NEW HOME SCHOOLING PARENTS BEWARE

NEW HOME SCHOOLING PARENTS BEWARE

BY Domenick J. Maglio PhD.



Home schooling has a long tradition in America. Many historically successful Americans were home schooled especially during the founding and the settling of our frontiers. There often were no alternatives but to help their eager children to learn the necessary skills to become self- educated.



The initiators of the recent home school movement had a different motivation. These parents were unhappy with the quality of education and the anti traditional moral values being promulgated at school. Many were religiously inspired to do everything in their power to make their children excellent students with strong moral values. They had incredible success throughout the United States.



Many of the "Johnny come lately" to home schooling do not have the same inner commitment. Too many are avoiding the hassles of having their children attend public schools rather than having a strong urge to make their children the best students they can be. For a few it is easier to withdraw a child from school when absences and tardies pile up than having to confront a truant officer. The vast majority is exiting from school due to the child’s difficulty academically, socially and/or emotionally.



These disgruntled “new home school parents” have to take an honest look at themselves and their lifestyles before jumping into this monumental undertaking. A poor educational home experience could set the child so far back academically that he will develop “games” to disguise his lack of learning. This could disable him from ever recovering to become a successful student.



Today’s confused parents are rarely able to accurately evaluate their child's academic scores on complex statewide testing and evaluation. They believe their child’s inflated quarterly grades are a true indicator of the progress rather than using their eyes, ears and common sense in listening and reviewing the material the child is supposed to be learning. Saying my child is on the honor role is easier and more satisfying than digging deeper into the child's academic skills and realizing there is a significant problem.



When many parents open their eyes to the child’s actual level of functioning they impulsively think home schooling is a viable option. They do this without thinking through or analyzing the time and necessary research that has to be done to successfully be a home school teacher.



Adults in the electronic age arrogantly think they have the skills and knowledge at their computer fingertips to teach the child anything they want. However, modern parents have a harried and complicated lifestyle that does not afford them the time or the will to do what they think they can do.



Students need a structured environment where they can learn organization, time management, integration of knowledge and inner discipline. In our harried lives most parents do not have the personal discipline to manage their own interests and responsibilities no less cover a comprehensive curriculum for their children.



The audacity of parents being able to teach their own children is based on hope not on reality. Most parents do not make the effort to see whether their child has mastered even the most fundamental skills in language arts and math while in public schools. Diving into home schooling without a trial period in the summer or on weekends is a reckless act. These parents are relying on hope.



Many of the new students being home schooled today are not being provided the consistency and structure required for a well-rounded education. The interest areas of the child are overly covered at the expense of fundamental subjects and less exciting ones. The hassles of motivating the child to even sit down to begin home schooling lessons become progressively more frequent. It probably is one of the reasons so many school age children are found wandering around the local stores instead of being in school learning the subjects they need to learn. 



 Down the academic road many home school parents are surprised to learn their child has large gaps in learning when they reach the higher grades. They are confronted by the reality of college entrance exams that show the child cannot qualify for courses in college without taking remedial classes to begin.  These parents learn too late that they do not have the power to decree their child is bright enough to enter college. Being a well-rounded academic student has to be achieved to earn acceptance and the completion of higher education.



A reality check is needed before a parent attempts home schooling. It is understandable that many parents are aghast with what is happening in many chaotic government schools. They feel pressured to home school their children in order to protect them. Under the right circumstances parents can learn to be good teachers with the necessary free time, right temperament, discipline, control of their children, ability and incredibly strong commitment to the child's comprehensive education.



Home schooling is a parental right although it is not for the faint of heart. It is for special, dedicated parents who are willing to spend the time to be good managers of their child’s education. The decision to home school one’s child should be determined after careful consideration as it could leave your child in an unprepared state to succeed.









Dr. Maglio is an author and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

COMMON CORE CURRICULUM IS ANOTHER TOP-DOWN TIME BOMB

COMMON CORE CURRICULUM IS ANOTHER TOP-DOWN TIME BOMB

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

Here we go again.  The “Common Core Curriculum” is another top-down educational innovation that will solve many decades of educational decline.  The federal government and the educational elites are already heralding it as the salvation of American educational woes.

Upon entering the White House, each president makes education a high priority.  They act as if they possess the magic to wave their wand to significantly improve the learning of any young citizen. Even though presidents are aware that education is constitutionally a local and state issue, they enter this arena.

These presidents from Reagan’s “Nation at Risk”, Clinton’s “Improving America’s School Act”, George Bush’s “No Child Left Behind”, to President Obama’s “Race to the Top” created their educational initiatives.  After spending billions in taxpayer dollars to make a big splash in the media our educational performance has remained stagnant or has deteriorated. These Washington, D.C. proclamations have not worked. The latest version, “Common Core” is being currently pushed by “Race to the Top” grants, which require states to accept the Common Core curriculum.

This Common Core approach emphasizes a higher-level thinking with little concentration on learning the basic skills. This makes as much sense as asking a student to focus on her acting ability before she learns her lines. The educational standards that emphasize analytical and critical thinking are admirable goals. The concern is the way these are defined and the age at which they must be mastered.

Class discussions with a facilitating teacher to simulate a college classroom may be engaging for some excellent students. It is going to be a horrendous waste of time for middle to low functioning students. They need to fill in their academic gaps. These students without basic skills will never be able to pass entrance exams needed to qualify for higher education. Critical discussions are easier and probably more interesting than rote learning although it is putting the cart before the horse.

The ability to analyze information to arrive at a decision takes certain basic skills and developmental readiness. Jean Piaget, developmental psychologist, noted children were not ready for abstraction before 12 years old. Common Core students are expected to develop these abilities before they are mature enough to do it. This will result in even more disabled students, crushed souls.

Common Core Curriculum is more intrusive into the lives of students than former federal education programs. It sets standards, testing protocol and a defined curriculum for students. The National Center for Educational Statistics, NCES, with other federal agencies intends to collect personal protected data on our children. This data includes religious and political affiliations; attitudes toward sex, non school activities and detailed tracking information on the child’s whereabouts. Mining the “Big Data” by the federal government is an invasion into our children’s and family’s lives. It is ominous to our freedom.

The emphasis on higher level thinking without providing the students the skills to reach them has been the fundamental failure of American education. We are not providing a solid foundation in basic skills. Our reading, writing and math as compared to other nations are pathetically low.

Even if students had mastered these basic skills no citizen would want to give the federal government power to define critical thinking on examinations. Analyzing math and word problems and drawing conclusions is an elementary level of critical thinking. However, in the more subjective social sciences the conclusions drawn are not based on the scientific method. They are directly influenced by one’s premises, which are influenced by moral values. These pseudo science conclusions are based more on ideology than on hard evidence, which can be used as propaganda by the central government.

Unless we accept the fact that each student has to be reached as an individual who has a unique learning style and timetable, we will be developing another curriculum that is destined to fail. A sophisticated cookie cutter will not work any better than a simple one. Educators cannot produce critical thinkers without first motivating the child to grasp the 3Rs.

Teachers need to be aligned with the parents and students of the local community. The most effective educational programs individualize schoolwork for the student. The success of home schooling and private schools demonstrates this reality.  Quality education bubbles up from the local community grass roots, not be imposed from the top.  Government bureaucrats dictating what needs to be taught in our local classrooms will lead to social engineering not independent thinking.

Bureaucrats need to get out of the way to allow administrators and teachers to create individual programs for students.

Dr. Maglio is an author and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING IS THE KEY TO INDEPENDENT POWER

INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING IS THE KEY TO INDEPENDENT POWER

by Domenick J. Maglio PhD Traditional Realist

Children have a natural desire to learn as much as they can. From prenatal to two or three years of age their learning curve is steep. They have to learn language, to control their body motions, how to eat, recognize faces and things, learn to walk, run, become potty trained and understand social cues. These physical and thinking skills are necessary to survive independently.  It is the beginning stage of a human becoming independent.

This period of learning in the past was not done in a sterile daycare environment. It was part of normal interaction between family members. This learning was spontaneously done by observation and mimicking siblings and adults not by a limited daycare curriculum that is rarely implemented.

As the child learns to do more things his chances to survive and succeed in the community rises. As the youngster ages there are more things to learn and master. Learning is a lifelong process that never ends. It just changes its focus.

In primitive societies things were clearly marked out for the child to learn. Even his occupation was passed down in families from parent to child in an apprentice format. Today the choices for a person’s education are nearly endless.  

In modern times teaching has been put in the hands of people other than parents. In the recent past these professional educators have been delegated the power under the state to decide what and how learning should take place. Recently the federal government in conjunction with various states, are once again in the process of accepting new standards, practices and procedures: this time under the “Common Core Curriculum.” This approach will proscribe the time and way particular lessons will be taught.  This will further constrict the freedom of students to develop their unique style of learning.

The natural urge to investigate things to learn has been transferred from the individual and given to the state and educational bureaucrats. This formal hijacking of learning has robbed many children of their motivation to learn.  We are witnessing many bright young people rejecting formal education. These students are careless about their studies because they do not care to please their impersonal teacher or learn what others tell them to learn. They have been robbed of their love of learning.

Many of these turned off students however, are staying up to all hours of the night learning computer games, social networking and/or texting their friends while ignoring their school studies.  These gaming and social activities satisfy the need to do and accomplish in their world.

These students have not bought into the importance of their education.

This artificial separation of the individual's inner motivation to learn to an educational system dictating what to learn is harming our young people's development. They are not learning the everyday lessons that life challenges provide them.  Instead they are isolating themselves in an adolescent culture where they exhaust their energies doing things to establish relationships and pursue their own interests. They are alienated and resentful of authority figures preaching and attempting to control them rather than helping them be independent. 

Children are being held captives of the state educational system until 16 years old. They feel purposeless in an impersonal environment that rarely meets their needs. They are not free to choose the work force to learn new knowledge in a viable trade. There are few apprentice options to gain knowledge from a master to become a productive employee.

Individualized learning for each student can recapture a person's inner urge to learn. As the student progresses weaving his way through his own program, his enthusiasm for learning will eventually increase across the board. It will unleash the power of the interdependent learner to reach his own goals.

Our educational system should encourage the student to become an independent learner, not be crushed by a one-size-fits-all approach to formal learning. By individualizing the course of study for each child the student will build his skills and knowledge according to his own timetable, needs and goals. This will increase his competence and enthusiasm for overall learning. No two people learn in the same manner but most want to be competent in as many areas as possible. The more things we know how to do well, the more power we have to be successful.

Dr. Maglio is an author and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

BELIEVING THE CHILD, NOT THE TEACHER

BELIEVING THE CHILD, NOT THE TEACHER

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

Times have changed. In the past several decades parents have shifted from having faith in the teacher’s word. Today parents listen to their child’s version of what happened at school as if it is the gospel truth.  This change of attitude of parents is weakening the power and status of teachers.

The parent starts off the communication with the teacher by stating an event that happened at school. The mother does not ask the teacher what took place concerning a specific incident. She acts as if she knows everything as it happened although the information she possesses is only from the child. She has no doubt as to the sequence of events. Rarely it is collaborated by one of the child’s friends.

The teacher is guilty until she proves her innocence while the student is allowed to be judge and jury to the parent. The parent knows the facts before she speaks to the teacher because her child had “truthfully” told her all about the incident. Although like almost all children, the child has lied to the parent on past occasions.

Parents make declarative statements as if they had been watching a surveillance monitor placed in the classroom to follow their child’s every move at school.  The mother thinks she knows the specific facts of the incident before she learns what others involved have to say.

Even if the child is a notorious liar, instigator or outright troublemaker, the modern parent feels compelled to be on the child’s side in calling for a conference. She has heard about teacher mismanagement and even abuse that has happened locally or nationally. These negative school incidents have influenced parents initially to defend their child before learning what actually took place.

Modern parents have become advocates of their child’s behavior outside of the home rather than adults who hold their child accountable for his actions. This change in the attitude of parents has undermined the authority of the teacher, which has weakened the discipline in our schools. Today’s children are not more honest or obedient than children in the past. In most cases they are the opposite.

This is an indictment of our permissive culture. In a similar manner of parents like the parents of the Boston Marathon Bombers and other indisputably cold-blooded killers these mothers have the audacity to speak into the camera and say their angelic child would never do such a horrible thing. These parents think their dramatic statement will exonerate them from any responsibility in raising a sociopathic loser.

Parents are missing the point of being a conscientious parent. It is not to protect the child from legitimate consequences of their behavior. The parents should want a full investigation of what happened at school not just wholeheartedly take their child’s word.

Modern parents are not as wise as parents of the past who wanted authority figures to require the highest behavioral standards to exist outside of the home to establish a safe environment. Instead modern parents are hampering adults from having the authority to do their jobs.

Today’s parents need to stop defending their child before hearing both sides of the story. A school examination of the incident will provide accurate information for the school and parent to develop appropriate consequences for the child’s behavior.

The parents should withhold judgment until all the facts are in and review them. This is especially true since all parents should know that almost all children lie and manipulate others when caught misbehaving. It is in the long-term interest of both parent and child for the student to experience appropriate consequences.

Children know a strong, honest parent will guide them to be a more successful adult than will a weak parent that can be led by the nose to cover for the child’s misdeeds. A parent being an accomplice to the child’s transgressions is a harmful act.

A child will respect their parent more for the effort of getting down to the truth rather than defending him after the child has fed her a line of baloney. Every parent needs to support other authority figures to help to reinforce the development of their child’s strong moral conscience.

Dr. Maglio is an author and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

YOU KNOW WHERE THE BODY IS BUT NOT THE HEAD

YOU KNOW WHERE THE BODY IS BUT NOT THE HEAD

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD.  Traditional Realist

Our children’s world has changed. There are few neighborhoods where parents feel comfortable to let their children play outside all day. In many communities there are few same age children nearby to interact with even if the parents were courageous enough to let them go outdoors.

American parents feel guilty that their child has no friends. They believe it is their responsibility to provide their child with the opportunity to be around peers. Their parents chauffeur youngsters to one activity after another. As the child’s interest fades in the newest activity, they move on to another interest, which results in losing old acquaintances and temporarily making others.

In the preteen through early teenage years children have turned towards social media to make contacts.  Due to the lack of friends in the neighborhood friendships made at school are often difficult to carry on after school.  Our modern children have solved this issue through the Internet. Youngsters are involved with virtual relationships.

The parents are delighted with this set up. Children are home safely in their rooms on the computer. These parents may not be as proficient on the Internet as their children but feel comfortable enough that they can access their child’s computer history. Modern parents are well aware with their knowledge of Facebook that they can easily monitor their child’s activity on it. Parents have the ability to control the time their child is allowed to play video games and use the computer.  Most parents feel cyberspace is safer for them than being outside the house in the community.

Parents are being naïve. They should think long and hard about the potential perils of virtual reality.

Incredible advances in technology are making it difficult to keep up with the rapidly evolving computer scene. These ever increasing social media and video games are expanding opportunities for youngsters to hide their postings of “sexting” inappropriate photos and false bios on the Internet.

Recent apps such as Instagram, Kik messenger and Snapchat are just the tip of the iceberg that have unlimited messaging. Many new mobile applications are free and can be used with Kindle Fire or the iPod Touch as long as there is a wireless connection. The proliferation of these apps is making it practically impossible to follow their child’s virtual existence.

The ability to know what your child is doing on electronic devices has become an almost impossible proposition. Presently Apple has over 800,000 apps and Google Play has over 700,000. Youngsters have the ability on Snapchat to send a text photo

that self-destructs in 1-10 seconds after being opened.

There are some physical dangers in the cyberspace world. Perverted individuals can penetrate these social media and appear to be an appealing person to meet the vulnerable youngsters.

Video gaming may keep youngsters off the streets but there is a potential price to pay. These games have reached a level of psychological sophistication that the American Psychological Association is discussing the possibility of including it in the upcoming Diagnostic Statistical Manual V. There is already addiction centers established in Amsterdam, Netherlands to assist youngsters to deal with their addictive gaming. This issue is becoming more pronounced throughout the nation. 

The most common and potentially most damaging consequence of living a virtual life is to the minds of these children. Parents cannot protect or guide their children when they have no idea what they are doing or thinking in world of virtual reality.  The social media readily alters their desires and moral values with strangers and gaming.

Television babysitting impacted the values and expectations of youngsters who passively watched advertisements and programs. Active interacting with others in the social media or playing video games has a far more immediate impact on their thinking, behavior and spirituality. 

Parents, beware these modern electronics are far more dangerous to the soul of the child than getting into a verbal or physical fight with another child.  Significantly limiting the access on the computer may be the only way to insure children’s minds remain open to parental direction and are attuned to the real world not pathetically floating in the dangerous virtual world.

Dr. Maglio is an author and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.