Teaching Kids

I'm often asked what I'm "for": public school, private school, or homeschooling. I think it's because I was a public school teacher for 6 years, I attend a church that houses a private school, and I have about a billion friends who homeschool.

I am for teaching and learning. That's it. Wherever that happens is cool with me.

I've seen meaningful, purposeful teaching happen in public schools and I've also seen some really thoughtless, program-driven instruction happen in public schools.

I've heard teachers in private schools speak highly of children and I've heard teachers in private schools call children "stupid" and say, "You can't read."

I've seen parents teach up a storm in their homes, utilizing their knowledge of their child to inform instruction, and I've also seen some of the most pathetic videos ever created shown in a homeschool setting while the child was literally bored to tears.

For various reasons, I chose to teach in a public school setting but that doesn't mean I think public school offers the highest quality education.

I think knowledgeable teachers, who like kids, who know about reading process, and who make thoughtful decisions about the learners in their care offer the highest quality education.

I think programs are awful. Terrible. I think curriculum created with zero regard for the individual learner is pathetic. Imagining a teacher or parent ordering a curriculum online and doing exactly what it says each day makes me want to throw up.

But teachers and parents that make important decisions based on the needs of their kids is effective and powerful.

I am for teaching and learning.