Without question, the contributions of homeschoolers are dramatically changing our political landscape. For example, leadership courses, camps, and organizations such as Generation Joshua, a division of the Home School Legal Defense Association, are coming alongside homeschooling families to train future leaders. During the 2010 mid-term elections Generation Joshua deployed 900 of their nearly 6,000 members to make a difference in 21 political races across the nation, including that of Congressman Daniel Webster (R-FL), a homeschooling father.Suck it, public schoolers.
Dr. Brian Ray, founder of the National Home Education Research Institute, in his 2004 study of more than 7,000 homeschooled adults, showed that homeschoolers were more likely to vote, volunteer for political campaigns, and participate in community service. Dr. Ray found that 71% of homeschool graduates participated in ongoing community service activities compared to 37% of U.S. adults of similar ages, and 76% of homeschool graduates (aged 18–24) had voted in a national or state election within the last 5 years, compared to 29% of non-homeschooled graduates.
Sunday, 26 December, 2010
Homeschoolers, FTW
My uncle forwarded this on to me, and I thought it was worth sharing:
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7 comments:
Why should I 'suck it?"
I attended a public school. Are you telling me that my public school experience is worthless, that your home school experience is so superior that I don't count?
Think about what you are saying before you say it.
Mad - I don't think Walker meant his comment quite the way you have taken it. Our children were also in the public system, where they did well, and have all gone on to good careers while both voting and volunteering regularly. But we were concerned and involved parents, helping our children navigate the shoals of uncaring (and sometimes incompetent) teachers and unruly and disinterested fellow students. One child even wrote, when applying for a special program, that it would be great to be in a class with others who want to study.
I think the point being made is that home-schooling parents are involved parents, determined to do the best for their children and willing to put in the time to ensure this. Further, they also recognize their responsibilities to the wider community, and will give to that community. Given there has been so much extremely negative press about the harm being done to the home-schooled (as I recall, at least one expert equated home schooling to child abuse), Walker is pointing out that the home schoolers are not twisted fanatics, and the home-schooled are not warped, anti-social misfits.
I understand your upset with Walker. I'm not impressed by his final comment either. After all, there are a lot of good, committed parents whose only option is to use the public system. But, equally, there are too many parents who seem to equate good parenting with unconditional acceptance of their child's whims and desires, and whose only involvement is abuse of staff and other students when their own child's behaviour is called to account. And there are the other parents, whose involvement with their offspring seems to have ended with conception and/or birth, who neglect their children, treating the school system as childcare and expecting the schools to do what they - the parents - will not. This is the sad reality. On the other hand, there are really bad schools and incompetent teachers, and the best parents in the world can't really compensate when their children are in this situation. The public system needs to mandate high standards for both staff and students. Otherwise, they are operating under false pretenses and failing both their students and the general public who pays them.
Ahem, I think Frances kinda got it in her second paragraph there. We've spent so many years having people ask us "What about socialization?" (I mean seriously? That has got to be the most offensive question you can ask a homeschool student/graduate.) and "But what about university?" and so forth that we deserve a few gloating points.
Thankfully I think the homeschool image is improving due to a much larger segment of the population doing it. I am much more likely to run into the response "Oh my sister/neighbour/friend does that and her kids are so wonderful" rather than "But, but, but..." these days.
And sorry Mad Hatter but we do think homeschooling is better than public schooling, otherwise I assure you that parent would voluntarily sign up for that much extra work. But not, of course to the point of thinking public schoolers don't count (if I remember my critical thinking course that is called a straw man) after all our parents were public schooled. So we know that they are educatable, we keep teaching them stuff all the time. Right Walker?
Mad Hatter - geez, I was kidding. Can't a guy gloat a little? :)
Frances - well said.
Rebekah - also, well said. It's a nice feeling when the homeschooling life is vindicated a little - when we're not painted as weird loners, that's a win in my book.
So we know that they are educatable, we keep teaching them stuff all the time. Right Walker?
Exactly. There are tons of people who have gone through the public system that I know for a fact are far more intelligent and engaged than I am.
Regretably, I must concur that home schooling is superior in many instances. The problem is that - for many families - this is not a real option. It requires a parent at home, for one thing, and then one has to have parents who are competent in transmitting information and are comfortable in doing same.
Given this is not an option for all parents, then we all have to unite to demand more accountability (hateful word) from school boards and parents alike. The boards - and unions - have to take responsibility for the competence of the staff. Parents have to be held accountable: it's not enough that you've given birth (or - for fathers - contributed sperm), you have to be positively involved in your child's upbringing, even if that means your ownh life is somewhat circumscribed.
The problem is that - for many families - this is not a real option.
Oh, absolutely. I'm not denying that. Some people don't have the luxury, and nobody is suggesting that they are bad parents because of it.
you have to be positively involved in your child's upbringing, even if that means your ownh life is somewhat circumscribed.
Again, absolutely. Even given the above, parental involvement is an important factor in education - in the public, private, or homeschooled environment.
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