6 March 9, 2023
OPINIONS
Editor: Maria Odenbaugh
opinions.viewpointsonline@gmail.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF PEXELS
A young student and their mother use a tablet to study together during a home schooling session.
Community efforts improve home school KATHYA SAGREGO STAFF REPORTER
In the last three years parents have decided to take full responsibility for their children’s education by going the home schooling route. I home school three of my four children and I would not go back to regular public school. After the pandemic, many parents realized how much growth our children had with a one on one teaching system. Home schooling
has grown on social media with the belief that home-schooled children lack social skills and don’t benefit from a seat based education. However, my experience with my children has been the opposite. My children have been able to build a community within the home school system. We are enrolled in a public home schooling program that provides us with state funds each semester for each child. These funds make it possible to go on field trips to museums, events and aquariums. My children are also able to do extracurricular activities such
as sports and music lessons. My toddler even takes literature in the kitchen class. I am able to buy school materials, books, but most importantly I buy curriculum for each subject. We are not alone while taking this journey. Through the public homeschooling state program my family has an assigned teacher. She is who guides us to provide my children with the best education possible. We meet monthly in person. She helps me cover education standards and holds me accountable for my children’s work. Homeschooling is a full time job and I have taken full responsibility
for my childrens’ education as well as their social growth. We attend organized home school park days and events as well as organize coops to work on science projects or nature hikes. Homeschooling is flexible. I have the opportunity to teach each child according to their needs, passions and level. I get to adapt to every child’s learning setting as well as learning through games, handson projects and reading literature as a family. I am a believer in homeschooling because while I teach my children educational
standards, I teach them life skills. They get assigned chores and daily routines. They also help garden and learn to use tools around the home. Home school is about routine and more than anything about being consistent. Our daily dynamic is done through learning even when we are grocery shopping or going on a road trip as a family to learn about deserts and forests. I am an advocate for homeschooling because this has been the best choice for my family. We have created a safe, productive and loving educational setting.
Women motivate, achieve, educate despite obstacles Education requirements should highlight historical progress MARIA ODENBAUGH OPINIONS EDITOR
March is Women’s history month. It is a time to celebrate and show appreciation for the growth of a sex that has been discriminated against and shunned away, especially in education. Being part of a generation where women are starting to take over the “man’s world” and show equality feels exciting but also worrisome. Although women are allowed to vote and have some basic human rights, there is not enough appreciation for women who value their higher education despite the sacrifices. It’s been more than 150 years since women decided higher education was an important path
for them to take. According to The Hechinger Report, 60% of United States college students are women. Some of those women have full time jobs, kids and a family to raise. Women are able to receive an education and graduate with degrees and we owe that to the generation of women who have made sacrifices for what they believe we deserve. The gender educational gap is closing. I am able to value my post high school education because of women who are valuing their education no matter the sacrifices they have to make. I did not realize this until I became a community college student. Women of all ages, backgrounds and different stories are learning with me. Getting to know teachers and students over the past years that have children, work full time and experienced modern day sexism has motivated me immensely. They radiate motivation for young women. As a full time student in my twenties, who doesn’t have the same amount of responsibilities, I feel inspired by these women.
STEPHEN DAY | VIEWPOINTS
A young student reads about women in U.S. history at the local college library on March 8. What about the young girls in primary school? We have to educate them on these women. Inspirational hard working women who shaped this nation. They need more knowledge of the important historic women who allowed their mothers, aunts and sisters to gain a degree. Growing up there seemed to be no history lessons on specific significant women who changed the history of America. From elementary school to high school
history classes, the slave owning, sexist male figures were always taught. Having that huge gender gap in my education left me uneducated on the history of my sex. Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson were all NASA “human computers” behind launching the first man into space, yet, their names are not brought up in the history of space travel as much as the male astronauts.
We need to get to a point in our school systems to have equal understanding of the accomplishments of men and women. There is not enough representation of women who teach young students about the history of our nation. The growth women have made in education won’t last long if young girls are not taught the history of important women in our society.