Friday, May 30, 2008

Educational anarchy

Teachers Union Attacks Homeschoolers - PJI Responds



The California Teachers Association claims in its brief that allowing parents to homeschool their children without requiring a teaching credential will result in "educational anarchy."



What exactly is "educational anarchy"?

Dictionary.com doesn't have an entry for educational anarchy. But this is the definition for educational;
ed·u·ca·tion·al
Audio Help Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ej-oo-key-shuh-nl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective
1.
pertaining to education.
2.
tending or intended to educate, instruct, or inform: an educational show on television.
and this entry for anarchy
anarchy 1 [ˈӕnəki] noun
the absence or failure of government

So educational anarchy would be the absence of government in instructing students. Sounds pretty good to me. I suppose the California Teachers Association thought that using the word anarchy which has negative connotations for a lot of people would lead most people to assume that educational anarchy was something bad.

On the other side of the ledger, a brief filed by Governor Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown recognizes "that home schooling has a long and positive history in California and across the nation."

Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, commented on the recent developments as follows: "Contrary to the outrageous position of the California Teachers Association, homeschooling is not educational anarchy - it is educational opportunity. We are pleased that the Governor and many other influential voices are weighing in on this important debate, and we look forward to presenting the Court with the best possible defense of both homeschoolers and independent-study private schools."

2 comments:

  1. It's a response that I would expect from folks who are looking to preserve their jobs rather than what is in the best interests of children.

    Amazing that they can talk about the need for diversity until you start talking about home education- they don't mean THAT much diversity! ;)

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  2. Apparently diversity is a good thing until you mention diversity in education, then they insist everyone must have the same cookie-cutter education. Doesn't matter if it works or not.

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