What is important?

I've been focusing almost exclusively on academics. As a trained teacher in public schools, that was our measuring stick for everything. Public schools are not there to teach morality, religion, have fun, foster creativity, create good citizens, etc, etc. They are there to teach the 3R's, with a little history and science thrown in. If some fun or creativity creep in, great, but if there was not time for that, oh well.

The other bugger of the whole system was the standardized tests. Here I am going on and on about how homeschoolers measure just as well, even better, on the standardized tests, as if that's a good thing. All of us teachers, myself at the top of the bandwagon, derided standardized tests as biased and not a good system for evaluating learning. I've looked at the tests and seen what they measure and what they don't and how a kid may have oodles of knowledge on a subject and not be able to translate it into testing well. And I look at these standardized test results and say, look at how well homeschoolers do! When I have moved into a new school district I've always looked at their test scores.

I'm pathetic.

Homeschoolers are supposed to do 30-40% better on standardized tests than public school kids, too, as measured by that website I keep listing. But really, what are we comparing? 98% Homeschooled kids come from 2 parent families. Their parents are usually well educated, obviously committed to their children, and from higher income levels. Compare that same demographic of public school kid, and would homeschoolers do better? Probably not. Those kids do well wherever they are. (Does that continue into high school? I don't know that one. High school is such a confused time of life.)

I'm pathetic again.

As I've been reading about how best to teach the academics, I've basically learned that wherever my kid is, however she is taught, whatever methodology I use, she'll be fine. So I've been slipping over to the easier methods that we have less conflict using. Namely, unschooling, except in math and languages. She likes languages. Math is our bugaboo.

And while I'm slip sliding away, I'm thinking what is it that I really want for Mi'ita's future?

To love learning?

To be confident in her ability to master whatever is thrown her way?

To get a good job that can support her family?

To respect all the kinds of people we have on this planet, their beliefs and culture?

To respect all the life on our planet?

I feel like I need to work on a mission statement for my school of one pupil.