Look, the problem with most Public Schools is not necessarily the School.
Right, it's the government school system.
Wrong. If you understood anything about human nature, you would understand that when responsibility is taken where it was previously held by someone else, the person that held it before tends to relinquish their responsibility. If you want parents to be responsible, then don't advocate a system that allows the removal of parent's responsibility, which is what public school allows.
Sure, there are bad school administrators and there are bad teachers. Some Public Schools in some states and in some cities are probably terrible, however, the success of a child's education isn't completely dependent upon the school, the teacher, or the administrators. The success of the child's education is dependent upon the active involvement of the parents in their children's lives.
Right! The success of a child's education is dependent upon the active involvement of the parents in their children's lives! That's a great description for homeschooling. Why do you subject your children to government schools whose intent is to thwart your premise?
If a kid fails, it's because his parents let him fail.
That, and the government schools don't care if the kid fails, either. Read the book.
Most schools offer solid curriculum…
Except for the part where they teach the children they are slime that came to life by accident. And another part where they discourage phonics. And the other parts where teachers who teach bad things are rarely discouraged.
…and most teachers are good teachers.
This would only be true if teachers didn't know how bad the system was. They do know how bad it is, so they are culpable. We know this is true because:
1. My mother, a teacher in the late 50's early 60's recognized how bad the system was even in the "good" school districts, and the system certainly hasn't gotten better with age!
2. John Taylor Gatto chronicles the evidence, read about it here:
http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/
3. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute tracks the percentage of public school teachers that send their kids to private school (Hint – the percentage is WWWWWAAAAAYYYYYY higher than the general population, even in rural districts)
In fact, most teachers have my sincere respect. My dad is a teacher, my grandmother was a teacher, and I have three aunts and one cousin who are teachers.
Now I see you have an emotional interest in saying public schools are good. I understand, but you should at least learn to temper your loyalties with some facts.
What a fantastic job! Yes, they get paid for this job, but they are also being of service. They need support from their communities and from their classes' parents, because it is a big job. If they fail, it's because their classes' parents failed them. It always goes back to the parents. If a child is struggling, the parent needs to step in. If a parent wants their child to learn more on a subject, than the parent needs to step in.
Patently wrong. See above.
Speaking of parental involvement, my family is Christian. We are raising our children as Christians. They are involved in our Church, go to Sunday School, choir, Awana, and are taught the Bible by their parents. As I'm sure you do, we parent with God and His Word in mind. Our kids are taught to have faith and to lean on Him.
Great. Your children might survive because you are doing so well with them when they are not in school. Just remember, they will survive because of your constant re-training, and in spite of their schooling.
Forgive me for saying this, but I sometimes wonder how much faith you have in your children and in God by how much some of you homeschoolers fear Public Education. Sure, some things at school are different than what is taught at home. They experience different schools of thought and meet different children who are raised differently. You fear this. I can see it in your words. I just don't. I really don't think it confuses them as much as you would have us Christian Public School supporters believe. In fact, I've seen the opposite. I think it strengthens the Christian child's faith as well as provides opportunites for growth, for compassion, for realistic questions, for witnessing, and for love.
At least you admit it takes faith to put one's children in harm's way. Frankly, I keep my kids out of danger. But I guess I'm funny that way.
So, danger? My kids are only in danger if I abandon them from my involvement in their education.......from their lives.
At least you admit that leaving kids on their own is dangerous. And especially because the evidence is clear that many wolves prowl the government schools systems hallways with impunity (even encouragement). And this, coupled with the fact that the only system that lets you leave-your-kids-and-forget-about-them is the government schools system. It's hard to do if you are private schooling, and almost impossible with homeschooling.
What do you think, Yorzhic, Christian familes who choose public education are not involved? What do you think.....that we just have them go to school and call it good? No, we most certainly don't. My wife volunteers in our kids classes and I visit often. Besides this, there are huge amounts of time spent with our kids and their homework as well as our own brand or twist on what they have learned. A lot of you "Christian" homeschoolers attempt to paint the average Christian public schoolers as stupid and uninvolved.....that we are monsters for sending our kids to Public School.
Just remember, they will survive because of your involvement, and in spite of the schooling they get in the government school system.
See, this is why I get so upset with Christians like you. You aren't any better than the dysfunctional organized religion type Christians that I have chosen to stay away from for so long. You seem to have it in your head that if a Christian doesn't do something which you think is Christian we aren't Christian. I know, I know.....you haven't said that, but that's what I perceive to come next.
That would only be because you are irrational and paranoid. Instead of understanding the compelling evidence presented to you for your own good; instead you stop your ears and scream pejoratives at those who disagree with you.
Christine came dangerously close to that and might have well said it. It's in her words and it's in yours. It's in a lot of posters I see at TOL who go out of their way to blast Public Education and any Christian who chooses to not completely agree that Homeschooling is the only option.
Anyone who's read this thread even superficially realizes that you are overstating the situation. Why do you overstate it? What are you afraid of? Possibilities include: your emotional attachment to teachers in your family, or you know you are putting your children at risk and don't want to realize your internal conflict, or both. You might even have another reason you haven't alluded to, but these are the only two you've mentioned so far.
Case in point; you just attempted to paint an even worse picture of me by comparing my support of public education with abortion....murder. That I'm causing the destruction of my kids like I would if I aborted them! You're sick, and I feel sorry for you.
I was using a bit of a generality there. Abortion doesn't kill all the kids that undergo the procedure, but that is the aim of abortion. So because that is the intent of abortion, we say, "don't have an abortion and destroy your children." even though not ALL children are sure to be murdered by abortion. In the same way, the intent of public schools is to harm your children, so we use the English literary convention of speaking of a part being the whole.
Your attempt to say that I'm equating abortion with public school when my intent to show that we should care for one another is clear and telling of your shrill extremist stance.
You have done nothing but convince me that I have made the right decision and as Nori has warned....... pushed me even further away from ever considering homeschooling, or at the very least, supporting it. In fact, other than Nori and a few other homeschoolers I respect at TOL and in my own life, I'm beginning to have a low opinion of most of you.
Good! I'm glad we are getting you to commit one way or the other. As God said, "I'd rather you be hot or cold."
There.....that's more than I was gonna post and more than you deserve. This all started because I stated that it was "okay" to believe in other options besides homeschool.
That's a lie, we've all stated there are more options than just homeshooling (although homeschooling is the best option). Tutoring and private school (if one chooses a good one) are good options as well. You didn't "stated that it was "okay" to believe in other options besides homeschool", you said that public school was a GOOD idea. And
that deserves a rebuttle.
I was attacked....not the other way around. In fact, I have stated from the beginning that it's a personal decision. A parent's decision.....a decision which is none of your business and none of mine. If you take anything away from this argument, I hope you take away that. As I have said before, homeschoolers are entitled to their opinions. In the future, I just hope some of you learn to "sell" it in a different way. Obviously, attempting to demonize us isn't gonna work.
SOTK
I don't know about that SOTK. I'm mean, it seems that attacking you and demonizing you has resulted in one good thing… at least you seem to be solidly cold now.
And one more thing, it
is my business to warn people that they are putting their kids in harm's way.
