Should Parents Without a Degree Be Able to Teach Homeschool Students?

If a teaching degree is the most important aspect to being a teacher, why is it that every public school in the country has an out crying of need for parental support in the classroom? More and more public schools are mandating parental interaction in the role of educating their children. How many public school students have parents with teaching degrees? My mother certainly didn't have a degree in mathematics, yet my math teacher repeatedly sent me home with the instructions to have my parents help me with my homework. I often wondered why my teacher thought my parents were so good at math.

Homeschooling does not involve being an expert in any particular field. It involves a parent who wants to teach a child and a child willing to learn. Homeschooling can be difficult and is not for everyone. Those who do choose to give their child a private education in their home have a plethora of reasons for doing so. They also have the desire to do what is best for their children which includes giving them a well rounded education, often which they would not get in a public school environment.

Though many homeschooling parents and caregivers do not have a teaching degree, they do have the means and ability to research topics that are essential to their child's education and progress. There are many resources available to home school families which might not be so easily available to families that choose other options such as private and public school. This is particularly helpful for families of children with disabilities who sometimes do not get the full attention they need in a formal educational environment.

Many formal educators cite the lack of parental training and knowledge in specific areas of the educational arena. If a homeschooling parent is weak in a certain academic area, there are numerous ways to work around this disadvantage. Private tutors are available in just about any subject one can think of at minimal cost. The Internet, if not accessible at home, certainly at most public libraries has a multitude of websites devoted to the education of any grade level on any topic. Any parent who can read on a basic level can find information on many topics, as well as ideas on how to teach the topic to their children. Many public school boards offer free or very cheap resources such as homework help lines, tutor services, after school programs and more that are easily available to homeschooling students for free or low cost. There is a vast array of home school organizations which pool together resources to help parents with many educational related activities.

What many people fail to understand about the homeschooling family is the fact that although the teacher may not be "trained and certified" according to government standards, they are certainly well qualified to teach their children as long as they are willing to follow through with the educational process. If parents can be trusted to choose their child's health care options, religious education and personal associations without a parenting degree, why then should they be forced to obtain a "teaching" degree simply because the state thinks they aren't smart enough to teach without one.

There are many great teachers in the world, and I certainly don't knock them for their dedication to teaching our youth. What is pointedly ignored from the anti home school stand point is the fact that children can receive just as much education at home as they can being shoved into a classroom, exposed to morals which may conflict with the family, and left to struggle on their own by teachers that are overworked, underpaid and overwhelmed by having twice as many students as they can possibly give their full attention to despite their best efforts.

A degree does not make it any easier to teach a child, it simple gives someone a state recognition of achievement in academics. Wouldn't it be great if good parents could get recognition in the same way, perhaps a state issued "parenting" degree would alleviate public apprehensions on whether or not a homeschooled child will receive a valid, useful education.