Reading the headlines and news articles about education the past week, we were dumb-struck by the clear confusion in this USA TODAY article. In fact, the article seemed to perfectly illustrate the absolute chaos of this year in schools. The author fumbled between stories of a strong homeschooling family, then juggled in a narrative on the widening learning gap, then switched to a discussion of future school funding concerns. But in the end, there really was no overarching idea behind the piece. It was as if the author wanted readers to sit with her in her confusion. The chaos on display is a picture of the state of our education system right now. It’s time for change now more than ever.
First, the article features a family of color who chose to homeschool their would-be kindergartener instead of enrolling him in virtual public school. Like many families this year, the mother describes that “there were too many uncertainties” and she didn’t want him to spend his “days in front of the computer.”
From there, the author attempts to cast the family’s chosen path as a threat to the public school system. She hints at blaming families who have the financial security to home school or to attend private school for leaving the public school system behind for a number of reasons. But, ironically, the early learning expert quoted in the article has chosen to place her own kindergartener in a private school this year. Ultimately, the author loses her direction and brings the reader back to the picture of a student whose family chose homeschool over sitting in front of a computer at public virtual school all day without any criticism or fault in her words.
Why is she confused? It’s a confusing situation. It should not be a crime to want better for your children like the mother who chose homeschooling, and it should not be a crime to be dissatisfied with the way public schools are serving students. But it feels like a crime that so many parents want something different for their children and yet, like these families, their children are trapped in unacceptable situations.