Question: I want to tell your readers why I began homeschooling. At my children's school, teachers and the teaching were bad for a number of reasons. Not all the teachers, of course, were bad or mediocre; some were really good. What mattered was that a kid has only one chance to be, say, a first-grader. There is no going back and redoing a bad year in a child's schooling. Teachers can make a huge positive or negative impact. Unfortunately, our children's school seemed to be no longer about inspiring a love and enthusiasm for learning.
The few teachers who shined did so in spite of the administration, the paperwork hassles, the overlarge classroom and the inane procedures and rules. Besides, I had to spend so much time monitoring homework, which is totally crazy in elementary school, volunteering and providing funds for the classroom. In addition, there were the continuous "parent assignments" and orders to do or sign this and that from the school that came home regularly.
Even though I am a working mother, I realized that I could do a better job of schooling my children in less time and with a better curriculum. So I have been a homeschooling mom for the past three years, and my children are once again enthusiastic and successful learners. -- A Homeschooler
Answer: You are absolutely correct in saying a teacher can make a positive or negative impact on children's education. The research evidence shows that having an effective teacher for three or more years greatly increases student learning as measured on standardized tests. Unfortunately, having ineffective teachers for three years shows that students are likely to have poorer scores on these tests.
You made the choice to be a homeschooler. This increases the likelihood that your children are probably learning more than they would in many classrooms. Some of the other benefits of homeschooling include better performance on standardized tests, the great teacher-to-student instructional ratio, an education tailored to the children's needs and capabilities, and a more integrated education because the same person is managing the children's education over a long period of time.