Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The Great Flip-Flop

Nicholas Byron Hall while all too eager to criticize homeschooling in his post What are the disadvantages of homeschooling? can't seem to get around all the MANY advantages homeschooling offers.

While homeschooling may come with advantages, it's questionable as to whether it's worthwhile in the majority of cases.

This of course is nothing more then his uninformed opinion.

What's known as "opportunity cost" is a type of cost that occurs when someone could be using their time more beneficially. In other words, parents homeschooling their children are costing themselves an income. This income could be used in a variety of ways, including funding a private school education for the child. In many ways, it's rather suspect why parents choose homeschooling when they could work.  

There are more important things in life then money, apparently this Philosophy and Political Science major has yet to learn that. He also assumes that a private school would be available for the child to attend if the parents only had the money for tuition. In my area the only private schools are Catholic, not being Catholic I had no wish for my children to receive a Catholic education. In other areas private schools have long waiting list.

Parents are rarely qualified to teach their children; sorry, it's true. 

Nonetheless, some evidence suggests homeschooling provides a better education - with students learning at home scoring higher on standardized tests. In fact, some studies even report higher happiness in life amongst. This is arguably because the public school system fails students, but the private school system is not scoring above homeschooling either. This makes it appear that perhaps homeschooling is the best option.
Looks like he is trying to have it both ways first we aren't qualified to teach our own children, but he then fails to explain how us unqualified parents provide our children with a better education then either public or private schools.

He then goes on to blame homeschoolers for the problems in the public schools.

The problem is that people don't put the effort into their public school system. When the system fails them, they give up and take their children out of it. It's hard to blame them, but some would argue that citizens have an obligation to work together against corruption and irresponsible behavior.

For some reason these same do gooders that think homeschoolers should keep their children in public schools and waste their time and energy trying to fix them have no problem with parents sending their children to private schools. And for someone who was so concerned about the opportunity cost of homeschooling he fails to mention the "opportunity cost" to parents of spending their time trying to fix "public schools". We tried to fix our public schools and discovered there was no way to fix them for our children.  The decisions are made by our school board and not only do they serve long terms, we were only eligible to vote for one of the board members. The one board member who agreed with our position. Leaving our children in a mediocre academic environment helps no one. On the other hand giving our children the best education possible so they will be productive members of society helps everyone.

Hall also doesn't seem to realize that today many minorities and low income families choose to homeschool.

Lastly, some objections are made on the basis of religious ideology. Other arguments can be made with respect to morals, political values, etc. Parents are teaching children false things about science within the context of homeschooling, and parents have only one perspective.

First off parents are TWO separate people with their own unique views, secondly homeschoolers interact with more people then their parents. Hall also fails to realize that many homeschooling parents believe in evolution and teach it to their children.

Tiresomely Hall seems to believe all the old homeschool stereotypes.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Ex- PUBLIC SCHOOL educator gets 6 years for statutory rape - Regional Wire - SunHerald.com

Former part-time PUBLIC SCHOOL educator Sheral Smith, already in prison for statutory rape in Rankin County, will serve six years for committing the same crime in Hinds County involving a 14-year-old boy.

Ex-educator gets 6 years for statutory rape - Regional Wire - SunHerald.com

Carnival of Homeschooling: Remembering Summer

I am looking forward to reading The Remembering Summer edition of the CoH.

Monday, August 09, 2010

Another Imbecile

Do these self appointed experts ever bother to do anything resembling RESEARCH, apparently NOT. Parents and Homeschooling Disadvantages Article by justkat73 Edited & published by Laurie Patsalides

  • Lack of free time.  And public school parents have loads of free time right? My friends whose children attend public school are always complaining about how their child's  HOMEWORK takes up all their time. Because homeschool students aren't loaded down with "busywork", and homeschoolers don't have the discipline problems and time wasters (changing classrooms etc.)  that public schools do homeschooling actually takes less time then public school.
  • Cost - OK, this is a bona fide disadvantage, but it is the same disadvantage parents who send their children to private school face and you don't see busybodies writing about the disadvantages of private school do you?
  • Lost time from work- Ah, one of those women who don't think being a homemaker is worthwhile. 
  • Lack of peer interaction and resources - And this is where IF she had made the slightest attempt to research HOMESCHOOLING she would have discovered the plethora of resources and homeschool groups available.
  • Need for continued education.- And this is a disadvantage how? Many jobs require you to continue your education. Learning new things should never be seen as a disadvantage.

Sunday, August 08, 2010

The Oh So Self Rightous Intolerant Jerks

Not that these intolerant jerks will listen, but homeschoolers are a DIVERSE GROUP. Homeschoolers come from many different ethnic, cultural and social-economic backgrounds. And guess what you morons, we interact with each other in INCLUSIVE HOMESCHOOL GROUPS. But then what can you expect from a bunch of overpaid actors and actresses who haven't got a clue about life in the REAL WORLD.