What I Expect in a Classroom (or, more about why we're homeschooling)

One of my first posts addresses some of the reasons why we're homeschooling, but I feel urged to explain things a little further. . .

I am pasting in portions of a letter I wrote to the principal of the kids' school last year, in reference to Elliot's third grade experience. The letter is in blue.



As a professor of education and a former elementary school teacher, I have very strong beliefs about "best practices." I believe the following practices should be present and consistently followed in my child's classroom:

--Reading Workshop

• Whole class instruction in a novel or non-fiction text followed by time to write in a reading response notebook
• Book clubs/literature circles
• Some skill instruction as it relates to the books being read
• Independent/choice reading

--Writing Workshop

• Mini lesson on craft
• Time to write, revise, confer (with peers and with teacher)
• Sharing in the Author's Chair

--Math taught through Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) or Problems Based Learning (PBL)

• Little to no "drill and kill'
• Learning math through problem solving, where any strategy that solves the problem is considered correct
• Learning the algorithms only after the concept is thoroughly understood

--Science taught through Science Notebooks and hands-on experiences

--Social Studies taught through perspective-taking, multiple resources, and primary source documents

--A learner-centered environment where real-world applications for the curriculum are presented more often than not

--Differentiation of curriculum

• Pushing forward, academically, where needed
• Providing additional assistance where needed

--Awareness of and empathy toward diversity

In my son's current classroom, only a few "best practices" are being followed:

• Whole class instruction in a novel in Language Arts
• Science being taught through a science notebook (sometimes) and a few hands-on experiences

My son reads well above grade level, but he is not given the opportunity to read on his level. He is not in a book club. He writes in a journal, but does not go through the steps of the writing process. Occasionally, he struggles with a math concept, but he is not given additional instruction; instead, he brings home papers with notes on them that say, "Mom, please teach this concept to Elliot. He doesn't understand it." When I inquired about CGI or PBL math, I was told he gets to use manipulatives if he wants to. He completes worksheet after worksheet in math with very few problem solving problems. His math homework is often a coloring paper or studying for timed "Mad Minute" tests. He reads from the social studies textbooks and has conversations about what he has read, but he does not read from other resources. He does have a science notebook.


My son is a very bright child, but his intelligence does not always show up in traditional manners. He was tested for TAG at his previous school, but his test was analyzed here at your school, and he did not qualify for TAG placement. That, however, does not negate how smart he is and how he would benefit from "best practices" and some academic challenges.

My son is also a Highly Sensitive Child (HSC) (Elaine Aron's Highly Sensitive Child), and has some "quirks" about him. I've shared the document that is attached with all of Elliot's teachers, and until this year, they have celebrated the diversity that Elliot brings to a classroom and found ways to meet his needs without singling him out or causing a fuss. This document has fallen on deaf ears this year, causing some undue stress (especially in testing situations) to my son.



So, there you have it. . . my expectations are high. . . but, I know all of the above is do-able. I've done it in a very diverse elementary school classroom myself. Now, I'm doing it at home, for my children--the most important students I could ever have!

Frontier West is meeting the needs of all of its students! :-)