Public Schools

I was told that there is an email circulating that says that I am opposed to public schools. I would like to set the record straight. I am opposed to three basic assumptions of public schools which are:
1. Horace Mann, the father of public education in America, thought that schools can teach students without the help of parents.
2. The factory method of instruction – all students learn the same thing, the same way, at the same time, and at the same speed.
3. More money equals better quality.

What is interesting is that very few people accept these three assumptions; yet, they still form the basis of modern public schools. Parents are still discouraged from actively teaching their children; we still have most students in the same class learning the same thing at the same time; and, there is still a constant clamor for more funding.

I want to change these basic assumptions and encourage the following changes.
1. Involve the parents in more teaching. This can be done in a variety of ways from early childhood education through elementary school and into high school. I think many parents would enjoy being more involved in teaching their children.
2. We need to create independent learners which means students should have access to more choices in how fast they learn, what they learn, and when they learn.
3. Money will not, by itself, solve every educational problem. There are two other areas that need to be addressed as well. The first area is to involve the parents more in the teaching process. The second area is to increase student desire to learn.

My concern with many of those promoting the current system of public education is that they rely solely upon more money to solve all problems rather than to draw from the strength and resources of parents and students.
I use a different set of assumption in approaching the public education system. The"8 in 6” law that passed the state legislature this session allows students to access learning differently and at a different speed. It also allows parents to get more involved in helping their children learn. This is an excellent example of what can happen using the new set of assumptions.
https://chumly.com/n/1337927