The Teacher's Role in Providing a Positive Home Schooling Experience:
Home schooling parents have an apparent disadvantage to most educators, whom are working in the local schools. The majority of the home schooling parents do not have their state's funding resources for the supplies, needed to compete on the same level. This disadvantage, forces home schooling parents into being more creative in preparation and institution of subjects. There is much debate, about whether parents with a lesser degree of education, can compete with traditional schools available knowledgebase.
Each state has different core requirements, for students to complete in order for them to be proficient enough to graduate, or complete a General Educational Development or G.E.D. Testing successfully. Provided that all core classes or subjects are met, the state usually has no real objection, as to where the children obtain their education. However, generally state schools are upset because they are losing funding for missing kids, whom are being homeschooled instead of attending traditional schools.
Aside of the typically pointed reasons for taking children out of public school, such as violence, drugs, and un-proficient teachers, the parent has to take a role, of home educator and administrator. Making this decision is difficult. Yet, after the final decision is made, to bring your child home, it is a good idea to have a good relationship with a few credentialed teachers/tutors.
Standardized Testing and Funding of Public School Educators:
Currently, most states have requirements that must be met by each school and each teacher. These requirements will either be met or the school district will lose a percentage of their funding. Normal educational cuts, which have been seen in the past, have taken programs to expand the horizons of our children. In order for schools to remain in the good graces of the governmental demands, they are forced to teach our kids, how to pass state required standards testing. So, the ultimate losing party seems to be our children.
Standardized testing is a good thing, provided it allows each teacher to do their jobs. We send our children to a public school, on a daily basis. We do so, because one; our state requires our kids to have an education. Secondly, so we do not have to worry about all of the state's requirements being met. Lastly, we do this so that our children can compete in society, once they graduate High School. However, as of late, our children are not obtaining a quality education, due to forced over-crowding of class rooms and schools.
Overcrowding takes away the ability of our children to obtain assistance, when questions arise as to what is expected. Teachers whom are over-whelmed, at best, are stuck on trying to accommodate all of the kids, within a short hour or so, of class room time. Yet, since budget cuts seem to come at the whim of political wrangling, our children are being more and more left in an environment that is no more than a day care. In this way, teachers can provide a positive experience, in the home schooling experience.
Teachers are still important to us, even if our child or children do not attend their classrooms.
Developing a good relationship with our district schools, and district offices, parents who have chosen to take their children out of public school, can gain huge benefits. California asks home schooling parents to report results of testing and other information, pertaining to the educational development of children within their districts. This requirement is a good thing, for most, as it allows the schools to retain copies of testing results and other records, which give validation of the curriculums, being taught.
Maintaining an open relationship with the area school district, has given bonuses which assist the home schooling parents. School functions are seemingly always coming up, every month or so. An open relationship with schools and district offices, can give your child access to these opportunities, and relieve stress, on expanding educational experiences. However, the largest bonus lies in the access to their teacher roles.
Accessing a district's teacher roles, one can easily approach an educator and strike up an arrangement whereby the teacher will tutor and test your child, to assess his/her developmental progress. This tool, if available in your area, can ensure that your child is going to maintain a competitive edge, within the age or grade grouping, you are teaching them at. When you realize that you are not All Knowing, the relationships with an area teacher can fill in gaps, and give the child a different perspective, on lesson plans and projects. .