This Is Why...

So I'm currently a part of a homeschooling message board group for the Davis County area. Today a woman shared an experience that happened to her that perfectly illustrates one of the reasons that I'm really excited to homeschool my kids. Please keep in mind that I know this is not the experience everybody has in the public school system and that I don't necessarily think public school is a bad thing. I loved my public school experience, but I'm just really passionate about doing something different for my kids. Here is that woman's story...

After homeschooling her daughter last year she decided to try an experiment and enroll her daughter in a charter type school. In her second week of school the little girl's teacher assigned her this book for reading - In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories. Her daughter is 6 and this book scared her so much so that she was terrified to go to bed and then ended up having nightmares when she finally fell asleep. Her mom e-mailed the teacher expressing her concern and the effect that it had, had on her daughter. She asked the teacher not to allow her daughter to read those kinds of books anymore and the reply she got was less than appeasing. The teacher condescendingly told her that she would not limit the type of books her students were allowed to read because she felt it was important that they were exposed to all kinds of literature - (apparently regardless of the effect if has on them). The mom then e-mailed the Vice Principal her concerns and very sadly got a similar response. She pulled her daughter out of the school and is once again homeschooling.

It's crazy to me that a parent can show concern about something her child is being taught and be responded to in such a way that clearly shows the teacher didn't care what she thought and she would continue to do as she saw fit.

Again, I know this is not everybody's experience, but it reinforced my feelings about giving my child the learning experience that I want them to have. I don't want somebody else dictating what my child should and should not be learning. I could literally go on and on about why I'm a homeschooling advocate, but this is just one reason.

I will be the person deciding what is ok and not ok for my child to learn. I will also be the one deciding when they are ready to learn it. Sound a little bit controlling? Well, that's ok -they're my kids and if anybody is going to have control over the things that shape their lives and their way of thinking, then I want it to be me.