Many parents do not realize that the education world
has changed drastically since they were in school. |
Why are we concerned?
Back in those days, schools were smaller, class sizes were smaller,
dropout rates were lower, violence in school was almost unheard of,
and teachers were not terrified of showing affection to the children, or of teaching and discussing moral values.
Even through rose-colored glasses, we know that school back then was no picnic, was far from perfect, but at
least the teachers and usually the principal knew every
student by name at a minimum, something which is not
necessarily true today.
Because
our public school system has now considerably
deteriorated, many parents, teachers, and
individuals have taken it upon themselves to create
public and private alternatives to that traditional
system which is definitely failing.
|
 It
is important for parents to know that they now have
choices, alternatives to the neighborhood school. |
How do you know that it is time
to look for another educational approach for your child?
Here are some of the signs:
1. Does your child say he or she hates school? If so,
something is probably wrong with the school because
children are natural learners. When they're young you
can hardly stop them from learning. If your children say
they hate school, listen to them.
2. Does your child find it difficult to look an adult in
the eye, or to interact with children younger or older
than they are? If so, your child may have become
"socialized" to that very narrow group which many
children ordinarily interact with in most schools, and
may be losing the ability to communicate with a broader
group of children and adults.
3. Does your child seem fixated on designer labels and
trendy clothes for school? This is a symptom of the
shallowness of the traditional schools' approach,
causing children to rely on external means of comparison
and acceptance, rather than deeper values.
4. Does your child come from school tired and cranky?
This is a sure sign that their educational experiences
are not energizing but are actually debilitating.
5. Do your children come home complaining about
conflicts that they've had in school and unfair
situations that they have been exposed to? This is a
sign that your school does not have a proper process for
conflict resolution and communication.
6. Has your child lost interest in creative expression
through art, music, and dance? These things are
generally not encouraged in the traditional system today
and are not highly valued. They're considered secondary
to the "academic" areas. In some cases, courses are not
even offered in these areas any more. This tends to
extinguish these natural talents and abilities in
children.
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7. Has your child stopped reading for fun, or reading or
writing for pleasure? Are your children doing just the
minimum for homework and going off for some escapist
activity? This is a sign that these spontaneous
activities are not being valued in their school and
another sign that they are losing their creativity.
8. Does your child procrastinate until the last minute
to do homework? This is a sign that the homework is not
very interesting, is not really meeting his or her
needs, and is tending to extinguish their natural
curiosity.
9. Does your child come home talking about anything
exciting that happened in school that day? If not, maybe
nothing exciting is happening for your child in school.
Would you want to keep working if your job was like
that?
10. Did the school nurse of guidance counselor suggest
that your child has some strange three lettered disease,
like ADD, and that they should now be given Ritalin or
some other drug? I suggest that it is more probable that
the school has the disease, EDD--Educational Deficit
Disorder, and time to get your child out of that
situation!
If your child has exhibited several of these
characteristics, it is time for you to start looking for
an alternative.
By
Jerry Mintz
Reprinted with permission
www.educationrevolution.org
800 769-4171
Bridgeway
Homeschool Academy has a passion for homeschooling
and a desire to provide the best homeschooling options
to parents and students all across the globe.
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Homeschoolacademy.com All Rights Reserved.
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How do you know that it is time to look for another
educational approach for your child?
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