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It seems like there are two very different groups being discussed here: the "I think I can do a better job of educating my kids than the state" homeschoolers an

by mundo 10y ago

It seems like there are two very different groups being discussed here: the "I think I can do a better job of educating my kids than the state" homeschoolers and the "I want to protect my kids from this immoral society" homeschoolers. I don't know which is more prevalent but all the homeschoolers seem to think of themselves as being in the first group, and most of the vitriol is aimed at the second group, so there's a lot of people talking past each other.

marssaxman 10y ago
The lines are not so clear. My parents started out as the former and evolved into the latter.
- ScottBurson 10y ago
  Please elaborate. Why did that happen?
  - marssaxman 10y ago
    My parents got into home-schooling for practical reasons; I learned to read early, the kindergarten was a long drive away, etc. They intended it as a temporary thing, a year or two before I went off to school like a normal person. By the time my younger siblings came along, they'd gotten the hang of it, liked it a lot, and just kept on teaching us all at home; I never did end up going to school. They had always been religious, and we were raised with religious practice as a part of everyday routine, but they steadily became more and more a part of the countercultural fundamentalism that was growing up around them in the 1980s. As that happened the practice of home-schooling became both a cultural marker and a means of rejecting and protecting their children from what they saw as a corrupt and unhealthy mainstream society. By the time I graduated, my parents and most of their social circle were fully on board with the whole quiverfull homeschooling right-wing fundamentalist subculture. Of course I promptly rejected the whole thing, as did most of my cohort. The fundamentalist homeschooling subculture appears to perpetuate itself almost entirely via recruitment and not through reproduction, so far as my observation goes.
20years 10y ago
I don't think every homeschooler falls within these 2 camps. It really isn't that black and white. The stereotypes try to make it out that way though.
tn13 10y ago
These groups are not exclusive and I don't fundamentally see a problem with the later group as well. If parents do not subscribe to the morality pushed into the schools they should be free to educate kids at them.
anotherevan 10y ago
There is a third group which is, "If I leave my kid in regular school they will probably suicide." Example one: Friend of mine has a kid with some strange behaviours, and some problems with aggression control. The other teenagers at the school constantly tease him, bait him, and make his life miserable. The school has given up on trying to stop this. Example two: Another friend who's thirteen year old daughter was sexually assaulted (not at school), and as a result has virtually become a shut-in. Distance education is the only option at the moment. Example three: My own daughter has some pretty severe anxiety issues and we ended up with school refusal for two years. She just could not cope. She can do the academics, she could not deal with everything else around interacting with other people, chaotic environments, unexpected change and such. We persevered and with a lot of leaning on mental health services, and a wonderful and accommodating staff at the school, we've managed to get our daughter back into school, which ultimately is best for her in the long run. All these in Victoria, Australia - same place as the article. The two groups you mentioned have their motivations rooted in some sort of hubris. I wonder how small their percentage is compared to the group who are just struggling to keep their kids alive and in some semblance of happiness.

by mundo 10y ago

marssaxman 10y ago

The lines are not so clear. My parents started out as the former and evolved into the latter.

ScottBurson 10y ago
Please elaborate. Why did that happen?
- marssaxman 10y ago
  My parents got into home-schooling for practical reasons; I learned to read early, the kindergarten was a long drive away, etc. They intended it as a temporary thing, a year or two before I went off to school like a normal person. By the time my younger siblings came along, they'd gotten the hang of it, liked it a lot, and just kept on teaching us all at home; I never did end up going to school. They had always been religious, and we were raised with religious practice as a part of everyday routine, but they steadily became more and more a part of the countercultural fundamentalism that was growing up around them in the 1980s. As that happened the practice of home-schooling became both a cultural marker and a means of rejecting and protecting their children from what they saw as a corrupt and unhealthy mainstream society. By the time I graduated, my parents and most of their social circle were fully on board with the whole quiverfull homeschooling right-wing fundamentalist subculture. Of course I promptly rejected the whole thing, as did most of my cohort. The fundamentalist homeschooling subculture appears to perpetuate itself almost entirely via recruitment and not through reproduction, so far as my observation goes.

20years 10y ago

I don't think every homeschooler falls within these 2 camps. It really isn't that black and white. The stereotypes try to make it out that way though.

tn13 10y ago

These groups are not exclusive and I don't fundamentally see a problem with the later group as well. If parents do not subscribe to the morality pushed into the schools they should be free to educate kids at them.

anotherevan 10y ago

There is a third group which is, "If I leave my kid in regular school they will probably suicide." Example one: Friend of mine has a kid with some strange behaviours, and some problems with aggression control. The other teenagers at the school constantly tease him, bait him, and make his life miserable. The school has given up on trying to stop this. Example two: Another friend who's thirteen year old daughter was sexually assaulted (not at school), and as a result has virtually become a shut-in. Distance education is the only option at the moment. Example three: My own daughter has some pretty severe anxiety issues and we ended up with school refusal for two years. She just could not cope. She can do the academics, she could not deal with everything else around interacting with other people, chaotic environments, unexpected change and such. We persevered and with a lot of leaning on mental health services, and a wonderful and accommodating staff at the school, we've managed to get our daughter back into school, which ultimately is best for her in the long run. All these in Victoria, Australia - same place as the article. The two groups you mentioned have their motivations rooted in some sort of hubris. I wonder how small their percentage is compared to the group who are just struggling to keep their kids alive and in some semblance of happiness.