Pedagogues, on the other hand, teach their children at
home primarily for pedagogical reasons. They are not so
concerned with the content of public education, but rather
they believe that whatever public schools teach, they teach
ineptly. These parents “share a respect for their children’s intellect
and creativity and a belief that children learn best
when pedagogy taps into the child’s innate desire to learn”
(Van Galen 1988, 55). Pedagogues home school primarily
because of what they believe will be the educational benefit
to their children. These parents have usually observed children
who suffered both emotionally and academically because
of the schools’ shortcomings, and they recognize “that
the schools are often unwilling or unable to serve children
with unique learning styles or scholarly needs” (Van Galen
1988, 57). They challenge the power of public schools to
sort, select, and label their children based on what they see
as a limited measure of their child’s ability, and they believe
“that breaking from the traditional formal model of teaching
will lead to improved understanding and learning in
their children”