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Why We Homeschool: Introduction (the first in a series)

Sat, 05/01/2010 - 10:43 — RobbL

The parenthetical comment should probably read, "the first in a series that will likely be abandoned about one third of the way through, like everything else I start here," but that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

CRywalt left a comment on one of Ben's education posts that included this drive-by piece of snark:

Bad enough we've got evangelical, conservative Christians homeschooling to avoid their kids' learning about evolution or sexual reproduction.

As an evangelical, conservative Christian (I'm an officer in my church, which is part of the Presbyterian Church in America, one of the more theologically conservative denominations) who, along with my wife, has chosen to homeschool our children, I find it disappointing and a bit offensive that this line is delivered without a twinge of recognition that it is simply repeating a convenient stereotype. It belongs on the trash-heap of stereotypes that include, "women who work are putting their careers before their families," and "people from the South are inbred racists."

In the interest of shedding light on the many reasons parents choose to homeschool these days, I will try to do individual posts on these topics:

Not necessarily in that order, and not necessarily exclusively.

Watch this space...

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Sat, 05/01/2010 - 15:13 — Wry Mouth

Homeschooling

Don't forget to throw in some feelings, especially among teachers, about keeping their kids out of the relativistic cesspool, the Lord of the Flies island, that is recess and lunchtimes. I will probably homeschool my youngest after my middle son graduates next year.

And here, Robbl, is someone you might find kinship with: she's my SIL, and a burgeoning writer in the Denver area: http://melissacaddell.com/

Sat, 05/01/2010 - 15:35 — RobbL

Re: Lord of the Flies

Yes, that's definitely under "Social Concerns." And thanks for the link, Wry.

(Heh. Link Wry. Wasn't he the guy that did that "Rumble" song?)

Sun, 05/02/2010 - 20:49 — crywalt

Aw Crap

It wasn't supposed to start a whole thing. It was just a piece of drive-by snark, but also one that can be supported: It's not just a stereotype that homeschoolers are mostly conservative evangelical Christians. Of the families I personally know who homeschool, half of them (exactly two out of four) are conservative Christians (although only one would most likely count as evangelical). And let me tell you that I'm not the kind of person who seeks out religious people to befriend.

Are there other homeschoolers? Sure. Are there lots of reasons to homeschool? Sure. We've considered it ourselves. The main reason we didn't (and don't) is me, because I'm so scatterbrained I'd probably forget the kids were home. Pretty soon they'd be half-feral, picking scraps out of the trash can for lunch.

My point in that earlier thread was not "homeschooling is solely practiced by ignorant malcontents" but "some of the people schooling their children at home are doing so for socially divisive reasons". And that's a lamentable trend. Throw "evangelical conservative christian homeschool" into Google and you get back...well, you get back this site as the third hit. Excellent SEO return! But you also find out, for example, that the Home School Legal Defense Association was founded by a Baptist minister. And US News & World Report quotes a Department of Education report from 2009 stating "83 percent of home-schooled students' parents cite 'providing religious or moral instruction' as one reason that they home-school". Now I imagine some of that 83 percent are Orthodox Jews and some are granola-crunching Wiccans, but, um, who are we kidding here? Most of them are rabid Flat Earthers.

Sun, 05/02/2010 - 22:55 — Wry Mouth

who are we kidding here? Most of them are rabid Flat Earthers.

who are we kidding here? Most of them are rabid Flat Earthers.

:D

Mon, 05/03/2010 - 07:22 — Khabalox

Don't try to deny it....

..... It's Turtles all the way down and you know it.