I was reading the Economist the other day and was struck by a couple of articles discussing education.  One thing stood out to me; the quality of the teacher was the number one determining factor of success in education.  I was wondering how much time do homeschooling parents invest in themselves as teachers.  How often do they attend teacher trainings?  I am not talking about going to a local conference and listening to a motivational speaker but, real teacher training where you are required to participate and are evaluated and critiqued. 

"Good teaching is the single biggest variable in educating pupils, bigger than class size, family background, or school funding, says Eric Hanushek, and education expert at Stanford University's Hoover Institution.  And crucial to having better teachers is evaluating them properly, hiring, firing and promoting on merit." -Flipping the Classroom, Economist Magazine, 9/17/11 edition, p. 32

"What is clear however is that the shiniest new academy will struggle without decent teachers.  An emphasis on better teacher quality is a common feature of all reforms.   Countries like Finland and South Korea make life easier for themselves by recruiting only elite graduates, and paying them accordingly."  "In schools reform, structural progress-new sorts of schools, reorganized old ones, new exams-can happen very fast.  Better teachers take much longer to form.  They should be made the priority."  -The Great Schools Revolution, Economist Magazine, 9/17/11 edition, p.24

Are you making it a top priority to invest in yourself as a teacher?