I happened to run into a post on homeschooling that involved what are apparently yearly conventions held in states each year. I have no clue who sponsors these things, but if you back track on the one offered in Texas, called the THSC Southwest Convention and Family Conference, you find that it at least is “sponsored” by the Heritage Foundation, an American conservative think tank. I would be surprised if you don’t find similar (if not the same) sponsors around the country.
Now, homeschooling in theory is not a bad thing necessarily. There are people who live so far off the grid that it is their only choice. There are others who live far enough from local schools that the transporting times and costs become prohibitive. There are school systems that most anyone would agree are so lacking in quality that a well-trained parent can surely do better.
The downsides are also obvious and ones that can be fairly overcome I think by a bit of ingenuity. Children can be involved in all kinds of sports and other activities that gives them the socialization skills that homeschooling lacks. It may not be as good as regular schools offer, but the limitations are just that, limits, not barriers.
Unfortunately, most people today it seems are not homeschooling out of necessity, but rather out of a desire to teach their children differently, and by differently, I don’t mean by a different educational model. They simply want to infuse religion in the curriculum. They disguise it with talking about the failures of public schools.
It is well documented that our public schools are not doing a good job. That is not a reason to remove children but a reason to supplement their education with side trips to museums, cultural events, and more reading lists.
While this is the main reason stated for homeschooling, the real reason, as I said, is to inculcate a certain religious view onto education. Homeschooling parents call it “giving their children all sides of the issue”. In reality it is nothing more than introducing myths and fantasy into education and calling it “alternative” theories.
Such is surely the case with evolution, which most Christian homeschoolers claim is only one of “several” theories about how our world was created. They claim that schools are “close-minded” by refusing to explore these other alternatives. Of course, there are no “several” theories at all. There is one that is factual, evolutionary biology and one that is based on faith in the interpretation of a religious text. One is based on fact, one is based on belief. One has a place in plain education, one has a place in religious education.
Similar changes are occurring when it comes to history. The right-wingers have been churning out right-wing based revisionist history books that are designed exactly for this crop of consumers. (Funny how that happens) We have all read about these texts, which downplay the contributions of African-Americans, and glorify the theme of American Exceptionalism to the detriment of Native Peoples and other not Anglo-saxon individuals. Periods when the US exhibited immoral behavior are notoriously downplayed in these “histories.”
Even more alarming to me is the fact that most states offer little or in some case no supervision to homeschooling. In many, one must prove that the “teacher” has a HIGH SCHOOL diploma, and provide a “curriculum” covering the basic areas of learning, along with a list of books to be used. That’s it.
Nobody of course is going to check to see what books are actually being used, and what is being taught.
If you doubt the dangers here, take a look at some of the presentations offered at this 2-day convention:
9:30 AM: David Gibbs ~ What’s Next for America?
Description: “What kind of world will your child inherit? In this thought-provoking workshop, Attorney David Gibbs discusses trends in the law that could determine the world of tomorrow and what you can do to make a difference.”
* Following his workshop last year Jeff and I purchased the Understanding the Constitution text and workbook authored by David Gibbs, Jr. & David Gibbs III. This year Jeff is using this text in a U.S. Government course he is teaching at our co-op.
10:45 AM: Jean Burk ~ How to Ace the SAT and Get Free College
Description: “Test-prep Guru, Jean Burk, will share her secrets of SAT success that have helped hundreds of students raise their scores as much as 600 points! Learn how to find shortcuts in test patterns and save time on all types of questions. Math, writing, and verbal sections are all covered in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you have kids in high school, you can’t miss this seminar about preparing them for the SAT and getting FREE College!”
1:45 PM: Tim Lambert ~ Courtship – A Father’s Perspective
Description: “In this workshop Tim explains the basics of courtship. This method of choosing a life-partner is enjoying a resurgence, as young people and their families return to a more scriptural and positive approach. He discusses this issue from the perspective of a father whose role differs with sons and with daughters.”
3:00 PM: Dr. Jobe Martin ~ Raising Defenders of the Faith, Not Defector
Description: “This workshop is about raising children in our culture so that they know biblical truth in their innermost beings. Dr. Martin challenges parents to show their children how to glorify the Lord in what they say and do, and to fear the Lord above all else. He ends with a challenge to parents to train their children to have biblical discernment.”
4:15 PM: Tim Lambert ~ These Uncertain Times
Description: “With daily disturbing news out of Washington, D.C., and concerns about threats to our freedoms at the state level as well, what must we do? Tim will share his thoughts on some of the areas of concern for Texas home schoolers and ways we can have an impact and protect our children’s future.”
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SATURDAY, AUG. 4TH
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9:30 AM: Susan Wise Bauer ~ The Well-Prepared Student (High School): How to Get Ready for College
Description: “In this session, learn what and how to teach your child in grades 9-12—before they fill out those applications and head off for the freshman year. What expectations should you have for high school? How can you teach those subjects that stump you? How should you personalize the high school curriculum for your student, while still making sure that the basics are covered? What skills will your student need to develop in order to thrive in college? As a college instructor, Susan Wise Bauer has taught scores of college freshmen and knows what they should have learned before the freshman year; as a home educating parent, she has graduated one high school student (now at UVA) and is in the thicket of high school with two more.”
10:45 AM:Dr. Jobe Martin ~ Why Should the Christian Worldview be Grounded in Creation?
Description: “This talk includes many of the evidences for creation that the Lord used to bring Dr. Martin from being an agnostic, zen-Buddhist, evolutionist to a young earth creationist. Dr. Martin uses statistics and current studies to vividly demonstrate how our Christian school kids are following the same downward path into secular humanism that the public school kids are taking and that it is only the homeschoolers who are “stemming the tide,” though they are also sloping off into moderate Christianity instead of staying solidly Biblical. This talk will enable young people to stand strong against the attacks of evolution and secular humanism in the academic arena and today’s culture.”
1:45 PM:Voddie Baucham ~ Culture Wars: How They Affect the Home School Family and How We Respond
Description: “There is a mighty clash of worldviews going on all around us, and there is no way to escape. Educating our children at home will only postpone the inevitable. Our children will engage the culture. The only question is, will they do so as lambs going off to slaughter, or will they be sheep among wolves who are “wise as serpents and innocent as doves”? (Matthew 10:16)”
3:30 PM: Susan Wise Bauer ~ Educating Our Own Minds: How to Teach Ourselves as We Teach Our Kids
Description: “Educating our children involves educating ourselves. And that means gaining confidence in our own intellectual abilities—rather than relying solely on “experts.” Come discover a plan for self-education in the classical tradition, including scheduling for busy adults; setting up a reading plan that involves understanding, analyzing, and discussing literature; and mastering the skills needed for reading classic fiction and nonfiction.”
If this list doesn’t frighten you, then I suspect you are not on the right blog. This list of speakers and topics is right out of the right-wing playbook on how to create good Republican stooges.
Such is my take. Yours?
NOTE: the agenda for the conference came from OMSH who contributes regularly to Pioneer Woman. I have no idea if Ree Drummond endorses this kind of stuff or not. The link is to the post wherein OMSH expresses her utter joy at the wonderful conference this will be.
** Please note that I think virtually all public education needs to be supplemented by parents with outside sources.
Related articles
- You are Qualified to Homeschool! (practicalpages.wordpress.com)
I too read the PW homeschooling post. It really bothers me (I replied to the first post on the thread). You put your comments logically and succintly. Thanks!
I just don’t get it that states allow people to school their own kids with no supervision. They wouldn’t allow anyone to teach in a public school with a high school diploma. It makes no sense to me to allow this to go unregulated with no agreed upon curriculum or textbooks. Or testing at the end!
Well stated, Sherry! The Heritage Foundation support is a concern. Homeschooling is a major commitment, if done right. But the motivation behind home-schooling determines whether or not I respect the effort.
That is exactly my point. I recognize that it is necessary in some situations. But I cannot imagine why states ignore it and let parents virtually do whatever they wish.
Sherry, this post was like a bite of dark chocolate for me. Thank you for shining light on the problems with fundamentalist Christian homeschooling.
I’ve infiltrated the Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania (CHAP) conference on several occassions for my blog, and the content is disconcerting. I’m convinced that Christian homeschooling is about insulating children from information and influences that might weaken their fundamentalism. The problem is, such an upbringing leaves children ill-equipped to deal with the world at large, and stunts them to boot.
As you note Ahab, one of the seminars at the Texas convention was how to prevent your children from leaving the faith upon adulthood. Yeah, it has little to do with education, and much more to do with maintaining church numbers and power.
I’ve known some folks who’ve home-schooled their kids. problem was, the kids got no more smarter than their teachers; who were dumb shits.
Yes, that is the problem isnt it. But of course such parents rarely note that.
I really think one of the biggest problems our country faces is that nobody has to learn to get along with anybody who is different than themselves. Homeschoolers don’t want their kids exposed to other ideas, other cultures, or Negroes.
I don’t think democracy can survive in a country of gated (literal and figurative) communties. The feeling of “we’re all in this together” has been replaced by “they’re all out to get me.”
that is definitely a concern Thomas. Homeschooled children do miss out on a lot of very important socialization mechanisms that can be addressed in part, but are never fully the same are they?And frankly too much is made of “my child has special needs”. We all sooner or later have to adjust to our special needs not being met at our work or so forth. It’s a lesson better learned early it seems to me. I would rather these parents put more effort into improving the public system which has always been something this country could be proud of. Not any more.
It’s a common misconception that homeschoolers are all Christian fundamentalists who pull their kids from the school system for fear of humanistic teachings creeping into their psyche. I’m the administrator of a website called SecularHomeschool.com that is geared toward the OTHER homeschoolers. The ones who aren’t doing it for religious reasons. Homeschooling has become so mainstream in the last 8-10 years, that I’ve been amazed with the growth in number of non-religious families choosing to educate their kids at home either short-term or long-term. We currently have almost 6,000 registered families (with an average of 2-3 children per family) and over 200,000 pageviews of our website each month, which means secular homeschooling is growing at a RAPID pace! The reasons our members give for their choice to home-educate are almost as varied as the families themselves, but some of the main reasons are…
*poor school/teacher choices in their home area
*learning differences in their child that either aren’t being addressed at all or aren’t being properly addressed (this includes everything from learning difficulties to giftedness)
*over-focus on standardized testing and “teaching to the test”
*special health needs of the child
*special circumstances of the child (children who are going after goals in arts/athletics/entrepreneurship that don’t allow for standard school days)
*freedom from religious slant of teachers (I can’t tell you how many parents on our site have complained about the amount of religious propaganda from teachers within the public school system – - especially in the South!)
*children who simply aren’t adapting to the mainstream classroom environment (no matter how many field trips you throw in, public classroom education will never be as customizable, flexible, targeted and well-rounded as a home education environment)
*desire for a non-standard education model such as road-schooling which allows families to travel together and incorporate their adventures into their schooling.
Just don’t assume when you see a homeschooling family out and about that they are some cookie-cutter religious cult-followers. They could just as easily be secular homeschoolers, who teach real science, real history, and real liberal values!
I stated as much and I have no problem with those who choose this path by necessity. However I am appalled at the lack of state control this practice. I suspect few high school graduates are competent to teach physics, chemistry, english literature, calculus, and host of similar disciplines. To understand the textbook is not to have a deep grip on the material, and frankly, I’d rather see parents supplement their children’s learning rather than take it on full tilt. The lack of control by the states leaves these kids in some really lousy situations it seems to me.
children who simply aren’t adapting to the mainstream classroom environment //
Topsy made some good points. My nephew, in ninth grade was so bored that he was continually getting into petty trouble.my sister pulled him from school for a year.. The difference was that she WAS a teacher, Masters in English, and my brother -in-law had two different degrees and law school credits. They laid out a curriculm and study programs that he needed to complete, unsupervised during the day as well as going and shoveling horseshit on his Grandmother’s horse farm.. He couldn’t wait to get back to the mainstream…finished with high honors, and is now a successful graphic designer. You made MANY good points and I agree. It is just good that there are some alternatives.
….just like with beer flavors
You are so right Jim. Given the right people, homeschooling can no doubt be a hugely enriching experience, but I suspect that might account for about 10%. The rest I fear suffer to one degree or another.
Indiana has some of the most liberal homeschooling laws in the nation. And yes, many parents who I see homeschooling (because they come to the library) are doing it for religious reasons rather than educational reasons. That said, I home schooled my niece for a year because she was getting into trouble. After that year with me she returned to high school and graduated with ease. I really made her do much more work and since it was one on one she couldn’t avoid it like many students in large classes can.
You might be interested in a blog I follow that is written by a woman who grew up in a fundamentalist home schooling family. Her blog is called Love, Joy, Feminism.
thanks Libs. Like I said, given the right people it can be very beneficial. I shall indeed look for that blog.
[...] Source: http://afeatheradrift.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/6828/ [...]
I have homeschooled my kids for two years and I have a college degree as does my hubby who helps with the schooling. We, honestly, didn’t want to homeschool till our son started begging to be homeschooled. After two years of carrying him, kicking and screaming, to the bus, we relented. We came to the conclusion that it was better for him, emotionally, to be homeschooled. We could no longer torture him with school.
That said, I’m of the mind that religion has absolutely no place in education. Education is facts, not fantasy or folk tales (unless that is the topic of the day) My youngest son is three years ahead of his age peers because we teach facts, not make believe. He is well versed in political issues and things that pertain to real life. He has an analytical mind and, even as a small child, shuns anything fantastical. It’s comical, at times, to see him puzzle over things that most people find funny.
To those that think homeschooled children aren’t “socialized”, well, I guess my family is strange because my children are well socialized. They know manners and I am frequently told how gentlemanly they are. We make sure they spend time with people of higher caliber than you’d find in our local schools which are filled with kids that torment those that are different from themselves. American children, as a whole, are being stifled in the school system that is 20 years behind the rest of the world.
Children go to school where they are either ignored or bullied, popular or losers, rich or poor. It is a hate-filled environment at best. Something that children don’t need is to be forced into a box where their creativity is stifled and where they are made to conform. Did you know that the school system we are in doesn’t start musical classes till 5th grade? They have NO physical education. The school my sons would have to go to doesn’t even have a gym! Art is taught once a week. They watch movies that I find inappropriate and the parents aren’t even aware their child of 5 or 6 is watching PG 13 movies just so the teacher can get a few minutes to grade papers.
I take my sons in to do the CSAPs and other “standard” tests and they test out above their peers in everything. We have to register in our school district as homeschooling so they can count us in their yearly count. We aren’t “policed” per se but we DO have to do things through the school district.
It seems like you are doing it right by all accounts. How can parents with only a high school education (which is poor to middling at best) teach calculus and physics? The point of socialization is that some children are deliberately so schooled to keep them from people who are “different” (meaning less) them themselves. The other part is that some of these kids don’t get the normal time to bond and work out group dynamics.This doesn’t serve them well when they are older for sure. I fully agree that there are many children in our schools who are not well brought up and who bully. I also deplore the rich/poor, popular/unpopular dynamic. But this is really on the schools to address don’t you think? Why don’t more parents demand better accountability from their school systems? If schools are poor, as most are these days, they parents need to step in and see that changes are made. While one in 100 does a great job homeschooling, the rest dont and that just makes more illiterate h umans.
[...] So You Wanna Homeschool? [...]
i live in texas, i am a secular homeschooler, i did not attend the conference but i dont have a problem with it. Indoctrination isnt uniquely christian. Many muslim families withdrew kids from public schools after 9/11. Many native american families do not send their kids to public school due to revisionist history lessons. Many gay kids withdraw due to bullying. Are these families indoctrinating their kids? Or is that just the word you use when you disagree with the parents’ belief system? i am sure parents of many faiths want their kids to remain in the faith when they leave home. Religion is part of a family’s tradition and culture. And if we are to value diversity, we cant pick and choose sacred cows. There is room for all voices, even those we disagree with. there are homeschool groups and meetings with a liberal slant too, probably funded by liberal think tanks. Unschooling conferences tend to be very liberal. I can put on my big girl pants and decide for myself which to attend.
http://www.rethinkingeverything.net is an unschooling conference held in texas every year. Not sure who sponsors are, but from the peace signs on website i would guess it isnt a rightwing think tank. And no mention of indoctrination either. Looks like there are options. Even in texas…
it is ironic to me that you think it is ok to paint an entire group of people with such a broad brush; to make fun of them and imply they are ignorant by stooping to deliberately misspell words such as “edu-kate” and “youngins” while at the same time posing to promote diversity and human rights. It is offensive and unnecessary to disrepect any group in that manner. It is equally ironic to me that whie accusing that broad group of indoctrination by not presenting opposing beliefs, you presented info that supports your beliefs (christian conf in tx) while omitting those that do not (unschooling conf in tx). you instead maintain the stereotype of the ignorant hillbilly religious fanatic and conclude maybe we should ban homeschooling like germany.