How undereducated are Christian Fundie homeschoolers?

[artdecades]

I have spent many years giving careful consideration to education, not only that of my own children but education in general.

One thing I wish people would understand is that what is needed and necessary to run an education system is needed and necessary to establish and maintain a system. This is for a group with many students. When you have small and private situations, such as a homeschool or even a private school, the same elements are not needed.

It is very easy to know what comprises a typical American education. There are many curriculums and books if the parents need ideas of what to do to educate their children. There are other homeschoolers to draw on. A degree in education serves no purpose, because the purpose of a degree in education is to produce teachers for a school system.

Lack of oversight? This implies the government is actually good at this education system and has some inalienable right to children. Well, no. I do not agree the government should have this right. We are Americans, the very crux of our existence is freedom and independence. My children are my children, I am not a womb-bearer for the state.

I lived in the ghetto for almost ten years while going to school and working. Yes, it took me that long to earn a bachelor's degree and then gain career employment and then the means to finally move out. I was surrounded by people who live off the government and absolutely give no craps about their children's education.

This evidenced itself in everything from young kids being outside unsupervised late into the night on school nights. In little boys going to elementary with their pants sagging below their butt. In the parental outrage that little Johnny had to put on a pair of sweatpants at school because little Johnny's ass and underwear were on display for all the world to see.

This assertion that no one should homeschool unless they are homeschooling the way YOU think is the right way is nothing more than a witch hunt.

Oh, you better believe there are some bad homeschoolers out there. There are also plenty of parents who send their kids to public school who are terrible, awful, no - good parents. My mother taught public school for 23 years and it was just appalling at how little value is placed on education in certain subcultures. Does that sound racist to you? More like educationist. I have friends of all colors but all of them are educated and share similar ideas on the importance of education.

My kids have suffered every single year because of how school is dumbed down. Oh yes, this is very true. My children attended the local public elementary, riding the bus right there in the ghetto. They were immersed in a definitely not white middle class life. They rarely had homework... because the school policy is to not issue homework due to the lack of support from home for the majority of the students.

My kids never had to make a poster. They never made a diorama. They did get some individual support from their teachers because you can imagine that my children were an oasis for their teachers but overall my kids missed a lot of "normal" experience because their entire school experience was lessened in order to accommodate all these children.

I am pretty darn sure that if you tested my kid's knowledge against those who attend much different school systems, my kids are going to come up short. Now if I could have homeschooled them, that would be a much different story.

I have known a fair number of homeschoolers. I do not always agree with their ideas of how to homeschool. I am quite suspicious of unschooling, for example. I do not know any who actually admitted to unschooling. But I do support their right to educate their children the way they see fit.

The crisis in education are the ghetto kids with parents, who are mostly just the moms very few dads around, who are themselves high school graduates with little actual education and a whole lot of attitude and disrespect to the school system. These are kids who are being failed by the bucketloads. A few Christian homeschoolers here and there who are not teaching their kids whatever it is you think is important is not the crisis.

Homeschooling is like the Internet, one of the last few free places on Earth. It is a beautiful thing that should be protected and celebrated, not hunted down and regulated by the government.

yes, actually, your whole post is pretty racist

[crazyforkate]

Jesus Christ, why do people always throw around "free" like it's a magic word? Homeschooling can be beneficial in the right circumstances, but it absolutely should be regulated, because there are way too many people out there who are half-assed about it, or use it for terrible reasons (such as keeping control over their kids 24/7). My own nieces and nephew were homeschooled until high school and entered the public system practically illiterate. The kids I briefly nannied had learned absolutely nothing in crucial areas, and were more or less left to fend for themselves because Mom couldn't be arsed to pay attention. They never left the house, had no friends, and were completely miserable. You can't assume that everyone is doing the right thing without some sort of way to check, especially when it can cause serious damage to a child's future. "Freedom" =/= carte blanche to remove yourself from all accountability.

[Artemis]

Question for those who say there should be no regulation as homeschooling is one of the last bastions of personal freedom.

Is the parental right to freedom of choice and freedom from regulation more important/essential than the child's right to an education, and to be brought up in safety?

Public schools at least have a slew of mandated reporters running around. There are other, non-wacko adults around to see the child who is abused, underfed, beaten, and to stand up for their rights.

If there is to be no regulation of homeschooling at all, who will advocate for the rights of the beaten, abused, ISOLATED children who are home schooled?

I've listened to this debate so many times on here. The answer to 'public schools are crap' cannot logically be 'therefore regulation of homeschooling is wrong and we must defend the freedom of homeschooling adults to the death.'

Nor can the answer to 'It is essential that ALL children are able to grow up knowing that there is an adult who will safeguard them even though they aren't the parent of the child' logically be 'Don't you dare take away my freedom to homeschool.'

Isn't there anywhere where people can agree on this? Because it doesn't seem so!

[utter solitude]

What I find a lil shocking and crazy is how unregulated it all is. It's not even uniformly regulated!

For example, I live in Ohio. I graduated from a public high school. One semester, tho, I went to an "alternative" school - my classroom was a room full of computers with two teachers. You did your work independently on the computer. There were some projects done off the computer, and of course books to be read. Not only do we have those two options, you can also enroll your child in distance learning, and there are maaaaany programs from that. The good ones actually supply a computer, printer, and high speed internet connection. Some are considered public schools. Your child will get a diploma and have teachers.

You can also home school. To do so, you must alert the superintendent of your school district of residence. You must prove/provide the following: a) that you are qualified to teach your child (ie, have a hs diploma or GED) b) assurance that your child will receive at least 900 hours of instruction and c) give some kind of curriculum outline. You must also provide an assessment every year there after and reaffirm all of the above. Your child will not earn a diploma.

I have a young friend in Maine who is homeschooled. Parents do not have to prove they are "qualified" to teach their child. You do not have to provide anything related to your curriculum other than assuring that you'll do 175 days of instruction in certain subjects. No diploma.

[Toothfairy]

I think every state should require parents yo submit portfolios of their child's work and test scores to make sure their kids are on grade level. An education is nothing to fool around with. You can get a free education so rake advantage it. Children shouldn't have to suffer the consequences of their parents actiobs

[utter solitude]

Forgot to include that in Maine, they also require yearly assessments. You send that info in along with your "I'm still homeschooling!" letter the following year.

I'm not saying that parents should have to jump through a million hoops, but the system is flawed and inconsistent.

I mean, just look at dear Sparkling Lauren. She is not educating her children in the slightest. (She's also circumventing/ignoring requirements in Australia) That kind of thing should not be okay