tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post3557925805187505223..comments2024-03-27T01:27:21.576-08:00Comments on The Immoral Minority: Homeschoolers taking to the internet to blog about their experiences. As you might imagine they are not positive.Gryphenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02356503547155430235noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-80036140950977113892013-04-15T19:38:18.980-08:002013-04-15T19:38:18.980-08:00Please explain to me how parents who have little k...Please explain to me how parents who have little knowledge or understanding of academics can home school anyone? <br /><br />Are they teaching algebra, physics, grammar, science? Science? Of course not.<br /><br />These people are preparing their children to fail in the real world.DetroitSamnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-9555702453651849102013-04-15T09:46:32.099-08:002013-04-15T09:46:32.099-08:00At one time I worked in a print shop where part of...At one time I worked in a print shop where part of my job was purchasing supplies. One of the salesmen was always difficult. He just always seemed slightly out of kilter. Sometimes what I said was not what he heard. Things like that. Some time after I left the print shop, that fellow started a crusade against home schooling. He said he'd been home schooled and that it caused him a lot of problems dealing with other people. He was quite visible and outspoken for months. Then he disappeared from sight. I've always wondered if he just moved away or was silenced some how. The problems dealing with him made a whole lot of sense after he started talking publicly.lwtjbnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-4995490114936188252013-04-15T09:36:55.816-08:002013-04-15T09:36:55.816-08:00We once made the mistake of visiting Oregon's ...We once made the mistake of visiting Oregon's wonderful seaside aquarium on home school kids day. The home schooled kids made no effort to read any of the posted information about the various creatures or for that matter to look much at those creatures. Instead they were just running around. The whole visit was difficult for us because the kids were also invading our space and interfering with out looking. Their mothers spent the whole time talking to each other and ignoring not only their children but also the aquarium. What could have been a fine educational experience was turned into a social occasion for the adults and free rein for the children. One woman was using the visit to educate her child, talking to him and showing him the most interesting stuff. She did not seem to be with the rest of those parents. <br /><br />lwtjbnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-84084625994166754782013-04-15T09:17:42.494-08:002013-04-15T09:17:42.494-08:00Why would I want to read an article that appears u... Why would I want to read an article that appears uninteresting and lumping a lot of people together. I skipped the article cuz I didn't want the preaching I expected. Eventually, as I saw the number of comments increase, I did read the comments. <br /> If someone wants to play games with misleading headlines (like HuffPo) and not be sufficiently accurate to reflect the article, they can do that. And I can not like. And the headline writer can care or not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-3702602424760103792013-04-15T07:26:28.197-08:002013-04-15T07:26:28.197-08:00Yeah, my son is both bright and motivated. We aske...Yeah, my son is both bright and motivated. We asked on more than one occasion for him to be allowed to move up a grade level and were always shut down. There's no doubt in my mind it's because they needed him for his grades and test scores. Helps bring the average up. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-60593406347568827882013-04-15T05:24:20.611-08:002013-04-15T05:24:20.611-08:00@dbvet, regarding your second post - please stop w...@dbvet, regarding your second post - please stop with the uber-tolerance. It would be warranted if the religious were actually being persecuted. But they want to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of us. Pushback isn't wrong - it's justified self-defense. When they push on others and not us particularly - gays, pregnant women who don't want to be pregnant - that's bullying to which I WILL proudly and loudly say NO.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-46117436951886520242013-04-15T05:21:00.594-08:002013-04-15T05:21:00.594-08:00Great that they did that - not all public schools ...Great that they did that - not all public schools do. Even when I presented the testing done by a state university that my kids were gt would my school offer a path to acceleration. Had to wait for cyber schools, desperate for numbers to make them attractive to a corporate buyout to come along. (BTW, public cyber charters also cater to fundies as parents can pick and choose lessons and alternates). They had them subject test (online from home, so could be cheatable - we didn't) and put them in the grade appropriate. The next year we put them into bricks and mortar public - no questions asked. This is one of the problems with public schools - rigidity. I'd been asking for the opportunity for my sons to test into a higher grade since Kindergarten. The answer was always - "we don't accelerate." Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-49495728522195076892013-04-15T05:13:17.439-08:002013-04-15T05:13:17.439-08:00Leland, many people do just skim headlines. Headli...Leland, many people do just skim headlines. Headlines like these perpetuate that homeschooling is a religious/crazy endeavor. Not the case. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-3966364764051785442013-04-15T05:03:54.753-08:002013-04-15T05:03:54.753-08:00If this had been a one-time occurence - fine. But...If this had been a one-time occurence - fine. But the homeschool bashing from ignorance here needs to stop.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-45163175542087728712013-04-15T05:01:37.058-08:002013-04-15T05:01:37.058-08:00Then Gryphen's headline should reflect that, i...Then Gryphen's headline should reflect that, instead of unwarranted bias. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-72608804603680309072013-04-15T05:00:57.441-08:002013-04-15T05:00:57.441-08:00What about Ronan Farrow? KAO, you don't know A...What about Ronan Farrow? KAO, you don't know ANYTHING about state regs, do you? There is no such thing as an "education specialist" and tutors are not regulated at all under any state reg unless they are hired by .... a public school. <br /><br />And that is one of the attractions of homeschooling - my sons were homeschooled, now n public school. In homeschool, they often attended lectures/presentations at our nearest city museum - taught by people with PhD,s but no "ed background" - in case you didn't know, the 'education department is generally scorned by real academics, justifiably, as it's entrance requirements (GPA) are much owe than most other disciplines. They also took music from a dynamic teacher and MUSICIAN who has played internationally. From her they've learned advanced theory as well as performance skills. Their public school chorale class is abysmal(and this is a "better school.) Off-key, fidgety, and my sons have "learned: little there.<br /><br />Educate yourself before you spew on a blog - 'kay? <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-47367808889434962212013-04-15T04:52:26.185-08:002013-04-15T04:52:26.185-08:00@1:24 The point I was making is that an age-based...@1:24 The point I was making is that an age-based peer group never again exists. <br /><br />And much of the problem in the work place is exacerbated by age-based bias.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-70803783024733358862013-04-14T19:09:18.435-08:002013-04-14T19:09:18.435-08:00Many of the present-day students listed were NOT &...Many of the present-day students listed were NOT "home-schooled" in the sense the post speaks of - they were TUTORED - by an education specialist - often under strict state guidelines. <br /><br />Big difference. Great, big difference.KatieAnnieOakleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16958593736528021920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-56685898643466472192013-04-14T18:20:57.855-08:002013-04-14T18:20:57.855-08:00I've seen good homeschooling that's done f...I've seen good homeschooling that's done for the right reasons for the particular family's situation, but I understand the fundamentalist religious type of home schooling a lot of people automatically equate with the term "homeschooling" and the damage it inflicts on the child's development. <br />I was raised in a Parochial Roman Catholic educational system, and the "religion" part was, for the most part, rote regurgitation mixed with what I call "Catholic Aerobics". <br /><br />There was a family in my neighborhood that raised a boy with a "congenital liver condition" that limited his interactions with other kids. He had a few friends who were allowed to play on the porch or in the house, only if they all wore masks to cover their mouths. The parents hired tutors and were held to the same requisites as the public schools. Years later, they found that what he had was a form of jaundice that's fairly common in newborns. <br />We chose to send our kids to public school and stayed closely involved with their education. Our son didn't seem challenged enough in his grade and we discussed it with his teacher. Based on his grades, they gave us the option to have him tested at the next grade level, and if he got a b or better, he could skip a grade but had to audit Math and English classes before making the decision. It was something that put his needs first, but we had to take the initiative and have his teachers vouch he was mature enough. Anita Winecoolernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-35087220842377821362013-04-14T16:03:26.638-08:002013-04-14T16:03:26.638-08:00LOL, the ad at the bottom of my page is for a tuit...LOL, the ad at the bottom of my page is for a tuition-based homeschool program for grades 3-12. And you get...wait for it...college credit at Liberty University! That's Jerry Falwell's outfit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-22071635235079666572013-04-14T13:50:25.807-08:002013-04-14T13:50:25.807-08:00May I suggest that fulling reading an article befo...May I suggest that fulling reading an article before jumping to conclusions (and causing the rise in blood pressure) might help?Lelandnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-42794930524242808762013-04-14T13:26:04.219-08:002013-04-14T13:26:04.219-08:00I've been reading Frank Schaffer's (son of...I've been reading Frank Schaffer's (son of Francis) book "Crazy for God." He grew up helping found the religious right and has now repudiated it completely. Very good, interesting read, especially for someone like me who came from a background in which Rushdoony was all but deified.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-86135120261987301102013-04-14T13:24:47.458-08:002013-04-14T13:24:47.458-08:007:26 a.m. "students learn to communicate outs...7:26 a.m. "students learn to communicate outside their Lord of the flies age peer group - an artificial construct that NEVER, ever again exists"<br /><br />Obviously you haven't worked at some of the offices where I've worked. I feel like I'm still in that exact "Lord of the Flies" junior high mentality. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-40846315405033717622013-04-14T13:23:06.108-08:002013-04-14T13:23:06.108-08:00Oh, f**k. We used a Gary North "textbook"...Oh, f**k. We used a Gary North "textbook" in my dominionist high school poli sci class. I have forgotten details, but the gist was about why capitalism is the only Christian economic system, per the Old Testament. I hoped this guy had just gone away.<br /><br />At Christian college, I applied to waive the poli sci requirement because my high school class had allegedly been an AP course (although none of us took the "liberally biased" AP test, of course). The college asked what textbooks we used, laughed really hard when they found out, and made me retake poli sci.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-6869684292757290012013-04-14T12:53:55.500-08:002013-04-14T12:53:55.500-08:00They can't wipe out intelligence or the will a...They can't wipe out intelligence or the will and desire to question.<br /><br />I wasn't homeschooled but attended a very repressive, authoritarian "Christian" school. We were encouraged to "think" (=adhere to the Gospel of capitalism and dominionism, resisting the "worldly forces around us") until we started to question what we were taught. At that point we were told it was a sin to question the authority "God had placed over us." Essentially, we were taught that God wanted us to subsume our individuality to him and cared only for our obedience and submission. <br /><br />Like the woman in the excerpt, I tried very hard to be a perfect, submissive, obedient acolyte. In my case, I ended up severely depressed and borderline suicidal by age 16. I was blamed, told I needed more faith and to be less selfish, and informed, with increasing severity, that I needed to snap out of it and "stop whining." (I have since been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.) I could not control my unruly emotions, and within that paradigm, there was no room or understanding for a teenaged girl with unruly emotions. It was an either-or, and for me, with a raging and untreated chemical imbalance, there wasn't even a real choice. I left the church and rejected everything we had been taught.<br /><br />Twenty years later, and despite years of therapy and medication, I still have nightmares about that school, and I still cut myself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-27072665044060625382013-04-14T12:52:07.444-08:002013-04-14T12:52:07.444-08:00You are describing situations in which it DOES &qu...You are describing situations in which it DOES "pay" to home school - after formal complaints are filed and acted upon (or not). <br /><br />But you are also missing the point of Gryphen's posting. Home schooling can be a rich and rewarding way to go - as long as it ISN'T used to drown out facts and imprint blind religion onto a child's brain. As long as it IS used to actually EDUCATE. And THAT is the point many of us are trying to convey. At least, as I read it!<br /><br />That and the people mentioned above are saying the same thing!Lelandnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-22114508700463084182013-04-14T12:44:56.946-08:002013-04-14T12:44:56.946-08:00Notice anything else similar among these people yo...Notice anything else similar among these people you listed? Look at their ages. They mostly went through home schooling BEFORE these crazy xtian fanatics got hold of it and used it to lock their kids into their own religious beliefs!! The so-called christians about whom Gryphen and a lot of us here talk about a lot.<br /><br />Your list of home schooled were educated when the state actually TESTED properly those who went through it! When there were state standards and guidelines for what was considered a quality education. Unfortunately, a lot of the states in which home schooling is taking over are those where even the government agrees with the ignorant rantings of those same radical xtians!<br /><br />Are there decent home school systems? Certainly and more power to them. The problem is that more and more we see the extreme right using it - and WE are going to pay for it by having to support the poor kids that get stuck with the crap going on. Unless they are some of the lucky ones smart enough to recognize all of this as those mentioned in Gryph's posting!Lelandnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-14741955220583338412013-04-14T12:04:13.982-08:002013-04-14T12:04:13.982-08:001000 thanks to you for helping young people grow i...1000 thanks to you for helping young people grow into thoughtful and learned adults. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-76673469240604630002013-04-14T11:09:51.471-08:002013-04-14T11:09:51.471-08:00Au contraire, not nearly harsh enough. -:)Au contraire, not nearly harsh enough. -:)hrhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06989434735794993426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9361564.post-6543287457826896022013-04-14T10:04:21.909-08:002013-04-14T10:04:21.909-08:00I see some texans are praying for rain today. Like...I see some texans are praying for rain today. Like many in this country, they are experiencing serious drought. A convenient thing about their religion is that it always seems to give them someone to blame if their god has abandoned them - the gays, the atheists, etc. They don't believe in that science stuff, that would raise too many questions about what they believe. Nah! Blame the homosexuals and unbelievers instead. Yeah, that's the ticket. It is amazing to think about how much of the dogma of these religions is devoted to keeping the gravy train going for those in charge of them. How many preachers have mansions, luxury cars, boats? Nonprofit my ass.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com