Keeping Homeschooling Private

The New American ^ | September 8, 2003 Edition | Isabel Lyman

[WorkingClassFilth]

You go, dude (or dudette). I only wish I could have circulated your reply at the family reunion I attended this weekend - at least a half dozen public school teachers among them all full of the stock thoughts and positions of the reflexive left.

[scripter]

Thanks for the ping, bump. Looks like others have already trashed the socialization issue!

[scripter]

Go to your local public school, walk down the hallways and see what behaviors you would want your child to emulate.

I've always been fond of that response. :-) I just love it.

[GOPrincess]

"I don't think any idea or practice taught in public schools falls under the headline of "indoctrination." "

Then perhaps you haven't experienced a school with classes like my daughter's European history class last year, where the teacher spent time playing punk rockers like "Rage Against the Machine" for his 9th grade class as part of his attempts at anti-conservative, anti-Bush political indoctrination of the students who were as young as 13 years old (my daughter's age the first couple months of the school year). Meanwhile her Honors Geometry teacher invited his students to join him at an anti-war rally after school. Was this balanced by teachers presenting another point of view? No.

Said teachers didn't even have otherwise excellent teaching skills to balance out the political indoctrination. The math teacher once (in)famously told his class "I hate formulas," and his abilities, or lack thereof, proved it. The history teacher's daily lectures were so riddled with false information (according to him, Mary and Joseph left Bethlehem to *avoid* the census -- not Herod) that thanks to our daughter's notetaking we compiled a list of over a dozen falsities he had taught and confronted the teacher and principal with same. Teacher admitted he'd said every single incorrect thing. Who knows what else he taught them that my 13/14-year-old didn't have the knowledge yet to recognize?

No, these people don't succeed in indoctrinating my daughter. (Unfortunately many kids don't have the same home background and I'm afraid it works all too easily on impressionable young teens.) But it IS highly aggravating as it is difficult for a student to repeatedly rebut the teacher, as our daughter has done, when the teacher is the adult authority figure with grading power. Yes, there is something to be said for having the confidence to stand up for one's point of view and to "question authority" and realize that teachers don't have all the correct answers. But it speaks very, very poorly of the schools.

I don't share your belief that the answer to a successful adulthood is only to be found through forced socialization/indoctrination at school. Through the above and a wide variety of other negative school experiences, including some where I have had to assert my right to be the parent (i.e., the school did not notify the parents of scoliosis examinations, which I know are really useful -- we had a dear friend pass away this year due to the cumulative effects of 26 scoliosis surgeries -- but I as a parent still *must* have the right to okay my child disrobing for a medical exam at school!), I started to "think outside the box" when it comes to traditional education. The first step was pulling out No. 2 child from his crowded (34) public elementary school classroom mid-year a couple years back and placing him in private school.
Next week I take an even bigger step begin to homeschool my two youngest children. My next-oldest will join us the year after that when he graduates from his private elementary school. At present my eldest is going to continue in public high school (her choice) but she knows her options are open. I have seen the positive results of homeschooling in friends' children -- not to mention the improved family atmosphere when tired children don't have to spend hours per night on homework, yet have better educational results than the public schools' typical students -- and am excited about our new "learning journey."

Many fine universities now actively seek homeschoolers as they have proven over the years to be independent thinkers (which seems to be the opposite of your expectation), self-motivated, highly educated, and well-rounded socially (because they mix with a wider variety of people than their same-age peer groups, their thinking is expanded in just the way you seem to think wouldn't be possible if they skip attending school). I'm glad that you found your school experience so positive and useful, but again, I urge you to "think outside the box" about your assumptions that the only way kids will meet those of other ethnicities, religions or economic backgrounds is at school. This is frankly a tired cliche and I think if you care to investigate more about homeschooling you might be pleasantly surprised.

Respectfully submitted.

[kimmie7]

pinging for reading AFTER I've had coffee ;)

[Tired of Taxes]

not pull our kids out because they might be exposed to.. *gasp*.. knowledge of how to avoid contracting STDs.

Yes, indeed, that IS a petty example. I have met at least 25 different homeschooling families in the past year alone, and all homeschool for a variety of reasons. The most common reason I've heard is that the schools were insisting that their sons (mostly sons) had ADD/ADHD and that they should be medicated. Some tried the medication route and were alarmed at the side-effects. They all removed their children from school and began homeschooling, medication-free! I'd say that's a pretty important reason.

Then there are others whose children languished in school but excel at home. And, still others, like our family, who experienced other difficulties with schools and whose children excel at home.

I know that it has made me a more well-rounded person, better prepared to deal with the variety of people I encounter in my field

My experience was just the opposite: I went to a tough, diverse school, and today I wish homeschooling had been an option back then. You assume that HSers are not in contact with outsiders. To the contrary, they socialize with children of all different ages (as another poster here pointed out) and are free to participate in many different outside classes and programs, rather than sitting stuck in a school all day with kids the same age and having to wait for the whole class to catch up to the same level.

[2Jedismom]

Not to mention the lack of social interaction for homeschooled kids.

Classic Ping!!

[kegler4]

"They don't show the social pathologies that I see in the public school educated children. They can actually hold intelligent, respectful conversations with adults and others their age."

I have nothing against homeschooling but I do get so tired of blanket generalizations in these threads. ALL public school kids are surly and mute and unintelligent and juvenile delinquents. They're all -- every single one of them -- completely hopeless and doomed because of public school. And every parent who sends his child to a public school is a dolt and should be charged with child abuse.

Give me a break.

My daughter and most of her friends hold intelligent, respectful conversations with adults (although some would most certainly rather talk with friends their own age). None are homeschooled. I have yet to detect any devastating social pathologies in my daughter but they must be there because homeschoolers keep telling me so.

On the other hand, the homeschooled kid down the street is respectful but does everything he can to avoid conversation with neighborhood adults. You're lucky to get anything more than "Hello" out of him. I don't know that their are any social pathologies, but he's obviously uncomfortable around adults. Do I think this means all homeschooled kids are like this? No, not hardly.

[day10]

Bump!

[Wordsmith]

The author of this article is an active Freeper, although I don't recall her handle.

[BibChr]

Not to mention the lack of social interaction for homeschooled kids

Yeah, I got to feeling really bad about what my kids were missing out on by not going to public schools.

So I stopped teaching them anything useful or true, and at least once a week I make sure to swear at them, tell them dirty jokes, offer them drugs, beat them up and steal their milk money.

Feel lots better about it all now.

Dan

[kegler4]

their = there

[HungarianGypsy]

The last week of September my family is going on holiday to a little town in Northern Arizona. While reserving our cottage I found out the owner also owns an art gallery. She mentioned that my children might want to meet some of the artists displaying that week. My only concern is that my socially inept children may keep wanting to visit the art gallery over and over, since they love meeting new people so much.
The only thing I can fault my children on is that they can be a bit overwhelming and too outgoing in personality.

[TomSmedley]

I also feel that kids need to be exposed to differing opinions and personalities if they are ever to survive in the real world. If a kid goes from being homeschooled for 12 years right to college... Wow, I can't imagine what would have happened had that been my situation. I probably would have ended up getting Alcohol poisoning or dying of shock at some of the things that go on at any college. Not to mention the lack of social interaction for homeschooled kids.

The real world is rarely anything like incarceration in public schools. In the real world, you don't have to ask for permission to use the bathroom, for example. You don't enter a typing pool composed exclusively of 32-year olds!

Home school kids, according to one survey I'm aware of, spent 50% more time per week in extracurricular activities than did demographically matched public school kids. And face it -- how much "socialization" occurs in the classroom, where a government functionary manages all communication?

Finally, my home school kids appreciate the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, and have my horror of one of the two legal forms of murder in this country -- driving while impaired.

After a transitional period of taking classes twice a week at a Christian school for two years, my oldest two kids finally went to a public school -- NC State University.

[goodseedhomeschool (returned)]

That sounds like so much fun :)
Can we go too?
Life learning is so much more meaningful.
We are planning a trip up north in September. I hope we get to see many of the civil war places.

[TomSmedley]

I agree with some of your points, but I still say the primary goal should be to increase the safety and effectiveness of public education, not pull our kids out

Your status as a fellow freeper demonstrates that you have some grasp of basic truths. Such as -- government funding and control do not guarantee good results. Religion thrives in this country far more than it does in places that have a state church, like Germany, Sweden, and England. People value what they pay for. (Where your $$$ is, there will your heart be also.) People don't pay for public education. Governments do, using money forcibly extracted from the people. Interposing the gun between the source and the destination of funds poisons that money.

Education will thrive to the extent the visible hand (mailed fist?) of the State backs out of that endeavor!

[RaceBannon]

Izzy Lyman Bump for AnnaZ! (She asked me to tell you about this thread) :)

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[Vindiciae Contra TyrannoSCOTUS]

BUMP FOR Izzy article, Race B. photos, AnnaZ , Bob Barr and all those folk.

[dasboot]

Thanks for your recent pings...always interesting.

And while I'm at it allow me to share another bit of good homeshhooling news:

As you may recall, My homeschooled daughter graduated from Massachusetts Maritime Academy; and, as is my custom, I sing praises of the place. Well, my daughter informs me of another homeschooler that graduated from MMA in her class, and it's an interesting tidbit.

The gal, Elizabeth, started the academy at age 16; she graduated as a marine engineer, and is now employed as such in the industry. However, she is not 'technically' a marine engineer: she's too young to work on her licence, so she's an 'ABS' (able-bodied seaman) until she turns 21.

My daughter says she's polite, intellegent, and well respected for her academic accomplishments.

One thing more: Elizabeth is black.

Another story of liberation, diversity, and the color-blind, natural aristocracies that are this nation's military academies; a drama brought to fruition by the efforts of dedicated homeschooling parents who have faith in, and fully utilize, freedom.