Parents are the Key Ingredient to their Childrens' Success

I agree with John Gatto that compulsory school + television= children who grow up not "fully human". I however wish to add another ingredient which I feel is the most critical in raising children up to be successful and happy adults; and that's parental involvement.

"When parents are involved in their children's education at home, they do better in school. And when parents are involved in school, children go farther in school and the schools they go to are better." (A New Generation of Evidence: The Family is Critical to Student Achievement. (Henderson & Berla, 1994))

When we think of the most important lessons we want our children to learn, we don't think of reading, writing, or arithmetic; instead we think of "self-motivation, perseverance, self-reliance, courage, dignity, and love" (of God, family, self, and fellowman) and these are taught very minimally if at all outside of the home. Parents have the responsibility to teach these values to their children whether they have their children at home all day for homeschooling, or they have them half of the day after school, or even only 3 or so hours after work. If these values are taught by example and by word of mouth; I believe most children have the potential to be great.

I would assert that if you as parents are leaders and love to learn then your children will inherit that drive and desire. My parents both were avid readers and always learning and gaining new knowledge; therefore, all of my siblings and I have had a craving for learning and have been successful in our lives.

So, what can I do (as a parent who sends her children to public school) to fill in the gaps and make the most of the time that my children are home? First, I need to take into account the four phases of learning. My oldest son is still in core phase but is doing many love of learning activities in his Kindergarten class so to compensate and avoid him feeling overwhelmed or pressured to get "good grades" I have talked to his teacher and made grading completely irrelevant for him. Most teachers want to do what YOU as a parent think is best for your children and only need to be asked for them to jump on board with you to educate your child. As this point our joint goal is to make learning fun; the moment it turns stressful is when we move on to something else.

Another important thing to do to enhance my childrens' education in school is to promote the 7 keys where ever possible. For example, book fairs in the school allow for the parents to purchase some books for the classroom; what a great way to donate (and promote) the addition of classics. Also, as my children get older I plan to supplement their schooling with a family book club to inspire them (and myself) with the classics. Mentors and inspiration are teeming in the stagnant pools of the public education systems- we as parents just need to find them and utilize them! My AP Biology teacher in high school was a very important mentor to me as was my Marine Ecology professor in college- both men I sought out and both men were invaluable to my education and my love for learning.

Time is a major factor in sending children to pubic school as thy will spend half of their day in school. Because of this its so important to allow unstructured time for my children while they are young and more importantly make sure that all of my errands and chores are done when my children get home so that they will quality time when I'm around.

I believe that John Gatto presented a lot of accurate concerns of compulsory schooling but I do believe that our role a parents is more crucial to my childrens' growth and success; whether home schooled or public schooled. We are the key!