Who needs real science when a myth will do

A remarkable new genetic study published last week has demonstrated that the closest living relative of the giant T. rex are birds — specifically, chickens and ostriches — rather than reptiles like alligators and lizards.

Friday's study also creates some problems for political activists who continue their assault on the teaching of Darwinian evolution in public schools. Actor and game show host Ben Stein was in Missouri this month to promote a new film that questions evolution.

Apparently expecting public schools to teach 'real science' and not theology as science is asking too much.

Once again this year, a bill has been introduced in the Legislature that would encourage students to question evolution. House Bill 2554, sponsored by Rep. Robert Wayne Cooper, R-Camdenton, claims to support academic freedom for teachers, and to help students "develop critical thinking skills." Those are the latest fig leaves used by creationists in their long war against science and evolution.

The war is being waged in legislatures and movie theaters because it cannot be waged in the pages of scientific journals. Adherents of so-called intelligent design criticize what they call gaps in the evolutionary record, but offer no scientific alternative to explain the evidence. Indeed, they have tried to redefine the very nature of science to accommodate their preferred conclusion.

If you want to give a creationist heartburn just ask them about Genesis Chapter 6, Verses 1-4 (King James)

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them. That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Since the creationist whole argument is based on the belief that we MUST take the biblical account of creation as TRUTH then why don't they insist that everything in the bible is TRUE. It's in the BIBLE that GOD had many sons and that they took human women for wives, therefore it must be true following the creationist logic. The fact that it sounds a bit like the Greek myths (Zeus was forever sleeping with some poor human girl that his wife Hera then 'punished' for catching her husbands eye.), is irrelevant it's in the Bible. And never mind that it contradicts the new testaments claim that Jesus is God's only begotten son, I am sure the creationist can find a way around it, no matter how illogical.

If that doesn't stop them in their tracks you can always bring up the fact that there are numerous creation and flood myths. It seems reasonable that if we are going to teach one religions creation myth as science we should teach all the creation and flood myths as SCIENCE. After all who needs real SCIENCE when a myth will do.

Tennessee Education Board Fails Research Test

Drop by REDSTATE to read Tennessee Education Board Fails Research Test.

Respect is a two way street

There is one group of people who seem to have seriously impaired social skills. They seem to think it is perfectly acceptable to belittle and demean people and then they are shocked that their RUDE comments are meet with hostility. If you have ever made any of the following statements consider that you may need to work on your social skills as they are sadly lacking.

• I think you are damaging your children because you send them to public/private/home school them
• I think all public/private/home schooled children are social misfits.
• I think parents who send their children to public/private/home school are elitist.
• I think parents are too stupid to teach their own kids, but they should help them with their homework.
  
• I know what's best for your kids, so just listen to me and do what I say (who made you God?).

Usually the culprits are public school parents ragging on homeschoolers, but any busy body can be guilty of poor social skills. So stop and think if you wouldn't want someone making these statements or similar ones about your choices then maybe you should respect their choices, after all respect is a two way street.

New Blog Find ~ Derfwad Manor

Read Mrs. G's Homeschooling Part One at Derfwad Manor. Hat tip to Doc for pointing me to this excellent post.

Students Performed Better When Taught By An Inexperienced Teacher

the results were clear: students performed better when they had an inexperienced TFA teacher than when they had a veteran educator at the blackboard."

I guess all those annoying anti~homeschoolers will have to come up with a new argument since their belief that only those with an educational background are capable of teaching has just been blown to smithereens.

Teach for America recruits and selects high-achieving college graduates, many of whom have no prior experience or coursework in education, and places them in needy schools after short but intensive training.

HT: O'Donnell Web

COD Ask

What would you be doing if you didn’t have kids?
May 16th, 2008 by COD
I don’t want to know right now. I want to know by May 31 though.

Home-Schoolers Learn to Argue For Evolution

I wonder if the evolved homeschoolers got together and held a seminar promoting evolution it would get as much press as these Fundamentalist Christian Homeschoolers (Home-Schoolers Learn to Argue Against Evolution) did?

Evolutionary scientists say there are no credible scientific critiques of evolution -- no more than there are credible alternatives to the theory of gravity. While its details are debated, evolution is unassailable in scientific circles.

The American public thinks differently. Gallup polls have shown nearly half of U.S. adults don't believe evolution, and a third are unhappy schools teach it.

Many of those adults who don't believe in evolution were educated in public schools.

Science is among 14-year-old Hannah Bernhart's favorite classes. Before Snavely's seminar, she had already studied evolution to better understand what "our opponents" believe, said the ninth-grader from Elizabethtown.

She knows some Christians view the Bible differently and accept evolution. That's confusing to her because the Bible clearly says God created man in his present form, she said.

"I believe the reason most people believe in evolution is they don't want to believe the Bible," she said.

Maybe she should try reading some books on theistic evolution. Click here to read additional post on evolution.

HT: HERP&ES (the former HE&OS)

The Education Industrial Complex

The Education Industrial Complex by By PAUL PETERSON

Mr. Peterson, is the director of Harvard University’s Program on Education Policy and Governance as well as a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.

Between 1989 and 2006, the National Education Association came in fourth among all entities contributing to national campaigns, right behind the National Association of Realtors. With the NEA opposed to meaningful accountability, genuine school choice, and anything resembling merit pay for teachers, politicians have little to gain from trumpeting reforms that might get schools back on track.

I want the mural to stay

Bastrop resident Lauren Hansell, who made the original complaint, homeschools her children but visits the school on Fridays to pray with students at the flagpole.

A Christian, Hansell said she wants the mural removed because of the war and slavery scenes and depictions of Buddha and ancient gods. Hansell said girl's basketball coach Dee Deshay pointed out the mural as a potential problem.

As a homeschooler I am appalled by this woman's attitude and hope the mural stays. This commenter says it best.

KGruetzner wrote:
The paper only showed two representations of the mural, the side with Shiva and Buddha (and other HISTORICAL artifacts), and the side with Bastrop's history. They failed to print a picture of the huge dove with an olive branch in its mouth that is right in the center of the mural. Is that not a Christian symbol?I'm a student at Bastrop High, and am outraged that the only representation of fine arts that we have is raising so much controversy. This woman needs to open her mind. Art is all about perception, and two ignorant womens perceptions shouldn't be enough to get rid of a piece of art that has been with us for 5 years.

HT: O'Donnell Web

My answer to Grovestreet's question about HSLDA

What is the HSLDA...if not, to defend homeschool families.

Many homeschoolers are not members of H$LDA and are infuriated by their alarmist emails. We are also infuriated by the fact H$LDA claims to speak for all homeschoolers. They do not!

H$LDA has their own political agenda (an agenda which I do not agree with), which they need money to achieve. So they convince homeschoolers that they need protection. I did several post on HSLDA.

• Coincidence or Conspiracy
• One Homeschool Association to Rule Them All...........
• Home-School Non-Discrimination Act of 2005
• Do You Have to Join HSLDA to Homeschool?

Homeschooler starts college at age 8

His parents say they never planned to enroll their son in college at age 8, and sought to put him in a private elementary school when he was 6.

"They didn't want to accept me because I knew more than the teacher there and they said I looked too bored," the youngster recalls.

His parents home-schooled him instead, but after two years decided college was the best place for him. East L.A. officials agreed to accept him if he enrolled initially in just two classes, math and physical education. After he earned A-pluses in both, he was allowed to expand his studies.

What do his professors think about having him as a student.

"He is the youngest college student I've ever taught and one of the hardest working," says Daniel Judge, his statistics professor. "He's actually a pleasure to have in class. He's a well- adjusted, nice little boy."

The Thinking Mother: Ships Without a Shore: Book Review by ChristineMM

The Thinking Mother: Ships Without a Shore: Book Review by ChristineMM:
"Today’s children have rising rates of learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, and problems thinking—some of which the author ties to being raised in daycare situations or being rushed to formal academics at a too-young age when their brain is not even physically developed enough to handle the processing of that type of learning, and is damaged as a result."

This book is now on my reading list, I am looking forward to reading it for myself. Thanks Christine!

Gonzo Writer Attacks Homeschooling

This has to be one of the most close minded public school Mom's out there.

The formality and structure created by going to school everyday is lost in homeschool. Monday through Friday there is a routine, a sense of purpose. No confusion or ciaos. A learned respect of the adults that are teaching them. A respect for all people is gained by following the rules in school, as do in, the rules is society. Created to maintain order. When is this learned in homeschooling?

I can assure grovestreet homeschoolers do not live in confusion or chaos (it would be nice if she would learn to spell). Our children know what is expected of them each day and they do it. And guess what homeschool families have rules, just like the majority of public school families do. Apparently groovestreet's family is an exception as she can't imagine children learning rules or respect at home.

It has been said to me…..Why does their child have to learn for six to seven hours a day when they can teach them in two to three hours. WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT TEACH? WORK AT HOME. This child is learning nothing about adult work ethic by knowing that all work can be done in two-three hours. What is normal for most of us…. Punch a clock and spend the eight and 1/2 hours at a location to collect a paycheck. Run a business and it is a up at dawn, 24/7 career. What job can you work for an hour and then go out and hug trees? Drug dealer…sorry…. that was wrong but true. I wonder, if all those San Diego students were homeschooled prior to joining that frat house. Oh again, Sorry. Just trying to prove my point.

She so totally misses the point. Being more efficient is a good thing. Employers are always looking for ways to make their workers more productive.

To me there is an elitist attitude in homeschooling…. that you are a better teacher than our hard working, well-educated teachers or our educational system. The educational system is not good enough for your standards. What are you truly afraid of your child learning in school…all the bad things you see on TV. Do you study the statics of all these negative reports or just jump on the fear bandwagon of the group of like-minded individuals you surround yourself with. Was school that horrible for you? I am only trying to figure out for reason you would withhold your child from school.

The educational system in America is in serious trouble. Grovestreet can bury her head in the sand and deny it all she wants, but if she is truly interested she should watch John Stossel's Stupid in America. Parents have the RIGHT to make the educational choice that is best for their child ~ homeschooling, public schooling and private schooling are all valid educational options. Considering that my eldest son started college at 16, homeschooling was the best choice for him. It allowed him to move at his own pace, which was much faster then what his public school counterparts were moving at. And I am sure this would come as a surprise to grovestreet but many public school teachers homeschool their own children (I personally know several of them). And I am sure this will shock poor grovestreet to the core but I have been a substitute teacher in my local public schools. I can tell you first hand that it is much easier to homeschool you own children then it is to teach a classroom of 20 or 25 kids.

What I hear from them, through their church, is so much negative information and they feel so strongly that it is right. But it is so, so wrong. The information and facts I receive are so twisted it is scary to hear. They hold ideals which appear to me to be very judgmental of others, they use alarmists tactics when trying to make a point and are very negative to the “outside” world; government agencies, public institutions. Most to all of information received come to me through email and then the email war begins. It is so filled with negativity and alarmists view it infuriates me beyond belief. Therefore I begin explaining why I disagree with the views sent… firmly denying the whole idea of these beliefs and try to prove that the facts given to me are wrong.

This really doesn't have anything to do with homeschooling. I know this will probably come as a HUGE surprise to grovestreet but not all homeschoolers, homeschool for religious reasons. In fact not all homeschoolers are Christians. Homeschoolers are a diverse group. The chicken little email senders are just as likely to be sending their children to public school as to be homeschooling.



Here is an example: I received email regarding the book “The Secret”, and how dangerous it was, it is being used to reshape the minds of all humans and we should never, ever read such material, followed by BEWARE



What does this have to do with homeschooling? Again these emailers are just as likely to be sending their kids to public school as homeschooling. And this would probably shock grovestreet no end but I agree with her. I don't want anyone telling me or my kids what books we can read. The most irritating thing about these emailers is very often they condemn a book, movie or whatever without ever reading it or seeing it for themselves.



Or the topic of the 400 children taken away from the polygamist compound and how is was so wrong of the government. The government did not move fast enough in my opinion.



Again what does this have to do with homeschooling? The vast majority of homeschoolers have a monogamous marriage just like public school parents. In fact unlike a great majority of public school mothers, homeschool mothers are more likely to be married to their child's father. I am reserving judgement on the polygamist compound in Texas as "Officials still haven't found the 16-year-old girl whose abuse complaint triggered the massive raid". Unlike grovestreet, I like to have all the facts before forming an opinion. I do believe polygamy is morally wrong and that it would be reprehensible to force young girls into marriage. But at this time we really can't be sure what was going on in the compound. For all we know the alleged 16 year old girl who triggered the raid may have been a prank call, until they find her we just don't know. And I don't intend to rush to judgement.



Back to my original topic and why I feel that their religion may affect their decision to homeschool- In a recent email I received from one of my friends. It contain information that homeschool families are scared their children will be taken away. There are websites -parentalrights.org and hslda.org- to protect homeschool families. Why do they need protecting? Here’s an idea put your kids in public school, get to know the principal, your community politicians and be productive member of society and you will never have cause to fear such wasteful notions.



Homeschoolers don't need protection from the law. Homeschooling is LEGAL in America. You do not have to put your children in public school for 'protection'. You merely have to follow the homeschooling laws in your state. On the other hand homeschoolers do need protection from irrational fruitcakes that spread lies and misinformation against homeschoolers. As for being productive members of society, I assure you grovestreet homeschoolers are just as productive members of society as public school parents are. In fact many homeschoolers involve themselves in social issues, environmental issues and politics. In fact John and Elizabeth Edwards were homeschooling their children briefly.



Socialization and homeschool is a huge issue. In my opinion, a child will never be properly socialized through homeschooling; even though, there are many articles written to make these families feel better about their decision. Involved in music classes, athletics or meeting other homeschool families at the park. Are you spending six hours a day, five days a week with the same people? That is how you learn about others. A great example was the reality show, “The Real World”. A socialization experiment, how well did they deal with other humans unlike them. A need for the new socialization tool- MYSPACE.



I wonder why socialization is such a huge issue for her? And honestly citing a reality TV Show as an example of how real life is, is ummmmmmmm unreal. Maybe somebody is watching too much TV.

After supposedly receiving comments which we will never be able to verify as she deleted all the comments. She went on to post this.

Thank you for all you seriously committeed homeschoolers for commenting on my article. WOW– you are all defensive and pissy…Is that what you teach your kids? Quite aggressive, maybe you had bullying issues in school. No wonder I think you should put your kids in school. Don’t start pissing in my lawn. This blog is for me and only me. Every single comment came from visitors to my blog, my home. YOU FOUND ME! I don’t care about any one of you or would ever come to visit your blog nevermind waste my energy on telling you I disagree with YOUR OPINION. So GET THE HELL OFF MY LAWN, GET OUT OF MY YARD… YOUR TOMMY CANNOT PLAY WITH MY SALLY ANYMORE. You not invited here. BUG OFF. BTW - I am a mother not a father. You should read all of my blogs not just your self- centered interests.

I am a gonzo writer. If you don’t know what that means - look it up - then teach it to your children.


Jeez, I wonder why she not only read my blog, Dana's blog and Taz's Mom's blog but left comments? Apparently she likes changing the rules. As for being a gonzo writer, maybe she should consider that she isn't the only one who can engage in gonzo writing. Apparently she is less fond of name-calling, bomb-throwing and sardonic humor in the gonzo style when it is aimed at her.

A very nice blogger attempted to explain why homeschoolers went on the defensive when we were attacked. Her response (both comments will probably be deleted as she is fond of deleting comments).

Comment by grovestreet on May 13, 2008 4:36 pm I don’t mind a different perspective — I mind personal attacks. I was never aiming my opinions at anyone.

Sorry this doesn't fly. Homeschoolers are people, she was aiming her attacks (as there was more then one negative post on homeschooling) at anyone who choose to homeschool their children.

One homeschool blogger decided to take my opinion and break it up and use it for her own blog. Through that blog it sent me unwanted comments and attacks.

That's what bloggers do. And did she seriously think she could trash homeschoolers without getting some sort of response?

This blog is not an anti-homeschool blog–it is a personal journal.

Then choose the private option instead of the public option for your blog. If wordpress doesn't offer a private option switch to blogger.

Never did I go to search out these bloggers- they began coming to me. I can see the upset if I went to their blog and made my opinions known there.

Actually she did come to our blogs and she did leave comments. Maybe she is catching on to how blogging works.

Does anyone see where I am coming from?
NO!!!!

HT:EternaLearning Academy ~ Thoughts Like These Damage Homeschoolers Everywhere

Homeschooling Offers Structure and Flexibility

Drop by Principled Discovery to read Structure and learning in the homeschool environment. I tend to like structure so we have a fairly structured homeschool environment, but I do enjoy the flexibility homeschooling allows.

Carnival of Homeschooling

Grab a cup of coffee and drop by Mom is Teaching to enjoy the Carnival of Homeschooling.

Don't they have anything better to do

I really have to wonder why public school Mom's spend so much time discussing homeschoolers. Don't they have anything better to do with their time? Don't they have anything more interesting to discuss? Apparently not, how sad.



From grovestreet's Adult Children of Homeschool

A few of my girlfriends chose to respect the decision of the homeschool moms but most sided with me, of course. They, also shared, that they would never say how they truly felt to another homeschool mom. Keep your friends close but enemies closer… wink, wink.

It's nice to know that some public school parents are open minded enough to respect other parents decisions. I am totally bewildered why grovestreet's girlfriends would consider homeschool parents their enemies. Sure we choose a different way to educate our children, but it doesn't mean we can't get along and still be friends. In fact most of my friends do send their children to public school, but they respect my decision to homeschool. In fact some of them make no secret that they envy my being able to homeschool.

The main concern was socialization. Of course, we discussed how many children of homeschool familes are included, in our baseball team, cub scouts, swimming, ballet, kindermusik(lots of homeschoolers, there), etc. I asked the question, how well do you know these children and have they been invited for playdates? Sure, was the answer from four moms, myself included. What was their opinion? One of my girlfriends(I will call her Lynn) said, how she stopped making dates with the one homeschool mom because the mom made her feel like her calendar was so filled, that a playdate was almost always a chore. Lynn made the comment “When does this woman have time to teach her children, if they go to kindermusik three days a week, then run to piano, and various other scheduled events; they are always on the go . It sounds like, she is trying too hard to make sure her children are socialized.”

So it's OK for Lynn a public school Mom to enroll her children in LOTS of outside activities; but how dare a homeschool Mom take advantage of the same opportunities. What BS............And frankly considering the attitude of these women I am not surprised the homeschool Mom in question wasn't thrilled about arranging play dates with this woman's children.

Other comments began to fly, “My children need time away from home…” “My child needs to learn to be independant and learn how to be responsible outside the home.” “How can a child spread their wings, if I am controlling every move and decided what activities all the time, every day of the week, every hour of the day.”

Obviously these women aren't too bright are they would realize that homeschooled children spend plenty of time away from home and away from their parents. Our children have plenty of opportunities to be independent and responsible. In fact many homeschoolers hold after school jobs.

Apparently someone hurt poor grovestreets feelings cause she went on to post this rant, Should I homeschool?.


Anybody who may be on the fence about sending your currently homeschooled child to a public or private school… it is O.K. to put your child in school, it is a good thing and you are welcome to join us. We will treat you with kindness (unlike these defensive, poor decision makers) and together we will plan many fun gatherings for our children in our PTA. There will be no need to defend yourself to someone like me who thinks you are damaging your childs social skills.

Well honestly I don't see any reason to defend myself to someone like grovestreet. In my opinion she is an idiot. The only reason I am bothering to respond is so that those who read her drivel will have a chance to read an opposing viewpoint and not just the nonsense she is spouting.

I think these homeschool groups and individuals are nuts and the more you contact me, the more defensive you are. It just validates my opinion. I feel you have no business homeschooling your child. Trust me… my opinion should not be broken up and discussed in your blog.

In other words she should be free to say mean vicious things about homeschoolers but how dare we respond. Sorry honey it doesn't work that way. As long as you choose to post about homeschoolers we are free to tell the world what an idiot you are as you haven't got a clue what you are talking about. And in my opinion someone as angry and narrow minded as grovestreet doesn't have any business having kids.

I guess you do it to make yourself feel better. Less is more. You should GO and Teach your kids…. rather than wasting your time on the computer. At least, I know that my kids are learning while I waste my time here!

Which makes me wonder why she is wasting her time posting about homeschoolers in the first place. Could it be that she feels guilty about sending her child to public school? Is she bashing homeschoolers in order to justify sending her child to public school?

BTW, Why would I care, if a group of individuals who disagree with my opinions, would take me seriously. Of course, you wouldn’t.

Well if she actually did some research before forming an opinion maybe she wouldn't get dismissed as a gonzo blogger.

OR Just maybe some of you will pay attention to my views because crazier things have happened as in the case of many Republicans switching over to the Democratic playing field. How about that!
This was never meant for you anyway…this was meant for anyone newly considering the idea.

Nope, I don't think there is a chance of anyone paying attention to her ill formed views. Especially when she comes off sounding like an angry B****

Guilty pleasure: I just couldn’t help myself to read all your chatter and newly created blogs about my opinions. ( I am secretly flattered and giddy) BUT now, I can no longer be bothered. I’m BORED with you. I have said my feelings and will continue to, albeit gonzo, narrative, descriptive(whatever writing style I choose)….because the world is filled with people who may listen to what I have to say. Scary, huh.
Sooooo, You will all be excited to know and it will give you more to talk about when I tell you that…All homeschoolers opinions of my opinions will be deleted, I have no interest in YOU or what you have to say. You have too much time on your hands. Besides, at this point, you will never change my opinion.

What a hypocritical B****, as she left a comment on MY BLOG, but any comment I might leave on hers will be deleted. That statement alone proves what an immature, narrow minded, bigoted person she is. Some of us actually enjoy discussing issues and learning from others. Even those with opposing view points.

Get a job and put the kids in school!

Grovestreet get a job and stop blogging!!!!

Anger- sarcasm “whatever”. Anyone looking for logical reasons— trust an educational system that has produced many fine Americans over the last 100 years. I do not need to provide logical reasons…..THIS IS MY OPINION. Do you understand what an opinion is?

Actually homeschooling has produced as many fine Americans as the public school system. Successful & Famous People That Were Homeschooled.

Opinion-An opinion is a person’s ideas and thoughts towards something. It is an assessment, judgment or evaluation of something. An opinion is not a fact, because opinions are either not falsifiable, or the opinion has not been proven or verified. If it later becomes proven or verified, it is no longer an opinion, but a fact.

Thankfully most people at least research a subject before forming an opinion and posting nonsense about it.

Sorry, this blog seems so self indulgent but these homeschoolers blogs about my opinions are proving my point they are uneducated and too unstable to being educating our future leaders. Besides -A homeschool diploma does not carry much weight in the business world….so I am learning.

REALLY!!!! A homeschool diploma can get you into any University in America. With a BS, BA, or Ph. D. the business world could care less if you were homeschooled. As for being uneducated grovestreet should run spell check on her own material before throwing that particular accusation at anyone else. And jeez grovestreet doesn't have a logical reason for her opinion so she will resort to calling homeschoolers unstable, what a laugh.

You can now call me a liar..too. I still feel the need to read your blogs. And re-edit my amateurish blogs.

And why on earth does she feel the need to read our blogs? And to answer her question Should I homeschool? Until you learn to do some basic research before forming an opinion, definitely NOT. On the other hand if you grow up, learn to listen to differing viewpoints, learn to respect others views and decisions then you will be welcomed into the homeschooling community.

But They Are So Normal Revisited

Since grovestreet couldn't come up with any logical reasons not to homeschool she resorted to the socialization myth Adult Children of Homeschool, complete with an unverifiable quote from a former homeschooler. I have dealt with this BS so many times before I am just going to direct you to But They Are So Normal.

Neither of my kids, both teens now ever wanted to go back to public school and were thrilled that they were homeschooled. But then again my eldest started college at 16.

Fear and Loathing About Homeschooling

Drop by Bending the Twigs to read Crimson Wife's post Fear and Loathing About Homeschooling

Zero reasons not to homeschool

Those annoying anti homeschoolers are at it again, Grove Street's Weblog post 9 reasons not to homeschool. Why I wonder do they feel compelled to give their stance on homeschooling? Since they do not consider it a viable choice for their family, why do they waste their time thinking about it?

• Time efficiency = LAZINESS - Not true! Employers are always looking for ways to make their work force more efficient. Efficiency does not equal laziness.
• A fraction of the cost of private schools -CHEAP-SKATE! - This would depend on the individual homeschool family. Many homeschool families spend a great deal on textbooks, lab equipment and field trips. We choose to homeschool because their were no secular private schools in our area.
• Promotes good reading habits - NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND- CAN’T HELP IT IF SOME PARENTS REFUSE TO READ TO THEIR CHILD- NOT IN MY HOUSEHOLD- 15 MINUTE TO AN HOUR DAILY-AT HOME! - OK, she is right NCLB can not make parents read to their children and I am very glad that she takes the time to read to her child. Many public school parents do and I am sure these children learn good reading habits. But homeschooling allows you to instill a love of reading in your children. Parents who choose other educational options can also instill a love of reading in their children but to list this as a reason not to homeschool is ludicrous.
• Strengthens family bonds and reduces the risk of developing a “peer orientation” NO PEER ORIENTATION- NO DEFINITION OF CHARACTER-”WHERE DO I FIT IN?” MOMMY CAN’T BEAR TO LOSE CONTROL OF CHILD - This is utter BS. Strengthening family bonds is a good thing. Numerous studies have been done that show that children with both parents in the home generally do better in school (Family values: The importance of strong family bonds , The Future of Children). The majority of homeschooled children have ample opportunity to interact with their peers and have no problems fitting in. This does not mean that parents who choose to send their children to public or private school don't have strong family bonds but again listing this as a reason not to homeschool is ludicrous.
• Promotes getting the father involved in the child’s education -WHAT FATHER ISN’T INVOLVED- UNLESS YOUR IN A BAD MARRIAGE- MY HUSBAND ATTENDS EVERY FUNCTION, DOES HOMEWORK, ATTENDS PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES… - I am glad to hear that her husband is involved in their child's public school education. Many schools discourage parental involvement, it's nice that the public school their child attends doesn't. But again this isn't a reason not to homeschool.
• Allows religion to play central role in the child’s education - CATHOLIC SCHOOLS,JEWISH SCHOOLS, BAPTIST SCHOOLS- LAST TIME I CHECK THEY WERE CENTRALIZED AROUND RELIGION- I WAS RAISED IN A CATHOLIC SCHOOL. - She totally misses the point that this doesn't apply to all homeschoolers. Many secular homeschoolers have no wish for religion to play a central role in their child's education.
• Promotes patriotism - PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE EVERY AM- FLAG DAY CELEBRATIONS AND MY SECOND GRADER IS LEARNING HOW TO VOTE AND SITTING BY MY SIDE AND LEARNING ABOUT THE VOTING PROCESS- GO HILLARY!!!!! - Yes, public schools promote patriotism too. But again this isn't a reason not to homeschool.
• Allows children to remain innocent longer - NAIVE PEOPLE WILL LEARN ABOUT THE OUTSIDE WORLD AT SOME POINT AND NOT KNOW HOW TO DEFEND THEMSELVES- NO COMMON SENSE- PLUS HOMESCHOOL CHILDREN ARE NOT THAT INNOCENT- I HAVE MET THEM.THEY INTRODUCED WEAPONS AND GUNS TO MY SON WHO IS NOT ALLOWED TO PLAY WITH THEM. - Again this would depend on the individual homeschooling family. I assure you my children aren't naive and I know many other homeschoolers who do not bend over backwards to 'protect' their children. Our children have plenty of common sense and know how to protect themselves. Public Schools are not the only places children can learn about the world.
• More positive socialization-NO SOCIALIZATION- NOT ENOUGH TIME TO SOCIALIZE PROPERLY. THEY WILL LEARN ABOUT MYSPACE SOMEDAY. - It's sad that she buys into the same old canard about socialization. Homeschooled children have plenty of time to socialize. They belong to recreational sports teams, scouts, church groups, robotics teams. The list of activities they participate in is endless. They also hang out with their friends at the mall and connect online, just like public school kids.

She hasn't listed one valid reason not to homeschool.

Department officials "were a little overzealous" in deciding that homeschool certificates do not count as high school diplomas.

Bruce Opie, legislative liaison for the Department of Education, told the committee that department officials "were a little overzealous" in deciding that homeschool certificates do not count as high school diplomas. But he insisted that "it has not been out of malice or any mean-spiritedness on our part."

HT: O'Donnell Web

Teachers believe it's too difficult to weed out ineffective teachers who have tenure

Think it's hard for schools to get bad teachers out of the classroom? Turns out teachers agree.

More than half of teachers believe it's too difficult to weed out ineffective teachers who have tenure, and nearly half say they personally know such a teacher, according to a survey released Tuesday evening by the Education Sector, a nonpartisan think tank.

Carnival of Homeschooling ~Mother's Day Edition

Visit Melissa's Idea Garden to read the Mother's Day Edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling.

Are they mad?

The Mad River Local School District is looking into the ramifications of having a senior convicted of sexually assaulting another student participate in commencement with his class.

Christopher Lemaster, 18, a senior at Stebbins High School, pleaded guilty April 3 to a fourth-degree felony charge of gross sexual imposition and was placed on five years probation May 1. Lemaster's attorney indicated at his sentencing that he would like to graduate with his class.

The charge stemmed from a Nov. 2 incident when Lemaster engaged in sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old sophomore who had passed out at a party after consuming alcohol and Xanax.

Lemaster was arrested Feb. 22, released on $25,000 bond Feb. 28 and put in home instruction Mar. 3.

Home instruction differs from home schooling in that the student is still enrolled in the district, is guided by district teachers and follows the same curriculum as any other student.

I imagine the girl that was raped would have liked to graduate with her class, but it doesn't look as if they put any effort into helping her.

HT: HE & OS

How to get a master's degree .......................

have you Dad elected Governor.
Six months after his inauguration, President Mike Garrison is struggling to hold his administration together - and keep his job - amid a scandal that erupted after the school granted Gov. Joe Manchin's daughter a master's degree she didn't earn.

Assault on PA Public School Playground

A 10-year-old girl admitted in juvenile court that she assaulted a classmate by pulling her off a set of monkey bars and stomping on her, breaking the victim's hip.

Co-Ed Dorm Rooms

Erik Youngdahl and Michelle Garcia share a dorm room at Connecticut's Wesleyan University. But they say there's no funny business going on. Really. They mean it.

At least two dozen schools, including Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, Oberlin College, Clark University and the California Institute of Technology, allow some or all students to share a room with anyone they choose - including someone of the opposite sex. This spring, as students sign up for next year's room, more schools are following suit, including Stanford University.

By Way of Sunnimom ~ Homeschooling: A Growing Option in American Education

I was over at Sunnimom's blog A Woman On Purpose and I found her post Home Education- Facts Instead of Fear with a link to Homeschooling: A Growing Option in American Education by Dan Lips and Evan Feinberg. Dan Lips is Education Analyst and Evan Feinberg is a former Research Assistant in the Domestic Policy Studies Department at The Heritage Foundation.


Homeschooling: A Growing Option in American Education
While scientific research is limited, the available evidence suggests that homeschooling provides a positive learning environment for the estimated 1.1 million American children who are being educated at home. Homeschooling families are making a valuable contribution to American education with­out relying on taxpayer assistance, saving taxpayers as much as $4.4 billion to $9.9 billion annually by forgoing taxpayer-funded public education. Many families make significant financial sacrifices to homeschool their children after paying federal, state, and local taxes that support public education.

Policymakers should take steps to protect all par­ents' right to teach their children at home and implement reforms to facilitate homeschooling.

Oh those dangerous public schools

The lack of a label does not mean a school is without crime, but rather that there is not enough to merit the designation. There were nearly 700,000 violent crimes in America's schools in 2000, the most recent year for which government numbers were available.

Hoist with your own petard ~ Edutards!

I guess we better start with a few definitions for the edutards.

hoist with your own petard
to be harmed by something that was intended by you to harm someone else. The most enjoyable moment in any action film occurs when the villain is hoist with his own petard.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of hoist by your own petard (= blown into the air by your own explosive device), an expression made popular in Shakespeare's play, “Hamlet”
See also: hoist

Edutard - Someone whose thoughts are constricted, tradition bound, unable to think outside the box, incapable of original thought.

OK, now that we have those pesky definitions out of the way, we can get down to business. I did a parody of The Homeschooler Mind Set called The Edutards Mindset (this is a parody) . Apparently Natalie Wagner , the real cmf , Carlie & Greg have no idea what the definition of edutard is as they chose to take great offense to the title. Their ignorance and willingness to jump to conclusions is amusing if a bit old hat. The edutards are all to willing to mischaracterize, bash, harass and belittle homeschoolers. They seem to think it's their GOD given right to pontificate on any topic no matter how ignorant of the topic they are. They also seem to think that homeschoolers are just suppose to put up with their mean spirited attacks. How dare we fight back, how dare we point out their flaws...........that's now fair, that's not cool, that's unacceptable............... I mean don't we all know that it's politically correct to bash homeschoolers and religious fundamentalist but everyone else is off limits. Get with the program.

I have had it with their attacks, harassment and mischaracterization as far as I am concerned they can hoist with their own petard. They have no legitimate reason to concern themselves with homeschoolers. On the other hand they should be concerning themselves with the underachieving public schools their tax money goes to support. So why don't they.

• They are so entrenched in the public school mentality they can not think of a 'better way' to do things.
• They firmly believe that while the public schools may not be doing a great job we should all have to be crippled by their inadequacies. How dare someone escape the system.
• They are terrified of choices. If parents are free to choose the best educational option for their children then they only have themselves to blame if they make a bad choice. On the other hand if everyone is forced to send their kids to public school then obviously no one can blame them if their child receives and inadequate education. These are the same people that want mandatory public school uniforms. Choosing what to wear in the morning is just to hard for them.
• They feel guilty. Homeschooling parents invest time and money into their children's education while public school parents are getting a 'free ride'. Deep down they suspect they may be failing their children. Instead of examining the educational choices they made for their own children it's much easier to attack homeschoolers. Labeling them WEIRD, ELITIST, STIFLING, FUNDIES, BACKWARD, and other unflattering terms means they never have to seriously consider homeschooling.
• They view anyone who makes a different educational choice then public schools as attacking them. Apparently they really aren't learning tolerance and respect for diversity in the public schools. What they seem to be preaching is everyone must conform to their vision of what the world should be like.

For the record I am not attacking public schools or public school teachers. There are some really terrific public school teachers out there and the majority of them will go out of their way to give homeschoolers a helping hand. BUT public schools are not 'right' for everyone. Parents are the ones best able to determine if their child would be best served by attending the local public school, a private school or being homeschooled. And whatever their choice may be, it's no one else's business. And if the edutards are honest public schools have plenty of problems for them to write about to their hearts content. Not all public schools are created equal and not all public school teachers are great.

Instead of bashing, harassing and belittling homeschoolers the edutards would be better served by turning their attention to the public schools their tax money goes to support. Since they are funding them they have a legitimate reason to be concerned with them. On the other hand homeschooling is none of their business and they should butt out.

The Edutards Mindset (this is a parody)

Public schooling is probably a really good idea for a lot of people, but only for a certain (unknown) percentage of people who actually graduate. And, among those who do manage to graduate from public school, I would guess that the effectiveness of public schooling varies from pretty good to dismal because many teachers are doing it for the wrong reasons, in some cases for just plain bad reasons, and/or they really don't know what they are doing.

I have yet to meet a college professor who would claim that they are generally happy with what shows up at their classroom door from Public Schooling Land ... even though most college professors with whom I have had this conversation are actually in favor of public schooling in principle. The point here is that it is probably pretty easy to execute the process poorly and damage the child.

One could say that public schooling is like this ... a version of education that ideally would be much better than the "private" approach, but in practice, is often (how often, we don't know) executed poorly.

The reason that I think a lot of public schoolers are not doing a great job is because their motivations are not really in the interest of the child. Their motivations are often political . The children are being dragged along in the adults' efforts to make some point, play some game, avoid some personal discomfort, get their jollies in one way or another, etc.


Public Schooling In The Eyes Of Connecticut State Law
A Superior Court judge last year determined that the state's (Connecticut) constitution did not guarantee a right to an adequate or suitable education, the position taken by the state.

Public schooling critics, haven't they learned anything?
Now honestly, I don't give a shit what anyone thinks about public schooling. I send my four children to public schools for reasons that make sense to ME, because they're MY children, not the governments, not society's, and not Jack's. Why shouldn't I shove my kids out the door and onto a school bus so I can enjoy some peace.

Please don't tell any of the public schoolers I wrote this post. They will get mad at me and never leave me alone.

I hope you enjoyed my parody of The Homeschooler Mind Set. It's as poorly researched as the original. But hey it was fun to write.

7 of the nation's top universities want homeschooled teen

Chelsea Link defied the odds to get accepted into Yale. Then Harvard.

Then came the fat envelopes from Princeton, Columbia, University of Chicago, Stanford and Northwestern University.

Making that feat still more extraordinary, Link has been home-schooled since age 5.

HT: O'Donnell Web

Sadly Greg has jumped back on the bashing homeschoolers bandwagon with his post The Homeschooler Mind Set. One would think a scientist could come up with something better then this drivel. No facts, no data, no statistics just "I feel" and "so and so said". I feel it deserves a F-

Another Pro Homeschooling Article

OP-ED: Homeschooling an option by Tatiana Tripp

In Defense of Homeschooling

This was in my local paper.

Myths threaten the future of home-schooling by Stefan Merrill Block, the author of "The Story of Forgetting,". Stefan Merrill Block was home schooled in Plano, Texas.

Love It !!!

How To Hate On Homeschoolers Properly

I want my flying car

The Carnival of Homeschooling is up. The pictures alone are worth a visit. Go by and see for yourself.

Make sure all the public schools fall in line before you start harassing homeschoolers

Lately some homeschool critics having been insisting that homeschoolers must teach evolution. In fact some fellow homeschoolers have even joined the chorus. So I found Give me the lesson without the spin ironic.

In my junior year of high school in New Jersey, my U.S. history teacher used the first week of class to preach his religious beliefs. He told students, among other things, that they "belong in hell" if they reject Jesus as their savior, that evolution and the Big Bang are ridiculous and unscientific theories, and that there were dinosaurs on Noah's Ark.

Maybe they should make sure all the public schools fall in line before they start worrying about homeschoolers.

There are many reasons to homeschool

Watcher engages in homeschool bashing with the post 57 Stupid Reasons to Homeschool. Watcher seems particularly down on Fundamentalist Christian Homeschoolers and doesn't even seem to realize there are many secular and inclusive homeschoolers today.

First there is the same old tired socialization bugaboo.

The biggest one, obviously, is socialization. Yes, I know homeschoolers have friends. Yes, I know there are activities they can join, but playing with other kids on weekends doesn't begin to match the same kind of cooperation learned by being around them in a structured environment 5 days a week.

Most of the activities homeschoolers engage in involve more then weekends. Here is another edutard who assumes that homeschoolers sit at home all day, nothing could be further from the truth. We belong to recreational soccer teams, robotics teams, scouts, church groups, homeschool groups, 4-H the list is endless. Many homeschoolers join homeschool co-ops, others take art history classes at local museums, science labs at local colleges that have classes especially for homeschoolers the list of opportunities for homeschoolers to socialize is endless.

Next he takes issue with this

Public schools can destroy your children’s self-esteem, destroy their ability to read, strangle their love of learning, put them in
physical and moral danger, and wreck their future.

Uh, yeah, I'm gonna need a cite for that. "Put them in physical and mortal danger?" Is he serious? Anyway, here's a sampling of the points to this crazy agenda. (Again, not all the reasons on this list are bad, but some are truly warped. Those are the ones I've gone into here).

Apparently Watcher doesn't watch the news much. Go here for a depressingly long list of school shootings. They have 56 listed and that doesn't include the recent school shooting in Mobile, AL March 6, 2008. "Mobile County Spokesperson Nancy Pierce addressed the media this morning after 18 year old Jajuan Holmes shot himself in the Davidson High School Gymnasium. "

Then there is the bullying, and the beatings, among other things. I don't think anyone in their right mind would believe that students today are not in "physical and mortal danger" from their fellow classmates. The scary thing is you have no way of knowing what public school is going to be the scene of the next tragedy. You can't blame any parent for trying to minimize the danger their child is in as much as possible.

* A commenter pointed out that the original quote says moral danger. I personally don't see kids being in any moral danger in the public schools. I do see plenty of physical danger to worry about.

5. Be totally aware of the state and progress of your child’s education.

Now that sounds innocuous enough. And it truly may be, but I still get this feeling like it's included here because Laura and Joel want to watch their kids like hawks, so they never have to worry about learning things their parents don't want them to. Again: STIFLING.

The majority of parents want to be totally aware of the state and progress of their child’s education. I can't tell you how many public school parents have expressed frustration to me because they didn't know their child was struggling in a subject until it was too late to bring the grade up. This isn't meant to be stifling as Watcher maintains, but rather a tool for ensuring your child has mastered the material taught.

9. Make learning fun.

As if that were possible! And don't you think teachers try to do this as much as they can?

The sad thing here is that Watcher doesn't think learning can be fun. This is more of an indictment against public schools then anything a homeschooler could have written. And yes public school teachers do try to make learning fun but with large class sizes, discipline issues, worries over testing, NCLB and other mandates their attempts to make learning fun get harder and harder. I am proud to say I have fostered a LOVE of LEARNING in my children and that we do find LEARNING FUN!

10. Make learning as “experiential” as you want

You mean like performing science experiments in a lab? Which, unfortunately, most houses don't have, but public schools do?

This shows how behind the times Watcher is. We have a very nice microscope here at the house. We have also done dissecting. But for those homeschoolers who don't want to tackle these things at home or want to add to what they do at home, colleges are offering all sorts of science labs for homeschoolers. Other homeschoolers are forming co-ops and banding together to buy lab equipment. Perhaps Watcher should take his own advice, "Why don't you do some research before you start accusing people of things? "

13. Teach your child without any “assumed limitations.” Teach multiple languages, develop one skill or subject—the sky’s the limit.

What "assumed limitations?" My schools had all kinds of extracurriculars and gifted and talented programs that kids could participate in. From first through third grade, there were three different levels of reading group.

Unfortunately all public schools are not created equal. Public schools vary not only from state to state but from district to district. Just because one public school has something doesn't mean they all do.

16. Avoid educational “labeling”

Does this mean, if your kid has ADD, you can happily pretend that he doesn't? It's fun what you can do when there are none of those pesky "experts" around to tell you things you'd rather not hear!

This one doesn't apply to my family, but I am going to tackle it anyway. I know homescoolers who have chosen to homeschool because their child had a learning disability and would have been labeled and stuck in a special education class. They don't 'pretend' the disability doesn't exist but their child isn't singled out as 'different'. A sure way to get picked on in public schools. The current vogue these days is to to put the learning disabled student in regular classrooms but send them to 'special education' classes for certain subjects. This seems a good idea on the surface as in former days those stuck in 'special education' classes often were taught less advanced subjects then those children in regular classes and were kept separate from the 'other' kids for their entire public school sojourn, but one of the flaws is the bullying they endure from the 'other' kids they are now classmates with.

19. Allow your child to do, think, discuss, and explore in ways not possible in a rigid classroom setting.

Yeah? then why do so many pro-homeschooling fundies want to quash this so badly?

Watcher is making an assumption here, where is the evidence to back this assertion up?

20. Constant positive reinforcement and gentle correction. No abusive words or actions that scar your child’s psyche.

Bullshit. Teachers spend years learning corrective discipline techniques. A good teacher can easily be better at positive reinforcement than most parents.

Yeah right. That's why we read about all the public school teachers male & female having sex with students, physically abusing students & verbally abusing students ( Many adults mention past incidences of verbal abuse by the teacher as the most overwhelming negative experience in their lives. The present study examined (1) the course and stability of verbal abuse by the teacher from kindergarten through grade 4 and (2) the link between verbal abuse by the teacher and children's behavioral, emotional, and academic adjustment.).

22. Develop your child’s life skills such as cooking, cleaning, and organizing that are easily learned with the additional time spent at home.

Ah, I see. We won't waste no time with all that book-learnin'! We's got to teach our kids how to be house slaves!

What an ignorant statement from Watcher. I don't know of any homeschooling parent who short changes their child academically in order to teach them life skills. On the other hand I know numerous public school graduates who are unable to make change or balance a checkbook. Why? because they didn't learn it in public school and their parents perhaps assuming they did learn it in public school failed to teach them. Besides academics children need life skills in order to survive. Some things all children should know how to do cook, clean, do laundry, put gas in the car, change a tire, change the oil, make change, balance a check book, manage money. Why? because when they are out on their own they need these skills.

26. Never have your child beat up by a bully. Teach self-defense skills that will enable him (her) to deal with any situation, but not until he (she) is mature enough to handle the emotional aspects of confrontation.

What confrontations? You're keeping him chained up in the basement, remember? He'll never have to deal with being beaten up!(Oh yeah, and what about girls? Don't they need to learn self-defense also?)

I doubt Joel Turtel intended to exclude girls from the self-defense lessons, but it gets tiresome having to type him/her, he/she so ignoramuses won't accuse you of excluding one sex or another. Again Watcher assumes homeschoolers don't interact with others, to the contrary homeschoolers often have public school children, private school children and other homeschooled children as friends. And Gosh Watcher I don't even have a basement.

33. Develop your child’s imagination and teach diverse problem-solving skills, instead of one institutionalized method of thinking.

Have you two idiots ever actually been in a public school?

I graduated from the public school system. In the majority of my classes imagination and diverse problem solving skills were not utilized. In fact rote memorization seemed to be the preferred method of teaching.

34. Unlimited possibilities for extra curricular activities that interest your child.

Woo-ee! That sounds like a lot of fun! All kinds of clubs and activities that give you the opportunity to hang out with the same three people! Your parents and your little brother!

Poor Watcher just can't get it through that numb skull that homeschoolers hang out with a variety of diverse people not just their family or other homeschoolers.

37. Avoid traditional school “group activities” that may leave one student doing all the work or ruining it for everyone else.

You know, the point of group projects is so that kids who don't have cooperative skills can learn them. All this would do is make sure the kids never learn.

Really as a product of the public school system I can assure you no one in my high school learned cooperative skills from all those stupid group projects. What we did learn 1.) If you don't want to do the work you don't have to do anything. The students who actually care about their grades will do the work for you. You'll still get an A 2.) The teacher doesn't care that only two of the students in the group did any of the work the whole group gets the same grade no matter how much or how little effort they put into the project. 3.) Make sure you have some smart students in your group so they will do all the work and you'll get an A and 4.) If you are one of the smart students be prepared to do everything yourself. Even if student X promises to do _______ more then likely he/she won't and unless you are willing to settle for a bad grade you need to have ______ done yourself just in case.

45. To make sure your child doesn’t end up graduating without knowing how to read or knowing other basic skills, due to educational failings of your local schools.

I went to public school and I can read just fine, you arrogant prick.

The sad fact is too many public school graduates do graduate without being able to read or knowing other basic skills. See John Stossel's "Stupid In America".

49. To easily pass on your unique heritage or language to your child.

Now, at first, this actually sounds somewhat reasonable (as long as you discount the fact that you can do this whether the kid's in school or not). Passing on your heritage is important, especially if you're a minority. That was my thought at first. And then I started to consider the source. These jackasses don't care about minorities! Knowing what I know, this comment is probably a veiled swipe from the usual racist ideology; the one that thinks Spanish is invading our pure, white, English-speaking nation through schools.

There Watcher goes making assumptions. Watcher for your information many minorities homeschool.

There are many reasons to homeschool. Some are shared by the majority of homeschoolers and other are unique to the individual homeschooling family. Parents who choose to make the commitment of time and money to homeschool their children should be supported not criticized by the Watchers of this world.

Wow! - 57 Unique Benefits of Homeschooling

Check out Wow! - 57 Unique Benefits of Homeschooling written by Joel Turtel

Bill Gates is not impressed with the US public school system

Visit O'Donnell Web to read Bill Gates is not impressed with the US public school system

Principled Discovery has the scoop Homeschool critics taking quotes out of context

Homeschool critics taking quotes out of context

Increase the educational choices for all

While the edutards penchant for bashing homeschooling is infuriating at least they are good comic entertainment. Dawn with Another Day, Another Homeschooling Critic and Doc's Homeschooling critics, haven’t they learned anything? do an excellent job disputing Jack's Essay: Homeschooling - . But I can't resist adding my two cents, while I wait for supper to cook.

In the interest of full disclosure Jack has been sleeping with a public school teacher for 31 years. You don't suppose he is worried about his bed mates job security do you?

Jack says

There is now a bill before the legislature that would require people home schooling their kids to report this fact to their local school system. Frankly, I thought that was required already.

It certainly should be. Yet the home schoolers are screaming that this would violate their rights.

That’s nuts. This bill is necessary, and they should know better. For one thing, if we don’t know who is home schooling their kids, how can we know who is teaching their kids at home – and who are simply letting their kids run wild?

Because the kids running wild are enrolled in public school.

Actually, this bill doesn’t go far enough. We need a strong package of bills firmly regulating home schooling. They should prescribe a curriculum and require home schoolers to prove they are qualified to teach. We owe it to our kids and ourselves.

Did Jack give birth to my children? NO! Does Jack pay their medical bills, feed and cloth them? NO! Then they aren't our children. They are mine and my husband's children and we shouldn't have to answer to Jack or anybody else for the educational choices we make for our children.

Why on earth anyone would think having the government proscribe a curriculum is a good idea is beyond me. If I was happy with the public school curriculum I wouldn't be homeschooling. And little ole homeschooling ME came up with a curriculum that allowed my eldest son to start college at 16.

Schools have facilities and laboratories nearly impossible to duplicate at home. Education also involves hard-to-quantify things like social interaction. You learn from each other, not just from facts and exercises.

Some schools do have facilities and laboratories that the average parent couldn't duplicate, but the vast majority do not. Also homeschoolers are able to take advantage of science classes offered by colleges specifically tailored for homeschoolers. Both of my children attended a Biology Lab at Mississippi University for Women. Other families join coops where they have access to facilities and laboratories on par with the public schools. As for social interaction, thanks to the Internet my kids can interact with kids from all over the world. We participated in Friends & Flags where we made friends with students from Israel & Belarus. When we were studying Japanese my children were able to chat with students who lived in Japan. My children have also been involved in Cub & Boy Scouts, Recreational Soccer and Robotics where they have interacted with public school, private school, and other homeschooled students.

Jack contradicts himself here
And yes, homeschooling is necessary. But as a supplement, not a substitute. Mom and Dad need to take part in homeschooling every night. They need to take a vigorous part in their kids’ homework.

First Jack says that homeschool parents are too dumb to teach their kids and then he maintains it's necessary for parents to teach their kids after school. Does anyone else see how contradictory this statement is. Either parents without teaching credentials are perfectly capable of teaching their children or they are not and shouldn't be expected to help with homework. You can't have it both ways Jack.

More and more, we are evolving into a place where two kids the same age have wildly different educational experiences.

And why it that a bad thing? Different kids are interested in different things. Hence the different majors when one gets to college. It only makes sense that those kids who know what career path they want to take be free to take courses that will help them prepare for their future careers. Jack is also ignoring the fact that public schools vary not only from state to state but from one school district to another.

If Jack's ignorant diatribe against homeschooling isn't bad enough we also have to put up with this uninformed drivel.

Posted by: Thrasher
Homeschool types are like a cult, they have little capacity to respect the opinons of others... (BTW Thrasher you misspelled opinions)

And Thrasher has just demonstrated his ability to respect the opinions of others (especially homeschoolers) brilliantly. Can you say PREJUDICE?

They are on a mission to indoctrinate minors who lacked the protection of the state to secure thier rights.. (Thrasher you misspelled their)

Actually my mission is to educate my children so they can go to college, get a degree and get a good job.

Homeschoolers are a lethal aggregate of myopic people who according to the data and research reject social and progressive ideas...

What data????

They remind me of rednecks during our country's aparthied era/jim crow era they fled from public schools when thier fellow americans of a darker hue sought entry... (Thrasher again misspelled their he also misspelled apartheid and Americans)

Thrasher's BIGOTRY is showing.

The truth about these backward people is that they harm thier children and they create a entire aggregate of more ignorant people that must be reeducated for our country to reach it's ideals.. (their is misspelled yet again)

If Thrasher has children I pity them as his rant against homeschoolers shows how prejudiced, bigoted and intolerant he is. I can only assume his spelling is due to the fact he was educated in PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Where apparently they didn't bother to teach one how to use spell check.

Instead of trying to limit educational choices we should all be working to increase the educational choices for all.

Public Schools in Connecticut Don't Have To Provide An Adequate Education

A Superior Court judge last year determined that the state's (Connecticut) constitution did not guarantee a right to an adequate or suitable education, the position taken by the state.

home school families do not accept government funding

Homeschooling and Public School at Home explains The Conflict between Parental Rights and “No Child Left Behind”?

She also does a great job explaining why it important for those of us who engage in traditional homeschooling to separate ourselves from those who do public schooling at home.

In the necessity of keeping the public funds flowing, families who have chosen public school at home options should be willing to make the case that their option is public schooling albeit in the home, and that they are willing to be accountable for their government funds.

In order to preserve the freedom of educating children apart from public schooling, it is important to keep reminding government, the media and the general public that since home school families do not accept government funding they are not under the same accountability requirements as those who enroll their children in public school at home programs.

Click here to read some post I did on Virtual Public Schools.

Carnival of Homeschooling

Read the bag lady edition of the CoH. I can so relate, can someone get the door please, my hands are full of BAGS!!!

#364

We are ranked #38. We won 3 games, lost 2 and tied 0. We played a total of 5 games. The most points we scored was 122. We have two games scheduled for tomorrow. The first is at 7:51 AM and the second is at 9:21 AM Mississippi TIME.

First

Lord Epa's robotics' team (#364) is at the Georgia Dome, where they are participating in the First Robotics Competition (National). They are broad casting it live here . The broad cast is over for today, but you can watch Friday and Saturday.

Carnival of Homeschooling

The Nerd Family invites everyone over to enjoy a nice long visit, via the 120th Carnival of Homeschooling.

Steve Shives acknowledges we aren't all religious nutcases

Read his latest post, And for you homeschool types who aren´t religious nutcases .

Progressive Homeschoolers

Setting the Homeschool Record Straight

Apparently I wasn't the only one upset by Mr. Shives' potshots at homeschoolers.

In the American Chronicle article, Homeschoolers Who Don´t Learn Science Shouldn´t Receive a Diploma , author Steve Shives takes some initially ill-informed pot shots at homeschooling as part of a critical evaluation of Mason Dixon Homeschoolers Association (MDHSA) of PA, a diploma mill that counts Apologia Biology, a creation science based curriculum.

The post goes on to explain how Mr Shives is helping HSLDA by buying in to their propaganda.

I wrote to him, saying, “The majority are not, by a long shot, "specifically, fundamentalist Christian—in nature" and when you say that, you're buying into their substitution of volume for substance propaganda, and undermining, hopefully unintentionally, the work of thousands of us trying to set the record straight. The majority of homeschoolers are middle of the roaders, like most folks in America, where, despite the familiar volume of religious fundamentalists in our general society, I doubt you'd claim the majority of Americans are fundamentalist Christian.

Read the whole post at Progressive Homeschoolers.

Enjoyable Reads in Blogland

Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Public School ...I Learned in Calvin & Hobbes Comic Books by B.R. Merrick

I just love his list

So permit me to list, in order of importance from worse to worst, the life lessons I, and all the other non-fictional Calvins out there, learned from former-factory/now-corporate government schools:

10. Grades are important. Make your report card look good. You need a degree--any degree--to land and keep a good job.

9. Stay away from the weird kids, especially when they’re being made fun of.

8. Adults are not going to help you with anything that matters. Their world is separate.

7. You’re on your own. It’s a dog-eat-dog world.

6. You can have the life you dream of after you are certified by experts.

5. Freedom isn’t free.

4. If you are gifted and talented, life will be handed to you on a silver platter, unlike the dumb kids.

3. You need permission to piss.

2. Wait out your time. Life is filled with drudgery. Just get through it as best you can.

These are not exaggerations. If your child is in school right now, this is what he is learning. He may not realize it until he’s much older. The worst and most dangerous lie he is imbibing is this:

1. Learning, like work, is not meant to be enjoyable.

HT: Eye Opening Thoughts on Public Education