A very lively discussion on the homeschooling forum asking homeschoolers why they do it turned into the need for a discussion on who is inherently responsible for the education of a child.
As one commenter pointed out, homeschooling set aside, most would agree that it is the parents responsibility to see that a child is educated. Still parents taking full responsibility through homeschooling are frowned upon.
In my neighborhood where I grew up there were several large families with many kids. Mine were one of them. For the most part, if the first child in the family was well educated and went to college, you could expect that from the rest of the children. Sure, there were exceptions, but you could expect a family to have mostly good results or mostly bad results.
No one ever looked at these families and said, “That kid had a bad third grade teacher who ruined him for math”, or “that child was bullied relentlessly in middle school”. Instead they said, “Those parents did an awful job with their kids”, or “those parents weren’t involved enough in the children’s education”.
Why did people make these comments and assumptions? All students experience some kind of trauma or negative experience in school. It is expected. Parents however are expected to help the children overcome the bad experiences and move forward. When that child fails to thrive, the teacher or school is never held responsible, even if the source of the problem was in the school.
So, why when parents decide to forgo the two steps forward, one-step back struggle of public school and decide to really take charge in the child’s education, they are ridiculed and looked at with suspicion? Parents are going to take the blame or get the credit for their children’s success whether they are personally involved or not, so why not take that responsibility by the horns?
*Have a question about homeschooling? Just ask.
* Have you seen the homeschooling curriculum glossary?