Posted on 12/28/2005 3:49:52 AM PST by PatrickHenry
>>>Back in the old days, school values reflected the community. Today, they reflect the NEA and national groups.<<<
True. Communists are in control of our children's education.
>>>Today, those opposed to religion in schools revel in the disappearance of any moral base and have no idea of what they are creating. They think they do. But look at any University and you see the world they want.<<<
My wife is a 30-year public school teacher, and she recommends home-schooling. But what we really need is a Home-School Bill of Rights that gives families tax credits for educating their children at home (for keeping them out of the corrupt, left-wing public schools).
That sounds like a very ideal situation. Your child is very lucky to have you to plan all the activities like that and to offer all those opportunities. I am sure there are many kids who would thrive under those conditions. I might suggest that is the positive extreme of homeschooling.
That's why our country needs conservative people like you and your wife to take back our schools! It is easy to sit back and complain and another thing to get out there and do something about it. I always try to get involved whenever possible, so I can have a voice in how my school, business, or country is run. You would be surprised how much one person can do to influence others. Try it and see.
You are so right. So many kids would do better - I think a lot of the special education mess in particular is directly related to institutional issues and have nothing to do with the abilities of the kids. A famous homeschooling family, the Colfaxes from California who had 3 of their 4 sons attend Harvard after homeschooling, remarked that the boys were eager to hit the books after spending a few hours doing chores on the family ranch.
I'd like to correct one point, however. Kids like mine (and I do not flatter myself that she is an exception) tend to have very definite and positive ideas concerning their education and life. I don't do most of the planning - she plans and I guide some of the choices and decisions where I see some deficiencies. She takes ownership of her choices and her life. People like me educate their children as much in the philosophy of learning, a look into possible futures and what it takes to achieve them, consequences of choices, and an appreciation of "the good/moral life" as we do in providing academics.
In the last 8 weeks or so I've seen the following claims of relationships with scientists made by Freepers:
A uniform characteristic of those who use this particular argument is that they don't appear to know any science, and their relation never appears and posts themselves. Nor do they ever seem to come back having been corrected by their relation when they post obvious garbage that exposes their incomprehension of science and they get called on it.
On the other hand most of the posters on the evo side post directly from their own knowledge of the issues. In fact I have never seen an evo use this form of "appeal to the authority of my brilliant nameless proxy who isn't here". At least one creationist also attempts to argue from his own authority (though his qualifications are not in evidence and he also appears to know almost no biological science). Creationists don't seem to understand that argument from authority doesn't cut it unless you can give real reasons why the authority of the poster should be respected (like specific qualifications, a manifest command of the issues, and peer-acknowledgement of credibility). Argument from authority of an absent and unspecified third party is essentially no argument at all.
I think you wrote this really well. These were my intentions as well while raising my two sons. Except I wanted my kids to be able to "fit in and survive" the American national public school system.
But that said, I didn't just throw them out there. I knew the schools had many problems. So I participated in the PTA and was able to get positive changes made throughout their education. Then in high school I was encouraged to take a more hands-off approach but of course I was in the background guiding them. One of my sons was in the "gifted" education program in which I was able to help shape the curriculum. I tutored math in my son's grade school so I could be right there with him.
I'm proud to say both my kids are respectful, happy and well-adjusted, have part-time jobs while going to college, and generally all around good citizens. My oldest son just graduated from a major university in computer science, a subject he loved all his life.
So my educational philosophy is the same as yours, however, I know I could never have provided the opportunities for my kids like you did. I chose to work within the system and try to improve it as much as I could. A major bi-product of this type of educational philosophy is raising kids that are self-reliant, peer-proof and can make good choices on their own. Maybe that is the only important result anyway no matter how they get there. LOL!
LOL! That's good to know. Also note that some of the creationist arguments go beyond biological arguments into "proving" their claims with mathematics, which is also nonsensical and bogus.
But an even more important argument, from my point of view, is that homeschooling removes the children of the cleverest, most hardworking, and most highly motivated parents (lets face it, cinives, people who like you fit that description are going to be the homeschoolers) from general public education. What if all those homeschooling parents instead put the same amount of effort into helping their local schools educate everyone better? Wouldn't that be more effective for society as a whole than lots of tiny parent-child tutor-groups? This is what my family does. My wife doesn't work, and she spends lots of time (unpaid) helping out at my daughter's grade school. She acts as a classroom assistant sometimes helping the slower ones, and sometimes pushing the cleverer ones to excel themselves. Her motivation and work pattern is different to the professional teachers, and it really helps the kids. Once every few weeks I take an afternoon off work to go and read to the kids (gradeschoolers may not often hear a male adult reading aloud). Or I'll help them with computer exercises. All this is in addition to the general fundraising and PTA help that all responsible parents should participate in. Just my 2c. Parents will get the school system that they deserve. Not every parent is financially or socially capable/suitable of helping/homeschooling. Isn't conservatism about the people who can do so taking their lives into their own hands, but doing so in an enlightenedly self-interested way that helps everyone?
You raise interesting arguments, but my daughter's schooling history would illustrate the fact that while some schools make every effort to accommodate, others do not and never will no matter how much time is spent with teachers and administrators on the issues, classroom help and the like. I let her go thru almost 6 years of unmitigated stress before I realized nothing I could work out with the schools would solve the problems.
I'd still like to understand why you think homeschooled kids don't socialize ? They are in co-ops, they volunteer in all kinds of organizations, they even tutor at the local schools. They participate in all kinds of community activities including Toastmasters International, 4H, karate, local sports clubs, music schools, bands, art schools, Math Olympiads, Lego Robotics, Debate and on and on and on. The list of available classes and social outlets for homeschoolers would spin your head around. Here in PA many local school districts even let them participate in anything the district offers, whether it's sports, extracurricular clubs, or even regular classes. I'd just love to know why you think this is so isolating ?
As to the rest of your comments, I understand what you are thinking but I have this to say. This country did not grow great because all the kids went to schools and socialized. It has grown great because of all of the rugged individualists and free thinkers. Communities thrive because VOLUNTEERS provide the glue that hold it all together. I'm thinking of neighbors helping neighbors, Meals-On-Wheels, and the like.
Now in many public schools, 15-20% of the kids are on Ritalin and the like, or anti-depressants. The level of education has decreased, discipline issues even at the best of schools causes many problems for all students, and the only ones getting a really good education are those who end up in the top track classes at their schools.
Most people cannot opt out of public schools because so many tax dollars are sucked into them that families cannot afford to pay for the education they'd really like their kids to have. I've worked in Catholic schools, and the sacrifices those parents make to pay the tuition for their kids is awe-inspiring. Imagine if they could have their own school tax money back so they didn't have to work so hard to pay the bills.
Do you really think a coercive institution teaches the best lessons to kids ? Isn't education just another form of child care and government nanny service to many parents who can dump their responsibilities at the government's door ? Are the schools teaching conformity or individualism ? Do all kids need 12 years of education in lockstep fashion or should some kids go to trade school and some others accelerate to early college ?
These are the important questions. You should read John Taylor Gatto and John Holt, to name just two, who might open up your thought processes to alternatives to institutionalized schooling.
No, homeschooling is not for everyone but it's just fine for many.
I think one point is that the public school system needs people like you to be a catalyst for conservative change and improvement.
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