Homeschooling: America's Hidden Breeding Ground for Conservative Ideology

[marmar]

via AlterNet:




Homeschooling: America's Hidden Breeding Ground for Conservative Ideology

By Julien Brygo, Le Monde diplomatique. Posted February 12, 2009.

Two million American families have opted out of state and private school systems to teach their children at home, often without qualifications.



I've never let my school interfere with my education. -- Mark Twain


The heart of middle America beats in Ohio, the state that won the 2004 US presidential election for George Bush. You might think that middle America, badly hit by the recession, would be fertile ground for leftwing ideas -- but no. Conservative ideology is flourishing.

The Tomkins family live in the Hocking River Valley, a former mining area. It resonates with birdsong and their house has a fountain and a pet tortoise. It also has a surprising living room that has been transformed into a documentary resource centre. Although there is no blackboard among the book-covered walls, this room is a private classroom, one of thousands across the United States in which parents teach their own children. Welcome to homeschooling.

Two computers with broadband internet access stand on desks beside the bookshelves. "One of the principles of homeschooling is that when you don't know much about something you can be sure someone else out there does. There will always be a web user, another parent from the cooperative, or a text book author," explained Jane Tompkins, a former art history professor at the University of Athens, Georgia. She teaches Will, 12, and Becky, 15, every morning, replacing the oath of allegiance to the US constitution with a prayer and a reading from the Bible.

There is nothing revolutionary about this. The children sit during class, listen to the teacher and do their homework. The only visible difference from conventional education is that Will, Becky and two other students, children of a Catholic neighbour, do not get marks, they work at their own rhythm and may interrupt the lesson at any time. Their course is largely based on the traditional curriculum and has been put together to suit the mother's competence and the children's desires, which include piano lessons, history, science, maths and writing. ........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/story/96685/homeschooling%3A_america%27s_hidden_breeding_ground_for_conservative_ideology/

[MichellesBFF]

1. I think my husband is the exception

He was homeschooled in the 70's to the early 80's. His mom didn't like what the public school system was doing to him. And it definitely wasn't about religion or conservatism! (But I'm not saying that the vast majority of homeschoolers are not about religion or conservatism.)

And it really worked out for him, he's a computer professional, who is able to teach himself in a way I wish I could teach myself. He's always picking up new things.

[exboyfil]

2. The key passages in the article

"Despite that, several studies have shown that the pupils are well prepared for the university system and rank their performance as above average."

In the end that is all that matters. I would only need one more academic subject to tip to being a waste of time for my daughter to pull her out of Junior High and teach her at home.

[ixion]

3. Homeschooling itself is not the problem

it's whacko-fundie idiots using it as a way to keep their kids stupid.

That doesn't mean that homeschooling itself is bad, though, IMO.

[xchrom]

4. recommend

[kstewart33]

5. As an educator, I've known many parents who homeschool.

More often than not, the parents are committed to giving their kids a good education. Often homeschooling occurs on farms and ranches where the kids can help with the chores when needed (makes sense to me). And ditto on the point that homeschooled kids typically outperform many others in college.

The 'breeding ground for conservative ideology' is absurd. If parents want to indoctrinate their kids, there are many options for that, homeschooling or not.

[pleah]

6. Well, said.

:thumbsup:

[Eryemil]

8. Exactly. It's not hard either in a culture that both glorifies early indoctrination and where...

...it is the standard.

[zbdent]

7. self-removed ...

tacky ...

[ejpoeta]

9. i don't really think homeschooling is a bad thing.

yes, there are people who do not like what the kids are learning in the schools, and maybe they think the kids would get a better education with a more individualized program. how many of the winners of the spelling bee have been homeschooled? I have friends who homeschool their kids. the kids follow the same curriculum as the school does. they did it because the kids were having problems at school. i think with the other kids there. and the kids prefer homeschooling. i have thought of homeschooling my own daughter, but I don't think that's going to happen. I want her to be able to be around OTHER people besides me. and her grades are excellent. it's her social skills that need work.

[Alcibiades]

10. I've already taught my four year old that Republicans are bad

and want to destroy America. I know that many of these right wingers are saying worse about us.

The bottom line is you teach your kids what you think is true: if what you've taught them jibes with the reality they observe as they get older, they will know you told the truth, and if it does not, they are free to make up their own minds, which is the most important skill you can impart.

[dccrossman]

11. Friend of mine homeschools her son

She would definitely not be "conservative".

The biggest issue, in my opinion, is lack of exposure to differing opinions and different people expressing those opinions.

One advantage, in the mind of the homeschooler, is the opportunity to completely control the set of ideas and opinions that one's child is exposed to. I can see the allure of this from both the right and the left.

Of course as the mainstream of America is becoming more secular and less religious, more on the right see a need to "protect" their kids.

Most of my friends that are more liberal, are happy to see their kids exposed to as many ideas as possible, even if those ideas differ from their own.

[MicaelS]

12. Considering how much time and money

Public schools devote to extra-curricular activities such as sports, band and what not to the detriment of actually getting an education, it's not surprise people are home-schooling their kids.

[benld74]

13. Recommed vacinations required to attend a school are bypassed as well

[Caoimhe]

14. I've known both kinds

I have a cousin who homeschooled her children because she felt she could give them a better education. While the kids did suffer in some areas (only because she herself had trouble learning math and you cannot teach methodology you don't know) but she was honest enough to admit it, and get a private tutor for them in that subject. The kids are both in college and doing very well. Mom canvassed for Obama in

I also have a cousin who homeschools 4 children because the public schools are GODLESS. The girls wear long dresses and don't cut their hair. They are incredibly shy and never initiate conversation. The oldest just "graduated" last year and still doesn't have her drivers license. When I asked her why not, she said that she would have to either get 500 hours of driving time with a parent, or take a drivers ed class at a high school. Her mother is too frightened to let the daughter drive with her, and father is away from home for weeks on end for work. I told her that the public schools should be able to accomodate her joining a drivers ed class, and she and her sister opened their eyes wide. "We don't like public school kids." they told me. I asked why not?

They explained that public school kids have no morals. When asked about college, the oldest just shrugged and said she wouldn't know what she'd want to be, she's just happy to help mom take care of the younger kids, and maybe she'll become a nanny. My guess is she will get married and start having kids soon, to someone approved by the family and their church. The kids have nothing in common with their cousins and they have a stunted sense of humor. It's really painful to see this going down. They are not doing their kids any favors, imho. And they all hate Barack Obama and think GWB was a godly man. Shocked?