President Obama on Education

[briansmama]

Anyone else read his speech on education and cringe? I'm growing increasingly worried about protecting our homeschooling rights.

http://www.educationrevolution.org/obama.html

I'm particularly concerned about his comments in the 31st and 32nd paragraphs where he compares students in America to children in South Korea, where children spend over a month more in class. He is suggesting that Americans adopt a similar school schedule that calls for longer days and more months in school.

He also highly stresses accountability and records of a student's progress from early childhood on up.

This is concerning me greatly. I'd love to hear from other homeschoolers here who have read this and can reassure me a little

[True Blue]

The only thing I can say, is I watched a recent speech he made and specifically mentioned maintaining a parent's right to homeschool.

[briansmama]

Ok, that definitely makes me feel better. Thank you.

Still, I wonder why politicians always assume that more institutionalized education is what we need, with more accountability (testing). Don't they have access to the same books, articles, and studies we do that show that early formal academics do not help children learn any better than their peers who are ecouraged to read for pleasure and pursue their own interests (play)?

I just don't get it. The "No Child Left Behind" was really instrumental in making sure that "No Child Gets Ahead" in public school, at least. And now we have someone who wants to further keep children away from their families by imposing longer school days in longer school years with quite possibly more homework assignments that require a child to spend more time with their tutor and less time figuring out what interests/motivates them.

I guess it will come down to even more of a divide between the children who are free and those who have to put in even longer, and harder, meaningless hours into institutionalized schooling.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by True Blue

The only thing I can say, is I watched a recent speech he made and specifically mentioned maintaining a parent's right to homeschool.

And he mentions that basic right in one of his books. - Lillian

[briansmama]

Lillian, I'm glad you're here! Does he go into details in his book (and do you remember which title)?

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by briansmama

Lillian, I'm glad you're here! Does he go into details in his book (and do you remember which title)?

Yes - Lauradbg mentioned it the other day:

Obama gets it--not to worry:

On page 344 of The Audacity of Hope, he writes: “none of these policies need discourage families from deciding to keep a parent at home…For some families, that may mean doing without certain material comforts. For others it may mean home schooling….Whatever the case may be, such decisions should be honored.”

Now I really need to get back to work here! I'm stuck on a procrastination jag this week! - Lillian

[Needle in the Hay]

Originally Posted by briansmama

Still, I wonder why politicians always assume that more institutionalized education is what we need, with more accountability (testing). Don't they have access to the same books, articles, and studies we do that show that early formal academics do not help children learn any better than their peers who are ecouraged to read for pleasure and pursue their own interests (play)?

I wonder that too and especially in this case, since I just expect better of President Obama. I also wonder why it's automatically assumed that it's longer school hours and terms that make those students (in this case South Korea, but sometimes it's Japan, sometimes it's Germany...) more competitive. And it's not like all is rosy in those other countries where kids are spending so much time in school.

[pixiewytch]

I can't speak to homeschooling but I have a different issue with his recent speeches more regionally motivated. I hear him talk a lot about merit based teacher pay. Here in Florida we have a standardized testing system called the FCAT. It is horrible and the main reason my child isn't in public school. It is supposedly a tool for teacher and school accountability but what it boils down to is that the schools with the best grades on this test get the most funding. Naturally this puts a lot of emphasis on this test and the entire school year, even for elementary school kids, is taught around this freaking test. It really disgusts me and as much as I love Obama it kind of gives me the heebie jeebies when he talks about "merit based teacher pay". It sounds like a great idea on the surface but I fear he has been talking to our governor, ole Charlie Christ, and that standardized tests will become more of a way to measure a teacher/school's worth.

[Jennifer3141]

I'm sick of schools teaching to a test. That's not education. That's short term memorization. We need to get away from the, "Tests are the solution!" mindset.

But up here in Michigan where we are stymied by a very strong teacher's union, lots of parents LOVE the idea of merit based pay.

So I don't know what the answer is aside from broad deconstuction and rebuilding.

Originally Posted by pixiewytch

I can't speak to homeschooling but I have a different issue with his recent speeches more regionally motivated. I hear him talk a lot about merit based teacher pay. Here in Florida we have a standardized testing system called the FCAT. It is horrible and the main reason my child isn't in public school. It is supposedly a tool for teacher and school accountability but what it boils down to is that the schools with the best grades on this test get the most funding. Naturally this puts a lot of emphasis on this test and the entire school year, even for elementary school kids, is taught around this freaking test. It really disgusts me and as much as I love Obama it kind of gives me the heebie jeebies when he talks about "merit based teacher pay". It sounds like a great idea on the surface but I fear he has been talking to our governor, ole Charlie Christ, and that standardized tests will become more of a way to measure a teacher/school's worth.

[True Blue]

Unfortunately, all the states (that I know of) employ some kind of test like FCAT for evals since NCLB. That said, how do you suppose they should measure what the kids are learning? Unfortunately, some kind of test would be needed...it's just not like homeschooling when it's pretty obvious how someone is doing, kwim? I wonder if it would be better, to keep the kids who are ahead from being dragged down, and htose behind from getting further behind, to do like the old days and divide classes by ability in subjects? I hate that they have to teach to the slowest. Also, maybe they need to hone in on exactly WHY/HOW Massachusetts is doing so well in science and apply it across the board...kwim? They have the same length school year and days as everyone else. Actually, I think they even have a 6 hour school, shorter than the 7 hour days for those above the elementary level here in Florida. I know when I went to school in MA and NY and then moved to Florida, it was like a joke. I went to a "top" high school here and was bored out of my mind. When I moved here in March of the school year, they were doing what I did in chemistry in October. Literally. So yeah, there is a problem!

But I digress. LOL. Let's just keep homeschooling! :P

[briansmama]

Yes, the merit-based pay for teachers is in the speech too. And of course, the merit is based on test scores. And standardized testing is a major reason why we choose to homeschool as well. My children have better things to do with their time than spend 35 hours per week subjected to the teaching of these tests.

I'm so grateful to be homeschooling, and grateful that Obama honors homeschooling as well, but my alarm goes off when our children are asked to spend more time in such a flawed system.

[cappuccinosmom]

Wow. I had wondered about how this admin. is going to look at homeschooling. Hope, hope, hope he is not going to let anything scale back our rights to that.

With the longer hours and longer school years and teaching to tests stuff, just, ugh.

I don't believe for a minute that with extra hours in ps, my son would be finishing second grade before age 6. Just wouldn't happen. He'd be stuck in some "special" class, "learning" stuff he already knows, bored to death. : And he has finished 2nd grade with not more than 2 full hours of school a day. And he's not a genius IQ, either. Just a normal, bright kid who took to home learning naturally. I'd rather have him excell that way than under high pressure for long hours for the next 18 years. :

[pixiewytch]

Originally Posted by True Blue

Unfortunately, all the states (that I know of) employ some kind of test like FCAT for evals since NCLB. That said, how do you suppose they should measure what the kids are learning? Unfortunately, some kind of test would be needed...it's just not like homeschooling when it's pretty obvious how someone is doing, kwim? I wonder if it would be better, to keep the kids who are ahead from being dragged down, and htose behind from getting further behind, to do like the old days and divide classes by ability in subjects? I hate that they have to teach to the slowest. Also, maybe they need to hone in on exactly WHY/HOW Massachusetts is doing so well in science and apply it across the board...kwim? They have the same length school year and days as everyone else. Actually, I think they even have a 6 hour school, shorter than the 7 hour days for those above the elementary level here in Florida. I know when I went to school in MA and NY and then moved to Florida, it was like a joke. I went to a "top" high school here and was bored out of my mind. When I moved here in March of the school year, they were doing what I did in chemistry in October. Literally. So yeah, there is a problem!

But I digress. LOL. Let's just keep homeschooling! :P

Yeah, well, when I went to school we had standardized tests but it was just something you did, not something you crammed for the entire year. I can understand high school or college age kids "cramming" for tests but the idea of elementary age kids doing this really upsets me. I don't know the answer myself but the politics of only giving schools that score well funding seems like a corrupt way of handling it for starters. I know, I know...in this economy there isn't a lot to go around but that seems like a piss poor way to decide who gets the money. Hell, if it were my decision I would say that the schools with the poorest scores should get the most funding.

[briansmama]

Originally Posted by pixiewytch

Hell, if it were my decision I would say that the schools with the poorest scores should get the most funding.

:

Unfortunately, I don't see it happening though.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by cappuccinosmom

Wow. I had wondered about how this admin. is going to look at homeschooling. Hope, hope, hope he is not going to let anything scale back our rights to that.

It will remain a state issue - it doesn't involve federal funding. - Lillian

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by pixiewytch

Yeah, well, when I went to school we had standardized tests but it was just something you did, not something you crammed for the entire year. I can understand high school or college age kids "cramming" for tests but the idea of elementary age kids doing this really upsets me.

And that's a concern the president has addressed - there will apparently be some sort of reforms in the way assessment of teaching is done. I sure wish we could be on a committee to work on all this. - Lillian

[Jennifer3141]

Originally Posted by pixiewytch

Yeah, well, when I went to school we had standardized tests but it was just something you did, not something you crammed for the entire year. I can understand high school or college age kids "cramming" for tests but the idea of elementary age kids doing this really upsets me.

Exactly. We had tests 30 years ago when I was in elementary school but the whole dang year didn't revolve around them. It's a shocking way to educate children but sometimes we learned things that weren't even on the test.

[pixiewytch]

Originally Posted by Lillian J

It will remain a state issue - it doesn't involve federal funding. - Lillian

Well, that means either way the state of Florida is screwed.

[briansmama]

Originally Posted by Lillian J

And that's a concern the president has addressed - there will apparently be some sort of reforms in the way assessment of teaching is done. I sure wish we could be on a committee to work on all this. - Lillian

I keep thinking the same thing- we could do it so much better!

[pixiewytch]

I think Obama means well but the biggest roadblock I see is this concept of competition. I'm sick to death of hearing about how we need to be more competitive in science in math to compete in a global market. Whatever happened to play? I guess kids have no time for that anymore because from the time they are in preschool we are supposed to prepare them for some grand plan that makes America superior to all other countries. I think it's a bunch of crap. Let kids be kids and ultimately decide what they want to do with their own lives, science and math or not.

Don't get me wrong, I love Obama, but it sickens me to see him falling for this same rhetoric we've heard over and over.