The Maine public schools, private ones too are small sized, not giant factories but home schooling still happens.
I hear many educational horror stories from other state, move to Maine real estate buyers. In my job, education options available in Maine come up, get discussed. In large city, urban areas outside Maine, lots of disturbing remarks bantered around about gangs. And just the sheer impersonal institutional sprawling size of public schools. Where out of state kids are herded like cattle through the educational process turnstyles.
One teacher from Pennsylvania described his job in a phone call. He has five kids.
Says teaching there pays hazard bonus pay in certain regions and he is scared but saving extra money to move to Maine. And I thought as he described his school of images of a prison. Loaded with security, metal detectors, full time police with drug dogs. The law enforcement who are all labeled “resource personnel.” I thought when he used that term he was referring to ed techs, volunteers, helpers in the education process of kids in his city.
Also hear about outside Maine inner city schools where kids don’t dare use the bathroom.
Too much crime, drug deals and many don’t work from destruction to the plumbing. One mother said she learned to get out of the way at the end of the school day. Because the kids getting home from school were in a major dash to bust open the door. Race for the bathroom at home. That lack of school bathroom freedom, fear of gangs and huge classroom, education system size has to interfere with the school teaching process.
The home schooling in Maine topic also came up while showing a teacher from North Carolina who had his masters in education.
His wife a successful divorce attorney. The husband also a coach with a teenage daughter gifted at basketball. He was not so high on home schooling. Because he said not everyone is cut out to teach. In the public education system or with their own kids.
His take on the subject being he was trained for more years than his wife spent in college for her under graduate and law degree. He said parents mean well but often have odds with the school system and yank their kids. Become home teachers by default in the corner they paint their children in to. He worried that these parents create minds that are narrow, limited. Even though as a parent they mean well as the strongest advocate for their children’s welfare.
Proponents of home schooling say more individual attention happens. Less time spent wasted between classes, moving the larger groups through the public school halls. Tied to schedules based on what ever “color” today’s block of classes is guided by for the school educational process. Pushing trays through the lunch line process also is time consuming home schoolers point out, argue.
And just because you happen to choose the path of Maine home schooling a child does not mean lack of organized social, sport, or musical interaction can not happen through public schools.
Over the last seven years, Maine superintendent records show between four and five thousand home schoolers registered. Here are other frequently asked questions, FAQ’s about Maine home schooling.
One question asked about Maine home school a lot is does the State of Maine issue a diploma, certificate of completion when a parent alerts them that their student has completed their studies? No. Since there are no Maine home schooling achievement standards.
Maine does not issue grades, credits, diplomas, transcripts, letters of course completion or grade level promotion for home schoolers. Parents are advised to contact post secondary institutions, their military recruiter or potential employer to inquire about what will be required for acceptance/admission/employment.
Home schooling in Maine starts with a letter of intent to withdraw from a public system.
The notice must be filed with the State Department of Education in Augusta and your local school superintendent with a ten day notice. More from Home Schoolers of Maine organization FAQ’s section. And wondering about other education alternatives to public schools, Maine home schooling? Check the list of Christian schools in Maine.
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com
