Posted on 06/03/2002 10:58:58 PM PDT by JohnHuang2
Edited on 07/12/2004 3:54:28 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
You can tell yourself over and over homeschooling is going to solve everything; but in reality 80-90% of America is in the public school system and the way old GW is handing money to public education without regard to vouchers; I just don't see the world you seem to envision.
I think changes in the current govt school system would be a more viable direction than vouchers. IF GW hasn't developed a true voucher system by now, why delude yourself any longer with such dreams?
Bees go for the honey; maybe change will occur from within the system? I just don't see the education industry giving homeschoolers the time of day in the current climate of controversy. But rest assured, standards, testing, and assessment will be used to against homeschoolers down the road. The handwritings on the wall and it doesn't concern just academics if you know what I mean. That is why the NEA is such a strong supporter, (along with our politicals) of benchmark testing & cultural standards.
Guess I just have seen a little from both sides on the education issue and understand it is alot more complex than you understand.
You can't grab a kid by the arm in today's schools. Pretty tough sometimes. You might have 2-3 good semesters then have one that makes you consider getting out of education. Teaching is very rewarding, but many teachers just burn out.
31,000 for a 6 year degree is somewhat hard to justify, but teachers don't do it for the money; they teach because they enjoy it.
Have seen both conservative and liberal school districts. The big difference is in conservative districts; you don't innovate. Same process over and over. Never step out of line with new ideas or you are gone. Liberal districts have better programs but also much higher taxes. I guess I wish my district which is the most conservative in my state (why I live here) would incorporate new ideas. Have the best of both in education.
The hauteur of an armed monopolist.
Go do your homework before you assert that I don't know what is happening or is planned. The references I gave you came from INSIDE YOUR SYSTEM. Go read them. You are ignorant. The system can't and won't be fixed without a complete breakdown. It won't be long.
Go do your homework if you think that the NEA doesn't care what homeschoolers are doing. We are the biggest threat they face and they know it. Colleges and universities at the highest level are recognizing the superiority of the homeschooled product. Business is too.
No sale. It is alot simpler than you understand.
Actually though, I'm not as upset as you; I have my 2 months vacation with pay to recover and enjoy.
Anyway, here's my contribution to the thread... an oldie, but a goodie: Clearly Defined Public Education Goals, from the Dec'00/Jan'01 issue of Education Leadership magazine.
My nine year old will be doing calculus this year and wrote a comparative thesis on Dickens that she will post here soon. Her STAR test last year scored her an average 10th grader (at the age of eight). I don't care what standards they throw at her, she'll be fully able to manage and her younger sister isn't far behind (eight years old and can factor quadratics in her head; her paper was on Verne). You have no clue how bad your system really is or how good homeschoolers are.
What you don't understand is that the homeschool average is depressed by a statistically significant fraction of "problem kids," both with genetic, behavioral, and developmental disorders, often induced by public indoctrination.
Before this country had pubelick skewels, literacy was 95%. That was during the great immigration wave of the late 19th Century. When John Dewey brought compulsory public education to America his goal was to prepare the country for global fascism, even then. And you say I don't understand?
If we consider the income to pay for daycare, taxes to support the criminal justice system, marginal welfare, and public schools, there is plenty left for virtually ANYONE to afford to homeschool their kids. That is the price of pubelick skewels, and I haven't even included the costs of single parenting or venerial diseases due to the graphic sexual curriculum. Then there is the fact that a homeschooled society will be more prosperous.
Homeschooling is now enjoying new found buying power. That means lobbyists, sweetie. Software and curriculum companies are finding a population willing to spend to gain competitive advantage and will pay to keep that market. Colleges and universities are now seeking out homeschoolers because they need quality graduate students to assure productive alums. The number of companies who realize that home education may be the last opportunity to assure a population of competitively educated employees is growing. Like it or not we are growing and will continue to do so.
Five more years and at the current rate of growth in the home-EDUCATED population (which is accelerating) and homeschoolers will comprise 5% of the school age population. That's 5% of parents with the time to educate themselves and the commitment for political activism to save this nation and maintain their freedom. If we pass the Workers Freedom of Choice Act, the experience in the State of Washington suggests that there will be a 93% reduction in funding for Teachers' Union PACs. That's enough to win.
Actually though, I'm not as upset as you; I have my 2 months vacation with pay to recover and enjoy.
But apparently not to read. It figures. You clearly value your opinion more than you do the truth. You also want to sell defeatism to this forum and ask that we trust the union to change itself. No sale. Teachers are the problem, as you have so aptly illustrated.
U.S. FEDERAL LEGISLATION
(Primary Source: HSLDA’s National Center for Home Education - NCHE)
Federal Legislation Exempts Homesehoolers - HR. 1 (now Public Law 107-110), the big funding package for elementary and secondary education, expands federal government support and control over public education in America with a record budget amount and a provision taking us a step closer to federal control of a national test. This will inescapably push America toward a federally controlled and manipulated public school curriculum. Teachers will have to teach to the test in order to qualify their schools for the federal funds (that means you, Eska).
Behind the scenes, the Bush administration informed conservatives that Bush would get his bill through with or without their support, as he intended to get liberal Democratic support for the bill. This is exactly what happened. For example, Senator Kennedy, who worked with Bush on this bill, was photographed with a big smile over the victory of HR 1 and received a personal commendation in Bush's state of the union address.
We are grateful that HSLDA's National Center for Home Education persuaded Congress to add an amendment to HR I that prohibits any state from mandating home schoolers to take their state assessments, Chris Klicka, Senior Counsel of HSLDA, reported that ~ state legislatures or state departments of education are specifically prohibited from taking measures to impose mandatory state assessment testing on [private] home schoolers. Any attempt to require a [private] home schooler to be tested by a state assessment as designated in P.L. 107-110 will violate federal law and jeopardize their state's federal funding." Chris KIcka also stated Lhat this amendment has already been used to help defeat such legislation in Virginia. We strongly supported this critical amendment! We commend J. Michael Smith, Tom Washburne, Caleb Kershner, Chris Klicka and all the other wonderful staff of HSLDA/NCHB for the great work they did to get this critical amendment.
The amendment states, "Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect a home school (that means NOT MY KIDS, Eska), whether or not a home school is treated as a home school or a private school under state law, nor shall any student schooled at home be required to participate in any assessment referenced in this Act." [Part B, Subpart, Section 9506(b)].
[Editor: In California law, private homeschoolers operate as private schools. Homeschoolers enrolled in public school programs, including charter school or public school independent study, are public school students. It appears that only private homeschoolers are therefore protected by this new HR I amendment which is now law.]
Concluded Bills in the California State Legislature
SB 765 (Chesbro) would have required at-risk screening and intrusive home visitation of many newborns.
STATUS: Died. (We Strongly Opposed.) A very significant Victory!
AB 1095 (Wright) would have required all children to have an eye examination within 90 days of entering first grade.
STATUS: Died. (We Opposed.) A big Victory!
AB 463 (Vargas) would have established a home-based school readiness program for 3-5 year-olds.
STATUS: Died. (We Opposed.) A Victory!
AB 1326 (Mountjoy) would have prohibited public schools from promoting homosexuality.
STATUS: Died. (We Supported.)
AB 1354 (Pescetti) wo~d have added pneumococcus vaccination to the list of vaccinations required for school enrollment.
STATUS: Amended to address a different topic. A Victory!
The following homosexual legislation, all of which we opposed, died:
AB 1434 (Wayne);
AB 1338 (Koretz);
AB 799 (Shelley);
SB 143 (Murray);
AB 1722 (Alquist)
FAMILY PROTECTION EDUCATION **AB 1763
ACTION: Strongly OPPOSE Write your Assembly Member.
**AB 634 (Wesson) lowers the compulsory education age from 6 to 5 years. Requires parents to apply to public school officials for permission to not enroll their child in either a private or public kindergarten.
STATUS: In Senate Appropriations Committee
ACTION: Strongly OPPOSE Write your State Senator.
AB 182 (Vargas) adds hepatitis A vaccination to the list of vaccinations required for unconditional enrollment of a child in a public or private school. Parents continue to have the right to sign a waiver based on personal beliefs.
STATUS: In Senate Health & Human Services Committee
ACTION: We will monitor this bill to ensure the parental waiver of immunizations is not changed.
AB 2664 (Hollingsworth) would have introduced the term "home school" into California tax law. We are grateful that the author has amended this bill to remove references to "home school" while not changing the effect of the bill.
ACTION: No Action.
HOMOSEXUAL RIGHTS LEGISLATION
The following bills promote the homosexual agenda:
AB 1649 (Goldberg); AB 1942 (Chu); SB 2028 (Vasconcellos)
ACTION: OPPOSE Write your State Senator and Assembly Member.
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