please help save home education!!!!!

Although my education is a result of public schooling, I fully support the right of the parents to place their children where they see fit. If you don't like the school system in you neighborhood and think it doesn't challenge your child enough, then your child can test into another school (I've done this at every level since elementary school and happy that I did so). If you think you can do a better job of it, then by all means do what is necessary to home-school your child.

There is never a reason to take a practical alternative off the table. Also, every child is like a snowflake in that each will not learn the exact same way, won't pick up on the what their peers did from the same lecture, won't care to or need to socialize like the others do, won't react the same way to schooling, won't grab or receive the same opportunities.

And ps, public school can't be all that bad or else the graduation rates at American colleges/universities would be crappy and reprehensible. Please remember not to disregard the garden for a few bad seeds.

Also, if that rate of functional literacy was so low, we'd all be dead...that kinda scares me:redface:

 

That is what standardized tests are for. Ironically, a lot of inner city kids in bad public schools fail the standardized tests. Perhaps we should clean up this public school disgrace before worrying much home schooling.

 

Ever heard of the generic use of the word "you," which refers to people in general, not the one you're speaking to? (sorry, I know that sounds a little rude, but I thought I needed to be blunt)

You were asking for stats that contradict yours from the person who claimed that people could create them if they want to, and therefore stats don't mean a thing, and I was pointing out why he doesn't bother quoting any. And the fact of the matter is, homeschooled kids don't represent the average child. You've said it yourself that homeschooling is a good idea because public school supposedly doesn't provide enough opportunities the above average child to advance at their own pace. I haven't known many homeschooled kids, but most of the ones I have were significantly above average in their academic abilities, and they talked about how their friends are at around the same level they are.

If that represents what many homeschooled children are like, it doesn't take into account all the children with learning disabilities, ESL students, students with behaviour/attitude problems that impact academic performance. People got all worried about Toronto when Toronto students performed poorly on the grade ten literacy test compared to several other school boards, and I thought that was ridiculous. Why should we be worried about our students when the reason we don't read English as a whole as well as the rest of the province when most of the immigrants are here? It doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the students or the schools, just that not as many people writing the test are fluent in English yet. Because there are more ESL students, it simply takes longer to make sure they get the assisance they need.

 

Ok, this has gone on long enough.