Is the person homeschooling your child more of a subject matter expert in all of the areas that the public school teaches? Many parents have found out first hand that they either didn’t know what they were doing or weren’t patient enough to teach their own kids.
I think you're overestimating the amount of background knowledge the average tech worker might need to make up to teach elementary and high school subjects from text books.
People TA entire college classes with the same amount (0) of experience.
I took plenty of math classes in high school and college over two decades ago. I look at the average Trig problem and I didn’t know where to start helping my son. I ended up FaceTiming my mom who is a retired high school math teacher. I also have an aunt - a retired high school science teacher - I could call. But how many people have those resources at their beckon call?
>I look at the average Trig problem and I didn’t know where to start helping my son.
Did you try reading the text book? It's made for children. It's high school math. I cannot understand this mindset but I fear it is extremely common and our society is in trouble for it.
Yes we are in trouble because we have this thing called specialization of labor. I learned how to develop software so I could live in the big house in the burbs with the good school system and took advantage of knowing the right people with the right set of skills to help me in other areas. I also shockingly don’t cut my own grass, do my own plumbing or fix my own cars.
>I also shockingly don’t cut my own grass, do my own plumbing or fix my own cars.
I do, and you should too. These things are not difficult to learn. Moreover they are good full body workouts and, speaking from experience with my father, can be excellent bonding experiences.
But that's beside the point. You're relying far too much on others if you've lost the ability to spend 5-20 minutes reading one chapter in a children's textbook for a chance to educate and bond with your child.
If you can learn a new programming language or framework without someone holding your hand, you can do this basic stuff. I think people either underestimate themselves or they're willing to go to great lengths to justify their laziness.
I do, and you should too. These things are not difficult to learn. Moreover they are good full body workouts and, speaking from experience with my father, can be excellent bonding experiences
I’m sure there are dozens of things we pay for everyday that are not too difficult to learn. In business, you choose between your core competencies and what is best to outsource - your typical build vs buy decisions. Even while developing you choose when to use third party frameworks and what to build yourself.
I’m not in Silicon Valley I am just in big city USA so I am in no way bragging. But by specializing in software development, that affords me the big house in the burbs, that also allows me to pay other people to cut my grass while I exercise in the comfort of my fully equipped home gym in the air conditioning.
* If you can learn a new programming language or framework without someone holding your hand, you can do this basic stuff. I think people either underestimate themselves or they're willing to go to great lengths to justify their laziness.*
I learned it the first time 20+ years ago, I have no doubt that I could relearn it - especially with the help - but everyone chooses how to optimize their time? Is my time spent better learning trig or doing something that can make me more money so I can cash flow his way through college?
>I learned it the first time 20+ years ago, I have no doubt that I could relearn it - especially with the help - but everyone chooses how to optimize their time? Is my time spent better learning trig or doing something that can make me more money so I can cash flow his way through college?
We're talking about a pandemic where some degree of homeschooling has become mandatory. I'm just pointing out that the difficulty is minimal when it's a question of educating your kids. Our specializations are irrelevant.
The rest, which is a different subject, just boils down to our difference preferences - I prefer to spend my spare time practicing practical skills and I think society would be far better off if other people did too. Even fixing cars gives your mind a technical workout that translates to other domains.
Even fixing cars gives your mind a technical workout that translates to other domains.
Or I could spend the time improving in the technical domain directly by bringing my laptop to the service department instead of fixing a car where they have people who can do it faster with better equipment and somehow hope that it will make me a better developer, team lead, overpriced consultant or whatever rabbit I’m chasing at the time.
I’m sure the farmer would also look in disdain because you don’t grow your own food and instead go the grocery store.
Nope. We learn the material over (having been out of school for at least two decades) from the home school material, and then teach it.
If you don’t have patience, but also can’t afford private education of some sort and have to resort to broken public institutions, there's not much hope (imho). Patience is cheap (comparatively speaking).
I've learned how to weld, sail, wrench on diesel engines and my Teslas, perform wilderness EMT procedures, woodwork, and build houses/perform large scale home improvement on my own. K-12 is a cake walk. Don't doubt your vibe, you're a fellow human and you can do it too.
There are often group projects especially in high school. Play dates don’t teach how to work as a team.
Even in elementary school it’s an important lesson to learn that you’re not a special snowflake and you don’t get all of the attention of superiors (teachers) to yourself.
