To a Degree

            It’s been a year since I wrote Part One of this series of reflections on effective teaching. I really didn’t intend that such a length of time to intervene; it simply happened, and I won’t waste time reporting on what transpired. I will simply continue on this and other topics in this blog. My subject matter will center on the follow remark directed towards me the other day: “Students who are homeschooled don’t get the necessary ‘real-world experience’ they need to navigate their way in [fill in adjective] society.” Taken aback at this glib statement – and hearing this at the end of a very tiring day – I reserved comment until later. Now, it’s “later.”             Let’s unpack this statement. It starts out with fallacious assumptions: 1) Homeschooled students are sheltered in an anti-social manner. 2) Their education lacks exposure to ‘real-world problems.’ 3) Th...

OK…I realize I have been away for a very long time, but – I’m on the rebound! Get ready for some straight-from-the hip TRUTH about education as it exists in America today. ~~~ I recently had a conversation with a friend over a particular dilemma I had. It involved an attempt at homeschooling that another friend had initiated on behalf of an elementary-school-aged relative. I expressed my frustration at the uncertain, disorganized nature of this endeavor; nothing about this homeschooling attempt appeared to be thought-out or organized. Several months ago, I had been invited to be an established member of the network of instructors (one of the better features of homeschooling is to include knowledgeable people in the instruction), and I had readily agreed. Now, at the beginning of a new school year, the effort – though continuing – was in shambles, and my input was unwelcome. My first friend had offered that the problem was “socialization” – the theory that children learn best in a co...