Posted on 03/08/2011 5:46:08 PM PST by Virginia Ridgerunner
Justin Merrill had wanted to join the military for as long as he could remember.
"Everyone on my mom's side of the family was a Marine, and everyone on my dad's side was in the Army," explained Merrill, 18, of Danville, Montour County, in central Pennsylvania. "I wanted to do something to help my country."
But Merrill's plan was jeopardized last year, when he learned that the Army did not approve of the high school diploma he was on track to earn from Agora Cyber Charter School.
"When I told my recruiter, the first words out of his mouth were, 'I'm not sure you can join the military because you're not going to a brick-and-mortar school,'" Merrill recalled.
As enrollment in Pennsylvania's 11 cyber charter schools swelled to about 25,000 students statewide last year, Merrill and others who hope to enlist in the military after graduation are finding their plans derailed by an obscure Department of Defense policy.
(Excerpt) Read more at yorkdispatch.com ...
In the 80’s I tried to enlist in the Navy.. Took the ASVAB in Memphis, about 100+ taking the test, as the test was over, will (me) please come to the front. I walked up wondering what I had done wrong.Lady giving the test said she had never seen a perfect score before. Whew... relief. The Navy rejected me for a medical reason ( one that has never caused me a problem while scuba diving, parachuting, white water canoeing etc... It’s amazing how outmoded some of the physical requirements are. In a modern military it’s 10 tech’s to 1 shooter, not the reverse )
Well, I spent 25 years in the US Air Force, my oldest daughter did a tour in the USMC, and my son is in Afghanistan right now with the Army. None of us think she is being ill-served by home schooling.
Of course, I’m not sure what having pimple-faced jerks trying to get into her pants has to do with adult behavior, and when I was on active duty, I wanted ADULTS, not kids, serving with me.
He hasn't had an opportunity to be properly brainwashed into the ways of political correctness and might have difficulty fitting in with many of the other recruit drones.
What do social skills have to do with anything? The civilian social skill set has very little to do with the military culture and he’s going to learn that (or would) beginning in recruit training.
Furthermore, there has been and will continue to be a growing need in this high-tech world for people with good computer skills and who can interact intuitively in virtual environments. This guy has that part down, at least.
My high school was totally dysfunctional. There was gay sex in the bathrooms, girls giving their boyfriends knobbers right across the street from the campus, dope smoke in the corridors and race fights between the “African-American” and “Mexican-American” youth groups almost weekly.
I spent most school days in the public library until I was old enough to take the test, never went back. Lord knows I never missed the “social skills” that high school could have instilled.
Why does everybody want to social engineer the military? Don’t you think Lieberman and Gates have done enough damage to our national security with the repeal of DADT. I can see from your tag that you have a pet peeve with traditional education. You don’t have to endanger the country just to validate your position.
“There was gay sex in the bathrooms, girls giving their boyfriends knobbers right across the street from the campus, dope smoke in the corridors and race fights between the “African-American” and “Mexican-American” youth groups almost weekly.”
Sounds like what Obama is trying to turn the military into...
I am glad you majored in Biology in college, there's no more exciting science than Biology. That's why I got my Ph.D. in Biology, I love it! But, back to your question, as a college instructor I can tell you there's a tremendous difference between students who had proper labs in high school and those who didn't. The former have an easier time and, on the average, seem to score higher on tests. That's my observation, not an opinion.
Do you really think that school teaches social skills? Really? Ever noticed how “socialized” our youth today are? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
“You don’t have to endanger the country just to validate your position.”
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Home schooled kids only endanger the Obama agenda.
You win. You are so right.
“As a science college instructor, I don’t believe that a graduate from a cyber school has the same education than a graduate from a brick and mortar school.”
yeah cause the teachers aren’t molesting the students and illegal drugs aren’t common?
ebay sells microscopes and you can buy all the slides and experiments you desire. Public schools are a failure.
I had two homeschool children get into the military. One got to be a linguist (Arabic) and one got in to the Nuke program. It can be done. Of course I taught them, they didn’t do charter or cyber school.
You’re the best. Right on.
“That’s my observation, not an opinion. “
I teach high school kids in Sunday School. Their knowledge of biology is completely dwarfed by my daughter’s knowledge, and we live in what is supposed to be one of the best school districts in the state.
That’s brilliant. Who needs schooling?
“You don’t have to endanger the country just to validate your position.”
Public schools in Wisconsin are doing so well. Please tell me exactly how they are helping the country but home schools are endangering it.
I believe the top score available is 99. You might want to correct your legend.
“That’s my observation, not an opinion. “
Its an opinion based on a limited and nonrandom sample.
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