Schools take too much family time

A Wednesday letter to the editor questioned why anyone wouldn’t want their children to go to school. Let me explain it to you. We recently moved here and are happy with our school, but previously, my 9-year-old son was given three to four hours of homework a day, with no break on weekends! I sat with him, and he was diligent; it really was that much work. If he missed a day, there was twice as much the day he returned.

I have heard similar stories from parents from Spokane to Texas to Virginia, in public and private schools, so this is not an isolated problem. The letter writer said that good parents can teach their children at home in addition to sending them to school. There aren’t that many hours in a day! When I learned that a typical home school curriculum can be accomplished in a total of three to four hours a day, leaving lots of time for field trips and other educational fun, I gave it a try. I home schooled my son for a year and a half, and he is doing well back in public school now.

Schools do not own all of our families’ free time. There needs to be a reasonable limit on what they can require of children and families. Not all schools accept this, or even know what their teachers are asking. I’m glad home schooling was an option for us.

Denise Gamboa

Arlington