I found a great article on what our educational system needs written by a teenager who receives their education through home study. The article is on TeenInk.com and my favorite part was about how their mother, who teaches them and their sister’s, has made a point of informing them how important it is and how privileged they are to have this opportunity. The author states that parents who don’t share this view with their children is one major flaw in our education system. “In the past, going to school was a privilege. Children wanted to go to school. … Because school is now mandatory, many children seem to have lost their love of it. For me, school is mandatory, too… I have to learn. But she has taught me that education is a privilege, and given the choice I would still choose to learn rather than be uneducated.”
That view is shared along with what they say about how their mom is able to give so much attention since she only has 3 children to teach as opposed to the new normal of 25 or more in one classroom. “Another thing that’s great is that if I don’t understand something, my mom can sit down with me and help me one-on-one until it clicks. Because she only has three students to teach, she has more time to make sure we all understand our work. A school teacher with twenty or more students simply doesn’t have that time to help the students individually.”
It’s great to read these words form someone who is actually STILL IN SCHOOL, as opposed to those adults among us that figured it out much later.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO ENCOURAGE A DESIRE TO BE EDUCATED IN ALL CHILDREN?
Individual Empowerment 