Missouri’s Lax Homeschooling Regulations

Home schooling is popular. Articles, forums, chat rooms all exist for those home schooling parents to bind together. It is up to every parent to choose the educational route their children will take, and most parents believe they are making the right choices for their child. But in glancing at Missouri’s regulations for home schoolers, it makes me a little concerned about the quality of education such children might be getting at the hands of a home schooling parent.

I became curious when I was getting to know a local family – in fact, they temporarily provided daycare for my daughter a couple years ago. The mother of the family (all five of her children were grown, save one who was finishing ‘school’) home schooled all of her five children. She gave the children an option when they were older, and most of them did decide to spend some time in public school to get a feel for it. Not a single one of them lasted more than one school year before they resumed home schooling. Public school was a little too overwhelming for them, given their previous experiences.

I got a bad vibe about it. Now, I’m not singing the praises for public school, though there are more good public schools than many people might like to admit. And sure, many children might get a better education at the hands of their parents. But in the situation of this specific family, I found out that the mother, who was doing the teaching at home, was a high-school dropout.

I once looked into substitute teaching while finishing my degree, and in order to substitute teach in Missouri the requirement is at least 60 hours of college credit.

But, according to Missouri regulations for home schoolers, there is no requirements what so ever. (According to the article about it on About.com) No finishing of high school, no college hours, no problem.

Um, what?

The parent or guardian must keep a daily log of activities, and an evaluation.

That’s it? No public testing, even?

I’m sorry, and maybe it’s just me…I’m not for government tampering in people’s personal matters…but isn’t this a little unfair, maybe, to the child? Does this parent have the child’s best interest at heart, really? What is it that makes them feel more capable to educate their child with their own lack of education? I’m not trying to generalize; my own mother didn’t finish high school until 1988 (She was 37, then went on to college). I’ve never seen her as lacking. But why, I wonder, does the law believe that a particular degree is needed for teaching in public school, but not that conducted in the home?

What happens to this child when they attempt to go to college? Aren’t their choices going to be limited, given their background? Children that attend public and private schools seem like they would have the advantage; the receive education and instruction from their parents, and then from another source, one that provides them probably with alternative viewpoints and structure…from qualified, degree-holding, trained, teachers.

Maybe I’m wrong. But in the situation I witnessed, that which rendered a family of five children who mostly never left home, none that went to college, and a few that I knew that could barely spell…well, I doubt it’s an isolated case.

Source:

Homeschooling.about.com

Legal Information – Missouri

http://homeschooling.about.com/od/molegal/Legal_Information_Missouri.htm