Animals
Deep Thought asked thought provoking questions in his post Who Decides? Part II
Of course one of the big problems is they don't see homeschoolers as diverse. According to the majority of non-homeschoolers, all homeschoolers are Christian Fundamentalist nut cases who raise their children in isolation. If you try to point out how diverse homeschoolers really are you get a grudging "maybe you are different" but............ If you dig deep enough into their hostility against homeschoolers you see they resent what they perceive to be all homeschoolers beliefs and they don't want them passed on to the next generation, as they perceive Fundamentalist Christian beliefs to be a threat to their own beliefs. They don't seem to understand that their own intolerance of beliefs differing from their own is a bigger threat then any Christian Fundamentalist or homeschooler could ever be.
The fact this is an argument against homeschooling is laughable if you hail from Mississippi in light of HB 625 - Introduced by Representative Mike Lott, the bill would require the teaching of creationism or intelligent design in SCIENCE classrooms if evolution is taught. One of the reasons I homeschool is so I can teach my children "pure science" especially the theory of evolution without having crackpot ideas like intelligent design introduced. Although I am rather fond of the flying spaghetti monster. But does it hurt me if another homeschooling parent chooses not to teach evolution? Of course not, and they should be free to do so.
Deep Thoughts left me with many interesting points to ponder. I hope you will go read his post in its entirety.
- Kestrel9000 Attacks Homeschooling At Daily Kos
First off I am going to take umbrage at the title of the post, Revisionist History: The Christian Right and the Miseducation Of Our Children. Shining Celebi and Lord Epa are mine and The Big Kahuna's kids they do not belong to anyone else. The idea...
- Worth Reading
Drop by O'Donnell Web to read Chris' post Arrogance, thy name is Greg Laden I really hope Chris takes the time to fisk his post. Greg is all about government control and regulation. Apparently he won't be happy until we are all forced to think...
- Here They Go Again Bashing Homeschooling
A small minority of homeschoolers hold a very public Creationist Science Fair, and now the general public thinks all homeschoolers are creationist and that homeschooling should be strictly regulated on a national level or altogether banned. Carlo elaborates...
- Things To Ponder
Would You Let Them Scan Your Child? One family said NO, but their child was still scanned. Still, a substitute teacher's mistake proved just how vulnerable children who opt out can be. "They rounded up all the kids in our son's class and they...
- Newscientist Bashes Homeschoolers
I really resent NewScientist assumption that all homeschoolers are religious nutcases that teach their children Creationism instead of real Science. New Scientist investigated how home-schooling, with its considerable legal support, is quietly transforming...
Animals
Deep Thoughts
Deep Thought asked thought provoking questions in his post Who Decides? Part II
In my introduction to education and homeschooling I discussed my conversation with Prof. Rob Reich, who is seen as an opponent by most homeschoolers, and his view that parents should not have sole control of the education of their children. His opinion was echoed in comments by Elliot, who feels that the government should determine what is taught to all children. These two people, along with many others outside homeschooling who discuss how to ‘limit’ it, or structure it, or regulate it, etc. all seem to touch on the core topic involved without quite realizing what that core topic really is. Even Prof. Reich, with a Ph.D. in Political Science, at first didn’t realize that regulation of homeschooling is about the power of the state to control or eliminate pluralism.
Of course one of the big problems is they don't see homeschoolers as diverse. According to the majority of non-homeschoolers, all homeschoolers are Christian Fundamentalist nut cases who raise their children in isolation. If you try to point out how diverse homeschoolers really are you get a grudging "maybe you are different" but............ If you dig deep enough into their hostility against homeschoolers you see they resent what they perceive to be all homeschoolers beliefs and they don't want them passed on to the next generation, as they perceive Fundamentalist Christian beliefs to be a threat to their own beliefs. They don't seem to understand that their own intolerance of beliefs differing from their own is a bigger threat then any Christian Fundamentalist or homeschooler could ever be.
How about today, when public school curricula actively promote stances that conflict directly with Catholic beliefs? If parents concerned with these issues can send their kids to Catholic schools, why not homeschool them? The Amish won a long court battle that allows them to have their own schools so that their children can be taught as their parents wish – including not following the compulsory education laws. Why are the legitimate desires of the Amish to pass on their beliefs and culture worthy of being honored, but not homeschooling parents who happen to be, say, pagans?An excellent question.
I get so sick of all the anti-homeschoolers who claimed to want what is best for my children and subtly imply that I don't. They don't even know my children, so how can they presume to know what’s best for them. They certainly don't love them like I do, so why would I entrust my children's future to strangers? Then there are those who will admit that I am doing an excellent job homeschooling, that my children are thriving but still maintain that I should give it up for the "greater good", and call me selfish because I am not willing to sacrifice my children's future for someone else's child.In many ways, the desire to determine what homeschoolers can and cannot, must and must not, teach their children is just a shade of the Know Nothings and the Indian Office. It is someone determining that they know best, or at least better. It is the belief that someone, either yourself or an ‘expert’, is better/smarter/better educated/more ‘mainstream’ than a parent and that you need to intervene in how they raise their child – for the good of the children, of course! Eventually, with enough education, you can finally get the population all thinking the right things, believing the right truths, and acting in the proper manner….
The issues, the hot buttons, all the things that get opponents of homeschooling frothed boil down to cultural outlook. This is why many on both sides focus on evolution/creationism. Those homeschoolers who leave public schools because of evolution clearly state that they feel the public schools are being used to subvert the beliefs and values that parents want their children to develop and support. While many who want to force all children to learn evolution claim that understanding evolution is a pre-requisite for being a functional adult.
The fact this is an argument against homeschooling is laughable if you hail from Mississippi in light of HB 625 - Introduced by Representative Mike Lott, the bill would require the teaching of creationism or intelligent design in SCIENCE classrooms if evolution is taught. One of the reasons I homeschool is so I can teach my children "pure science" especially the theory of evolution without having crackpot ideas like intelligent design introduced. Although I am rather fond of the flying spaghetti monster. But does it hurt me if another homeschooling parent chooses not to teach evolution? Of course not, and they should be free to do so.
Deep Thoughts left me with many interesting points to ponder. I hope you will go read his post in its entirety.
- Kestrel9000 Attacks Homeschooling At Daily Kos
First off I am going to take umbrage at the title of the post, Revisionist History: The Christian Right and the Miseducation Of Our Children. Shining Celebi and Lord Epa are mine and The Big Kahuna's kids they do not belong to anyone else. The idea...
- Worth Reading
Drop by O'Donnell Web to read Chris' post Arrogance, thy name is Greg Laden I really hope Chris takes the time to fisk his post. Greg is all about government control and regulation. Apparently he won't be happy until we are all forced to think...
- Here They Go Again Bashing Homeschooling
A small minority of homeschoolers hold a very public Creationist Science Fair, and now the general public thinks all homeschoolers are creationist and that homeschooling should be strictly regulated on a national level or altogether banned. Carlo elaborates...
- Things To Ponder
Would You Let Them Scan Your Child? One family said NO, but their child was still scanned. Still, a substitute teacher's mistake proved just how vulnerable children who opt out can be. "They rounded up all the kids in our son's class and they...
- Newscientist Bashes Homeschoolers
I really resent NewScientist assumption that all homeschoolers are religious nutcases that teach their children Creationism instead of real Science. New Scientist investigated how home-schooling, with its considerable legal support, is quietly transforming...