This doctor deserves a (gentle) fisking, since he does have a handle on some of the issues regarding education. But he is either an innocent or an amateur when he writes about the limitations of parents as teachers. Consider how a system mindset has crept into his thinking about personal relationships:
"But, at the risk of offending the home schooling partisans, I do have some reservations.
First, is the issue of entangling professional pursuits with family relationships. For example, there is a longstanding principle in the practice of medicine that a physician should not treat his family and friends. This idea arose from the realization that the emotional bonds of family often interfere with the objective analysis and treatment of medical conditions. There is a certain detachment from these personal ties that is necessary for the optimal delivery of health care. This principle also applies to the practice of law. Being represented in court by a family member or close friend alters the relationship in intangible ways that can compromise the greater mission at hand.
Similarly, I believe that the role of educator often requires that the practitioner be removed from the personal ties of family and friendship. Issues of parental ego and familial relationship baggage can cause problems that might also compromise the overall educational goals.
Secondly, I consider education at the high school level and above to be a professional endeavor, rather than an amateur one." Oh, brother. Read the rest here.
