Animals
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 in his post Homeschooling at Musings of the Mad Biologist.
Why does the author think homeschoolers need to be tracked? We aren't criminals, we aren't doing anything wrong and we certainly don't deserve to have our privacy invaded merely because we choose not to send our children to public schools.
He then goes on to ask how parents could possible teach their children everything? Apparently it has never occurred to him that homeschoolers join together with other parents in co-ops in order to take advantage of each parents area of expertise, we hire tutors, we take advantage of online courses, etc. Homeschoolers do not have to know everything we merely have to be resourceful enough to find someone to "teach" the subjects we are weak in.
He also worries that children won't be taught the "right" things. I am appalled by the number of people that think the government should be the ones to decide what children are taught. As a parent it is my responsibility to instill my values and beliefs in my children, other parents have the right to teach their values and beliefs to their children. No one has the right to decide that a parents values and beliefs aren't "good enough" to pass along to their children.
Carlo also expresses the naive belief that public school parents who are unhappy with the academic education their children are receiving could just ADD to their children's education, instead of homeschooling them. Pray tell when? My children were in public school for awhile. I know from personal experience that there isn't any free time during the school year to ADD to your child's education. When they aren't in school being indoctrinated with the local communities dogma they are loaded down with homework, which usually has no educational value but must be done for your child to get a passing grade. The public school my children attended even sent work that they didn't have time to cover during the regular school year home with them, for them to do over the summer, with their parents help.
I can only speak for the homeschoolers I know. But amongst our group the homeschoolers are all normal kids that fit in well with their public school peers. We are so normal in fact that it lead to an interesting discussion with one soccer mom who unaware that I homeschool approached a group of moms I was talking with ranting about homeschoolers. She was very embarrassed when I calmly stated that I homeschooled my kids but she was utterly flabbergasted when I told her three other boys on the soccer team were homeschooled. When I challenged her to pick them out she couldn't because, "they were so normal". I imagine that all the people that claim that the only homeschoolers they know are "weird" don't realize that they do know normal homeschoolers, after all we don't wear signs saying we homeschool.
Also the parents in my group intend for their children to go to college. As a parent who has successfully homeschooled a child into college I am often asked for advice. Since my eldest knew he wanted to major in computer science and what colleges he was interested in attending we visited their websites to find out their admission requirements. I then tailored his course work to their requirements. Since he scored a 28 on the ACT at 15 he was eligible for early admission to college and they had no problem accepting the transcripts I had made. He started college at 16 and is having a wonderful time. He has joined Phi Theta Kappa, made the Vice President's List and has tons of friends. Not only does he attend college full time but he works part time at a fast food place.
I also find it amusing that many people assume that all homeschoolers are white heterosexual Fundamentalist Christians nothing could be further from the truth. I know Atheist, Pagan, Agnostic & Free-thinking homeschoolers. I know single moms who homeschool, gay couples that homeschool and African-Americans who homeschool. Homeschooling is not restricted to white heterosexual Christian Fundamentalist couples.
More Post on homeschooling
Ten Questions About Homeschooling at FamilyEducation.com
Homeschools Run By Caring Parents at Home~Schoolers Rule
Sensationalism & Dr. Phil at Home~Schoolers Rule
All Homeschoolers are Not Christians & All Christians Are Not Homeschoolers at Home~Schoolers Rule
Social Skills & Homeschooling: Myths & Facts at FamilyEducation.com
Deep Thoughts at Alasandra
Who Decides Part II at Deep Thoughts
Hello, We don't all have big families at The Homeschool Cafe
Homeschool Quandry at The Homeschool Cafe
The Other S Word at The Homeschool Cafe
- The Voiceless Homeschoolers
A Fundamentalist Christian Homeschool Blogger wanted to know why Secular Homeschoolers seem to be so hostile toward them. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they presume to speak for ALL homeschoolers. They make inane comments like All...
- Top Myths About Homeschooling
I am totally mystified by the number of people who know absolutely nothing about homeschooling but feel compelled to write post on homeschooling full of misinformation and false assumptions. Here I will address some myths about homeschooling that have...
- 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...
- 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...
- Educational News
Homeschoolers are a very diverse group contrary to what some people think. For the Native American Homeschoolers amongst us The Native American Homeschool Association and Native American Homeschoolers are two groups you may want to check out. *********************************************************************************...
Animals
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 in his post Homeschooling at Musings of the Mad Biologist.
Regardless, the scariest aspect about home-schooling, in my mind, is that 'No single organization tracks the numbers of homeschoolers nationwide, but using state-by-state data, the National Home Education Research Institute estimates that 1.3 million to 1.7 million students were educated at home last year...'
Why does the author think homeschoolers need to be tracked? We aren't criminals, we aren't doing anything wrong and we certainly don't deserve to have our privacy invaded merely because we choose not to send our children to public schools.
He then goes on to ask how parents could possible teach their children everything? Apparently it has never occurred to him that homeschoolers join together with other parents in co-ops in order to take advantage of each parents area of expertise, we hire tutors, we take advantage of online courses, etc. Homeschoolers do not have to know everything we merely have to be resourceful enough to find someone to "teach" the subjects we are weak in.
He also worries that children won't be taught the "right" things. I am appalled by the number of people that think the government should be the ones to decide what children are taught. As a parent it is my responsibility to instill my values and beliefs in my children, other parents have the right to teach their values and beliefs to their children. No one has the right to decide that a parents values and beliefs aren't "good enough" to pass along to their children.
Carlo also expresses the naive belief that public school parents who are unhappy with the academic education their children are receiving could just ADD to their children's education, instead of homeschooling them. Pray tell when? My children were in public school for awhile. I know from personal experience that there isn't any free time during the school year to ADD to your child's education. When they aren't in school being indoctrinated with the local communities dogma they are loaded down with homework, which usually has no educational value but must be done for your child to get a passing grade. The public school my children attended even sent work that they didn't have time to cover during the regular school year home with them, for them to do over the summer, with their parents help.
I can only speak for the homeschoolers I know. But amongst our group the homeschoolers are all normal kids that fit in well with their public school peers. We are so normal in fact that it lead to an interesting discussion with one soccer mom who unaware that I homeschool approached a group of moms I was talking with ranting about homeschoolers. She was very embarrassed when I calmly stated that I homeschooled my kids but she was utterly flabbergasted when I told her three other boys on the soccer team were homeschooled. When I challenged her to pick them out she couldn't because, "they were so normal". I imagine that all the people that claim that the only homeschoolers they know are "weird" don't realize that they do know normal homeschoolers, after all we don't wear signs saying we homeschool.
Also the parents in my group intend for their children to go to college. As a parent who has successfully homeschooled a child into college I am often asked for advice. Since my eldest knew he wanted to major in computer science and what colleges he was interested in attending we visited their websites to find out their admission requirements. I then tailored his course work to their requirements. Since he scored a 28 on the ACT at 15 he was eligible for early admission to college and they had no problem accepting the transcripts I had made. He started college at 16 and is having a wonderful time. He has joined Phi Theta Kappa, made the Vice President's List and has tons of friends. Not only does he attend college full time but he works part time at a fast food place.
I also find it amusing that many people assume that all homeschoolers are white heterosexual Fundamentalist Christians nothing could be further from the truth. I know Atheist, Pagan, Agnostic & Free-thinking homeschoolers. I know single moms who homeschool, gay couples that homeschool and African-Americans who homeschool. Homeschooling is not restricted to white heterosexual Christian Fundamentalist couples.
More Post on homeschooling
Ten Questions About Homeschooling at FamilyEducation.com
Homeschools Run By Caring Parents at Home~Schoolers Rule
Sensationalism & Dr. Phil at Home~Schoolers Rule
All Homeschoolers are Not Christians & All Christians Are Not Homeschoolers at Home~Schoolers Rule
Social Skills & Homeschooling: Myths & Facts at FamilyEducation.com
Deep Thoughts at Alasandra
Who Decides Part II at Deep Thoughts
Hello, We don't all have big families at The Homeschool Cafe
Homeschool Quandry at The Homeschool Cafe
The Other S Word at The Homeschool Cafe
- The Voiceless Homeschoolers
A Fundamentalist Christian Homeschool Blogger wanted to know why Secular Homeschoolers seem to be so hostile toward them. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they presume to speak for ALL homeschoolers. They make inane comments like All...
- Top Myths About Homeschooling
I am totally mystified by the number of people who know absolutely nothing about homeschooling but feel compelled to write post on homeschooling full of misinformation and false assumptions. Here I will address some myths about homeschooling that have...
- 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...
- 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...
- Educational News
Homeschoolers are a very diverse group contrary to what some people think. For the Native American Homeschoolers amongst us The Native American Homeschool Association and Native American Homeschoolers are two groups you may want to check out. *********************************************************************************...