Readers Forum:
The homeschooling movement has been steadily growing for years now. What potential pitfalls lay on the horizon that you believe have the greatest likelihood to slow or even reverse the homeschooling community's growth?
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What Are The Biggest Threats To The Homeschooling Movement? February 23rd, 2010 | Tags: Biggest, Homeschooling: All Things, Movement, Threats, What | Category: FORUM, Homeschooling: All Things 21 comments to What Are The Biggest Threats To The Homeschooling Movement?Leave a Reply |
“Aside from scientists discovering a cure for aspergers…”
Unfortunately, your snide remark keeps me from being able to take your question seriously.
If there IS a threat to the homeschooling movement — which, in reality, has been a movement toward real integrity in education and offering viable educational choices, it is uninformed, bigoted, intolerant attitudes such as yours.
I don’t say this to offend. I say this because it is true. I hope it helps you to see clearly.
The social component of homeschooling is done seperately from the academics. And why would anyone not thrive with an individualized 1:1 education? I don’t know what parent would not want to have the reigns to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to their childs education. A parent has the most invested interest in their childs’ education.
Certain subsets of the homeschooling population that aren’t the majority of homeschoolers but that give homeschooling in general a bad name a bad name (e.g. the folks who homeschool specifically to isolate their kids from outside influences), and the people outside of homeschooling who insist on repeating lies about the practice without ever bothering to learn about it/learn more about it than what they know about, say, the “weird” family down the street who homeschools. Actually, the absolute biggest threat (in the US at least) would be the public school system getting its act together and providing high-quality education for ALL students, not just the average students or the students lucky enough to live in wealthy districts. But so far the lies about homeschooling haven’t stopped people from doing it, the negative examples haven’t been enough to justify legally ending the practice entirely, and the public school system shows no signs of the kind of improvement I have in mind. So yeah, I’m not that worried really.
1. People who see lazy students switch to homeschooling and then see them come back into the school system even further behind because their parents didn’t make them work.
2. Teacher unions who think they are the only ones who can teach children.
3. Special interest groups who benefit financially from students attending public schools.
4. Government leaders who believe the government should control education instead of allowing parents to choose their child’s education. Yes, there should be some checks and balances, but that can be done without too much trouble.
First, let me say there is no cure for Asperger’s. As a person with Asperger’s myself, I know this for a fact. Jenny McCarthy is full of hot air. She’s just trying to gain publicity by spreading her propaganda. Since then, there has been a massive resurgence in the mumps, rubella, and the measles. Now that it’s been proven vaccines don’t cause autism or Asperger’s that confirms her rhetoric is false. The only cure for Asperger’s is knowledge and understanding. Second, homeschooling is the best thing for someone with Asperger’s. The real experts can substantiate that. We all know how cruel kids can be. One of the primary reason why kids with Asperger’s have committed suicide is because of the constant bullying and teasing that makes them a pariah. I experienced this myself in school. My dismissive father and overbearing stepmom didn’t make it any easier. Furthermore, the fear of homeschooling was just an ephemeral trend. Now, it’s gaining more acceptance. Studies have shown that kids who are homeschooled are actually smarter because they get more one-on-one attention. They can still participate in other extracurricular activities that allows them to cultivate their social skills. At homeschool, you don’t have to worry about gangs and metal detectors either. In conclusion, I see no pitfall in homeschooling. I would trust that or private schooling more than I do the public schools where teachers are understaffed, overworked, and overpaid while the classrooms are overcrowded and overrun with gangs and whatnot.
The people who abuse homeschooling as a way to control and indoctrinate their children rather than educate them. There is a movement among extremely radical conservative “Christian” groups who believe that women have no place but in the home, to home”school” their female children and not teach them anything other than how to do chores, take care of children and be a housewife. I saw an interview once with a man in the Quiverfull movement who said that he will not prepare his daughters for college because he doesn’t believe females should attend college.
In the UK his name is Ed Balls. His henchman Graham Badman has submitted a Independent[sic] Review of Home Education which recommends compulsory licensing and will effectively make Autonomous Education (aka Unschooling) impossible and allow local government officials to refuse parents the right to HE for any or no reason at all (no appeals procedure). If these fascist recommendations go through the HE movement in this country will be dealt a death blow in all but name.
Knee-jerk legislation made to resolve supposed issues. Often legislatures make quick legislation as a knee-jerk reaction to some case in the news; quickly designed legislation often has a lot of unintended consequences. I can see some legislation being passed in response to a case that supposedly involves homeschooling, say a case involving great abuse, that might make it very difficult to homeschool.
Just fools who are bothered so much by homeschooling that they try and make it harder or illegal. How ridiculous is it to try and make homeschoolers look like criminals? Homeschooling families simply want to properly raise their kids, and they don’t want government control, indoctrination, or influence.
Perhaps homeschoolers are seen as a threat, because they’ve independent minds.
People in the homeschooling community are going to succeed or fail according to their own beliefs….some of them are open minded which is intelligent & can raise extremely intelligent children. Yet some are doing this as a way to separate from others as if others are bad…when we believe others are bad that becomes part of our life. I would have liked to have homeschooled my children but it was not allowed back then for me. My son is 31 now & doesn’t have any children but I asked him a few years ago if he would send his kids to private school & he said NO, he is at the top of his feild & one of the reasons is because he can handle dealing with people from all walks of life. Can a homeschooler get the exposure at home to understand others?….I think it is harder to be in class with different people but it is an education in itself….I am not sure what you are referring to when you bring up scientist discovering a cure for aspergers but I will star & let a contact of mine read your question cause he knows a lot about this…as far as someone here say things will be bad if Obama gets a hold of it. This is somoene with a paranoid mental health problem speaking & not at all knowledgable about the President except throught the terrorist group known as the right wing media.EDIT: My contact below is Tai Chi does work I e-mailed & as you can see he came right here an answered. Thanks!
Ignornant individuals who castigate others like myself for making the choice to homeschool. YOu have no idea how mean people can be. They think schools are heaven sent places of godliness.. How crazy!
If Obama decides to get his hands into our education system….
Teacher associations. I have seen them try to cap how many home schooled students a state can have. I kid you not.
Logic, reality
Anyone who thinks socialization is necessary for children but not necessary for our government!
Uneducated (about homeschooling) people. People who are scared that a degree is the only thing you need to be able to teach your children, even though statistic show else wise. Governmental agencies (mainly schools) worried about loosing funding. And of course nosy people worried about other peoples business by calling social services on homeschoolers trying to make life harder on them.
And last but not least even some of those homeschoolers (like the one writer above said) that can make the rest of us look bad!
Those who guide the public schools are collectively not worried about the individual. They are committed to molding young masses into what they feel their own society will benefit the most. As a homeschooler, I am anything but lazy, narrow minded, or uninformed. I encourage my daughters to do whatever it is they want to do in life…whether they chose to go into neurosurgery or devote their time to raising a family. That is their decision and BOTH would be admirable!
mumps is so painfull
May I use your site as a resource in my essay? Thank you
Absolutly! Is your essay on homeschooling..the pros or cons? You can always contact me if you would like an interview too. I have been homeschooling for 4 years and could also have others who have been homeschooling through highschool contact you.
Well, I am not sure if Mumps would slow homeschooling down, but if you are in a public or private school, it sure would slow you down there cause you would not be able to go to school. With honeschooling you could still have school even while you are infectious.
Mumps is a very painfull disease, when i get it, i always use some cold compress to relieve the pain. ,