Alternatives in Education: Does Your Child Need a Different Education?
By Diana Dahl

How do you know that it is time to look for another educational approach for your child? Do any of the following statements describe your child?

1. Your child says, "I hate school!"
If so, listen to them and begin asking questions. Children are natural learners, especially when they are young! Instilling the love of learning at a young age is imperative. If they "hate school," find out why. You can't solve the problem until you know the root of the issue.

2. Your child has lost interest in creative expression.
Traditional schools today view "the arts" as secondary to the "academic" areas. Arts aren't as valued as are the "core" subjects of math, English, science, and social studies. With budget cuts, the arts are usually the first programs to go, despite much research proving that art education leads to higher academic performance. Children need to have their natural abilities fostered and encouraged, rather than extinguished.

3. Your child has stopped reading/writing/exploring for fun.
If so, your child is probably already losing their motivation to learn, their creativity, and their ability to think abstractly. Public school tends to foster a "because I said so" mindset rather than a "because it's exciting and fun!" one. Public schools aren't doing a good job with proving a lesson's relevance to the student, so they don't understand the point in doing something other than because they were told to by an adult. Your child should come home spewing out fun things they did today and interesting things they learned. If you don't know what your child did at school today, yesterday, and last week, something is wrong.

4. Your child procrastinates until the last minute to do homework.
Homework is designed to reinforce what's taught in school. If a child isn't excited about their homework, chances are that they aren't excited about what's going on at school either. Would you want to continue a job if everyday was monotonous and nothing exciting happened? This is yet another sign that curiosity and motivation are being smothered rather than fostered.

5. You've been told that your child has "a disorder" (like ADD or something like it) and should be put on drugs.
This is usually a great indicator that a public school is in over its head. Rather than taking the responsibility to properly educate, they drug many students and place the blame (and their "disability") on them. If this has happened to your family, it's time to get out!

If your child has exhibited multiple characteristics listed above, you need to find an alternative to their current education. Here is information about some great educational options that you have!