RE: what makes you think you are qualified to teach your children? (4/7/2008 10:42:53 PM)

John Holt was widely recognized as an amazing teacher, and his books are very anti-PS-model.

Well, I tutored college students in 13 subjects for pay...but I don't think that is what qualifies me to teach my own kids.



peculiar_lady2 -> RE: what makes you think you are qualified to teach your children? (4/8/2008 11:11:25 AM)

I simply didn't choose to go to college...I could have but it wasn't God's plan for my life (at this time....if in the future He opens that door then I will). In high school I was in honors classes...I was in Who's Who Among American Highschool Students two years running...I have a whole box of awards and ribbons from stuff I excelled at in high school...I have worked in very tedious and technical jobs (worked at a television station for six years)...I have scored genius level on IQ tests. The only thing that would "disqualify" me according to your friend's thinking is that I wasn't smart enough to pay for a piece of paper saying I had the right to teach. Would I excel at college? Yes...more then likely....cause that's just how I am. I got my mom through her college courses a few years ago by tutoring her every night. I just don't see what my level of education has to do with what my kids learn, when they learn it, or how they learn it.



Jenny-Fair -> RE: what makes you think you are qualified to teach your children? (4/8/2008 11:29:49 AM)

quote:

I just don't see what my level of education has to do with what my kids learn, when they learn it, or how they learn it.

According to statistics, they don't. [;)]



ChelseaRae -> RE: what makes you think you are qualified to teach your children? (4/8/2008 2:33:45 PM)

Well I included the link to this thread in the email I sent back to her, we will see how that goes!

quote:

I am qualified to teach my son because I am his mother. I need no other qualification. I have his best interests at heart and am willing to spend all week working on his pronunciation of the sh sound if that what it takes for him to finally get it. I'd like to find a public school teacher who has both the time and the desire to expend that much energy on a single child. I am willing to work with my child to help him channel his excess energy in positive directions rather than drug him into compliance...

quote:



What qualifies me to teach my kids? My love for them, my hope for their future, and the God who gave them to me.


AMEN!!!!



hillbillywoman -> RE: what makes you think you are qualified to teach your children? (4/12/2008 5:49:41 PM)

Let's see...the fact that I have normal intelligence, good common sense, and a strong determination to see it through...that is what qualifies me to teach my kids.

As to the argument that "certified" teachers are qualified, well, that is not always the case. When I was in public high school in the mid to late 70"s, I had an Algebra teacher who could not do the problems himself, much less teach his class anything. I remember getting most of the problems wrong on a test, but he gave me a passing grade anyway. Other people who had him for a teacher has said the same thing.

Then there is my own daughter...when I pulled her out of pubic school in grade 7, I gave her a diagnostic test to see what level she was on in Math and English. The results showed her to be on a 5th grade level in both areas. Funny how she managed to pass on to the next grade level in public school, isn't it? I was shocked! This child did so well in homeschooling that she ended up graduating one year ahead of her public school peers. One year before she graduated, at age 16, and having just finished 10th grade at home, she took a college entrance exam in Math and English. The college advisor told me afterwards that she scored "better than most high school graduates" ! Wow! (Quite a success for a child being taught by an "unqualified" mom who had nothing but a high school diploma.)

Then there is my 21 year old son. His girlfriend is a senior in highschool. Ever since her junior year, he has been tutoring her in English and Math. She had not been doing well. Her grades improved after my son began helping her. Anyway, my point is that my son has never attended college, yet he was able to "teach" high school subjects. He even helped her with a Chemistry problem, though he had never had Chemistry. I asked him how he knew that , and he said it was something he learned on his job.

Then there is my youngest son. He knows alot about computers and technology. He learned these things on his own as I know very little about these things.

Education comes in various ways. The classroom with a certified teacher is not the only way, or even the best way. Learning often comes from experimenting, reading on one's own, observation, the work environment, etc. Abraham Lincoln only had about one or two years of formal education, yet, as a result of his love of reading and thirst for knowledge, he became a lawyer and then went on to become President of the U.S. Thomas Edison did not do well in public school, but his mom allowed him to experiment at home to his heart's content. He became a great inventor. It was the same with Albert Einstein. These men were mainly homeschooled. As far as I know, their parents were not "qualified" or "certified" to teach them either.



hishandmaid -> ~ (4/12/2008 6:15:12 PM)

I will tell you what makes me think "you" are qualified to teach your children:

God gave them to you [;)] !



3cappuccinosmom -> RE: ~ (4/15/2008 12:35:55 PM)

I meant to reply to this thread a long time ago. Chelsea, I hope your friend is reasonable enough at least to respect your intelligence and ability to teach your own child.

Homeschooling is sooooo different from teaching in the classroom. I would definately want some sort of training for managing 15-20 children at once! I'd need a course in Crowd Management, for one. [:D] The thing is, in a classroom, a teacher has to take into account all those different learning styles, IQ's and abilities, and somehow come up with a class that meets the needs of every child.

The neat thing about homeschooling is, I already know my children and what they need and how they learn best, and I am not bound by the clock or a set curriculum, so I can give them what they need, and take as much time as they need. If they can't retain anything in the morning, I can save school for afternoon when they can concentrate, or the other way around. I can bolster their book work with examples in every day life, immediately. When we get to fractions, we are going to spend most of our math time in the kitchen, baking. They can't possibly hate math doing that. [:D]

Also, if I ever hit a point where I truly feel I cant' do a good job, there are a myriad resources out there for just such an occasion. Our area has co-ops, and some of the teachers are college profs and ex-ps teachers. I can even recruit my dad and mom (medical degree) for a lecture or two if I feel my kids need something more in depth for science and history.

Interesting thing about my dad--he is a doctor, but he taught for several years in a private school, and this is what he taught: English, writing, German, and history. [:D] He was the absolute favorite teacher too and did an excellent job, even though his degree had nothing to do with any of those subjects. [:D]



hillbillywoman -> RE: what maeks you think you are qualified to teach your children? (4/17/2008 2:57:48 PM)

Oh, another thing that makes me qualified to teach my children through high school at home is the fact that I have graduated from high school myself, with honors ("A" average for the four years combined) . I figure if I learned well enough to pass myself, then I am quite capable of teaching someone else what I have learned.

I am so glad that in VA where I live, homeschooling parents having only a high school diploma can now use that fact as a basis for being qualified to teach their children at home.



lightshineon -> RE: what maeks you think you are qualified to teach your children? (4/20/2008 2:20:30 AM)

Well I am scared, but cannot do any worse.



hillbillywoman -> RE: what maeks you think you are qualified to teach your children? (4/20/2008 9:31:52 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: lightshineon

Well I am scared, but cannot do any worse.


Precisely! When I first took my daughter out of public school due to her worsening behavioral problems and declining grade scores, my husband told me he sure hoped I knew what I was doing. I replied that, no, I didn't know what I was doing, but the education she would receive at home sure would not be any worse than what she was getting at school, and her attitude just might improve once she was away from the peer pressure associated with the public school environment.



lightshineon -> RE: what maeks you think you are qualified to teach your children? (4/20/2008 11:05:11 AM)

Hi hillbilly woman how old was you daughter, when you took her out? If you do not mind me asking, ho did she feel about it?
quote:

ORIGINAL: hillbillywoman

quote:

ORIGINAL: lightshineon

Well I am scared, but cannot do any worse.


Precisely! When I first took my daughter out of public school due to her worsening behavioral problems and declining grade scores, my husband told me he sure hoped I knew what I was doing. I replied that, no, I didn't know what I was doing, but the education she would receive at home sure would not be any worse than what she was getting at school, and her attitude just might improve once she was away from the peer pressure associated with the public school environment.



hillbillywoman -> RE: what maeks you think you are qualified to teach your children? (5/1/2008 6:13:47 PM)

My daughter was in 7th grade, 12, almost 13 years old. She resisted being taken out of school. She screamed that we were ruining her life. She is now 24, works in the bookkeeping dept. of one of our local banks, married to a wonderful Christian man, and is expecting her first child. After coming of age, she told me that we did not ruin her life and she now says she wants to homeschool her own children.
quote:

ORIGINAL: lightshineon

Hi hillbilly woman how old was you daughter, when you took her out? If you do not mind me asking, ho did she feel about it?
quote:

ORIGINAL: hillbillywoman

quote:

ORIGINAL: lightshineon

Well I am scared, but cannot do any worse.


Precisely! When I first took my daughter out of public school due to her worsening behavioral problems and declining grade scores, my husband told me he sure hoped I knew what I was doing. I replied that, no, I didn't know what I was doing, but the education she would receive at home sure would not be any worse than what she was getting at school, and her attitude just might improve once she was away from the peer pressure associated with the public school environment.




CropDuster -> RE: what makes you think you are qualified to teach your children? (5/2/2008 6:40:01 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChelseaRae

Got your attention didn't I?[;)][8D]

A good friend of mine and I got together over Easter and she decided to express some of her concerns over my desire to homeschool. She doesn't feel that parents who don't have degrees are qualified to teach their children. She also had all of the other silly 'socialization' and 'how will they survive in the real world!?!' concerns but I quickly dispelled those.

This is what she said:
quote:

One thing I did think of regarding certified teachers - yes I would guess that most of teacher's college is about learning teaching strategies, classroom management etc which I would agree, you as your kid's parent would probably be able to handle very well because you know and have raised her/them. However, most teachers also have an undergrad degree and indeed a specific teachable area. Since I have just gone through (almost) four years of university education and am weeks away from getting a degree I can tell you that very little compares to this experience and wealth of knowledge obtained. Yes, in the elementary years the education and teachers are a bit more general if you will, but at the high school level teachers possess "expertise" in a given field that they themselves studied at university, for me it would be animal biology (or I guess just biology in general) and anthropology. I know you might think, well that's nice but I can read up on these topics and look at curricula for appropriate materials to teach with, but quite honestly, I don't think anything can really replicate having a degree. I feel very strongly about this having (almost) completed one - it better be respected and good for something. I realize you have half of a nursing qualification (there's a degree attached to that too I believe) but it's just that, half of it. I'm not trying to sound superior at all because I (almost) have a degree but I think there is tremendous value there that most teachers have. Again, based on what you said I am reasonably confident that you will adequately educate your children.


I love the part where she is reasonably confident my children will get an adequate education.[sm=shakinghead.gif]

I was hoping you wonderful ladies could point me to some websites or studies or some homeschooling statistics? Her ignorance on the subject is obvious and I can see she has done no research to back up what she said, I would like to give her something to think about.


As you know, American public schools are a mess, given the state of our culture today. Children really are much better off attending smaller, safer, better administered schools. Use approved textbooks, monitor your kids's progress against the state-mandated tests for their grade-levels, ensure they do well on the SAT, and they'll do fine. Public schools, especially really big ones, are so wild, crazy and mismanaged, only about 25% of a student's time and energy go into academics. Even if a student were to find himself in a group of excellent students, school administration in big schools constantly disrupts instruction, without batting an eye.



Sunnymom -> RE: what makes you think you are qualified to teach your children? (5/2/2008 7:32:56 AM)

quote:

I was hoping you wonderful ladies could point me to some websites or studies or some homeschooling statistics? Her ignorance on the subject is obvious and I can see she has done no research to back up what she said, I would like to give her something to think about.


There was a study done by The Abell Foundation about the value of certification- Teacher Certification Reconsidered: Stumbling for Quality. It's only 80 pages long....[:D]

I wrote a blog post about this topic the other day- The Elusive Quality of Effectiveness- and in it I included an interesting blurb from The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel-

quote:

Overall, findings about the relationship between teacher certification (i.e., licensure) and student achievement in mathematics have been mixed, even among the most rigorous and highest-quality studies. Research in this area has not provided consistent or convincing evidence that students of teachers who are certified to teach mathematics gain more than those whose teachers are not. The relationship between teacher certification status, the most inexact proxy for teachers’ content knowledge, and students’ mathematics achievement remains ambiguous. (p.35-36)


Basically, they don't know what makes a good teacher a good teacher, and certification/advanced degrees are not a reliable indicator of teacher effectiveness.

What most folks don't get is that it isn't the amount of knowledge and years of experience stored in one's head that makes someone a good teacher- it is the ability to communicate that information and inspire and motivate the student that makes someone a good teacher. And how does one go about quantifying THAT?

If anyone has the ability to communicate to a student it should be the parent that knows them intimately, and is also more highly motivated, being as the student in question is their own child. The teacher does not need an intimate knowledge of the subject to guide the student to quality resources or knowledgeable mentors- which is where most folks disconnect when it comes to HSing- they think the mom or dad does ALL the teaching, when in reality (yeah- let's bring REALITY into this, shall we?) what homeschooling parents do is direct and determine the means and methods of the children's education.

I personally know three boys, (and the mother of two of those boys dropped out in 8th grade) who taught themselves calculus. All she had to be smart enough to do was find them a good quality self-taught curriculum.

We err when we continue to define home education by how traditional schools operate. Home education does not in any way resemble the dynamic of one teacher attempting to impart information to 20-30 kids who are basically strangers, while meeting NCLB goals and prepping for year end tests.

Because the teacher is receiving funds from the taxpayers to provide a service, I can understand the need for certification and accountability. The same happens when you get a manicure, or a haircut, or go to a restaurant, or receive medical treatment.

But who here cuts their kids' fingernails and toenails, performs first aid, prepares food, and gives haircuts on a regular basis without a license? Oh, gloom, despair, and agony on me! How dare you attempt such things without a medical degree or beautician's license or being inspected by the Health Dept? [8|]

Like I said on my blog- home educators acquiring a teaching degree is like fitting an elephant for a tuxedo- what would be the point?



Jenny-Fair -> RE: what makes you think you are qualified to teach your children? (5/2/2008 11:09:08 AM)

quote:

Use approved textbooks, monitor your kids's progress against the state-mandated tests for their grade-levels, ensure they do well on the SAT, and they'll do fine

I take it you have little homeschooling experience[;)] 'approved textbooks'? Do you mean the books the schools use? In our 10 years of homeschooling so far, we have only used a couple of textbooks, and never one that a school would use. And state-mandated tests for grade levels--by that do you mean the tests the kids in schools have to take? Because in my state, we aren't allowed to take them. Some states don't require testing at all. My state requires assessing or using one of a huge list of standardized tests, at the parents' discretion.



ChelseaRae -> RE: what makes you think you are qualified to teach your children? (5/2/2008 4:08:35 PM)

Hmm... I love that 'makes' is spelled wrong in the title of my thread... that makes me look super intelligent doesn't it? It would appear I have become a little too relaxed about proofreading.

Thanks Sunnymom! I sent her a link to that blog post as an afterthought to my email. I still haven't heard anything but I will let you know when I do!

eta... okay why is it spelled correctly when I look at it in the folder but when I click the title there is a typo??



PrincessDonna -> RE: what makes you think you are qualified to teach your children? (5/2/2008 4:48:16 PM)

I think it's because you spelled it wrong at first (simple typo...implies nothing about your intellect[8D]), and then others replied before you fixed it.



ezri -> RE: what makes you think you are qualified to teach your children? (5/2/2008 9:10:46 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Jenny-Fair

quote:

Use approved textbooks, monitor your kids's progress against the state-mandated tests for their grade-levels, ensure they do well on the SAT, and they'll do fine

I take it you have little homeschooling experience[;)] 'approved textbooks'? Do you mean the books the schools use? In our 10 years of homeschooling so far, we have only used a couple of textbooks, and never one that a school would use. And state-mandated tests for grade levels--by that do you mean the tests the kids in schools have to take? Because in my state, we aren't allowed to take them. Some states don't require testing at all. My state requires assessing or using one of a huge list of standardized tests, at the parents' discretion.



What's a textbook?

Okay- I will concede we have them, but they are used more as reference material than schooling. We have several High school and college level science books that my eldest son has picked up off the sale shelf at the library. Never spent more than 1.00 on any one of them.

Scary? Not using a "textbook"? Not really. Consider that this high school graduate has been doing this since 1997 and has a daughter graduating in less than 2 weeks with 17 credit hours from the local community college toward her Associates in Fine Arts: Music. [;)] I wonder who taught her to get out there and get it done? it is crazy huh? She sat and helped one of the Prof's tally and input grades today while I tore down the Art Show Photo Exhibit down the hall. All her prof's love her and say they wish they had 10 more just like her. I laugh and say REALLY! I got 5 more at home! They all say "Send them on!"

I think the proof is in the pudding.

Someone said above that they believed in the CHOICE. I choose to homeschool. I love it, I promote it- I do not push the life style on anyone else. You do what is best for you and your family and allow me the right to do what I feel is right for mine... with or without a teaching certificate.

~e



keelgirl -> RE: what maeks you think you are qualified to teach your children? (5/3/2008 10:56:59 PM)

I'm new on the crosswalk fourms and have been absorbing everything. I read most of this forum and I laughed. I was homeschooled my whole education, went to college graduating before I turned 21, with a degree in Elementry Education. My original intent was to get this degree because I wanted to be the best educator for my kids, then I realized God had a bigger plan. My first year teaching I taught 6th grade reading at a low income area school, basically like one they would make movies about. I loved teaching, I took this year off to be with my now one year old son. But I must say for the "certified teacher" perspective, when a homeschooled student comes into the classroom, those students are usually wayyyyyyy behind in school. Their parents are the ones who dont' make their kids do anything, we all have them in our homeschool groups, they are the ones who go to the public schools and give homeschoolers a bad rep.
When I interned my supervising teacher was floored when I told her I was homeschool my whole life, cause she had never seen a homeschooled person who was actually personable and smart.

I just want to encourage yall(yeah I said yall) that no matter if you have a degree or not doesn't matter, just do your best and if you know you can't teach a subject like algebra (my mom couldnt) then perhaps get with someone else in your group who can and get them to teach your child that subject (thats what my mom did).

have mercy on the pre/new teachers also, we have the best intentions and only want to help, some just don't understand. :-)



cynthia -> RE: what maeks you think you are qualified to teach your children? (5/3/2008 11:50:28 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: keelgirl
But I must say for the "certified teacher" perspective, when a homeschooled student comes into the classroom, those students are usually wayyyyyyy behind in school. Their parents are the ones who dont' make their kids do anything, we all have them in our homeschool groups, they are the ones who go to the public schools and give homeschoolers a bad rep.
When I interned my supervising teacher was floored when I told her I was homeschool my whole life, cause she had never seen a homeschooled person who was actually personable and smart.

This is a good point. I think a lot of homeschooled children that end up in school do so when their parents give up after having not accomplished much academically. I know someone that will probably happen with. The only reading and math she knows is from what my children have taught her, but it's very inconsistent. Her family is not education oriented and I don't think they read to her at all. When she goes to school (and I think she eventually will) her teachers are going to think that homeschoolers are idiots. She's a bright, sweet child, but is going to struggle with being so far behind her peers academically.



ezri -> RE: what maeks you think you are qualified to teach your children? (5/4/2008 10:30:48 AM)

Not everyone is cut out to home school- Horror stories? I am certain all of us have known a family or two during our Homeschooling years that would fit the mold Keel gave. I tell folks that we are literature based beings. I know our weakness is math and I find ways to fix that. But being literature based beings I nearly freaked out at a murder mystery birthday party we attended a month or so ago when in a room of 15 girls ages 15-18 three of them struggled to read their lines in the script. I mean really struggled. BAD. I had to nudge my then 15yo to STOP correcting/reading out the words they were struggling with because it was becoming a horrible embarrassment for them.

Perhaps these are the kids I need to hook the one I "nudged" up with. She can teach them that reading dictionaries is fun and they could teach her that math is the BOMB! right?


~ezri



hillbillywoman -> RE: what maeks you think you are qualified to teach your children? (5/4/2008 4:51:47 PM)

Out of approximately 60 families in my area that homeschool, I know of about 2 children from two different households who have not seemed to have done well. This is a very low percentage. One child was being supervised by a mother that seemed a bit "green" (low I.Q). Her child had to return to public school, which was for the best in her situation. The other child was being supervised by a mother who had alot of emotional problems resulting from the violent death of an older child. She did not seem to devote much time to the education of her remaining child.

In situations like these, when the kids return to public school and are behind, it does give homeschooling a bad rap. However, for those parents who are mentally stable and who decide to stick it out and let nothing hinder them, homeschooling produces great results.

Like a previous poster said, if homeschooling parents don't know a subject, they will find someone else to help them. I did just that when it came time for my daughter to take Algebra I. I did not have it in highschool, and did not know it. So, I enrolled my daughter in our local community college in order for her to take that one class. I also enrolled and took it right along with her! That way, when the time came for my two younger kids to take it, I would be able to help them .

There are also videos for various high school subjects, which are being taught by college professors. These are great to use when a parent does not know a subject. Parents learn right along with their kids. Actually, homeschooling has not just educated my kids; it has also better educated ME ! I have learned things through homeschooling my kids, that I had never learned in my own public school years.



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