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SALT LAKE CITY — When it comes to the education of their children, parents want the best available, of course. But the difficulty lies in assessing what "the best" really means. For some that is public school, for others it is home school; some prefer a combination of both. So which education method is actually the best?
No Child Left Behind
Jenette Scott, a West Valley mother of two who studied education at the University of Utah, considers the needs of students who are gifted as part of this equation. Specifically, she says No Child Left Behind has the potential to limit gifted children and prevent them from learning at an accelerated speed.
“In a way, (NLCB) does not address these students and does not provide schools with any extra funding to help these students in the areas they excel in," Scott said. "There are gifted and talented programs that students can test into, but these have drawbacks also.
“They expect gifted and talented in academics; the whole system fails to recognize gifted and talented potential in other areas, such as creativity and innovation, problem solving, etc.,” she added. (See more information on this topic at the website of the National Association for Gifted Children.)
Class Size
Another factor to consider is class size. The average class size in the state of Utah is 24 students for elementary schools and 29 for secondary schools. This brings the median student-teacher ratio to 21 students to every teacher. Larger class sizes mean less one-on-one attention for learning with each student. Parents can help tip the scale by volunteering in the classroom. However, for some families volunteering is not an option because parents work during school hours to cut day care costs.
"It's important for both teachers and parents to be actively involved in educating kids... Parents should see the teachers as a professional resource that they can use in the education of their kids. -- Ed Goodrich, high school math teacher
"I think it's important for both teachers and parents to be actively involved in educating kids," said Ed Goodrich, a high school math teacher, in a post on Facebook. "I believe that teachers can't complete the task by themselves and should not be expected to. Parents should see the teachers as a professional resource that they can use in the education of their kids. Just because a child goes to public school does not disallow the parents from teaching, tutoring and supplementing their child's education."
Socialization and Extracurricular Activities
Parents should also think about socialization and extracurricular activities. On the playground or in the hallways, students have the opportunity to mingle with and get to know other kids their age, developing friends and important social skills. In addition, students have the opportunity be a part of music, theater and sporting groups.
Does home schooling shelter kids too much? St. George resident Tamara Foster’s husband feels that he missed the “social” part of life while being home-schooled. On the other hand, others like Arlene Southam, a home-schooling mom from Roosevelt, have a very different point of view.
“I think the social aspect of home schooling is the best part. You actually get to control (somewhat) who is socializing your child," Southam said. “People that worry that home-school kids will be weird just make me laugh.”
Bullying
Even with all the benefits public school offers, kids can still be subject to bullying and hazing. District and school administrations have implemented anti-bullying policies and generally work to educate students on how to deal with and stop incidences of these behaviors. The success of these programs and policies varies from school to school.
“It is actually freeing for a kid not to have to worry about bullying (when being home-schooled),” Southam said. “They can focus on learning instead of worrying about how other people are going to treat them.”
Public School at Home
Some school districts in Utah offer public school at home. The Davis County School District was one of the first to offer the K-12 program at home. Now the Alpine and Uintah School districts have come aboard as well. Children enrolled in the program take placement tests to determine what course level they are ready for, then course materials are sent to the child’s home at the beginning of the year for them to use.
At the end of each school year, families return the materials. A certified teacher hired by the school district is also available for parents to use as a resource and can assist them in teaching the child or children when questions arise. State testing still applies for each student enrolled in the program.
"When our oldest daughter was in junior high school, she began to run with the wrong crowd. So we pulled her out and home-schooled until (it was) time for her to enter high school," said Todd Jensen. "Her academic learning suffered, but it saved her life and she was able to catch up fairly quickly."
I think most people that have home-schooled think of it as a positive if not ideal time with their child.
–- Arlene Southam, home-schooling mom
Home school can and does address some of the public school issues, but it does have its own set of challenges. At home, you do not have a certified teacher in most cases. The question then arises: do parents need to become certified teachers to educate their children at home?
Home School Resources
Home-school parents have many resources to assist them in taking on the task of educating their children, such as state and local home-school associations and groups. The Utah Home Education Association has a yearly curriculum fair and conference, for instance, which has been running for 32 years.
Finding, choosing and purchasing the right curriculum can be a challenge for parents. In the public system, school officials and tax dollars take care of that. When parents choose to bring children home to be taught, they still pay the same taxes but then add to their budgets the extra cost of educational materials.
Scheduling
Home schooling is very labor- and time-intensive for parents. The payoff for that labor and time is the individualized learning that goes at the pace the child sets. One-on-one attention assists the child to master the concepts being taught. Parents are able to teach religious topics and combine them with their academic lessons.
“I think most people that have home-schooled (myself included) think of it as a positive if not ideal time with their child,” Southam said. “It is such a huge commitment of time and patience. I think that’s why more people don’t do it.”
Social Involvement
While home schooling may provide a bully-free learning environment, social involvement is limited unless the parents make it a point to involve their children in community programs. On the other hand, they can join home-school groups and create their own play groups. Some even choose to enroll their children in specific classes at the local public schools but teach everything else at home. Some families choose to do the opposite, taking most of their classes in the public school and providing just one or two at home.
“I do home school for my son’s P.E. class and love it. We go golfing, riding bike, hiking and to the rec center in Vernal,” parent April Merrell said. “He is able to take another music class rather than P.E. and work on his dreams of playing music.”
A good education for today’s children, no matter how it is achieved, is the legacy we leave future generations.
Angel McRae is a full-time USU student and mother of five. She has researched and experienced both home and public schooling.
