Fundie homeschoolers

[BlondeAgent007]

If most levels of higher education rely on standardized tests for admission, aren't homeschoolers who dont use those kinds of tests limiting their children's educational future? A child who is a poor test taker can learn, throughout their school career, how to take and prepare better for multiple choice or fill-in-thebubble tests. Most teachers recognize different learning styles and use homework, projects, papers, etc to help boost the grades of kids who cant take tests well. The kids, however, still do have to take some standardized tests. by the time the child goes for the SAT and into college, they have learned some skills to help them with these kinds of challenges. a kid who is a poor test taker whose mom says, "fuck it, we aren't going to use those if Johnny isn't good at them," puts their kid at a disadvantage if they choose to go to college. unless you have told your poor test taker that they should go for an english/similar major with lots of papers, or to pick a skilled trade, they need to learn how to take tests anyways. Very few college professors outside of select majors use other testing formats. A homeschooled child who doesn't take standardized tests of any kind are 13 years behind their peers and will have a lot of catching up to do, no matter how smart they are.

[TrueRebel1]

Requirements for homeschooling are different for every state. In my state, any parent may homeschool their child, provided they are "educated from ages 7-16 years, and receive an education comparable to public education" or some such thing. A lot of homeschool parents choose to participate in some form of standardized testing even though it's not required.

In my experience (growing up homeschooled), most homeschooled students score very well on standardized testing. It's odd, because even though some kids I knew weren't getting a well-rounded education, they managed to look good on their test results. It's just one of the many reasons I think the testing is flawed...

[Ellimenopy]

If most levels of higher education rely on standardized tests for admission, aren't homeschoolers who dont use those kinds of tests limiting their children's educational future? A child who is a poor test taker can learn, throughout their school career, how to take and prepare better for multiple choice or fill-in-thebubble tests. Most teachers recognize different learning styles and use homework, projects, papers, etc to help boost the grades of kids who cant take tests well. The kids, however, still do have to take some standardized tests. by the time the child goes for the SAT and into college, they have learned some skills to help them with these kinds of challenges. a kid who is a poor test taker whose mom says, "fuck it, we aren't going to use those if Johnny isn't good at them," puts their kid at a disadvantage if they choose to go to college. unless you have told your poor test taker that they should go for an english/similar major with lots of papers, or to pick a skilled trade, they need to learn how to take tests anyways. Very few college professors outside of select majors use other testing formats. A homeschooled child who doesn't take standardized tests of any kind are 13 years behind their peers and will have a lot of catching up to do, no matter how smart they are.

I just don't believe this could possibly be true. How hard is it to take a standardized test? Not very hard if you know the material. Sure, the hypothetical homeschooler might have to spend a few weeks learning about them and practicing them before taking the SAT or ACT, but it's really not that hard to find out what the structure of those tests are and get used to them.

[danvillebelle]

I just don't believe this could possibly be true. How hard is it to take a standardized test? Not very hard if you know the material. Sure, the hypothetical homeschooler might have to spend a few weeks learning about them and practicing them before taking the SAT or ACT, but it's really not that hard to find out what the structure of those tests are and get used to them.

Thank you. My kids have never taken a standardized test. I assure you, they are not "13 years behind their peers." Getting a prep book and studying it hard for a few weeks is really all they'd need to do well enough, I'm sure. Choosing to forgo standardized testing does not necessarily = SOTDRT or idiocy, really.

[BlondeAgent007]

Academically, they may be ahead, sure. But kids in public schools/taking some standardized tests have 13 years of learning ways not to freeze up during an exam, ways not to forget the material, and other strategies to do well on tests that almost all advanced education uses. I feel sorry for any person entering college who has no experience with those kinds of tests, and has their first freeze-up testing freak out when they're paying for their education and their grades will truly follow them for the rest of their lives. A third grader who is a poor test taker but has good grades otherwise has many years to become a better test taker. A 12th grader who is a poor test taker who hasn't ever taken one doesn't have tons of time to practice and become comfortable taking one. Being comfortable during a test takes practice, it isn't something you can study for a few weeks out of a book, sorry.

[countressrascal]

In Arizona they can not require homeschoolers to take standardized tests, because the court ruled if they did then they would have to pay the homeschool parents the same amount that they pay public or charter schools. The law was rolled back. No rules at all in Arizona.

[Sobeknofret]

Academically, they may be ahead, sure. But kids in public schools/taking some standardized tests have 13 years of learning ways not to freeze up during an exam, ways not to forget the material, and other strategies to do well on tests that almost all advanced education uses. I feel sorry for any person entering college who has no experience with those kinds of tests, and has their first freeze-up testing freak out when they're paying for their education and their grades will truly follow them for the rest of their lives. A third grader who is a poor test taker but has good grades otherwise has many years to become a better test taker. A 12th grader who is a poor test taker who hasn't ever taken one doesn't have tons of time to practice and become comfortable taking one. Being comfortable during a test takes practice, it isn't something you can study for a few weeks out of a book, sorry.

s

Because no homeschooled kid has ever managed to successfully navigate taking the SATs/ACTs and get into college. :roll: Seriously? Testing, like socialization, is a complete non-issue. It took my kid about 20 minutes to figure out a standardized test, and he's in 3rd/4th grade.

[SoybeanQueen]

If you think homeschoolers are so far behind the times because they aren't required to take standardized tests, I would encourage you to do some research on what modern homeschooling is really like.

No snark intended at all. But I wonder if some of you have a warped view of what homeschooling is based on people like the fundies we discuss here. A quick search will show you forums full of parents who are highly invested in making sure their kids are well-prepared for the real world, whether that's university or something else. Some are religious, some not at all (secularhomeschool.com is a good one). It's not all SOTDRT, and I truly don't believe we need to force all homeschoolers into a public school mold with testing.

I used to feel the way some of you seem to. Luckily I ended up with some friends who homeschool and were willing to school me a bit. :)

[JemimaPuddle-Duck]

If you think homeschoolers are so far behind the times because they aren't required to take standardized tests, I would encourage you to do some research on what modern homeschooling is really like.

No snark intended at all. But I wonder if some of you have a warped view of what homeschooling is based on people like the fundies we discuss here. A quick search will show you forums full of parents who are highly invested in making sure their kids are well-prepared for the real world, whether that's university or something else. Some are religious, some not at all (secularhomeschool.com is a good one). It's not all SOTDRT, and I truly don't believe we need to force all homeschoolers into a public school mold with testing.

I used to feel the way some of you seem to. Luckily I ended up with some friends who homeschool and were willing to school me a bit. :)

Thank you. And I just want to add that not all fundies are SOTDRT homeschoolers either. We aren't all just a bunch of J'Chelles handing our children those little pamphlets and calling it good.

[amydamy]

I'm not against standardized testing, I just don't like how schools are only teaching kids how to take a test. I'm also not against homeschooling because my daughter attends an online hs. However with fundies how do the parents know if their child knows certain things. Or need extra help. Like algebra,biology,english. Some kids can't read or write at grade level. How will they assess them? Knowing the bible will only get you so far.

This makes me wonder as well, It makes me think of when I was learning piano and violin my mom didn't realize I wasn't bothering to learn to read music like my brother was I just copied him and memorized the movements my fingers needed to make. Since I was able to play lots of stuff my mom just assumed I was learning what my brother did.

I also have I have dyspraxia but most of my issues from it were written off as quirks by my family. I went to fundie schools until 3rd grade, it was NJ and we were tested, I test very well especially since filling in bubbles was easier for me than writing. It wasn't until I went to public school that any one noticed.

[amydamy]

I have the flu and just used most of my energy typing the last long reply. This may not make sense.

"And yet, that entire test is one of the most important academic things they will do all year and impacts everything from the student's self-perception to how much funding their district gets in the future."

Yep. And in the future, it will also affect how the teachers are evaluated.

My daughters were both really irritated that "exemplary" is no longer a score range on the new tests. They saw that as a goal worth reaching for.

I don't remember any of my test have "exemplary" as a range. We had average, below average and above average or the grade level you tested at. I took mainly the CAT test and other NJ specific tests like the HSPT.

[paganhomeschooler]

This makes me wonder as well, It makes me think of when I was learning piano and violin my mom didn't realize I wasn't bothering to learn to read music like my brother was I just copied him and memorized the movements my fingers needed to make. Since I was able to play lots of stuff my mom just assumed I was learning what my brother did.

I also have I have dyspraxia but most of my issues from it were written off as quirks by my family. I went to fundie schools until 3rd grade, it was NJ and we were tested, I test very well especially since filling in bubbles was easier for me than writing. It wasn't until I went to public school that any one noticed.

I think any involved parent can tell when their kid is lacking in something. We were very aware our learning disabled kids were lacking before teachers ever picked up on it when they were all in public school. We knew they needed extra help, were told they didn't, then were told they'd need to be held back, after they got no extra help. Soooo....we pulled them to homeschool!

Assessment can be made by progress. My son with severe dyslexia does not read or write on grade level. We can definitely see progress in his work, however. When he did an e-school, he took exactly 1 standardized test. Even with his "accommodations", he still failed miserably. Please tell me how, in a child with a previously known learning disability who is already on an IEP because it is already known they are below grade level, is it fair to make them suffer through a test with a reader for the questions but not the reading passages? The point of that standardized test would prove what? That he doesn't read on grade level?? DUH!!! That's why he's on an IEP and has a reader. So, let's make the kid hate school and hate tests and think he's useless because he has to have someone read to him when no one else does, and he knows he doesn't know the answers because he can't read the damn passage to start with, and obviously ends up getting the lowest level possible on the tests (which of course I would never show him because I'm not a sadistic bitch....at least not to my kids!) And this lovely experience is going to benefit him how again?

Anyway, sorry for that rant...pet peeve....moving along. Not meant directly at the quoted posters!

In our state, you can issue a standardized test, you can have a portfolio review by a certified teacher, or you can come to mutual agreement with your local super for another assessment method. Many people use that option to have themselves able to assess their kids' work since they are the ones working with the kids every day and know what they do and do not know better than any standardized test or person who sees their kid for an hour ever could. We choose to do a portfolio assessment by a certified teacher. Most of my friends are teachers or nurses, so it's the most convenient for us. Most of the teachers I know also have a special ed degree, so they are better equipped than any standardized test to be a good judge of my son's fund of knowledge. They also know my son and interact with him throughout the year and can see his progress and weaknesses. I frequently bounce ideas off of them, and if they see something they know would help, they drop me a line.

I know the Duggars are a prime example of what NOT to do when you homeschool, but as previous posters have said, I think people should do a little more research into a day in the life of a normal homeschooling family before they think we're incapable of telling if our kid can't read without a bubble test telling us so. lol

[Rebelwife]

Well, yes and no. It kind of depends on the problem and the circumstances. My oldest daughter was very behind in fine motor skills but we didn't realize that because she was our oldest (so nothing to compare to) and she was also always the very youngest in her preschool classes because of her birthday, where months can make a huge difference in what kids can do. It wasn't until I realized her sister, who was 2.5 years younger, was doing stuff she couldn't that we thought there might be a problem.

That was right about the same time her kindergarten teacher approached us with some other concerns, all very vague and hard to define, but I'm not sure how long I would have put it down to her just being a little slow on the fine motor skill side before I sought diagnosis. Turns out she has a weird set of CNS delays that she was hiding well with her intelligence and early reading.

[paganhomeschooler]

Well, yes and no. It kind of depends on the problem and the circumstances. My oldest daughter was very behind in fine motor skills but we didn't realize that because she was our oldest (so nothing to compare to) and she was also always the very youngest in her preschool classes because of her birthday, where months can make a huge difference in what kids can do. It wasn't until I realized her sister, who was 2.5 years younger, was doing stuff she couldn't that we thought there might be a problem.

That was right about the same time her kindergarten teacher approached us with some other concerns, all very vague and hard to define, but I'm not sure how long I would have put it down to her just being a little slow on the fine motor skill side before I sought diagnosis. Turns out she has a weird set of CNS delays that she was hiding well with her intelligence and early reading.

I was referring more to the poster who I quoted who said parents couldn't tell that academics were behind without standardized testing. All of the people I know in the homeschooling community are responsible homeschoolers. Whether they e-school, traditionally homeschool, unschool, etc., they have all done their research and academically know the guidelines of what is expected for different grade levels. Medical conditions are not something that schools can diagnose. They can recommend testing, but they are not physicians. I, personally, have always had books on hand to follow guidelines for developmental milestones, as well, even before my kids were homeschooled, in addition to grade level guidelines and even gender-associated modifications for learning now that we're homeschooling.

Schools also don't have all the answers. The e-school said my son has fine motor delays. We laughed. We went ahead with the OT because we'll do whatever we can to help him, but we knew that wasn't the issue. All he does is play with LEGO, build level 3 models, and build things in general. My husband stuck a 50+ yo engine outside and told him to take it apart. He had nearly every single nut and bolt out in less than 2 hours. My husband gave him some screws and a latch plate and told him to fix the garage door, and it was fixed in about 15 min with no help. He has no fine motor delays. We're presuming it's a dysgraphia picture, going along with his presumed dyslexia (which the school won't verify as it's a medical diagnosis, and they don't do medical diagnoses.)

If anything, I think schools tend to err on the side of letting things go. Kids have to show they are a year behind before they'll test for things. You mentioned your daughter was one of the "young kids" in class. That's what schools keep using to NOT help my kids. Round 3 of trying to get my 2nd daughter an IEP, and they said all her problems are because she's "young". She can't spell, her writing is worse than the kid who supposedly has fine motor issues (and my kindergartener), they've got her in interventions, but they won't give her an IEP because "she's young." She is almost 11 years old. Being 2 months younger than the other kids in her class isn't why she's having problems. But, she compensates well enough in reading because she has a photographic memory. They refuse to send her to OT for her handwriting because it's "not bad enough." They also said they probably wouldn't put our son in OT if he went to their school, even though it's on his previous IEP, because they only give OT for kids with profound problems there. This is a school district rated Excellent with Honors.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love our new district, it's much better than our old one, but blindly putting faith in any school to diagnose and treat medical problems, especially on the basis of a standardized test, is not a good decision. Case in point: I go in to work with my son's kindergarten class once a week. I had to assess for the kids' abilities to count to 100. First number they missed, I had to write that down as how high they could count. My son made it to 29, then skipped a few because he was distracted by the 10 other kids working with other people in the hallway, so I had to stop there. His teacher has mentioned being concerned about his counting. The thing is, I know for a fact he can count to 100 because he does it at home all the time for fun. On his assessment record, it shows he can count to 29 now just because of the rules of that assessment, and it pinpoints that moment in time, so that's in his data folder. Same thing with standardized testing. It shows what a kid is thinking at that moment in time, in a stressful situation, not a true and accurate evaluation of fund of knowledge. My learning disabled son can't pass a standardized test to save his life, but he can tell you how volcanoes erupt, how an internal combustion engine works, can solve math problems in his head even though he can't memorize his times tables, etc., etc., etc. Standardized testing does not give an accurate description of what a kid knows.

/rant Sorry for the long-winded soapbox-ing! lol I am very passionate about giving my kids the best education they can get. I think homeschooling is great to give kids an individualized education. I think public school is great also, but standardized testing as it is today frankly sucks. We have been falling in education rankings since programs like NCLB have been implemented. The US used to have an educational system that was admired, and now it's a laughing stock.

[Rebelwife]

I was referring more to the poster who I quoted who said parents couldn't tell that academics were behind without standardized testing. All of the people I know in the homeschooling community are responsible homeschoolers. Whether they e-school, traditionally homeschool, unschool, etc., they have all done their research and academically know the guidelines of what is expected for different grade levels. Medical conditions are not something that schools can diagnose. They can recommend testing, but they are not physicians. I, personally, have always had books on hand to follow guidelines for developmental milestones, as well, even before my kids were homeschooled, in addition to grade level guidelines and even gender-associated modifications for learning now that we're homeschooling.

Schools also don't have all the answers. The e-school said my son has fine motor delays. We laughed. We went ahead with the OT because we'll do whatever we can to help him, but we knew that wasn't the issue. All he does is play with LEGO, build level 3 models, and build things in general. My husband stuck a 50+ yo engine outside and told him to take it apart. He had nearly every single nut and bolt out in less than 2 hours. My husband gave him some screws and a latch plate and told him to fix the garage door, and it was fixed in about 15 min with no help. He has no fine motor delays. We're presuming it's a dysgraphia picture, going along with his presumed dyslexia (which the school won't verify as it's a medical diagnosis, and they don't do medical diagnoses.)

If anything, I think schools tend to err on the side of letting things go. Kids have to show they are a year behind before they'll test for things. You mentioned your daughter was one of the "young kids" in class. That's what schools keep using to NOT help my kids. Round 3 of trying to get my 2nd daughter an IEP, and they said all her problems are because she's "young". She can't spell, her writing is worse than the kid who supposedly has fine motor issues (and my kindergartener), they've got her in interventions, but they won't give her an IEP because "she's young." She is almost 11 years old. Being 2 months younger than the other kids in her class isn't why she's having problems. But, she compensates well enough in reading because she has a photographic memory. They refuse to send her to OT for her handwriting because it's "not bad enough." They also said they probably wouldn't put our son in OT if he went to their school, even though it's on his previous IEP, because they only give OT for kids with profound problems there. This is a school district rated Excellent with Honors.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love our new district, it's much better than our old one, but blindly putting faith in any school to diagnose and treat medical problems, especially on the basis of a standardized test, is not a good decision. Case in point: I go in to work with my son's kindergarten class once a week. I had to assess for the kids' abilities to count to 100. First number they missed, I had to write that down as how high they could count. My son made it to 29, then skipped a few because he was distracted by the 10 other kids working with other people in the hallway, so I had to stop there. His teacher has mentioned being concerned about his counting. The thing is, I know for a fact he can count to 100 because he does it at home all the time for fun. On his assessment record, it shows he can count to 29 now just because of the rules of that assessment, and it pinpoints that moment in time, so that's in his data folder. Same thing with standardized testing. It shows what a kid is thinking at that moment in time, in a stressful situation, not a true and accurate evaluation of fund of knowledge. My learning disabled son can't pass a standardized test to save his life, but he can tell you how volcanoes erupt, how an internal combustion engine works, can solve math problems in his head even though he can't memorize his times tables, etc., etc., etc. Standardized testing does not give an accurate description of what a kid knows.

/rant Sorry for the long-winded soapbox-ing! lol I am very passionate about giving my kids the best education they can get. I think homeschooling is great to give kids an individualized education. I think public school is great also, but standardized testing as it is today frankly sucks. We have been falling in education rankings since programs like NCLB have been implemented. The US used to have an educational system that was admired, and now it's a laughing stock.

1st of all to the bold, I was laughing out loud because almost the exact thing happened with our daughter. We met for her conference and the teacher said she could only count to 30 when I knew she could go over 100. When we asked her why, she said "I was tired of counting, so I told them I didn't know any more." :lol:

As to the other, I don't think we disagree at all. I guess I was speaking to those people who blindly say "oh, I'd know if anything was wrong with my child" without acknowledging that sometimes comparing kids to their peers, whether through standardized testing or other means, can be very useful. I just wasn't very clear, so that's on me.

[Olive Plant]

Ummm.....you do know that it only a very small percentage of people who go to graduate school, right? So obviously the general population isn't going to know, or care, how admission to graduate school is determined.

Also, it depends on the grad school, and it's certainly not the only thing they look at.

[Toothfairy]

Also, it depends on the grad school, and it's certainly not the only thing they look at.

Colleges require tests for admissions

[yetanothermeg]

Colleges require tests for admissions

No dog in this fight, but many grad programs do not require the GRE for admission. Mine did not. I took it anyway because it was required if you wanted an assistantship.

[snuggles911]

Do fundie kids get state tested? I know every state is different but some require parents to submit their curriculum and homeschooling program to the district for review. Certain states also require homeschoolers to meet certain requirements. So how do fundie kids get away with certain things? In my state it's require for homeschoolers to get state tested. If they fail then the homeschooling program is put on probation. Homeschoolers also have to be taught certain subjects, not just the bible.

In our state homeschoolers can either take an annual basic skills test or present a portfolio of the work they've completed that year. The state also provides curriculum guidelines to homeschooling parents.

I know some amazing non-fundie homeschooling families. One family spent a year in Italy so that their children could learn the history, culture, and language along with the rest of their age-appropriate curriculum. Another walked across our state (following the Appalachian Trail) one summer to learn about natural science, geography, etc. They tend to meet up with other homeschooling families to share ideas and projects and are homeschooling to provide their kids with what they feel is a richer, individualized education.

The fundie homeschoolers are another story. They tend to isolate themselves. Many pass down used curriculum that's 20 years old. Others use online curriculum and the kids basically teach themselves while their parents are tending to the babies and household chores. Most are trying to protect their children from "the theory" of evolution and other evil progressive ideas they'd be exposed to in public schools.

[JemimaPuddle-Duck]

In our state homeschoolers can either take an annual basic skills test or present a portfolio of the work they've completed that year. The state also provides curriculum guidelines to homeschooling parents.

I know some amazing non-fundie homeschooling families. One family spent a year in Italy so that their children could learn the history, culture, and language along with the rest of their age-appropriate curriculum. Another walked across our state (following the Appalachian Trail) one summer to learn about natural science, geography, etc. They tend to meet up with other homeschooling families to share ideas and projects and are homeschooling to provide their kids with what they feel is a richer, individualized education.

The fundie homeschoolers are another story. They tend to isolate themselves. Many pass down used curriculum that's 20 years old. Others use online curriculum and the kids basically teach themselves while their parents are tending to the babies and household chores. Most are trying to protect their children from "the theory" of evolution and other evil progressive ideas they'd be exposed to in public schools.

That last paragraph is a pretty big accusation. Crap like that just annoys me to no end. I admit I only follow a few of the people/blogs talked about here, but are there really that many fundie homeschoolers blogging about the pathetic educations they're giving their children? Do you know (in real life) fundies participating in this abysmal kind of homeschooling? Do you have superpowers that allow you to see the inner workings of all the fundie homes? I hope you have some kind of insider information better than a couple of crazy bloggers to make such sweeping generalizations about an entire subset of Christians. I know a whole heck of a lot of homeschooling fundies. Like most homeschoolers from all walks of life, we work our frigging butts off trying to provide our children with a great education.

I know I'm being hand slappy here, but I don't care. Stuff like this is just so....ugh! It gets me riled up.

[JemimaPuddle-Duck]

I think any involved parent can tell when their kid is lacking in something. We were very aware our learning disabled kids were lacking before teachers ever picked up on it when they were all in public school. We knew they needed extra help, were told they didn't, then were told they'd need to be held back, after they got no extra help. Soooo....we pulled them to homeschool!

Assessment can be made by progress. My son with severe dyslexia does not read or write on grade level. We can definitely see progress in his work, however. When he did an e-school, he took exactly 1 standardized test. Even with his "accommodations", he still failed miserably. Please tell me how, in a child with a previously known learning disability who is already on an IEP because it is already known they are below grade level, is it fair to make them suffer through a test with a reader for the questions but not the reading passages? The point of that standardized test would prove what? That he doesn't read on grade level?? DUH!!! That's why he's on an IEP and has a reader. So, let's make the kid hate school and hate tests and think he's useless because he has to have someone read to him when no one else does, and he knows he doesn't know the answers because he can't read the damn passage to start with, and obviously ends up getting the lowest level possible on the tests (which of course I would never show him because I'm not a sadistic bitch....at least not to my kids!) And this lovely experience is going to benefit him how again?

Anyway, sorry for that rant...pet peeve....moving along. Not meant directly at the quoted posters!

In our state, you can issue a standardized test, you can have a portfolio review by a certified teacher, or you can come to mutual agreement with your local super for another assessment method. Many people use that option to have themselves able to assess their kids' work since they are the ones working with the kids every day and know what they do and do not know better than any standardized test or person who sees their kid for an hour ever could. We choose to do a portfolio assessment by a certified teacher. Most of my friends are teachers or nurses, so it's the most convenient for us. Most of the teachers I know also have a special ed degree, so they are better equipped than any standardized test to be a good judge of my son's fund of knowledge. They also know my son and interact with him throughout the year and can see his progress and weaknesses. I frequently bounce ideas off of them, and if they see something they know would help, they drop me a line.

I know the Duggars are a prime example of what NOT to do when you homeschool, but as previous posters have said, I think people should do a little more research into a day in the life of a normal homeschooling family before they think we're incapable of telling if our kid can't read without a bubble test telling us so. lol

I am so sorry for what your son had to go through......and good for you for not putting up with it. Mama high-five!

I think one of my children would have faced similar difficulties in public school' and I'm so grateful I never had to find out if that's the case.

[Arete]

Fundie homeschoolers need to stop turning out embarrassments that think the world and every living thing was created in six 24 hour days before they get outraged that the rest of us think their standards are abysmal.

[16strong]

That last paragraph is a pretty big accusation. Crap like that just annoys me to no end. I admit I only follow a few of the people/blogs talked about here, but are there really that many fundie homeschoolers blogging about the pathetic educations they're giving their children? Do you know (in real life) fundies participating in this abysmal kind of homeschooling? Do you have superpowers that allow you to see the inner workings of all the fundie homes? I hope you have some kind of insider information better than a couple of crazy bloggers to make such sweeping generalizations about an entire subset of Christians. I know a whole heck of a lot of homeschooling fundies. Like most homeschoolers from all walks of life, we work our frigging butts off trying to provide our children with a great education.

I know I'm being hand slappy here, but I don't care. Stuff like this is just so....ugh! It gets me riled up.

I'm not sure how good fundie curriculums are/aren't, but I would like to point out that families like the Maxwells and the Rodrigues's have blogged the amount of time they spend schooling their kids, and it isn't much. Unless you're really good (and don't have many kids to begin with), you just can't spend only 2 hrs/day max and come out with well-educated kids. Especially if you have lots of kids, covering the whole 5-18 year span. Also (don't have examples, but someone can back me up here), many have also blogged that they do not teach much science or higher math, which is crucial for any college-bound student.

[Mama Mia]

I'm not sure how good fundie curriculums are/aren't, but I would like to point out that families like the Maxwells and the Rodrigues's have blogged the amount of time they spend schooling their kids, and it isn't much. Unless you're really good (and don't have many kids to begin with), you just can't spend only 2 hrs/day max and come out with well-educated kids. Especially if you have lots of kids, covering the whole 5-18 year span. Also (don't have examples, but someone can back me up here), many have also blogged that they do not teach much science or higher math, which is crucial for any college-bound student.

A lot of those schedules can be misleading though. I haven't seen their particular schedules, but if they are only covering formal instruction time you aren't seeing the amount of time kids are working independently, or with more informal assistance. Because it's a home environment a kid might be working in a workbook while his mom is cooking dinner and just asks for help when needed. Or she might go over another child's book report before bed.Or give her 10 year old the responsibility for figuring out a family shopping list for the month, staying within a set budget and including finding the best costs and calculating savings ( an awesome project we did in public school when I was that age).

If you are homeschooling you are generally going to have less formal, teacher standing in front of a group giving a lecture time than in Public School, but that's because it isn't as appropriate for the situation. You aren't trying to explain one subject to 30 kids all at roughly the same level.

Of course there are plenty of crappy homeschoolers, fundie and otherwise. There are also plenty of crappy public school teachers and schools. Of course there are some barely literate home school students. There are barely literate students in public school and a fairly large number of functionally illiterate adults - the vast majority of which presumably attended public school. I haven't seen any studies that show a higher percentage of home school students who are lagging academically, but I wouldn't be surprised. Not because home school parents do a lousy job, but because the reason many parents home school is because their child struggles with academics or has special needs and the public school isn't working for them.

[SoybeanQueen]

Colleges require tests for admissions

There are many test prep courses available to help with those. Homeschoolers get into college all the time. It's a non-issue at this point.