Posted on 09/18/2010 12:00:09 AM PDT by Hetty_Fauxvert
We live in northern California, and we are thinking seriously of homeschooling our (now preschool-age) children. We would also be open to enrolling them in a charter school, private school, or similar if it met our standards. (We are politically conservative and also rather old-school when it comes to the subjects our kids would be learning, but we are not religious and would prefer not to enroll them in a school where they would receive active religious instruction.)
I mentioned to a friend that we were thinking of homeschooling because we felt the curriculum in public schools did not meet our standards (as in, way too much time spent on liberal ideology and not enough on schooling basics). After getting past her initial liberal horror at the idea of homeschooling, my friend asked a good question: How do I really know what the schools around here teach? Have I investigated for myself?
I admitted I had not gone to any schools to sit in on classes. That seems to me to be an inefficient way of evaluating what a school teaches, since depending on what day you attended, you could easily miss the most hair-raising instances of liberal wild-eyed curriculum items. I did look up the curriculum for public schools as published by the State of California, but it seemed far too vague to really reveal the nitty-gritty of what they teach.
So how can I evaluate what a school teaches without moving into a classroom and staying for several weeks? I want to be fair to the public schools before I chuck them, and I also want good tools to evaluate real candidates (such as a charter school, private school or similar). Can anyone give me help with this? Much appreciated!
Try to find the name of the curricula the teachers are using. If they’re using Everyday Math, RUN! don’t walk, in the other direction.
That said, if you know some parents who have kids your kid’s ages, see if they’ll let you know when their kids bring home school textbooks, or if they’ll let you have a look at the homework the teachers are sending home in the form of handouts.
If you know any teachers in the school, you could ask them to look at the curriculum.
Or you could try to find out how many of THEM have their kids attending the schools at which THEY teach.
Teachers know about the quality of the education the kids receive there. If the teachers won’t send their kids to the school at which they work, it’s a good warning sign to not send yours there either.
Ok...Any child who attends a government school **will** learn to be comfortable with the following:
1) Socialism!
ALL government schools are socialist funded. That means ( simply by attending) the child will become comfortable with the government taking money from a neighbor ( under police threat) to fund a service their parents want tuition-free. Well! Duh! If the government can use the threat of police action to fund tuition free schooling, why not a thousand other socialist wants and needs.
2) Government cartels and price-fixed monopolies!
The government gives its service away for the charge to the parents of **tuition-free**!! Again, another “duh”! The child will learn that the government can take over an industry ( in this case schooling) and give it away for the price of free. Government cartel and price-fixed schools create a very hostile business climate for private schools. Many, many counties in our nation have NO private schools. Mine doesn't. So?...If the child is comfortable with his government price-fixed school, it is an easy step to being comfortable with government owned and run health care, retirement in the form of Social Security, and even GM ( government motors).
3) Godlessness!
ALL government schools in our nation are godless. Well! Lucky you! In this case, government is establishing your religious worldview and making your neighbor pay for it. But....Once you child is comfortable with the government establishing your family's religious worldview, don't be surprised if your child is also comfortable with the government establishing Islam!
4) Government ownership and management.
If the government can own and manage your child's schooling life then why not his retirement, health care, food production, or auto selection? Or...Even his life and DEATH!
“Death Panels” are rightfully called that for a reason.
Finally...Homeschooling is the healthiest and most natural way to raise a child. Yes, some parents will need to institutionalize their children for their schooling. We need orphanages, too,...but...NO ONE would claim orphanages are the best way to rear a child to self confident and self sufficient adulthood.
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