Come on people....point out the flaws in this poorly written article. It'll be fun! http://www.wsmv.com/education/25505015/detail.html
Huh? So the kids were being taught at home, but were not being homeschooled? So like they were part of an unbrella school, or what? And Dad had no idea that his fourth grader couldn't read. Yeah, right. When does he find this out? When he's getting a divorce. Well, guess what! Maybe things aren't so great at home, and it JUST MIGHT be interfering with the kids' learning....
Wait - this Jennifer-person lady reporter said that parents and grandparents are having trouble getting kids back into public schools???? How can that be? It's public - they HAVE to take you!!! Unless you're not in the age range or have been put on disciplinary expulsion.... Yeah, I'm having trouble understanding this "church-related school" but the kids are usually taught at home?? Not getting that at all.... I think there was more than just the educational plan in that house that was "falling apart", hmm?
Lindina, I've a friend whose neice has been "refused" by two school districts. She's 17 and lives with her aunt. The girl has special needs and has been attending a private Montesorri-type school that closed last year. The trouble is that the young lady lives with her aunt in one district, but her mother has custody. Mom lives at the YWCA in a different district. Mom's a deadbeat, but won't give up custody. She's told her sister that she'll take off with the girl rather than to give up custody. So District A won't accept her because the girl doesn't live there. District B says they don't have to accept her because she's not "legal" there. The aunt is hs'ing this year, but paperwork hasn't been sent in because she doesn't know who to send it to.
Because TN has moderate laws, the church-related school (CRS) is loophole to required testing and needing a college degree to hs at the high school level. It serves a an umbrella school. Most people in TN use one. I did when I lived there. Some are actual brick-and-mortar schools that allow hs'ers to register under them (they ususally still require testing) and some are just names with administrative staff to create a cover. I still had to send in curriculum choices, grades and attendance with my CRS though I was the one doing the grading.
And...places like Sylvan will always tell you your children need tutoring. It's how they make money. If I really wanted to know how my kids ranked that wouln't be my choice for testing-- if I knew they needed help, maybe, but not just to see where they stand.
I homeschool in TN and I use a church related umbrella school for one reason. I tried homeschooling my oldest when he was in kindergarten and went through the traditional method, the local school district. They were rude, wanted my hubby and I to go to counceling, which ended up being a talk about how I would ruin my childs life. When I pulled him out of ps I used a church related so I wouldn't have to deal with their harrassment. And as far as this family having a second and fouth grader reading on a kindergarten level, you might be surprised how many kids in TN ps are in 3rd and 4th grade reading on a K level. I taught in a school in which I had a 3rd classroom of 20 students with all but 4 reading on a first grade or K level! And on top of that the school had a no retention policy. I know many educators who are friends and they still face these problems every year. It's not just a homeschooling problem.
My DH worked in TN for about a year (we are close the border of KY and TN). One of his emplyee's, a girl who has just graduated from a TN high school asked him, "Where is Kentucky? Is that a state?" I am SO not kidding! That was the kicker for my DH for us to homeschool.
