If The Right Took Over Public School, Would Homeschool Be

[debrand]

I hate coming up with thread titles.

Do you think that if the right and Christian Evangelicals were able to control the school system, that homeschooling would be allowed? I don't think that it would. Liberals would not be able to teach their own children at home no matter how educated the parents were.

Just curious about your opinions on the matter.

[dawn]

Well, I think that even if they found themselves in a position to control the school system, Christian Evangelicals come in many flavors - they'd never agree on exactly *what* should be taught, and eventually they'd have to agree to disagree and leave religion out of the schools... ... ... wait, didn't that happen once already?

[clibbyjo]

Scary thought. As a liberal homeschooler myself, if such a thing happened I would go off the radar. There are always going to be the ultra conservative homeschoolers who would never even consider putting their babies in a conservative Christian school run by Evangelicals.

[debrand]

Well, I think that even if they found themselves in a position to control the school system, Christian Evangelicals come in many flavors - they'd never agree on exactly *what* should be taught, and eventually they'd have to agree to disagree and leave religion out of the schools... ... ... wait, didn't that happen once already?

A lot of evangelicals that I meet are under the illusion that they all have the same doctrine. They do not and nothing would show this faster than trying to put modern day Christianity back in the schools.

[Artemis]

No, of course not.

If Christian evangelicals controlled the school system everyone would have to go to school.

History would be re-written along Revisionist lines, books on evolution would be burned, there would be compulsory indoctrination in the Christian religion, and children who came into school with libertarian or scientific ideas would have their parents called in and warned 'Your little Mary is going to get into trouble if she keeps saying these things. If I hear it again I will have to report it to the authorities'. Teachers who did not spout the Christian line would be sent to indoctrination training, or to rehabilitation.

All women would have their bank accounts frozen, and their assets transferred to their male headships. Women would not be allowed to vote, and would not be educated beyond the age of puberty, as their only purpose in life would be to breed for Jesus. Mothers of many children would be publicly rewarded.

All media would be censored, and xenophobia encouraged, as fear of the 'other' encourges a tight culture of people holding each other 'accountable' for their behaviour. Informing would be rewarded. Health care would be extended only to those who could prove church attendance. Religious references would determine who got what job.

Later on, non-Christian families would not be allowed to run for public office, own businesses or use public transport. Muslims would have to wear a crescent on their outer clothing, and all gay people would wear pink triangle. (Atheists would wear what? Not sure.) Acts of violence against non-Christians would be condoned, and then encouraged. Later still, all dissenters would be ghetto-ised or sent to rehabilitation or work camps. Since they were damned already, there would be no point in feeding them, so their calories would be cut, and they would die of slow starvation.

Now wait, where have I heard that before?

ETfix typo

[Austin]

Only a small percentage of American children are homeschooled. A lot of people actually want to send their children to public school and a whole lot of people work full-time and would not do homeschooling for that reason, even if they otherwise are not against it.

So somehow the Right would have to get rid of single parent households and force women from the marketplace back into the home (part of their agenda anyway - I refer to this as their "jobs plan") so there'd actually be someone home to to the homeschooling.

God only knows what kind of crazee shit the Right has in store of us :shock:

[AudreyE]

A lot of evangelicals that I meet are under the illusion that they all have the same doctrine. They do not and nothing would show this faster than trying to put modern day Christianity back in the schools.

Yep. All these people clamoring to have their Christianity legislated have forgotten that it might not be *their* Christianity that is legislated. Let's not forget that Frothy has said publicly that protestants are not Christians.

Baptists, Catholics, Mormons, Methodists, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and so many more... oh, my. The Sunnis and Shiites have given us a good example of where that crap leads.

Of course, those all-knowing/almighty founding fathers that everyone loves to worship like demi-gods also saw this potentiality, which is why even the Christian ones advocated separating church from state in the first place.

But, yes... if the evangelical's wet dreams came true, I do not think it's far-fetched to imagine that atheists & liberals would not be allowed to homeschool. After all, Frothy wants professors to register as liberals and conservatives, so colleges can be forced to hire a mix of both. :roll:

ETA riffle

[dawn9476]

All the right's hatred for public schools proves is that they have little faith in how they raise their kids. There are millions and millions of conservatives in this country who have went to public schools and went onto college who still possess the same conservative ideas they were raised with.

[Braggnation]

I'm conservative politically and a Catholic :o and there is NO WAY that would EVER happen!

[ilovetchotchkes]

No, of course not.

If Christian evangelicals controlled the school system everyone would have to go to school.

History would be re-written along Revisionist lines, books on evolution would be burned, there would be compulsory indoctrination in the Christian religion, and children who came into school with libertarian or scientific ideas would have their parents called in and warned 'Your little Mary is going to get into trouble if she keeps saying these things. If I hear it again I will have to report it to the authorities'. Teachers who did not spout the Christian line would be sent to indoctrination training, or to rehabilitation.

All women would have their bank accounts frozen, and their assets transferred to their male headships. Women would not be allowed to vote, and would not be educated beyond the age of puberty, as their only purpose in life would be to breed for Jesus. Mothers of many children would be publicly rewarded.

All media would be censored, and xenophobia encouraged, as fear of the 'other' encourges a tight culture of people holding each other 'accountable' for their behaviour. Informing would be rewarded. Health care would be extended only to those who could prove church attendance. Religious references would determine who got what job.

Later on, non-Christian families would not be allowed to run for public office, own businesses or use public transport. Muslims would have to wear a crescent on their outer clothing, and all gay people would wear pink triangle. (Atheists would wear what? Not sure.) Acts of violence against non-Christians would be condoned, and then encouraged. Later still, all dissenters would be ghetto-ised or sent to rehabilitation or work camps. Since they were damned already, there would be no point in feeding them, so their calories would be cut, and they would die of slow starvation.

Now wait, where have I heard that before?

ETfix typo

Yeah... that description? a chill went down my spine.

[JenniferJuniper]

Yeah... that description? a chill went down my spine.

Human nature is human nature. 1930's Germany is not so very far away from us in time or culture. Constant vigilance and awareness on the part of the progressive and the otherwise sane is all that will keep the American fascists in check. And keeping the internet open and free is the best way we can accomplish that. When they come for that, we’ll be in real trouble.

[lilwriter85]

Scary thought. As a liberal homeschooler myself, if such a thing happened I would go off the radar. There are always going to be the ultra conservative homeschoolers who would never even consider putting their babies in a conservative Christian school run by Evangelicals.

That is very true.

[YPestis]

If the "right" type of public school curriculum was introduced, I'm sure public school would be REQUIRED and homeschoolers labelled as traitors and unAmerican or whatever.

Is it interesting to anyone that it was the Baptists who used to delineate the separation of church and state in public schools? I remember reading that in the past, when divisions between Christianity were more prominent, the minority Christian groups were vigorous campaigners against biblical teaching in school for fear of indoctrination of their children. Santorum seem to forget Catholic schools were initially formed so children would have a place to practice Catholicism in a nation that branded Catholics as nonChristians. How would he feel if the religious teaching was reintroduced and it was Protestant? He's an idiot if he thinks the nation would vote on Catholicism, as Protestants are still the majority in this country.

I also think it's interesting to note when school prayer was an issue, a typical conservative group, Mormons, were unexpectedly quiet on the subject.

Yes, the Right talk all this garbage of wanting to bring Biblical teachings back into school but that's with the myopic and ignorant belief that everyone else will buy into the same Christian stripe. Conservative Mormons, Jews and other religious minorities still know better. They are aware of their religion's status. If group think is involved, it is their religious beliefs that are marginalized. The Right, composed of followers of the "majority" religion, forget what its like to be in the minority.

[Artemis]

Yeah... that description? a chill went down my spine.

To be blunt, from the outside looking in, that's where you're heading. Why do you think I hang out here? It's to prove to myself that there is still sanity in America. This little island of intelligent rationality restores my hope.

Well, most of this little island, anyway ;) Perhaps not Jericho, or a couple of other people.

[lilwriter85]

If the "right" type of public school curriculum was introduced, I'm sure public school would be REQUIRED and homeschoolers labelled as traitors and unAmerican or whatever.

Is it interesting to anyone that it was the Baptists who used to delineate the separation of church and state in public schools? I remember reading that in the past, when divisions between Christianity were more prominent, the minority Christian groups were vigorous campaigners against biblical teaching in school for fear of indoctrination of their children. Santorum seem to forget Catholic schools were initially formed so children would have a place to practice Catholicism in a nation that branded Catholics as nonChristians. How would he feel if the religious teaching was reintroduced and it was Protestant? He's an idiot if he thinks the nation would vote on Catholicism, as Protestants are still the majority in this country.

I also think it's interesting to note when school prayer was an issue, a typical conservative group, Mormons, were unexpectedly quiet on the subject.

Yes, the Right talk all this garbage of wanting to bring Biblical teachings back into school but that's with the myopic and ignorant belief that everyone else will buy into the same Christian stripe. Conservative Mormons, Jews and other religious minorities still know better. They are aware of their religion's status. If group think is involved, it is their religious beliefs that are marginalized. The Right, composed of followers of the "majority" religion, forget what its like to be in the minority.

Yup Frothy forgets those details. I doubt he would want his kids to deal with a Protestant based curriculum. He probably forgets about Protestants being a majority. Some hard core Protestants are probably going crazy over Santorum right now. I can see some KKK groups possibly sending threats to him.

I have noticed some Mormons that don't support school prayer or public religious displays.

[clibbyjo]

To be blunt, from the outside looking in, that's where you're heading. Why do you think I hang out here? It's to prove to myself that there is still sanity in America. This little island of intelligent rationality restores my hope.

Well, most of this little island, anyway ;) Perhaps not Jericho, or a couple of other people.

And this is why I look for overseas jobs all the freaking time because I want to get my kids out of here before all hell breaks loose. :?

[Rosa]

So somehow the Right would have to get rid of single parent households and force women from the marketplace back into the home (part of their agenda anyway - I refer to this as their "jobs plan") so there'd actually be someone home to to the homeschooling.

There's an old solution for this problem: orphanages, workhouses, and taking kids away from poor mothers to give to rich ones, if the kids are desireable. All were pretty common in the '30s, and hasn't New Gingrich already endorsed the orphanage-is-better-than-welfare idea?

Then you get women working (only as unskilled labor, of course; the world needs domestic labor and farm labor and women who can't say no to an employer) and STILL get to punish single and working moms.

[Islandmom]

Scary thought. As a liberal homeschooler myself, if such a thing happened I would go off the radar. There are always going to be the ultra conservative homeschoolers who would never even consider putting their babies in a conservative Christian school run by Evangelicals.

Me too! :shhh:

But honestly I live in a state that actually encourages homeschooling which is awesome. Mainly because a lot of our remote villages don't have enough students for a school so we have Tons of distance learning and homeschooling programs and the state actually pays for our curriculum, as long as it is secular. You can use other, they just want pay. Next year for example, I get $1700 to spend on my daughter's homeschooling. Not to mention I love the fact that we send in work samples to a teacher and can call when we need help.

Now for the fundie right, I don't believe they would ever outlaw homeschooling because to many of them think it is the ONLY way. Even if the right took over schools, then they would be taking children away 6 hours a day from their family! Can't have that can we LOL. So I would see public school being dismantled before homeschooling was outlawed by the right.

[terranova]

I can't imagine people like the Maxwells ever sending their blessings to school, no government school would be conservative for them and I doubt anyone could agree on a curriculum anyway.

[bananacat]

I think that homeschool would be allowed, so it could continue to be used as a tool to prevent women from having jobs and earning money, the way it is already used in the fundie community. However, if it were taken over by the religious right, they'd still meddle in all homeschoolers to make sure they were doing it the way they wanted, and to make sure that the kids got indoctrinated as much as the public school kids. They'd probably need to approve homeschooling and of course would only do so if it was the mother doing it and she had no outside life.

[MamaJunebug]

Do I remember reading that the German government doesn't allow homeschooling? I think it was in the article about how McDonald & Phillips screwed over the German homeschooling advocate who came to the USA looking for support.

Anyhow, if it's true that Germany prohibits homeschooling, it says a lot about how things could go, anywhere. Meanwhile, it really still amazes me that homeschooling, which IIRC came about as a counter-cultural movement by liberals, has become so strongly associated with counter-culturalism by dominionists much less conservatives. Isn't there room for everybody... aah, never mind. I'm tired of everything! #oldladyhomeonFridaynightblues

[lilwriter85]

I think that homeschool would be allowed, so it could continue to be used as a tool to prevent women from having jobs and earning money, the way it is already used in the fundie community. However, if it were taken over by the religious right, they'd still meddle in all homeschoolers to make sure they were doing it the way they wanted, and to make sure that the kids got indoctrinated as much as the public school kids. They'd probably need to approve homeschooling and of course would only do so if it was the mother doing it and she had no outside life.

The religious right would totally take over homeschooling to make sure it is done the way they want. Catholic homeschoolers, Mormon homeschoolers, and secular homeschoolers would end up in conflict.

[helloemi]

Conservatives taking over the school system seems to already happened in many states. This is why we are still debating teaching several subjects in science, history and health. I'm sure English and math are next on their list... Ugh...

This is the exact reason I would like to homeschool one day. Florida has a pretty messed up system and has actually encouraged homeschooling through Florida Virtual School to cut costs. I want my (future) kids to have a more "liberal" well rounded education with a focus on the arts, something they could never get in a public school here.

[pixydust]

I hate coming up with thread titles.

Do you think that if the right and Christian Evangelicals were able to control the school system, that homeschooling would be allowed? I don't think that it would. Liberals would not be able to teach their own children at home no matter how educated the parents were.

Just curious about your opinions on the matter.

I'm a liberal homeschooler, and that is just scary!

I'm sure that they would allow homeschooling, but it would have to be under certain curriculum guide lines. I guess I would "officially" follow the legalities, but privately teach my kids the same liberal education that they get now.

[Kitty]

I don't doubt that homeschooling would still be allowed. I mean, that's what they want- these are the people who think the parents should be responsible for absolutely EVERYTHING. Child gets sick, it's entirely up to the parents to decide how or if it should be treated. Child fucks up, beating the shit out of him/her is OK, because "that's their parenting style." Parents decide what school child goes to, or if s/he even goes at all.

The Religious Reich isn't really about practicality, it's more about ideology. So while they're busy taking evolution and sex ed out of the public schools and imposing prayers and Bible studies on everyone, they'll be promoting homeschooling because every parent should have complete control over their kid. They'll give all kinds of money to organizations like ATI and VF and the folks behind A Beka, but won't actually ban other homeschooling curricula. But they would put all kinds of restrictions on teaching evolution and comprehensive sex education.