On Mar 12, 10:27*am, "Larry L" wrote:
Heah !! * *We home schooled my kid one year ( 2nd grade ) and I'm pretty
sure I don't deserve to be lumped into a group that includes 'religious
conservatism' or 'general intolerance' G

Ironically, I tried making a similar point in the arvput group a few
times that homeschooling by itself wasn't a bad thing; but a few of
them, from what I could determine, had removed their kids from the
public system for the wrong reasons and to the likely detriment of
their kid's education IMO.

I also echo your praise of teachers. Too few people, I think, really
understand what the science of teaching entails. It's not necessarily
expertise in the subject matter, it's the art/science of how to best
impart that knowledge to the students. Like Penny, the good ones
understand each student's particular avenues of learning and adjust
their approach accordingly. Not so hard if you're teaching one's own
child; but damned tough with a class of 30 diverse learners. (Judging
by the results of my class' midterm grades, I kinda suck at it.)

We had a 2nd grade teacher who we still consider a friend because of
her amazing ability to reach and motivate her kids, ours included.
She's the greatest. It's truly amazing to see how a good teacher or
team can change the lives of kids.

Joe F.