In a recent article, provocatively titled “Public Schools Lose When Gifted Kids are Homeschooled,” Alex Sharp argues:
If every parent on the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum would consistently share their ideas, concerns, and passion with their local school boards, they might find that the public schools would become their schools of choice.
Excuse me for a moment while I roll around on the floor laughing.
Still laughing.
This year, the budget crisis is so bad, and the cuts so deep, that gifted ed hardly musters any parental advocacy in my school district. Nevertheless, in a quixotic but ultimately fruitless attempt, I spoke up for the enrichment program because even though my children won’t benefit, I do care about our schools.
It’s also because I care about all of our children that I won’t take Ms. Sharp’s advice, shared in a letter on the TAGMAX Gifted Listserv:
So, what I would like to ask your forum members is what many gifted ed teachers have been asking for years: Why aren’t parents suing the school districts on the grounds that their gifted children are being denied their legal right to a free and appropriate education? Just one successful lawsuit can change, well, everything.
No, I will not burden our school district with an expensive lawsuit to demand services that we can provide outside of school, even if:
When parents take their children out of public schools, they may not realize that they are taking away the magical collaboration that is so essential to learning. Homeschool parents may not realize what their children would have added to the classroom. They are taking away the peers that their public school counterparts are seeking, and they are taking away the ideas their kids would have brought to class discussions. There is no way for the community to regain what is lost when gifted kids leave.
Chuckle. Sorry, this is just so ludicrous. As wonderful as my children are, somehow I think class discussions fare well enough without their pearls of wisdom. Public schools have been managing to thrive without the presence of students who elected to attend private schools, and I think they can manage without homeschoolers as well.
School choice is, and should be, a personal decision. When it comes right down to it, I’ve made school choices for my children based on what I believe is best for my children in the present. These choices change from year to year, and can include homeschool, private school, or public school.
I’m happy with my family’s choices, but I’ll still advocate for the community. Just because we homeschool doesn’t mean that we don’t care.
