for me in the very near future. I have two children, one is special needs and unless God heals him he will always be "my baby" and then I have Sam. Sam is my first and I love him so, he’s having such a hard time in 4th grade. I’ve been reading so much about the education system that affects "most boys" note I do not say "all" (as some boys seem to do well). I mean did you know that:
- Boys get the majority of the D’s and F’s in most schools–in some, as high as 70%.
- Boys make up 80% of our discipline problems.
- Of children diagnosed with learning disabilities, 70% are boys.
- Of children diagnosed with behaviorial disorders, 80% are boys.
- Over 80% of school children on Ritalin or similar drugs are boys. As of 2004, the number of boys on Ritalin approached 5 million!
- According to the U.S. Dept of Education, our sons are an average of a year to a year and a half behind girls in reading and math skills.
- Of high school drop-outs, 80% are young males.
- Young men now make up less than 44% of our college population.
* stats from "The Mind of Boys-Saving our Sons from Failing Behind in School & Life by Michael Gurian
Studies done in England, Canada, Australia have all resulted in identifying across the board that its not the boys with the problem but the schools. However, interestingly enough, no U.S. press ran those research results.
I cried today for my son. He desperately wants to "get it" but I also cried because as a mom I have to make a decision, he’s God’s gift to me and my first job is to be the best mom I could be and that means making sacrifices. So in my mind, in my heart tonight, I ponder the option of homeschooling my son because he matters that much to me. Because how he is educated spiritually, emotionally and otherwise is my gift back to God. So, while others may think I’m crazy (esp. after getting all this education) to even consider staying home to teach my son, I kinda feel a sort of honor about it. I’ll be praying about this. But I ask you to consider the current crisis in education and our little men. Especially if you have sons. I am grateful that its still early enough for me to do something about my son before I lose him and his interest in school. I’ve seen many that didn’t have that luxury of early opportunities and there sons never really reached their full potential. I don’t know what will become of my son but one thing I want to tell my Lord is that I did all in "my" power to "train him up in the way that he should go", the rest is up to Him.
This is an amazing thing that you are considering to do! I know that someday when (if) I adopt that I will homeschool. That said, I am in the very early stages of my first masters degree and I have a second to pursue before I go into doctoral work and I don’t know how I will do both, but I will. I am firmly convinced that the current school system is not only bad for boys (as your statistics back up) but bad for children and people (that are created in God’s image) in general. This includes the current programs that are aimed at higher education as well. You should google “John Taylor Gatto” and read any of the many essays that are available online. As a former New York City Teacher of the Year, he has an incredible amount of experience working with a system that just doesn’t work. In various works he discusses what is documented elsewhere, that men such as Rockefeller and Carnegie gave huge amounts of money to the educational system to see if children could be formed to be essentially cogs for the system. The planned worked and is still being practiced today. Anyway, it’s worth reading his stuff.
May you have wisdom as you make these decisions regarding your family’s future.
We are homeschooling our girls and we absolutely love it! The deep relationships and connections between all of us created by homeschooling cannot be replaced by any school or environment outside of home. We have not yet looked back
Liz:
Thank you for expressing your candor and concern about boys in school. As you may know the vast majority of teachers are female, many of whom are dedicated to their vocation, but it does create a problem for the boys in school - the lack of a male role model in the teaching profession. I remember growing up in the New York City public school system (late 50’s and 60’s) and what a nightmare that was. A hispanic boy, whose primary language was Spanish, reprimanded for being culturally different as well as a boy. Is it any wonder some of us sought out gangs? Anyway I have a 12 year old boy at home and it is a struggle. I struggle with teachers, administrators, and conveying the importance of education, to a creative kid that is already getting tired of school. It is what it is and we have to make the best decisions on their behalf, I facilitate you on yours.
Homeschooling is an awesome option, and it doesn’t necessarily mean not working at all or not continuing to be a creative and professional woman outside of your role as homeschooling mom. Homeschooling (for us) has given us MORE freedom, more options and more flexibility than putting our kids in school. Also, homeschooling is vastly more efficient than public school because you can give your sons focused attention and they will get things faster without the distractions of 25-30 other kids around them. I have worked part time in ministry the whole time we have had kids and homeschooled and we are now considering my options to go back to school to get my doctorate while continuing our homeschool adventure. As long as you are willing to think outside the box, there are many possibilities! I pray that the Lord will give you discernment as you find your path.
I home schooled my three sons when we moved back from Australia, 7th, 5th, and 4rd grades.I loved it, we had a lot of fun, a few temper tantrums (mostly mine) and so much flexibility. Then, the youngest asked me to home school him again, thru 5th grade. I would not trade a minute of that time with them and I would still be home schooling if they would go for it. I too pray the Lord will give you discernment and Way will open for you and Sam.