The Homeschooling Battle

[IDBillzFan]

There was a time when the concept of homeschooling would conjure images of backwoods survivalists in bunkers, trying to stay off the grid.

 

That stigma is gone now, as almost 2 million children are homeschooled in the US alone.

 

There are many reasons why families choose to homeschool, not the least of which it gives parents more control of their child's curriculum and not be tied down to what the state and federal government uses as a one-size-fits-all educational program. We homeschool my son through a curriculum from a local university, and my son has never flourished as he has in the past two years. It's simply been amazing. He attends scheduled classes a couple of days each week with about a dozen other kids in his class, then manages the rest of the work from home.

 

However, in CA, beyond the fact that teachers are paid to have asses in seats, the state has also decided that parents are not smart enough to know what is best for their children. There have a been a few cases of families hurting, torturing and even killing their children, where the unrelated common thread is that those families are designated as homeschoolers.

 

Remember the married lesbians who drive their kids off a cliff recently? Homeschoolers.

 

Remember the Turpin family, who shackled their 13 kids in the basement? Homeschoolers.

 

Most recently in CA, a young wacked out couple torturing their children. Homeschoolers.

 

What is CA's response? Tighter control over homeschooling families.  CA AB2756 was recently shot down as an effort for the state to pull more private information from families who choose to homeschool. Part of this law would literally give the state Fire Marshall the authority to randomly and freely inspect any house of a homeschooling family, much like they inspect businesses for fire hazards. Unscheduled, unfettered access.

 

Except it's a person's home.

 

The law got shot down, fortunately, but CA never gives up a chance to take control over more people's lives. The CBS story will gain traction, and leftists will yell "If we can only save one child!" 

 

But as is always the case with the left, the problem is never the people who commit the crimes. It's always some obscure thread that needs to be regulated.

 

Anyway, it's growing in discussion here so I thought I'd start a separate conversation.

 

 

 

Edited May 17, 2018 by LABillzFan

[LeviF]

As with many hot-button political issues, the "save one child" mantra is effective leftist rhetoric here.  So the response when someone asks "how many children must suffer/die before we do  _____________" is incredibly important.

 

And that response is "all of them."

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

6 minutes ago, LeviF91 said:

As with many hot-button political issues, the "save one child" mantra is effective leftist rhetoric here.  So the response when someone asks "how many children must suffer/die before we do  _____________" is incredibly important.

 

And that response is "all of them."

 

Funny that they're concerned with the lives of children...

 

After they leave the uterus.

 

[KD in CA]

Sounds to me like Mock is ".....harming teachers and firefighters!!"

 

We've chosen the other route.  Live in a town where you pay about six times the national average price for a house and the schools are usually pretty good.   But we'll see what happens when middle school starts.

 

 

[The_Dude]

I’ve home schooled all of my children. My daughters first year in school was fifth grade. She was an instant honor roll student. 

 

I home schooled both my boys this year. My oldest son will be going into 3rd grade. He doesn’t read well but he can tell you a decent amount about the early Roman republic, and my personal deity Julius Caesar. He can tell you all about Winston Churchill, WWII, George Washington, and early American history. My son can walk through the woods and create an edible meal out of the indigenous plants in Georgia. 

 

Plus, momma has a degree in teaching and while not a teacher in a formal sense, I myself am a great teacher who has taught numerous students both things and stuff. 

 

Ive enjoyed home schooling my children. 

 

 

Edited May 17, 2018 by The_Dude

[Koko78]

4 minutes ago, The_Dude said:

 I myself am a great teacher who has taught numerous students both things and stuff. 

 

 

Both things AND stuff?

 

You monster.

[The_Dude]

5 minutes ago, Koko78 said:

 

Both things AND stuff?

 

You monster.

 

Things-n-stuff! Lots of it. I’m a renaissance man, baby!

[DC Tom]

28 minutes ago, The_Dude said:

I’ve home schooled all of my children. My daughters first year in school was fifth grade. She was an instant honor roll student. 

 

I home schooled both my boys this year. My oldest son will be going into 3rd grade. He doesn’t read well but he can tell you a decent amount about the early Roman republic, and my personal deity Julius Caesar. He can tell you all about Winston Churchill, WWII, George Washington, and early American history. My son can walk through the woods and create an edible meal out of the indigenous plants in Georgia. 

 

Plus, momma has a degree in teaching and while not a teacher in a formal sense, I myself am a great teacher who has taught numerous students both things and stuff. 

 

Ive enjoyed home schooling my children. 

 

 

 

I have cousins who were home-schooled.  For religious reasons - my aunt and uncle didn't want them mixing with "undesirables" (which was not code for "blacks."  It was code for "anyone who believes in science."  People like me, basically.)

 

They were an interesting mix of "starting college at the age of 14" book smarts and "Mom, I'm pregnant, how did this happen?" social ignorance.  

[The_Dude]

54 minutes ago, DC Tom said:

 

I have cousins who were home-schooled.  For religious reasons - my aunt and uncle didn't want them mixing with "undesirables" (which was not code for "blacks."  It was code for "anyone who believes in science."  People like me, basically.)

 

They were an interesting mix of "starting college at the age of 14" book smarts and "Mom, I'm pregnant, how did this happen?" social ignorance.  

 

I home schooled mine for education reasons. I’m not a fan of this common core crap. 

 

Further, I’m a smart dude. But I couldn’t read until I was in 2nd grade and so I was placed in the special ed program. When I got to middle school they were still sending me to special ed courses! I decided at a young age that school wasn’t for me as a result and dropped out. 

 

My next step is either a PhD in history or an MBA. Either way, I’ll be sure to hang whichever degree I get next to my Bachelors which hangs next to my framed GED. Who frames and displays a GED? This guy!

[3rdnlng]

3 minutes ago, The_Dude said:

 

I home schooled mine for education reasons. I’m not a fan of this common core crap. 

 

Further, I’m a smart dude. But I couldn’t read until I was in 2nd grade and so I was placed in the special ed program. When I got to middle school they were still sending me to special ed courses! I decided at a young age that school wasn’t for me as a result and dropped out. 

 

My next step is either a PhD in history or an MBA. Either way, I’ll be sure to hang whichever degree I get next to my Bachelors which hangs next to my framed GED. Who frames and displays a GED? This guy!

You were already in the ED program in 2nd grade? How'd you ever have any kids to homeschool?

[The_Dude]

9 minutes ago, 3rdnlng said:

You were already in the ED program in 2nd grade? How'd you ever have any kids to homeschool?

 

I have a friendly mailman. 

[DC Tom]

43 minutes ago, The_Dude said:

 

I home schooled mine for education reasons. I’m not a fan of this common core crap. 

 

Further, I’m a smart dude. But I couldn’t read until I was in 2nd grade and so I was placed in the special ed program. When I got to middle school they were still sending me to special ed courses! I decided at a young age that school wasn’t for me as a result and dropped out. 

 

My next step is either a PhD in history or an MBA. Either way, I’ll be sure to hang whichever degree I get next to my Bachelors which hangs next to my framed GED. Who frames and displays a GED? This guy!

 

Go for the PhD in history.

 

It'll make it that much more fun for me to school your ignorant ass in history.

[Joe Miner]

1 minute ago, DC Tom said:

 

Go for the PhD in history.

 

It'll make it that much more fun for me to school your ignorant ass in history.

 

 

The DC Tom is a pedantic Tom, schooling the ignorance of the fathers to the third and fourth generations of those who don't know their history.

[The_Dude]

7 minutes ago, DC Tom said:

 

Go for the PhD in history.

 

It'll make it that much more fun for me to school your ignorant ass in history.

 

I’d prefer that. If I could get paid to talk about my lord and savior, Julius Caesar, all day I’d be a happy man. 

 

Ill know soon which way I’m goin. 

[Dante]

Like everything else get the useless, unqualified government out of it and open it up to the free market. Like everything else, it will be better and cheaper. Probably wouldn't feel the need to homeschool if this happened.

 

[boyst]

1 hour ago, The_Dude said:

 

I home schooled mine for education reasons. I’m not a fan of this common core crap. 

 

Further, I’m a smart dude. But I couldn’t read until I was in 2nd grade and so I was placed in the special ed program. When I got to middle school they were still sending me to special ed courses! I decided at a young age that school wasn’t for me as a result and dropped out. 

 

My next step is either a PhD in history or an MBA. Either way, I’ll be sure to hang whichever degree I get next to my Bachelors which hangs next to my framed GED. Who frames and displays a GED? This guy!

That's something to be proud of.

[/dev/null]

1 hour ago, The_Dude said:

My next step is either a PhD in history or an MBA. Either way, I’ll be sure to hang whichever degree I get next to my Bachelors which hangs next to my framed GED. Who frames and displays a GED? This guy!

I've met some GEDs that I have more respect for than some PhDs

[3rdnlng]

19 minutes ago, /dev/null said:

I've met some GEDs that I have more respect for than some PhDs

It always bothered my mother that she didn't graduate from high school. At the age of 70 she received earned her GED with the highest scores in memory.

[IDBillzFan]

3 hours ago, The_Dude said:

I’ve home schooled all of my children. My daughters first year in school was fifth grade. She was an instant honor roll student. 

 

The thing I love about homeschooling is how flexible you can be with the curriculum. My son is in the 7th grade, but is taking 9th grade math and science. He takes private lessons for art, piano and voice. His PE is running (we just ran our first 5K together) and TaeKwondo (in a few months he's testing for 3rd degree black belt).  It's all on a schedule created by my wife and him.

 

I had no idea how unhappy he was at school, and we were paying a crapload to a small private school. Suddenly he's surrounded by kids he totally fits in with, making friends like crazy, and is just the happiest I've ever seen him. My wife, too.

 

4 hours ago, KD in CA said:

We've chosen the other route.  Live in a town where you pay about six times the national average price for a house and the schools are usually pretty good.   But we'll see what happens when middle school starts.

 

That's us, as well. Some of the best schools in state are around the corner from us. But middle school was just no fun for him at all. He was bored in class, so-so grades, and having a hard time getting along with others, mostly natural athletes. His fifth grade teacher suggest we have him tested, because she felt his boredom was caused by a slow pace, and it turned out to be great advice. He tested off the charts, and away we went.

 

Now comes the time to move to another state. It's already tough to run my company here. I don't need the Fire Marshall showing up randomly to ensure I'm not beating my kid. He might start counting firearms.

[whatdrought]

I was "homeschooled" because my parents didn't like the public education system... But I also didn't do much in the way of school (parents worked). For me it worked out because I read a lot and worked which helped me find critical thinking and life skills in the real world. When I got to college I had to take some basic math classes to "catch up" but because I had an understanding of how the world worked it was fine for me. 

I am pro-homeschooling and am planning to homeschool my kids because I honestly do not care for the public education system. That being said, I think there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. I think homeschooling can be great if you know where your weakness' are as a teacher and look for outside help in those areas.