The real reason the state opposes homeschooling

World Net Daily ^ | December 12, 2002 | Michael Arnold Glueck, M.D

[LadyShallott]

It's called "soft dictatorship" – government's attempt to control every aspect of American life for your own good or for the good of the children. The ultimate issue is power.

This week's example: government's assault (at all levels) on the homeschool movement, which now includes threats to send homeschool parents to jail. Government's great fear in this matter is not that the kids are being short-changed or abused – it's that they might be getting a better education than the government-educrat de facto monopoly can provide and that the word might get out.

Yes, government has an obligation to ensure that children receive an adequate education. But in several states, such as California and Illinois, educrats are threatening parents with court action if they don't allow officials to intrude into their homes and evaluate their programs beyond the authority of state law. The game gets rough. In Illinois, according to the Chicago Tribune, truant officers arrive in police cars, bearing letters telling parents to come to "pretrial hearings" At least one officer told a parent "we can take your children away."

According to columnist Michelle Malkin, California "State Deputy Superintendent Joanne Mendoza wrote in a July 16 memo to all school employees that without official teaching credentials, these parents no longer can file required paperwork that would authorize them to homeschool their children. Thus, homeschooled children not attending public schools would be considered 'truant' by local school districts – making their parents vulnerable to arrest and criminal charges."

In many other states, such as Louisiana and Montana, education or legislative officials threaten "tighter" regulation and other laws or policies which seem to have the goal of making it more difficult for parents to educate their own children at home.

In a series of three illuminating articles by Angela R. Stoltzfus of Elizabeth, N.J., in the community newspaper The Informer, Stoltzfus writes, "Homeschooling is not a new concept or practice. Education in early America actually could be said to be a form of homeschooling. Settlers and farmers would sit and read the Bible and primary readers with their children, teaching them to read at the kitchen table, after the family was finished with daily chores."

So, what is homeschooling now? Basically, it's educating children outside the public-private-parochial school establishment. There are many varieties, from in-home parent-child private, to co-operative arrangements with other parents and organizations. There are curricula available and supportive websites. Some arrangements feature structured classes, others provide minimal guidance and let the kids run on "autopilot."

How many kids? A U.S. government report, "Homeschooling in the United States: 1999 (NCES 2001-033). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, D.C: National Center for Education Statistics," estimates 850,000 American children in 1999. Some homeschool advocates suggest the number may be as high as 2 million. Even if the government's 850,000 estimate is doubled to 1.7 million, this would still be less than 4 percent of school-age children.

But the threat to government control is not in the numbers. It's in the reasons why parents do it, and in their success.

Reasons for homeschooling range widely, from physical conditions and danger in government schools to concern about unacceptable teaching of ideology or religion. Many feel that their homeschool is more flexible and responsive to their children's needs. According to the U.S. Department of Education, "Parent Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program, 1999" – 49 percent of parents felt they could give their kids a better education at home.

Other reasons, in descending frequency, include "Religious reasons" – 38 percent, "Poor learning environment at school" – 26 percent, "Family reasons," "To develop character/morality," "Object to what school teaches," "School does not challenge child," "Other problems with available schools," "Student behavior problems at school" and "Child has special needs/disability" – 8 percent.

Please note well: The most important reason was that parents felt that they, the amateurs with no significant facilities, could do a better job than the professionals with their gargantuan resources.

So who homeschools their kids? Again, there's a wide variety, from ghetto parents and families in the Alaskan bush to affluent professionals and intellectuals of all political persuasions. Success stories are increasingly common, and involve both the challenged and the gifted. Among the most interesting: Jedediah Purdy, who went from homeschooling in rural West Virginia to Harvard, then Yale Law School, and whose first book, "On Common Things," appeared to rave reviews. His second, "Being America," comes out in January. Purdy's not yet 30.

The better homeschooling gets, and the better known it becomes, the more of a threat it poses to the soft tyrants. So they're attacking in the name of "standards." Some educrats want parents to prove they're succeeding while making it ever more difficult for them to do so. It's an old, tired tactic.

No, this is not our statement against public education which we also believe in (and so do our teacher wives). It's merely that we find education choice brings positive competition and better services benefiting the children. Parents, families and guardians should be allowed the freedom of choice to make an informed decision.

[EdReform]

NEA doesn t show up in court; union fined $800,000 for intentional violations of state law

... The NEA’s state affiliate, the Washington Education Association, was penalized more than $770,000 last year for breaking the same state law. The NEA’s fine bumps two earlier WEA fines to become the largest in Washington state history...

[I still care]

A quote by John Dewey, one of the philosophers of modern American education, should be inserted here:

Children who know how to think for themselves spoil the harmony of the collective society which is coming where everyone is interdependent."
-- John Dewey (1859-1952), American philosopher, educator

Or how about:

"Intellectually, religious emotions are not creative but conservative. They attach themselves to the current view of the world and consecrate it. (i.e., religion is not progressive)

[EdReform]

She said that every teacher, principle and superintendent had to work 24/7 to discourage home schooling. They should have a goal of getting at least one child per year back into the system to negate future budget cuts.

Make no mistake - the NEA is dead serious about destroying home schooling.

TIME Cover Story: Home Sweet School ( see the documentation posted in reply 63 )

Too many public school administrators silently agree with what Wayne Johnson, president of the California Teachers Association, says in objecting to any public expenditure on home schoolers: "Putting money into home schooling is throwing money down a rathole. You have no idea if that money is being spent properly or children are benefiting."

The National Education Association: America’s Fifth Column

[Types_with_Fist]

"You have no idea if that money is being spent properly or children are benefiting."

We can't say that about public school. We know the answer exactly...:-) It's not benefitting anyone. In fact, it's a detriment.

[Bernard Marx]

Back at ya' with information that isn't two years out of date!

Union Sues Legislators

[Grampa Dave]

We are watching our DIL as she becomes more conservative re our Granddaughter who will be 5 this May.

Apparently, she checked on the KG teachers in their area with the great preschool teacher for our granddaughter on the capabilities of her potential KG teachers.

She got a good report on the KG and first two years teachers, and a no comment on the teachers after that.

As Grandparents, we are on the sidelines on this issue. I did tell my son that PaPa would be available for home schooling if wanted and needed.

Our DIL's problem is that she, and our son received good public shooling (they are late 30's and early 40's and were in the gifted programs). Like so many former moderates, she has a hard time believing what the public schools have become.

The gay marriage issue has got her concerned about the gay agenda being pushed in school.

She and my son will make the right decision. She gave up a 6 figure income to become a mother with a little part time venture a couple of years ago. The kids go to work with her and stay with her. We are the only people besides one good friend that she will trust to baby sit.

There is no way that they will dump their children at a public school to get rid of them for the day.

[Grampa Dave]

This is an excellent point. I will save it for the future when home schooling comes up with our son and DIL.

The focus is quite different. In homeschooling, the focus is upon smoothly accomplishing individual member goals in a synergistic and calm manner. In pub ed, the focus is upon the family life orbiting around the school.

[RedWhiteBlue]

Your story reminds me of something that happened to me in college. I was required to have 6 hours of free electives -- any subject -- and I had only taken 5 hours. I wanted to take something that would be easy for me, because I was really loaded down at the time as a chemistry major with senior level classes and labs. I tried to talk my adviser into letting me sign up for algebra, which I hadn't taken because I had placed out of it. I knew that I could just show up for class but I wouldn't have to study.

Dr. Akers wouldn't let me do it. Instead, he made me sign up for geography. He said "don't worry. It is a course for education majors. It is very easy, and you won't have to study, but at least you will learn something." He was right, but being in a course that was full of elementary education majors was a real eyeopener. Many of them could not understand simple concepts about weather or topography. The courses I had to take in my field of study to get a BS would have blown their minds.

[Grampa Dave]

This will probably be the only time that I agree with the thug, Johnson.

"Too many public school administrators silently agree with what Wayne Johnson, president of the California Teachers Association, says in objecting to any public expenditure on home schoolers: "Putting money into home schooling is throwing money down a rathole. You have no idea if that money is being spent properly or children are benefiting."

If people think that they can profit by home schooling their children, we see some terrible situations happening.

Now home schooling is done out of love and responsibility for the child. Lets keep it that way. The moment public funding and our tax $'s are involved, home schooling will be negatively impacted for many.

[longtermmemmory]

The left is always threatened by success. They hated reagan because they knew he succeeded. (now they are trying to revision history on him)

What has been forgotten is that private schools were seen as the same threat. The only fact that keeps the left from going "Lenin" on them is that they are cost prohibitive to most families.

The left knows they can compete in the education arena becuase in the market place of ideas, the left is unarmed.

[EdReform]

The moment public funding and our tax $'s are involved, home schooling will be negatively impacted for many.

I absolutely agree with that. My primary purpose for posting that was to highlight the quote "putting money into home schooling is throwing money down a rathole" - it's the education unions' attitude toward homeschooling.

However, as taxpayers, homeschool families should be able to use any public resources and facilities if they choose to do so. The education unions don't own these resources and should have no say in the matter.

[LauraJean]

You're right I am now taking a class in the history of American education. In the 1820s there was a demand from the Workingmans Party for ''common schools'' The leaders of this party were Robert Owen and Frances Wright, both socialist reformers and atheistics. Their most radical plan was the formation of governmental boarding schools. All children from the ages of 5 to 12 would be placed under the custody of the government. All the children would receive ''equal clothes, equal food and an equal education.''

[Old Professer]

Yes, government has an obligation to ensure that children receive an adequate education.

Poor debating tactic; akin to telling your opponent just before a duel that your piece is unloaded.

[Condor51]

Aha! I'm proud of you Grampa. You hit on the real, and IMO the only reason - MONEY!

Less kids in 'the system' = less money.
Less money = smaller benefits for the 'Teachers'.

So as per usual, just follow the money.

[Piquaboy]

You should read Balint Vazsonyi's book "The 30 Years War" and you will see what is going on in this country.

[BenLurkin]

bttt

[Grampa Dave]

With liberals it is all about the money, our tax $'s and other tax $'s.

The money ='s power and control and then they can expand their agendas.

Stop the money and it all stops with the exception of ineffective whining and moaning.

[RunningJoke]

Eric Hoffer

[RunningJoke]

I think the following sums up my thoughts on government schools:

Between 1896 and 1920, a small group of industrialists and financiers together with their private charitable foundations, subsidized university chairs, university researchers, and school administrators, spent more money on forced schooling than the government itself did. Carnegie and Rockefeller, as late as 1915, were spending more themselves. In this laissez-faire fashion a system of modern schooling was constructed without public participation. The motives for this are undoubtedly mixed, but it will be useful for you to hear a few excerpts from the first mission statement of Rockefeller's General Education Board as they occur in a Document called Occasional Letter Number One(1906): In our dreams...people yield themselves with perfect docility to our molding hands. The present education conventions [intellectual and character education] fade from our minds, and unhampered by tradition we work our own good will upon a grateful and responsive folk. We shall not try to make these people or any of their children into philosophers or men of learning or men of science. We have not to raise up from among them authors, educators, poets or men of letters. We shall not search for the embryo great artists, painters, musicians, nor lawyers, doctors, preachers, politicians, statesmen, of whom we have ample supply. The task we set before ourselves is very simple... we will organize children... and teach them to do in a perfect way the things their fathers and mothers are doing in an imperfect way...

[PresbyRev]

Thanks for the article.

A site with a Christian rationale for homeschooling, along with addressing various other worldview issues, is:

http://www.chalcedon.edu