Posted on 01/14/2012 8:50:33 AM PST by NYer
CHARLESTON, South Carolina -- Rick Santorum has no more loyal base than the crowd of home-schooled children and their parents who gathered here Thursday night. Not only are all of Santorum's children home-schooled by his wife Karen, but the family is committed to holistic medical treatments, health food, and Christian-inspired learning, popular causes with home-schoolers.
The topics covered at the Charleston town hall varied widely, but the conversation always returned to education. And Santorum, whose late grassroots rally in Iowa was built on the foundation of endorsements from various home school advocacy groups, was all too happy to rally the troops in the Palmetto State.
At one point, a woman came to the microphone to express her appreciation--and beg for some red meat.
"You are familiar, of course, with home schooling..." she began, before Santorum interrupted with a smile, "My wife is more familiar with home schooling."
"And we give her a shout-out for that!" the woman responded, sparking applause from the audience. Then she got to her question: "I was wondering if it's possible at all to influence at least the idea, I know the teachers' union is not crazy about it, but to try to get some home schooling... and be able to somehow work that into education without being a special interest?"
"Well obviously leading by example is a good thing," Santorum responded. "And having a homeschooling family in the White House would certainly be a shock to the establishment."
The crowd laughed, and then roared with applause. He went on to explain that parents, not any government body, should be in charge of determining what success means for their children's educational experience.
"It's going to be different for different parents," Santorum said. "And you know what? That's OK! I trust parents to instill values, and instill citizenship and all those things much more than I do the education system in America today. It's sad to say."
Home Schooling in the White House... that would be great. I want Rick to win. I think he would help cut the size of the government.
I am not a fringe, holier than thou person.
I am not holier than thou.
Well, maybe than thou, but not than everybody.
My point is that, while I admire people who are able and willing to home school, it is elitist in the sense that only a priveleged few can do it.
Public schools are sagging for various reasons but they are not totally useless.
All we need to do is a few sensible things and schools will be a viable option.
We need to abolish the education feds, and the unions among school teachers so that teachers can be judged on merit.
We should not burden teachers or other students with disruptive students. They should be expelled or sent to alternative facilities.
We should create options to bad public schools like vouchers to private schools. Private schools often do a better job for far less money.
Now, my parents home schooled in this sense. We went to public schools which were just fine back then. We were also raised in a home that had tons of books and took a daily newspaper and where the parents were good, loving people of high moral character who also had large vocabularies.
We learned from all that.
Is Rick Santorum planning to home school everybody at the White House or just his kids?
It’s a ridiculous ploy for the evangelical vote.
Gee, I didn't know I was a member of "an elite few."
I homeschooled our son from 6th through 8th grades. (After that, he enrolled in an online high school curriculum that is available from a midwestern university for far less than the cost of a private school.)
Yes, I stayed home so I could homeschool him. Husband earned the money. We live modestly.
If I had been a "working mom," i.e. working outside the home, I would've had to spend $$$ on clothing, shoes, commuting costs ... and, extra taxes on my income. How much would've been left over after that? Not enough to be worth throwing him to the wolves in the public schools.
Homeschooling is neither expensive, nor requires extraordinary skill or education.
Well said, very well said.
Your response demonstrates you know nothing about homeschooling.
Agree. We homeschool our special needs son. I can stay home, forgo the job (where I’m throwing taxes at inefficient and corrupt governments) be available for my family ...and it’s really not too hard to teach 3rd grade math.
My son is making extremely good progress, does his math, reads and writes. At public school he was merely warehoused in “pull out” groups and/or meaningless inclusion activities.
Go back to basics, stop this creative teaching cr** and do away with the competitive sports agenda.
We do appear to be evolving back to the days of Private schools and/or academies, i.e., charter schools. I do not believe home schooling is the answer.
Getting rid of the darn teachers and their unions with their ridiculous salaries and ridiculous pensions would take care of part of the problem.
My sister’s youngest kids go to public school but are also homeschooled. It helps that the whole extended family aids in the teaching. My interests lie in the areas of science, biology, nature, and history so I help out with that stuff a lot.
I think phonics is necessary to understanding. Its especially true as you advance into things that use latin root words like science and medicine.
And your point is? I don’t get what you’re showing us.
Most people are not equipped to do it. They don’t have the money for one parent to stay at home and do it and most parents are not mentally and emotionally equipped to tackle this. I know I’m not.
From what I've seen, the typical homeschooling family has a modest income but also the ability to live cheap. (Homeschooled kids have no need to keep up with the Joneses, after all.)
Elites typically send their kids to private schools.
Half the homeschoolers I knew growing up were low income blue collar families. They made huge sacrifices to stay home. I knew single moms who homeschooled too. My own mother didn’t have a college degree.
Homeschooling Is for anyone who wants to try. There are plenty of excuses why you can’t do it. Most of them are crap.
I’d vote for Rick. We home-schooled for years.
Home schooling — the first major issue I really like about Santorum. Not enough, however, to switch from Rick Perry, who I suspect has the same sentiments.
I agree with you and the other person who posted this information about homeschoolers.
From what I’ve observed they are usually religious people who care deeply about their kids and values and are willing to live a modest lifestyle to provide this for them.
I have the utmost respect for them.
Sorry, if I gave another impression.
All I’m saying is that this group is a minority in the wide, wide world of voters and Santorum shouldn’t maybe focus on them to the exclusion of other voters.
That's what I saw too, FRiend. I actually hesitated before posting my response, because I wasn't sure what you meant by "elite." They certainly are outliers; not so long ago, they were outcasts.
And you are right about them being a small minority. Myself, I though it would be an interesting use of the bully pulpit.
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