As an educator, I endorse home schooling. Public schools (and private schools) may be great sources of education for some, but I have worked in both and seen environments that are not supportive of the needs of students: the business of education has become the education business.
To that end, I am proposing a collective procedure called the Home School Network (my own idea) where parents in a community who want home schooling for their children can find a pool of teachers who want this kind of environment. A general blueprint of courses and curriculum is as follows:
Many parents want home schooling for their children, but lack either the educational means themselves nor are they available for the time. Finances are not the issue; time management and awareness of teaching principles are required.
Solution: The Family School Network, where K-12 curriculum by qualified educators can be offered to a small group who will receive FOCUSED attention and direction. A central location can be maintained to handle 12-25 students overall from ages 5-18 so that students receive the basics as well as advanced learning opportunities rather than "test-taking" lessons. Emphasis on 9-12 classes are for college preparation; students will learn more in-depth concepts via material that is being taught at community colleges for credit courses.
Foundation: core curriculum is taught AS WELL AS material that schools have abandoned that are needed for practical life skills: geography, handwriting, business/life economics and practical application, fundamentals of writing/math, and foreign language training.
A supervisor may be required; this may be solved by personnel with advanced degrees in school management
(I did it in Alabama!)
And yes: I said "handwriting. Script; cursive," to be exact. For all the fussing and hollering about "we can use computers to write," handwriting class teaches discipline and coordination as well as the need for practicality when final exams, entrance exams, forms for employment (they give essays, you know, to see how clear a person writes), and other structures where it's not always "an electronic option." My handwriting was never good until I worked at it; I am proud that I can write in good handwriting and in script when I am asked!
