TA: Introductions for Home School

Some say that young students must be tested according to a standardized exam to ensure that their learning is sufficient for them to move on. Some say that there isn’t a need for this type of testing, that it ultimately damages the students. Others say that standardized tests are widely accepted in the entire world and therefore are part of our culture. While opinions range from the ideal to the practical what is not widely debated is the actual benefit of home school versus the normal pattern of public schooling. This paper will discuss the benefits of being home taught showing that this method gives the student a real chance at a rich education.

Children’s education has always been under wide debate. The problem presented was and is how to measure the students learning? First, there were no standardized tests. Children went through the education system being tested by personalized exams without regard to a state wide or nation wide standard. However, it was hard to measure students learning against other schools and states. Thus was born standardized testing in an attempt to raise all children to the same level of education. Thus problems came—teaching to the test, incentives leading to teacher and student cheating and a whole host of other problems which prompt the question are children really getting a good education? Do standardized tests really help kids learn or are they just making them good test takers? The most important in all of this is the students’ learning. Having already attempted various methods to educate children, and having not of yet reaped the full consequences, there must be another way to train and give a good education to the rising generation. This new method is nothing more than putting more responsibility on parents to teach their children in home settings with the public school system as a support. Exploring the facets of how to implement such a program will yield the discovery that together parents and schools co-teaching children will provide them with the best education possible.

Disclaimer--I have yet to really believe this!