Have you noticed the rise in teachers who become homeschoolers? I was recently involved in a discussion with educators online related to the Pearson testing spying debacle. I brought up that I thought testing had done more to accelerate the movement toward homeschooling than anything else I had witnessed in the past twenty years.
Multiple teachers jumped in and said they were either already homeschooling or planned on homeschooling because there was no way they were going to subject their own children to what is currently going on in public (and, in many cases, private) schools.
Teachers Who Become Homeschoolers Are The Indicator Species
One of the very experienced and savvy public school employees made this observation which I share here with her permission:
In biology, there’s a descriptor – “indicator species”. An indicator species may be unusually sensitive to environmental changes, and biologists monitor the indicator species for signs that something is amiss in the environment.
I wonder when somebody is going to notice that teachers are an indicator species. When we leave public schools with our children, people should consider that there’s something amiss.
Since I began creating learning materials to sell, I’ve interacted with hundreds of different teachers and homeschoolers. I’ve lost track of how many teachers-turned-homeschoolers I’ve met. Many.
My last year of teaching was when I had the epiphany that I would not want my own future child to be in my classroom even though I was a very good teacher. I think even at that point God was preparing me to be a homeschooler because He knew that the gifted/2e daughter I would eventually have eight years later would never thrive in a traditional classroom. Now I am thoroughly convinced that the pressure of testing would be completely wrong for her and our family. Like many of those teachers in the forum, there is much I loved about teaching but I could never teach in the current climate. And if I wouldn’t want to teach in it, why would I want to subject my own child to it?
When the teachers start leaving their chosen profession to homeschool their children, people need to take notice that something truly is seriously amiss. I think this teacher is correct that these talented, dedicated teachers who become homeschoolers are the indicator species and they are speaking loudly and clearly about the health of the educational environment.
I got out before I got all the way in. In the early 90’s, I was in college as an elementary ed major, 3 years in. But the stuff I was reading from the public library, about homeschooling, alternative schooling, how children learn, and the real purpose of public schooling, made far more sense to me than what I was being taught in class. I realized that I would get into Trouble as a public school teacher, and that, when I had kids, I would be homeschooling them. There wasn’t anything else I wanted to major in, do I dropped out of college
Yes, this is a great article and great comments! I’m also a former teacher turned homeschooler because I want my kids to have nothing to do with the public education system, on nearly every front.
Yes. I worked in public schools, and my husband is a teacher in a public middle school. We have chosen not to send our children to public school because we have seen first hand what the education and daily life is like for these children. When people who have spent their lives dedicated to something because it is their passion, but cannot justify putting their own children into that environment because of the parts outside their control, it should be a huge warning to those looking on. What if your car seat manufacturer refused to put their kids in their car seat? Would warning bells not go off in your mind?
I’ve been working at different public schools in my city as a substitute teacher and decided it was time to homeschool my child.
Hi Vanessa!
I don’t think you could have summed things up any better in one statement. You can see the reality right before your eyes. Thank you for sharing your story.
Sallie
Hi Sallie:
I’ve been a public school teacher (high school foreign language) for 36 years, and am planning to continue teaching for another five years. I love my job and school community. I also have an exceptional child who will soon be a college senior. She is a product of our local public schools, as am I. My husband’s entire education was spent in Catholic schools and Catholic college. I am shocked at all of the ex teachers responding to your post about homeschooling. As you can imagine, most of my acquaintances are teachers, and I don’t know one who wanted to give up teaching in public school to homeschool. Sure, society is definitely more challenging now than it was when I started teaching three decades ago, but a lot of positive changes have taken place as well. My school is quite small (under 300 students) and that is part of the key to having schools where students feel known and important. There is no one in the school who is a stranger. With our close involvement in my daughter’s public school education, she was highly successful and extremely well prepared for the rigors of the selective liberal arts college she attends. I am really surprised by the large number of ex teachers who responded to your blog post. I am not anti-homeschooling. I believe every family should do what works best for their child (children).
Caroline
Hi Caroline,
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. It sounds like you have found a great situation that works for your family. I’m glad you were able to do that. If you really want to be surprised by the teacher response, find all the places this post was shared on Facebook over the past few years. Almost every time it is shared by someone, there is a long list of people who comment who are former teachers and now homeschoolers. It is very common and I would guess it increases every year as more and more people know successful homeschoolers.
Thank you for saying hello!
Sallie
Hello! Thank you so much for this post. I couldn’t agree more. I live in Greece, where homeschooling isn’t a legal option. I have read of a mother here who lost child custody because she chose to homeschool her child.
Thankfully, thanks to the current situation with all the online teaching and safety measures, parents are seriously thinking of moving towards homeschooling one way or another.
If it was an option for me here, I wouldn’t give it a second thought, I would homeschool my child. I am an English, French and Music teacher.
Would you mind if I translated this post to Greek, so that more people read it on my Facebook profile?
I can’t thank you enough. Have a great day/evening!
Viviana
Hello Viviana,
Yes, feel free to translate it into Greek in order to share on Facebook. The only requirement is to link back to the original post.
Best wishes,
Sallie