Texas Ed Spectator

The San Antonio Express News published a very positive article on homeschooling. The best part was that when they presented the obligatory “expert” view on homeschooling who you expected to give the standard “problems with socialization” spiel, you got this instead:

MySA.com: Our Point Of View: On Motherhood and Parenting in San Antonio

Experts say the idea that you have to go to public school to be truly socialized is bizarre.

“That’s a very tortured definition of socialization,” says Terry Osborn, professor and chair of the Graduate School of Education at Fordham University. “The idea of a homogenous grouping of 25 to 30 children who sit at their desks all day long and do activities — to call that socialization is tortured. You and I don’t live and function in that kind of environment.”

Thank you Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje for finding an “education authority” that doesn’t think homeschoolers are missing out on socialization.

Technorati Tags: Homeschooling, Positive Homeschooling Report, Homeschool Socialization, Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje, positive homeschooling reporting

Awww, this article almost made it to the end without the obligatory statement from some “education professional” about the dangers of homeschooling, or in this case unschooling.

POST-TRIBUNE :: News :: Alternative form of homeschooling embraces child-directed learning:

Some children, however, aren’t as inquisitive as Isabel, making unschooling difficult, said Marilyn Haring, professor of educational studies at Purdue University. She said that while the unschooling movement is valuable because it questions aspects of traditional schooling, it is not without problems.”

With regard to unschooling, I believe this is best described as utopian,” Haring said in an e-mail. “A miniscule few youngsters may have the high intelligence and motivation to inquire broadly and also learn how to learn. The vast majority, however, have no idea what might be learned and why it is important.”

To be fair, a good reporter should include all information pertinent to understanding the story. But this wasn’t an analysis. Good thing too since the expert, Marilyn Haring, didn’t provide any statistics or research regarding unschooling, just her “professorial” opinion. The story is based on interviews with unschoolers, why they like it, why they do it, and so on. The least Haring could do was site one case of an unschooler being miserable. All it would take is a trip over to Dr. Phil’s website!

I guess since she’s a professor, she doesn’t feel obligated to provide examples. I would also venture to guess that she can’t because she doesn’t know any unschoolers. But the reporter forgot to ask her that question.

Scott Parks of the Dallas Morning News has a wish list for Texas education. Some highlights follow:

Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Education Columnist Scott Parks:

• Thought leaders in public education will abandon the zany notion that all children must be prepared for college. They will refocus on how to provide solid vocational education programs for students who want to start careers after high school.

And spare us new competitiveness initiatives such as 4×4.

• Every student will get a textbook as required by law. Secondary schools will stop withholding textbooks because they fear too many students will lose or damage them.

Maybe even in El Paso

• Lawmakers blinded by the computer hardware and software lobby will stop advocating the idea that laptops should replace textbooks.

You know what’s funny, as computer programmer I probably have more invested in books on programming than the related software.

• Parents will stop jumping to the conclusion that the evil teacher is to blame when little Johnny gets a bad grade or gets disciplined. Instead, they start with the assumption that the teacher is right and go from there.

Well, Parks is from Dallas, land of the wealthy suburban districts so I can see how this would play in his area. Around here I’ve seen too many cases of parents being intimidated by “professional” educators in accepting situations that should never be accepted. It seems to me the parents in question tend to be those expecting their kids to go to college and no teacher is going to stand in their way. The perfect example was the parent who came in to complain about his daughter’s failing grade in her German III class. The parent expected the teacher to change the grade because otherwise she wouldn’t be able to go to A&M. It didn’t matter that the student didn’t lift a finger all semester.

• School board members will reject Texas Association of School Boards brainwashing. They will regularly bypass the superintendent to visit campuses and to speak with teachers and staff to find out what’s really going on in schools.

Ohhh, like the Frisco Board members who never deviated from their support of Rick Reedy in regard to the whole Sydney McGee mess?

• School boards, the elected representatives of the people, will reject the TASB concept that they are on “a team” with the superintendent as “quarterback.” Instead, they will act like bosses and treat the superintendent like a valued employee. The conceptual difference is small but important.

I would argue that the difference is even more important when you consider the financial costs of having a superintendent that isn’t accountable for his or her actions. Or are lawsuit settlements just added into the personnel costs of superintendents?

It’s a good column, definitely worth the time to read.

First, you’ve got to read this:

Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Latest News:

Cheerleading mess a team effort Give us some willful teens; give us some enabling adults – what do we got? A mess.

And who’s reaction do they go for? The students and parents.

Star Community Newspapers:

Parents and students in McKinney Independent School District had mixed reactions about the recent decision to put McKinney North High School Principal Linda Theret and Assistant Principal Richard Brunner on paid administrative leave with the possibility of termination.

Why didn’t they ask the teachers who work there?