Homeschooling Controversy

student.gifAfter mulling over the idea of homeschooling for some time now, another obstacle has jumped in my way. A judge has ruled that children in California must be taught by a credentialed teacher, and that includes homeschooling parents. The ruling is in connection with a case of child abuse where the parents claimed to be homeschooling their kids. I can see requiring registration with the state, or using approved curriculum, or having your curriculum approved by the state, but to deny parents the right to choose how their children are educated is crazy. To me this is what parenting is all about—choosing what your children will learn and how they will learn it. What do you think?

6 Comments

  1. Matt
    Mar 9, 2008

    I agree with you whole-heartedly. That Judge is actually overstepping the bounds of the Constitution (which is a pretty regular thing for Judges to do nowadays). There is no provision in the Constitution for state-required education and there is especially nothing that would allow a state to restrict a parent’s right to raise their children as they see fit.

    Ben Stein is actually making a movie about this as it relates to the teaching of Darwinism (in lieu of intelligent design/creation). I think it could become a very important movie. http://www.expelledthemovie.com/

  2. Heather
    Mar 9, 2008

    I don’t get it, I really don’t. That is comepletey ridiculous! (What’s next, that we can only cook and prepare homemade meals for our children if we’re registered dieticians and nutritionists? That sounds like it’s really going to get some feedback, and I’m sure the majority of it will be extremely negative. Can this be reversed or thrown out if there is enough backlash?

  3. Becky
    Mar 9, 2008

    What perfect timing for decision making! It has been really interesting to watch the goings on from Texas. There is quite an uproar here.

  4. Auntie Lauralee
    Mar 10, 2008

    While I don’t agree with legislation and mandatory requirements on the subject, I do feel that many lessons are learned from the Public School environment, dealing with a diverse population on a daily basis. Life lessons in turmoil, socialization, problem solving, daily ups and downs, cultural differences, arguments vs. disagreements, moral dilemmas, etc. All are good stepping stones to adulthood that are learned more readily in this arena. Just my two cents.

  5. korby
    Mar 10, 2008

    Scott and I agree with you. We should be the ones to decide what our children are taught. I am surprised that they won’t allow parents to teach their children. When all we hear here is how important our role as a parent is in our child’s education.

    In Canada they pay you the money they would have paid the school, if you home school ( if I am remembering right).I know that my friends that home schooled were in touch with a local elementary school to help keep their kids where they were supposed to be. I was Surprised how big of a home school community there is. I went to a convention and found lots of great resources. I think if I needed to I could with all there is out there. Fortunately right now I don’t feel it is a need.

  6. Cousin Banna
    Mar 10, 2008

    I think that the problem here is rooted in the fact that although many home-schooling parents do a good job and children were adequately taught, that isn’t always the case. I have seen both sides of this in real life, kids that are smart and on top of expected learning for their age, and other children who have lost entire subjects, and that have reached ages past 10yrs without even being able to read, and they’ve fallen WAY behind what is age appropriate learning becuase subjects that a parent doesn’t teach properly.
    I get that parents should be in charge of their own kids’ lives but if you make it so black and white, then we’d have to let parents abuse their own kids since they created them and they should be in charge of the right? Shouldn’t they be able to treat them in the way that they want without gov’t interference? Not really. I think that the government wants to be sure that parents qualify to teach their children at home if they choose to do so. Certainly we wouldn’t want some of these parents teaching our kids in public schools. Would you want a mom with a GED to teach your kid this year at school and just skip math becuase she was never good at it?
    I honestly don’t see anything wrong with parents having to show competency in general subjects up to a 12th grade level (or whatever level they want to teach to) in order to teach at home. I think that children need to be adequately prepared educationally, regardless of where they learn. I also agree with Auntie Granny that public school environments can contribute different aspects of social teaching that home can’t, some good/some bad.