Now that I started teaching again in a traditional school, I got melancholic about homeschooling.  There are so many kids with different needs.  Some kids learn fast; but there are others that take their time in the learning process.  They need individual work.  Here in Texas there is a time frame called the YAGS.  It tells how much time the lessons have to be taught.  We have to follow those standards.  But working with the YAGS time frame doesn’t work for some kids.

But I understand that many parents don’t think that they are capable of teaching their kids.  In many states, many Hispanic parents didn’t have the chance to study in their homelands.  The reality is that going to school is not obligated in many Latin American countries.  That’s why there are so many illiterate immigrants in the United States.  They come to the U.S.A. to seek opportunities for growth and education.

That’s one of the reasons why traditional school will still be an option specially for the Hispanic immigrants.  It’s not their fault; it’s their countries government’s fault.  If a government keeps the people ignorant; it’s easier to control the masses.

It’s sad but it’s true.  We can’t blame the immigrants for taking risks on trying to cross the borders seeking better lives for themselves.  I know I wouldn’t be so brave.  I’m just lucky that I was born an american citizen.  But I have known personally many immigrants that fight hard to get at least a decent education.  My fourth graders are part of them; even if some of them still don’t realize it.  Hopefully, they will soon thank their lucky starts to be where they are.

Even with these mishaps, I still believe in homeschooling the kids. We can’t treat all the kids the same way.  Each one of them is unique in their own way.  They learn different, perceive in different ways.  But I still got to use the YAGS, the TEKS and everything that the government wants.  Hopefully some of those kids will do well in the STAAR.  But life doesn’t work that way.

(Drawing by Anna Lorraine)