Posted on 04/22/2020 12:12:48 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o
Should homeschooling be banned? Harvard Magazine and one of Harvard’s law professors, Elizabeth Bartholet, think so. This is despite the fact that Harvard University admits an appreciable number of homeschooled students to both its undergraduate and graduate programs every year.
Readers are urged to conclude that there is an educational crisis at hand. Perhaps there is a crisis, but not in the homeschooling community but rather at Harvard.
Let’s deal briefly with the elementary matter of spelling and proofreading. Harvard originally spelled “arithmetic” incorrectly in its illustration of a home-prison depicting an unhappy homeschooled child. It was rendered “arithmatic.” Ahem.
Bartholet argues that homeschooling denies children a meaningful education. In so doing, Bartholet fails to demonstrate any familiarity with valid social science research. The literature demonstrates that homeschooling works very well academically—including in some ways that many would find surprising.
In public schools, family income is a strong predictor of a child’s academic success. In homeschooling, children from lower-income levels not only outscore their public school socio-economic counterparts, but they also score comparably to homeschool students from higher income levels.
The professor then argues that children are not protected from child abuse since they are not in public schools with mandatory reporters. She illustrates this concern by referring to a book written by one girl who claimed to have been raised by Idaho homeschool survivalists.
There would be a temptation to match her singular anecdote with anecdotes arising from the rare situations where public school teachers abuse children. But again, one would expect a Harvard professor to understand the logical problem raised by over-generalizing from isolated examples.
Like the vast majority of parents who choose other forms of education, the overwhelming number of homeschool families are led by good parents who are also good neighbors.
Harvard should also be embarrassed—truly embarrassed—by its professor’s absolutely unsupported assertion that homeschool students will not be able to contribute positively to our democratic processes.
I personally know two homeschool students who are Harvard Law grads and clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court. Another Harvard alum is the current solicitor general of West Virginia. I taught constitutional law to all three at Patrick Henry College. And two more of my PHC students, who were also homeschooled, clerked for the Supreme Court after graduating from the University of Virginia Law School.
Moreover, dozens of homeschooled students in my personal sphere of friends have been elected to state and local offices. One of my favorites is a North Dakota legislator whose family I defended when they were criminally prosecuted for homeschooling him.
Thousands of homeschooled students actively participate in the electoral process every cycle through a program called Generation Joshua.
Studies show that homeschooled students participate in political activity at a higher level than the norm. They are motivated by seeing their own families being directly impacted by the political process.
Perhaps the most troubling thing found in this article is a clear display of bigotry by Professor Bartholet.
She argues that a chief evil at hand arises from the fact that as many as 90 percent of homeschooled children live with conservative Christian parents “who seek to remove their children from mainstream culture.” Such people are “extreme religious ideologues” who “question science and promote female subservience, and white supremacy.”
Any form of bigotry coming from one of its professors should cause Harvard trustees to be concerned. Religious bigotry may be fashionable in some circles, but Harvard expresses commitments to the contrary.
Since Bartholet loves anecdotal evidence, let me answer her charges with my own anecdotes. But let me first explain why my stories are appropriate. Harvard’s article derides an organization I founded: the Home School Legal Defense Association. Through her smears of the movement, she implies that HSLDA is associated with her imagined ills. So, let’s see.
As to her claim of female subservience, three of the four Supreme Court law clerks I personally taught are women. A conservative Christian college producing so many talented women lawyers is not what she has apparently imagined.
And I am the proud grandfather of an African American newborn baby. My daughter-in-law is Nigerian, and my grandson is a dual citizen.
Bartholet conjures up an imaginary profile of conservative Christian homeschoolers—yet, the life of HSLDA’s founder demonstrates how little she knows about a movement she seeks to denounce.
When the pandemic is behind us, I would be happy to come to Cambridge and take Professor Bartholet to dinner. She might be surprised if she actually took the time to finally meet one of the people she misunderstands so much.
Michael P. Farris is the president, CEO, and general counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom (@AllianceDefends) and the founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association.
I see Harvard is refusing to return the stimulus money they got.
I’m old enough to remember when Harvard had successfully concealed the fact that they were a joke.
Higher education is utterly filled with ;educated’ dumbarses, be assured.
“I think it’s always dangerous to put powerful people in charge of the powerless, and to give the powerful ones total authority.”
And so... we should turn them over to government agents working for the public schools... to prevent dangerous powerful people from being in charge of them?
Got it... lol
Piled Higher And Deeper, PHD
It’s Harvard Law, they can’t even hold their own to a bunch of Convicts in Prison!!
I could not have said it better myself!
“I’m old enough to remember when Harvard had successfully concealed the fact that they were a joke.”
Ever hear this old line: You can always tell a Harvard man, but you can’t tell him much!
She is speaking about HERSELF, isn't she?
Christ is Risen!!!!
It seems that Professor Bartholet has an extensive background as a left-wing activist:
https://hls.harvard.edu/faculty/directory/10048/Bartholet
That’s not the best background for judging alternative modes of education!!!!
In the Orthodox Christian community, the real issue is the dearth of Orthodox day schools. There are a few good ones, which not only give children an excellent classical education, but allow them to attend weekday Liturgies.
At least after the “COVID-19 era” is over (by the help of God) more large parishes need to prayerfully consider whether then are called to start Orthodox day schools.
We need more Orthodox universities in the USA as well. (There are only two right now.) It would take a long time before an Orthodox Harvard might arise on this continent, but who knows whether even that is possible!!!!
Indeed He is Risen!!!!
Good supplemental reading!! He gives some of his reasons the good doctor is against homeschooling.
(Snip)Homeschool is just better for some kids.
There are children who do not thrive in the public school system. I had one of those kids myself.
Before I continue, I should note that I’m not one of those all-or-nothing parents who believe children should only be home-educated or should only be publicly educated. In fact, I have one kid who is the product of the public school system and one who is the product of homeschooling. Both of my daughters have grown up to be intelligent, thoughtful, sociable, and kind individuals who can think for themselves.
When I removed my youngest daughter from the public school system, the main reason was because critical thinking was discouraged. “If your daughter didn’t have to question everything, her grades would be higher,” the principal informed me at the very last school meeting I’d ever attend. “She always has to ask questions. She refuses to simply absorb the information.”
How could a school system like that properly educate my curious and intelligent child, who had been asking me “why” from the moment she could talk? Quite simply they wouldn’t. They’d try to shove her square little brain into their round hole until she became just like everyone else - an automaton who believed that guns are scary and the government and all its agencies are always right. (Unless it’s President Trump, because he’s always bad.)(end snip)
If that’s true ... they will regret that move.
Hey! I’ve got an idea! Why not confiscate them as soon as they’re born? Their training could be supervised through adulthood!
I am a Ph.D. graduate of Harvard University—in the sciences. We are in no way a joke!!!!
Some of the scientific and medical branches of Harvard University are hard at work implementing tests for COVD-19, tests for antibodies to the virus, and developing treatments and vaccines against the disease. If Harvard deserves the stimulus money they were given, it is because of these efforts!!!!
One of my friends, a high school assistant superintendent was on a Harvard "think tank" on the teaching of reading.
What a pathetic, ignorant "think tank" it was.
It took my best friend (a retired mechanical engineer, among many other things) several years to de-program him.
Part of that was him testing our 3rd grade at the time home schooled daughter for reading.
He was shocked to find her reading and comprehending at the "2nd year college level or above."
I told him we didn't prove my daughter was a good reader.
We proved our nation is in deep crap.
What finally finished getting through to him was his computer problems.
He has 2 PhDs, but does poorly with computers.
My other friend asked him why he didn't just read up on the subject.
He said he couldn't, he had to be taught.
My friend exploded at him.... "It's because you never learned phonics and can't figure out words you are unfamiliar with.
Many of the highly educated ignorant fools from Harvard know so little, they don't know what they don't know.
Probably just as bad at Yale, Columbia, etc.
That is the difference at any University
Those in the sciences and engineering, such as yourself are the cream of the crop, and very well educated.
Those in the "wishy-washy" fields, often, are not.
Harvard clashes with Trump over coronavirus relief, rebuffs call to return money
Good point. Th money should be given directly to the COVID-19 researchers then, and not as a “stimulus” to an educational corporation sitting on an endowment valued at $40.9 billion as of 2019.
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