Brain Fertilizer

Are you trying to rouse me, Nathan?

You know the only thing is, it really shows their complete ignorance....

Excepting the part of your commentary after the asterick, I agreed. When did conservatives develop such a thin skin? Part of the fun of being a conservative if you get to keep your sense of humor.

The answer to PC is not to be thoroughly PC.

Malkin just needed a column topic. When you write for your daily bread, sometimes you have to reach ...

Agreed, Nathan. Sometimes folks just need a spoonful of
"chill". You're right about it being an excellent
learning opportunity for homeschooling parents to
provide their kids, though.

Left and right, both sides tend to make mountains out
of molehills. On the liberal side, you know Dru Blood
is probably raging about this too, given she is an
ardent homeschooler (who blogs about it often).

Rae, I thought of you as I was typing, but decided to see what happened.
This doesn't cast aspersions on homeschoolers as a whole, in my mind.
If anything, I wonder if it's just a 'get-even' thing: being tired of hearing overly-sensitive liberals whine about stuff like that, these homeschoolers decided to return a little taste of the medicine....? But I don't think that's the way to go, since it is indistinguishable from hypocrisy. The high ground always is the way to go: it provides better perspective.
Although I guess it could have been liberal homeschoolers who were upset, perhaps.

Oh it's not you that I would be concerned about, Nathan. You have the ability to critically think about things; however, there are many many people out there who are a bit like the baby birds in the nest....

Jo- there is a liberal ardent home-educator* who blogs?

*my preferred term because it connotates life as an educating experience as opposed to "homeschooling" which causes me to visualize other things involving buildings, textbooks, boredom.....

Yes, Rae. Just Google Dru Blood. Monk is one of her boys, I can't remember the other's names. But she blogs a lot about her experience of teaching her boys at home. She has a group of other home educating mothers she interacts with; they schedule excursions to museums and that sort of stuff.

I am from an area a short trip from one of the most liberal towns in the U.S., and i can assure you there are a TON of homeschooling liberals...they believe public education contributes to gender roles, stereotyping, glorifies war, etc. etc. That's just the tiny tip. I would bet just as many folks homeschool on the far left as they do on the right.

On a personal note, my dear, sweet little favorite girls (My cousin's daughters) are homeschooled because my cousin and his wife feels having them attend public schools will strip them of their innocence and youthful happiness. They'll learn too soon about makeup and boys, etc. So right now, they are just busy being the politest, sweetest, funnest young ladies you ever met. And their folks are Dems, so.....

Jo- I hope I didn't sound too flippant. I honestly get a little annoyed at the conservative right thinking they own the park on home education.

When it comes down to it, we home educate for a variety of reasons, but you did touch base on a few of them. I love it that my girls can have a polite conversation with adults (which shocks many grown-ups); that they will still play dolls together (shhhh! E, the oldest, would kill me if she knew I said anything about it :) ); and put on silly plays for our entertainment; that they have absolutely no idea who Brittany Spears is, but would recognize Bach and Schumann in an instant (Norah Jones, too); I love that I have had the opportunity to really know them and they me; I love that I can read the same book they are and we can discuss it together so I am not seen as completely separate from their education; I prefer that I shape their worldview and that it is neither black and white, nor technicolor.

I have a few more thoughts about this, but, alas, the schedule of my day calls to me. Jo, I'll come back. I am curious as to your thoughts about home education....

It wasn't that long ago that I would have said both sides of the spectrum who teach at home are nuts. But, as I have gotten older and my friends & relatives have had children, I have changed my thinking quite a bit. I think some parents do a better job than a public school can.

Manners seem to really "stick" with homeschooled children. And, for many children, they'll seek out education that interests them on their own. Near where I live we have a special center for homeschoolers that offers music lessons (from viola to piano and beyond), and have college-educated folks on hand that deal with specialties like science and other things homeschooling parents might not be able to teach very well...or might find their children quickly surpassing them in. ;) Some of these folks include university professors who donate their time. This program is subsidized by the state, and is very popular.

I would like to see yearly competency tests for homeschoolers, just to make sure they are at a level they should be. Or if not tests, maybe just interviews. Something to just touch base with these kids to make sure "homeschooling" is what's really happening. I think it is important to weed out the parents who aren't making a strong effort to teach. Sadly, I grew up nearby a family of children who were "homeschooled" so their dad wouldn't be revealed as a physical abuser. Now, this is very unlikely to occur, but seeing it once was enough to know that for children's sakes, there must be some sort of structured system for homeschooling parents to report to. Not some gestapo take-away-your-kids-if-we-don't-like-what-you're-teaching thing. Just something small, some way to check in on them. An annual mental physical, I guess. :)

Jo, most states have varying requirements concerning home education. Some are more strict and some are less so. I don't agree with mandatory testing because I think it motivates both public school teachers and home educators to teach to the test. I have personally found that tests don't truly measure what you know, but how well you take a test: you organizational ability and thinking skills, but not what one knows. The interview thing might work. I do know that there does exist an certain degree of skepticism between the districts and the home educators. It could be that they have seen some pretty bad situations. And that truthfully makes me very sad for the children, and also for "the cause." To me, saying that there need to be more restrictions for those who exercise the right of educating the children they conceived, bore, and rear because of the few that abuse it, is like saying that because there is a higher percentage of black men in prison, then there should be social measures taken to restrict the freedom law-abiding black people enjoy. I know that is an extreme example, but you know my thoughts on statistics anyway ;)

The 'teaching to the test' problem is one of the things Jo objects to about the No Child Left Behind Act, I believe...[grin]

(although I admit I may be mixing up her personal view with that of prominent Democrats...)

Yes, you are mixing up my views. ;)

But I do feel there needs to be some sort of touchstone. Like an interview, a mild test of sorts, something. I don't think it punishes parents; I think it just makes sure that kids are getting all the tools they need.

I think I personally object because it still keeps big brother in the picture- you know, "we can't trust the parents to get the job done properly, so we must make sure it does."

Does that reveal my populism politcal theories as opposed to elitism? ;)

I often get "Well you are obviously intelligent enough to do it, Rae, but there are many more people out there who just can't do it." To the point that not everyone can or should, I say yes. To the point that my appearance of intellect better qualifies me, I say no. It has been shown that a woman without even a high school diploma is just as successful in her home educating endeavors as a mother with a degree or post-grad degree.

Let me reiterate that I don't think it is for everyone to do, but I do think everyone should have the freedom to choose to home educate if they desire to do so.

And let's be brutally honest: many (although certainly not all, and not even a majority, but many) educators go into teaching because they are not exceptionally intelligent, confident, or ambitious.

Furthermore, I'd like to point out that I excelled in school, but my parents' main intent seemed to be to train me to be a good child. As a result, I was completely unprepared for actual life, as in paying bills, late fees, investing, credit cards, the implications of debt, buying a house, saving for things you want, etc.
If a child didn't learn one thing about literature, but learned how to balance a checkbook simply because they stayed home and watched the parent do it, they'd already be more prepared for life.

Education absolutely does not end at age 18, or even 21. One of the greatest disservices that our education system does to individuals is imply (or insist) that you can only be educated through school. The best education is self-education. School should never be seen as the completion of education, but rather a starting point. I would love to see our education system openly and repeatedly state: "All we do is give you an introduction to math, science, art, and literature so that you can learn what you want to delve more deeply into on your own."
And that's what homeschooling excels at.

Heck, from another point of view, the National Educators Association (NEA) is continually and constantly pushing for more education funding to reduce class size. If smaller class sizes are good so that the teacher can more ably focus on what each individual child needs, well, isn't a class of 1-6 children far smaller than anything we could ever achieve in public education?

School should never be seen as the completion of education, but rather a starting point. I would love to see our education system openly and repeatedly state: "All we do is give you an introduction to math, science, art, and literature so that you can learn what you want to delve more deeply into on your own."

Well, you know I am in total agreement on this matter.

It should be stated that FTR, my mom delivered most of my education. It's a big reason why I can't go anywhere on vacation or business without stopping by atleast one area museum. (I would have been such a killjoy during spring break).

Nathan- simply brillant! I am flying today, and have several catch-up appointments to keep tomorrow, but I am coming back here ASAP to link and/or quote you and this conversation.

Well done; good show; well done.