Two years ago, the Texas legislature passed a bill that would have given schools the authority to set their own curriculum.
At the time, I was a member of the Texas Senate and had been advocating for the bill.
We had passed the curriculum bill and we were working on other bills and that’s when the House of Representatives passed the bill, which is why I came to speak on it.
It’s important to understand that homeschooling is an important part of Texas education, but we also have other education needs, including the curriculum, and we have an obligation to support those needs.
But it’s not the only education we have.
Texas also has a lot of other education and health care needs.
So it’s important for us to support our children’s educational needs, too.
One of the things we have to do is we have a curriculum that is very good.
We have an education that is well-rounded.
We need to know what to teach.
And we also need to be able to offer that curriculum in a way that’s not just a bunch of formulas that are not being challenged.
And so we have the opportunity to teach children how to learn and to think and to do what’s best for their lives.
And that’s why I’m proud to stand here today and say that this is a curriculum of excellence.
So, thank you, Mr. Speaker.
(Applause.)
It’s an honor to serve in the Texas House of Representative.
(Laughter.)
But we’re going to start off with a question, because that’s an important one.
I want to start with you.
When a student at home is not doing well academically, does that mean that we shouldn’t give them the right to homeschool?
No, not at all.
I think that it is important for homeschoolers to have the option to do that.
And what I’m saying is, if they are struggling academically and they’re having a hard time in school, that is not a reason for schools to stop teaching.
But if they can get to a point where they’re able to teach themselves, then I think they can have that option, too, without any pressure.
So let me tell you a little bit about what I know about homeschool.
I have three boys, all ages 15 and 16.
They’re all homeschooled.
I’m not sure about all of them.
Some of them are homeschool teachers.
And I’ve had a lot more success with them.
They all have the same learning styles, they all have a love of learning and they all love school.
And they love being in a classroom, too (laughter).
They love the teaching aspect.
They love learning, they love to study.
They know how to talk.
They have a very good sense of humor, too and they have a lot going for them.
And it’s the same for my other two boys.
So I have a couple of friends who have homeschool parents.
They also have the ability to teach their own students, too – and their parents support them.
So when I say that homesweeper, I’m speaking from my personal experience.
I’ve taught many homeschool students.
I know that there are some who are very good at it, and there are others who struggle academically.
And my experience is that they’re not struggling because they’re homesweepers.
They struggle because they don’t have the resources, the resources that other homeschool families have.
So if you don’t feel that you can do what I am saying, and you can teach yourself and do it well, then it’s time to go home and have some rest and let them take their time.
That’s the best way to go.
Thank you, Ms. Cramer.
Thanks, Mr, Speaker.
And thanks, Mrs. Cramers.
Thank the members of the committee.
I would like to thank the Chair of the Education Committee for his kind words.
I appreciate the opportunity he’s given us, and I’m happy to be here.
And the gentleman from Texas, Mr., from Texas State, I know he was there.
Thank him.
Mr. Ruppersberger.
Thank Mr. Chair.
Thank all of you for the opportunity.
And, Mr… (applause) …
Thank you.
And Mr. Speakers, I’d like to turn to our guests from the Senate Education Committee, and let’s start off on that front.
And let’s go back a little.
We’ve got our panelists, and they’ve been able to answer a number of questions, but one of the questions that we asked is how we can best support homeschools to provide the educational opportunities for our children.
And Senator Brown, I appreciate your being here and taking on this.
You are a member in good standing of the Senate.
And as the chair of the education committee, you’ve been a champion for children in our state.
You’ve been one