As teachers stop by to sign the CHN
Teacher Petition, many are leaving comments.
We would love to share them with you!
"My state teaching credential did not teach me how to successfully instruct children as individuals, nor is it even possible
to instruct another how to teach. Teaching is an innate ability possessed by most mothers. Instead, my credential gave me the skills to
manage large groups of children efficiently within an institutional setting, a skill set completely unnecessary for home instruction."
"Home Schooling has produced some very educated students. Ability to teach is not conditioned on having a credential."
"The classes required for a credential are more about managing a classroom than becoming an excellent teacher. They are quite
irrelevant to homeschooling."
"I hold a current teacher's certificate in the State of Illinois. I also homeschool our five children. My credentials did not prepare
me to teach my own children!! Rather, being their mom did."
"As an educator I have worked with many homeschool families. I've seen many parents without credentials who could teach circles around
many veteran teachers I know."
"My teaching credentials actually hinder my teaching at home. Home schooling requires teaching each child the way he/she learns best.
I'm constantly tailoring their education. Universities teach how to manage masses of children and how to teach the "average" child.
These skills are useless in home schooling."
"Read any major study on education, and it will point to the fact that primary learning takes place in the home, even with children
who attend school outside the home. Also, having a degree or certificate does not guarantee an effective education. Otherwise, we would not
have any failing schools."
"As a teacher I have worked in public and private schools, as well as virtual charter schools and with private homeschoolers. In my
opinion and observations, the parent who cares enough about their child's education to homeschool is just as capable, if not more capable,
at educating their child than a credentialed teacher with 25+ students, mandated curriculum and high stakes testing."
"I am a credentialed teacher who plans to homeschool my own children. Most of my credential work focused on crowd management, how to
teach ESL and children with special needs. Few of those skills will be needed to teach my own two children at home."
"I have yet to see an uncredentialed homeschool parent fail at teaching or be guilty of neglecting to properly educate his or her
child(ren) at home. Any parent who is willing to make this sacrifice is already more than qualified to use that time to nurture the child
toward becoming a productive citizen in our society. Had I chosen a different major than education, I would have picked up more useful
knowledge than classroom management and educational politics."
"I actually find that being a trained teacher hinders my homeschooling. I'm trained to present material to a group of children,
and not to key into and follow personal interests. I've had to try to resist the urge to direct and teach. Each time I do try to take
the lead my children feel forced and no longer enjoy the activity. When I let my children follow their natural instinct to learn, it's
incredible how much they absorb, and I just follow and play along, which get them even more excited!"
"I am the coordinator of an Independent Study Program. Over the years I have worked with many parents who homeschool their kids.
These parents have been conscientious, diligent, thorough, and know well how their kids learn. Their kids have been active in scouts, soccer,
4-H, archery, martial arts, etc. In many ways they have done more than a credentialed teacher could do, by providing individual attention,
mini field trips, community service, and love and support."
"As a Nebraska state certified teacher, it has been my experience that my teacher training is more frequently an obstacle rather
than a benefit to homeschooling my children as completely different methods of teaching are available and more suitable than what is taught
in teacher training."
"I went through a wonderful credential program that I have nothing but praise for. That said, I do not feel it is beneficial in any
way in homeschooling our children."
"Homeschooling parents of various educational backgrounds can and do teach their children very well. Public and private school teachers
expect parents to help with homework, yet do not require proof of teaching credentials. Parents must maintain their personal responsibility to
bring up their children which includes their education."
"I taught in both public and private schools before I began teaching my own at home. My credential does not make me a better teacher to
my own kids; my love and dedication to my children is what does."
"I have been a certified elementary school teacher for the past 12 years. I do not believe that teacher credentialing is necessary for
homeschooling parents."
"I held an Ohio Teacher's certificate. In my honest opinion, you do not need to be credentialed to teach children what they need to learn.
Anyone who qualified for a high school diploma can teach his/her child what they need to know, given the necessary resources. I think they can
"I am currently a licensed teacher. I believe that my time in both the public and private school sectors proved to me that homeschooling is
a much more effective use of time and resources."
"Homeschooling parents have the right to choose what's best for their children. They have the knowledge to seek additional references and
support as they need to make sure their children have the appropriate education. Forcing them to be credentialed goes against rights that we have
fought for since the Revolutionary War."
"As State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said, "Parents still have the right to homeschool in this state."
Let's keep him accountable to this."
"Parents that homeschool are more attentive to what each of their children needs, and children that are homeschooled are more attentive to
what they are learning."
"My husband and I supervised 20 homeschooling families for 4 years in Alaska. We saw good results from parents without credentials in 2/3 of
the homes. The other 1/3 realized it was not for them and quit after a year."
"I am a teacher that supports homeschooling and plans to homeschool my children. Parents should be close to their own children. They are
responsible for their upbringing."
"Evidence from a recent report on public education has shown that an average of 50% of students in the top 100 populated cities
have a H.S. drop out rate of 40-60%. It is obvious from this study that credentials do not guarantee school success or even learning.
My guess is that credentials are not the primary factors for school success, but parental involvement and home schooling parents are
very involved in their child's learning. What more can I say? The evidence speaks."
"The coursework I took and the teaching credentials I hold were not necessary for me to teach my own children. I have learned more
by self education and shared collective wisdom from experienced home schooled parents and other specific resources that I sought than I did
from being a classroom teacher."
"I was gifted to teach long before I had a credential. Many mothers are gifted to teach even though they haven't gotten a state approved
piece of paper. I educated myself before college and since to be a better teacher."
"Although I am a credentialed teacher and homeschool parent, I know of many other parents without a teaching credential who are doing a
wonderful job educating their children—these children are far better off at home, learning in a loving supportive environment where family
is paramount. That is an education in life unavailable in any other educational facility."
"I taught in LA city public schools for over eight years. I'm also now a homeschooling mom and I can tell you for SURE that being a credentialed
teacher does NOT make one a better teacher. Almost everything I learned in grad school was how to manage a classroom. I also know that there are plenty
of great teachers in private schools who DON'T have teaching credentials. Should they not be allowed to teach???"
"The care and attention given to home school students by their parent instructors is greater than or equal to that offered by the best intentioned
credentialed teachers. A parent teaches their child all the child's life, for the child's benefit. If a parent undertakes the painstaking job of homeschooling
their child they are contributing the best talents and energies they have to offer, combined with love, which benefits the student child in the most beneficial
way toward their academic growth."
"A parent's desire to teach their children runs deeper than any credentialed stranger's."
"My experience has been that home schooled children experience a higher quality and broader education than do many children in public schools."
"I hold two credentials and taught in the WCCUSD for 10 years. After becoming a mother and putting my kids in the local public school and realizing that
their needs weren't being me, I opted to home school. I have done it just based on my credentials and I have done it with a Public Charter School. I feel that
homeschooling is an important option that parents should be able to have."
"Children deserve an education in the best possible setting for them. Our public school system is not the perfect setting for
all children. Parents are very able to make good educational decisions for their children and should be allowed to do so."
"Much of my teacher credential program focused on classroom management techniques, how to group children, keep them on task, create
lesson plans to meet the needs of thirty different children, administer pre and post tests etc... None of these skills are necessary when
you are teaching your own child. In fact, a whole set of different skills are required, such as working with your child's particular temperament
and interests. Credentials are fundamentally unnecessary for homeschooling parents."
"Parents guide a child's learning from the day he is born. They come to understand their child's strengths, challenges, and interests and
can individualize learning experiences to match. Homeschool parents who want support for teaching various subjects - math, writing, music,
karate—can find capable instructors out in the community to assist their family. Completing a credentialing program has not been shown to
enhance the outcomes for homeschooled students."
"Credential classes focus largely on how to teach groups of children of whom you have a limited knowledge and with whom you have limited time.
This does not apply to your own children!"
"Educating our children should be about choice and flexibility in order to meet everyone's needs and be the great social equalizer."
"We all know teachers who have years experience and multiple credentials, who should NOT be teaching. And we know those without credentials
who are or would be excellent teachers. A credential is only paper, a true teacher is measure by many other, more important means. We all say that
parents are the most important and first teach of each child--they can also be the very qualified teacher of school aged children."
