Posted on 03/23/2007 12:25:32 PM PDT by achilles2000
Ya Got Trouble Right Here in Oklahoma City! by Bruce N. Shortt
Oklahoma’s crack team of government educators, the folks who spend billions of dollars a year to achieve heretofore unknown levels of semiliteracy and illiteracy among otherwise normal children, periodically take time out from their educational misfeasance to offer ominous warnings that we’ve got trouble – terrible, terrible trouble – lurking in homeschooling homes all across the state. But as was the case with the flimflam of a certain “Professor” Harold Hill, these warnings are just part of a swindle...
(Excerpt) Read more at ocpathink.org ...
FYI
My state.
2. Mathematics: 71 percent of the state’s 4th-graders are below grade level in math, with 21 percent lacking even a basic grasp of mathematics. By 8th grade math illiteracy is burgeoning in Oklahoma: 79 percent of students are below grade level in math, with 37 percent lacking even a basic understanding of mathematics.
3. Science: 76 percent of the state’s 4th-graders are below grade level, with 30 percent lacking even a basic knowledge of science. By 8th grade, 75 percent of Oklahoma’s children are below grade level, with an amazing 33 percent lacking a basic grasp of the subject.
This is exactly why we homeschooled when we lived in Oklahoma (our nearest Catholic school was almost 45 minutes away). Now we have our daughter in a top-notch Catholic school here in S. Indiana, and they beat the pants off the local schools in standardized test scores and other areas.
It is a pity that Vatican II cut support for the Catholic school system. In 1960, the Catholic system was bigger than the public system in Chicago. Everyone would be better off if they had not capitualated to the public school crowd.
It is a pity that Vatican II cut support for the Catholic school system. In 1960, the Catholic system was bigger than the public system in Chicago. Everyone would be better off if they had not capitualated to the public school crowd.
"Never mind, further, that a study of 7,000 homeschooled adults found, among other things, much higher levels of civic involvement, participation in higher education, and life satisfaction among homeschooled adults than among adults who were not homeschooled."
Well now we know why they want to stop home schooling!
ping
When this came up, you never saw such an uprising! Oklahoma has a very large homeschooling community and they started taking action. I got back some great emails, mostly very supportive of homeschool rights from the committee that would've heard this.
However, I got THIS in an email (and several of my friends did too) from my state Senator Nancy Riley.
As we struggle to comply with Pres. Bush’s No Child Left Behind policy, the state must know where its children are in regard to academic structure.
Excuse me? Homeschooled children in Oklahoma are not the "state's children."
Nancy Riley was formally a Republican, who switched parties after running for Lt. Gov. She didn't like the way the Republican party treated her, she said. (Source)
I want her out and if I do nothing else the next time she comes up for re-election, I'm working to get her out.
Thank you for fixing the link! Homeschoolers need to be very serious about rewarding their political friends and PUNISHING their political enemies. Glad to see Riley is on your radar.
I agree, but it is a steep hill to climb. I think that a more practical approach is to take another 20% of children out of the government schools, which would deligitimize them politically and send them into financial cardiac arrest. Government schools delenda est. (with apologies for my poor Latin).
I believe I teach my boys a very well-rounded and thorough education...but I support the right of a person to teach perhaps a not so "traditional" education is they want.
For example, a Wiccan, who chooses to educate their child in the ways of organic farming by the phases of the moon should be able to do so without government interference, if that child is able to grow up and provide for themselves without government assistance. How do you know they can? Well, how many Wiccan homeschoolers are signing up for government assistance? Is there a trend?
If not...if homeschoolers are providing for themselves, paying their fair share of taxes and not taking anything from the government, then the government has no right to regulate them.
I submit that if one were to wander down to their local welfare office, it won't be a bunch of homeschoolers lined up signing up for aid.
I want the government 100% completely out of homeschool families' living rooms. If there is child abuse occurring there are laws in place to stop that. Otherwise, leave us alone.
No "as long as children are performing to some standard" nonsense. No curriculumn approval. No certification. No teacher supervision. I don't even want the government knowing the kids exist!
Thank *you* for posting this article. I've definitely passed it on!
I agree. As soon as our highly trained education professionals open their mouths, the response should be "No." ...the polite response, that is ;-)
I agree. As soon as our highly trained education professionals open their mouths, the response should be "No." ...the polite response, that is ;-)
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