Homeschooling

I met up today with a family that I've known for years. They're making their annual trip up to Northern California to visit the kids' grandparents. They stopped by near my work on their way up, and we were able to meet up at Starbucks to catch up for an hour. On a side note; I find it strange that coffee shops have become the de facto place for me to meet up with people. I can't seem to think of any other place as a meeting place suggestion. Particularly Starbucks; I mourn the extinction of local coffee stores.

But anyways, this family homeschools their kids and they asked me (even though the question is a bit premature) if I would consider homeschooling my kids. I shared with them that I remembered reading an article (it's called Six Lessons from New York's State Teacher of Year) that caused me to seriously consider homeschooling when I raise my children. The article is very enlightening, but some of the interesting points were:

• Teachers may teach English, or History, or Math, but what they mainly teach is School. Schoolteachers are just that; they are ones who teach school.
• We lock 30 kids together in the same room for a whole hour and we expect them to sit still, be quiet until asked to speak, stay attentive, etc..
• Whatever it is that you are doing cannot possibly be more important than the bell ringing, beckoning you to your next class.
• Conformity is much more important than curiosity.
• "People need to be told what they are worth"; particularly using letters and numbers, even to the percentage point.
  
• All these lessons we teach kids tell them to conform, follow rules, be okay with being dependent on others; which prepares them well for the working world, where they will continue to conform, follow rules, etc..

Is it any wonder why kids don't like school? And how much do parents really look into what they are entrusting their kids? Their kids' values will be greatly shaped at this place where they spend around 30 hours a week; have they checked what those values are? It seems like things will get even worse with this "No Child Left Behind" policy; if teachers were teaching to the tests before, how much more will they be doing it now, since their government funding depends on it?

I guess we'll see about the homeschooling.