Posted on 01/10/2006 4:17:33 PM PST by wagglebee
SURREY, January 10, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – B.C home schooling parents are dismayed after discovering harsh comments about home schooling made by Jim McMurtry, Liberal party candidate for South Surrey, B.C., in the September/October 2003 edition of Teacher Magazine.
McMurtry wrote that parents who educate their children at home are “condemning their children to an impoverished, friendless, and segregated learning environment.” Home schooling parents, he said, “participate in what can be perceived as a form of child abuse.”
Paul Faris, Director of the Home School Legal Defence Association said, “Jim McMurtry has insulted every home schooling family in Canada,”
Study after study has shown that the academic and socialization outcomes for the average home schooled child are superior to those experienced by the average public school student,” said Deani Van Pelt, author of Home Education in Canada.
Ironically, McMurtry himself has himself hosted in-house classes for high school students. In 1992, the Toronto Star reported that a then-suspended teacher Jim McMurtry was holding impromptu classes for his grade 12 law class at his home in Ajax, Ontario. According to the Star article, McMurtry read passages from Northrop Frye’s “On Education” and portions of his own PhD thesis on censorship to 14 students who sat on the floor and filled every available chair.
The assertion that home schooling has detrimental effects on children, though popular on the political left, is strongly refuted by the available data. In October 2003, the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) released a study of 7000 adults who had been educated at home showing that home schooling has significant positive impact on the students’ future success. American universities are changing their admissions policies to include provisions for home schooled applicants, who regularly score significantly higher than publicly schooled confreres.
The NHERI study showed that 74% of home-educated adults ages 18-24 have taken college-level courses, compared to 46% of the general United States. 59% of the subjects reported that they were "very happy" with life, while only 27.6% of the general U.S. population is "very happy" with life. 95% of the home school graduates surveyed said they were glad that they were home schooled.
Given McMurtry’s affiliation with the scandal-plagued Liberal Party, his objections may also come from the results that showed home schooling significantly raises awareness of political realities. A mere 4.2% of the respondents said they consider politics and government too complicated to understand, compared to 35% of U.S. adults.
Given the general liberal antipathy to religious belief, McMurtry’s poor opinion of home schooling could also derive from the 94% of those surveyed who said, “My religious beliefs are basically the same as those of my parents.”
Be assured that parents who care enough to homeschool in the first place instead of shoving little Johnny out the door every morning and waving bye bye are well able to find other resources if necessary to make up for any inadequacy that they may have.
Thank you, Ultra Sonic 007, for adding a response. Your post was thoughtful and well-written. Congratulations on your success in education, and kudos to your parents for making the right decision to home educate. :-)
Thank you! It was actually your post that made me aware of the Calvert curriculum. I don't mind trying a directed curriculum first, as our 3 year old needs a lot of structure. She's a "spirited" child, so my current thinking is anything that is directed and structured will probably be of benefit to her.
I admit I don't know much about the differences between home schooling and "unschooling" except a few articles I read pertaining to "unschooling" previously public-school educated teens. I'm quite the novice at much of this, but find these threads to be very educational.
Thank you very much! I appreciate your advice and assistance. If I have any questions, I'm grateful to have someone to ask who is using it! ;)
I had to laugh after reading your reply, because I've often wondered about the days when I might be too tired to get out of bed. (extreme and excessive fatigue is my currenly most oppressive symptom.) Glad to read about the benefits! ;) Thanks!
Thank you for your lengthy response to the lively discussion on the thread about the ability or inability of parents to properly participate in the education of their children.
I am always interested in hearing from the parents who home school: about which curriculum worked, what obstacles they've had, if they enjoy it, what outside resources they use, etc. But I find it just as valuable to hear from the "kids" who've gone through or are going through home schooling. Your insights into what you've gained are something I find fascinating.
I've read, and heard, others say that their children will regret not going to public schools, school functions, school dances, school sports, etc, and later resent their parents' choice. But I have yet to read one home schooled student respond with anything but appreciation for the opportunity.
I consider myself a true "newbie" on the home schooling topic. But even I know that home schooling isn't something that requires a parent to know the ins and outs of every subject before they teach their child. Perhaps it is just ignorance at the subject that causes a negative backlash.
More like the teacher's unions are threatened by homeschooling. ;P
Add me to your list of very, very happy homeschool graduates. I can't think of a single "opportunity" I missed that I would have wished for.
My fiance, who was also homeschooled, and I have committed to homeschooling our future children. I appreciate the work our parents and the other homeschool pioneers did. These days, it's so easy to homeschool, the laws are mostly favorable, and you have too much curriculumn for anyone to choose from. It's a very easy decision to make, from my viewpoint.
Consider yourself HEADMASTER of the obvious... and me... I see things WAY too small sometimes!
Dear cgk,
You're quite welcome!
sitetest
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