There is a great deal of enthusiasm amongst conservatives for news of the possible dismantling of the Department of Education and the adoption of school choice initiatives. Allowing parents’ tax dollars to flow to the schools to which they send their children is a matter of justice, but it may not be a panacea. Will it work? The best answer is, “It depends.”

We hear about the rising number of parents choosing to home-school their children. On the surface, it sounds like an attractive option. I have friends who’ve chosen that route and they say it’s the best decision they’ve ever made. They loved spending so much time with their kids, interacting both as teachers and as parents. But I’ve also heard them describe their struggles.

The obvious one was the greater challenge in providing opportunities for their children to socialize with others in their age group. In a school environment children spend hours each day with their peers while home schoolers must structure that time in local groups devoted to sports, music, dance, etc. While schools offer access to labs, gyms, and other specialized equipment, purchasing these items for home use may be out of the question.

Another issue is simply organizing the time required to act as a teacher while managing a household. One parent will likely have to relinquish a career. Parents may not expect the level of skill and patience required to teach complex subjects such as math and the sciences, and they and their children may experience frustration when they encounter questions they can’t easily answer. There are also accreditation requirements including documentation and testing which require compliance.

For parents who aren’t ready to take on this entire burden there are remote learning options available. Many families chose or were otherwise forced to utilize these services during COVID and some have never returned to traditional classrooms. While the curriculum is set by the provider, the family must provide internet access (unless Pete Buttigieg comes through), a computer, printer, and supplies. The parent again schedules instructional time and holds their children accountable. If there are multiple children in the home, this can be problematic.

Children may not respond well to these options. If they’ve spent time in a traditional classroom they will likely now miss their friends. Children need deep, long-term friendships and these are difficult if they’re not spending as much time with their peers. Loneliness and fewer opportunities for socialization are real challenges. They may not be motivated to put in the time and effort which can result in stress and frustration for everyone involved. Both parents and children may suffer from boredom, depression, or burnout. Education can and should be enjoyable and while some parents can rise to this challenge, others may not. It’s hard enough to be a parent, it’s even tougher to wear two hats and try to be a teacher as well.

Charter schools may represent an attractive option between home-schooling, remote learning, and private or parochial schools. These are public in that they are tuition-free but resemble private and parochial schools in that they are selective in their admissions processes. They can be more flexible in their choices of curriculum, hiring practices, and school management and so they tend to be more innovative and can provide more specialized educational programs.

We’ve all likely suffered under bad teachers and experienced bad teaching and so simply changing schools may not be the answer. Parents need to know that even if their children change schools, they will likely still encounter teachers like this from time to time.

Some bad teachers have unpredictable mood swings or always seem angry. It’s impossible to trust a person who’s unpredictable and one who’s always angry is unlikable. Students need to like and trust their teachers so these two sorts tend not to have positive relationships with their students or their colleagues.

I’ve seen teachers who sought approval and validation from their students, given them too many free days or showed too many movies, while others lectured their students in inappropriate ways on politics, religion, and nowadays, highly-charged sexual topics. Bad teachers may demonstrate poor skills in areas such as classroom management, organization, communication, and content knowledge. They may often be late grading and returning student assignments or they’ll reuse the same lesson plans year after year. Teachers like these may often be late or absent, violate the school dress code, or use inappropriate language. These behaviors usually find their way onto teacher evaluation forms in order that they may improve. If not, they are or should be let go and never be allowed anywhere near a classroom again. This may be difficult or impossible when the public school teacher’s union gets involved.

I spent almost 40 years as a Catholic school educator, at various times serving as teacher and administrator. In the last decade or so the high school in which I worked began accepting greater numbers of students from public schools. Many of them were unprepared, not just for Catholic school but for high school itself. Some had no idea how to take notes from the board, a textbook, or a lecture. Apparently they had never been taught how to listen attentively, isolate and record essential information in an organized fashion, ask questions when they were confused, complete assignments on time, or prepare for tests. It’s relatively easy to correct these problems with younger students, but after they complete middle school it becomes increasingly difficult. It’s worth noting that these types of skills are also required of adults in the workforce.

When I spoke with their parents they were often completely mystified. They had transferred their children to our school in the expectation that we would work some kind of miracle without any effort on the part of themselves or their children. I’ve been told by friends in the home-schooling community that this is referred to as “plop and drop.” The parents envision a factory model of education where the raw materials enter at one end, undergo some mysterious process and emerge from the other as a finished product with little to no outside effort required. All participants have a part to play.

Parochial and private school curriculums may more closely align with the values of the parents which can be a great comfort. Active parental involvement in their child’s education is usually an advantage unless it’s taken too far, i.e. “helicopter parents.” Educators want parents to ensure their children are putting in the necessary time and effort but no one appreciates being micro-managed.

The moral of the story here is, “wherever you go, there you are.” People who are unmotivated or undisciplined will experience difficulties whether they’re students, parents or teachers.

Mr. Trump has picked Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education. He said,

As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families. … We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort.

Let’s pray he gets his wish. And let’s pray that everyone involved is ready when it happens.

Image: Free image, Pixabay license.