What's your greatest regret?


 One of my greatest regrets is that I didn’t homeschool my son.


When Steve was tested for academic readiness, he passed with a very high score and was admitted to kindergarten. Academic readiness merely means he had sufficient background knowledge to begin school. There is a vast difference between academic readiness and developmental readiness.


Study the photo below. Does this child look happy to you?

Steve, holding his blanket (blankie) his first day of school. Photo courtesy of Kathy Pennell


I hadn’t returned to college to gain my masters in education and reading specialist certification at that point. When I started testing youngsters for developmental readiness, I knew my son, who was 16 by the time I started teaching, wasn’t ready for school.


First of all, he was the youngest child in his class by a considerable margin. Second, all he wanted to do was play. Play is what little ones want/need to do. When they’re “ready” they will sit and learn for a reasonable period of time, unless there are other issues at hand.


Not only was he young, he was autistic. His teachers and I knew nothing about autism. In fact, he wouldn’t be diagnoses with autism for many years. Had I taught Steve, I would have taken him at the pace with which he absorbed material which was much faster than the classroom.


Teachers teach to the mean, the average student. That is stifling for a student who can digest the material at a much more rapid pace. (Some of you may have experienced the same with your own child.) He wouldn’t have had the enormous distractions school invariably “subjects” its students to. Not their fault. It’s the “nature of the beast”.


Not every parent is capable of homeschooling their children nor do they want to. I would have enjoyed it and considered it a privilege to be his teacher. The Amish in Lancaster, Pennsylvania have a saying, “Too soon old, too late smart”. That’s how I feel.

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