So I haven’t blogged in quite some time. I’ve been super busy as I am now homeschooling both of my children, which is kind of the topic of today’s post. I’ve always felt, even as a child, that the school system is very flawed. It’s in desperate need of total reform.
My 10 yr old is an intelligent kid as are most children when left to be themselves. It’s beyond me how since kindergarten, he’s been forced to work below his potential, despite off the charts test scores. Reading at a 12th grade level since the 1st grade, you’d think they would have a program for children who perform at higher rates than most…oops they do. They just wouldn’t allow him in. Although in public school, I also taught him at home. After 3 years of persistent efforts to encourage schools he needed to be challenged, I’ve withdrawn him and decided to educate him myself.
My 5 year old has never been in the school system. I saw early on that it wasn’t for him and after what I’d been through with my oldest, I refused to repeat that cycle.
In my heart of hearts, I feel all children are little scientists and have brilliant minds. They are ever curious and generally excited to explore and learn new things. I’ve observed many children and have witnessed this! It’s when we start telling them what and how to see, think, and feel, that they lose or forget independent thinking. Schools are a huge part of this.
Critical thinking is paramount if we are to live and be self sufficient in this world. Yet schools don’t afford our children this opportunity. Children are told to sit and be quiet. They are told how to look at things, which strips away their own perspective.
Sitting and writing and taking tests is NOT how children learn. Most only memorize the information given to them long enough to pass a test and then forget it. Our education system doesn’t give students enough time to master things. Their goal is more to beat out other countries in standardized testing than actually educating our young. Never mind the fact that some students grasp material faster than others or that most of them learn differently than how they’re taught. My son tests at least 2 grades ahead in Math. He was having issues at one point with the way his teacher instructed on how to solve problems. He got the correct answers having done the problems the way he understood. Still, he was penalized for not doing them as instructed even after informing the teacher that he was more comfortable with the way he knew.
Now that he’s at home, he’s is flourishing. He’s doing Math at a level that challenges him and actually enjoys learning. He’s allowed to CHOOSE what he’s interested in and learn about it. I feel when children like what they’re learning, they retain the knowledge better.
There are many parents and teachers who are fed up with the way our school systems are run but are afraid of the repercussions of speaking up. The future of our world depend on our youth. If we continue to allow the same regime, we can’t complain about the state of our world. We must stand up for our children and the teachers who actually want to teach. Teachers must take a stand for themselves and their students if things are to get better. Although my children are homeschooled, I’m still fighting for complete school reform because ALL children matter and we must be the voice for them as the school system doesn’t seem value theirs because they’re children.