The start...

The idea to home school is not a new one. It has been an idea that was planted, about the time our little guy started Kindergarten. The amount of time little boys spend sitting and being reminded to stay quiet, was astonishing. Kindergarten was a push of sight words and phonics, addition and subtraction there was very little time for physical activity and almost no time to have a conversation with any of his peers.
First grade for him was not any better. While the girls thrived in this type of environment, our little guy has been on a down hill ride. 

Then came a move. A move that we begged for and gladly accepted when it finally came to fruition.

With this move we entered a new realm of education, common core standards. A program that is supposed to be awesome for military families. A program that is supposed raise the bar and have every graduating senior ready for college (didn't we try that with no child left behind?). So, I started my research and I haven't found a single sheet of information that outlines what the national standard is. I haven't been able to find anything that has benchmarks or a way to measure what our children learning.
What I have found are complicated ways to solve simple math problems. English Language Arts is an absolute farce. Yes, children can read but they lack the ability to comprehend what they have read. The other problem with ELA is the lack of grammar and punctuation. How are our children going to be college ready, if they can't write an essay?

I have found that districts are using "task forces" to evaluate teachers. Really? A task force? Isn't that what law enforcement agencies use to track down criminals? Even with the use of a task force, I still can not find the ruler that determines the success of the teacher. What I have found is mandated curriculum. A way to teach children how to take a test. A means of teaching them to all think the same. An attempt to put every child, regardless of ability, into one box. 

I believe we should push our children to meet and exceed standards, when a clear standard has been put in front of them. I don't know how our children are supposed to thrive when the bar is constantly lowered. Yes, we need to reform schools. How do we do that? We empower our teachers! We allow them to teach our children how to think, not what to think.