Blow the dust off this ping list, I haven't needed to use it for a while!
Posted on 11/25/2005 12:28:46 PM PST by wagglebee
An effort to double the number of home school students in the United States is off and running, and already the response has been positive. E. Roy Moore, the man behind the launch of the "Homeschooling Family to Family" project, believes the time is right to push home education.
"Christian faith home schooling is America has come of age," Moore says, "and it's time now to get on offense and become more outreach- and evangelistic-oriented in our presentations." He believes faith-based home schooling is an increasingly attractive option, especially since growing homosexual influence in public schools and the schools' anti-parent policies regarding sex education and abortion are raising the anxiety level of many parents today.
Also, the home education advocate notes, failing standards of education, social engineering in the classroom, and drugs and violence on school campuses have led to a surge in home schooling in recent years. Meanwhile, he points out, home schooling has experienced tremendous changes, growing from its early days of being viewed with suspicion and skepticism by government and education officials to now offering large state conventions and curriculum fairs and even exerting influence with state legislatures around the nation.
Home schoolers were once outcasts, Moore asserts, "but the tide has turned, and now Christians who are public schooling their children are on defense." Now it is those parents with kids in government schools, he says, who must "give an explanation of why their doing such a terrible thing."
Homeschooling Family to Family is urging "seasoned" Christian home educators to extend the hand of fellowship as mentors, helping other families set aside personal fears to explore the home schooling option. The project encourages experienced Christian home schoolers to assist at least one novice family per year by reaching out to relatives and friends and assisting them as they take their first steps into home schooling -- and also, as opportunities arise, sharing the gospel with these fledgling home educators as well.
Christian home education, Moore asserts, provides an answer for troubled moms and dads who are looking for a faith- and family values-affirming alternative to increasingly corrupt and failing public schools. The head of the Homeschooling Family to Family project says he hopes to see two million more children being home schooled over the next five to seven years as this increasingly popular educational option proves itself to be "one of the brightest spots for revival and renewal of our families and our churches in our nation."
"give an explanation of why their doing such a terrible thing."
I'm all for homeschooling, but the author needs to recheck his grammar.
My wife and I don't have children, but if and when we do, there is no chance I would send them to public school for anything.
I am working on a lesson plan of state lesson plan for state history. Someone on the locale suggested I look up Young, AZ for our study. I looked up details on it. Their school district has 85 students through all grades and a M-Th schedule, with Fridays off for appointments and family obligations. Don't know anything else about this district, but that seemed really cool.
Fortunately, we have excellent schools in our area - but then, the parents are very much involved.
Check out your local curriculum. The bad stuff is hiding in very clever places sometimes. Look in depth at anti-bullying and character education stuff too. It might not be as great as you think.
Spelling errors on these type threads is a no-no.
First, what are you talking about?
Second, hats off to Moore. He is correct. And it is great to see the home school option getting some voice from a man of his stature.
After nine years of home school, we put #1 son in the PS for 10th grade. I had heard of some disturbing material. Met with his teacher and was assured that none of that foolishness happened in her class.
It involved 12 people on a space ship - disaster happens and only two can return to earth. Passengers include an adulterous minister, a queer who his very good at repair, a Wiccan teacher.....imagine the rest.
Exercise was to decide (as a group of students) who qualified to survive.
Evidently they do that in 9th grade - so Ben missed out.
I hope all is well with your son.
"people are insane to allow their children to be corrupted by the public education system."
That is why you talk to your kids, teach 'em to seperate the wheat from the chaff...also, you can show them where their competition in the world is coming from: their peers at school....
Yeah, there are some other doozies in this article as well. Rather embarrassing considering the topic!
but the author needs to recheck his grammar.
His grammar probably cooked Thanksgiving dinner so don't knock him too much.
As homeschooling continues to grow, my optimism for the future grows with it!
Exactly. It's the approach my own parents took (and that every parent has the power to take) and that their parents (and brothers and sisters did) took and that my own brothers and sisters do in raising their own children. My parents never worried too much about us because they knew they had given us the tools to deal with the "real" world. We were taught to be "of the world," but not "in the world" so to speak.
Nonetheless, I am grateful that I had many good schoolteachers too. I finally got around to thanking them after many years.
"As homeschooling continues to grow, my optimism for the future grows with it!"
I share some of your optimism in looking at the parents and their children who are in my first grade class.
I went to a very good (albeit expensive) private school. It was about 40% Jewish, but we still had chapel everyday, all meals were served family-style and grace was said before the meal. The differences both in level of education and maturity between the people I went to school with and people who went to public schools was staggering.
Interesting, because this is the exact comment I have heard from my adult children who went to private schools (at great $ sacrifice I will add). They were fortunate to be accepted to top level universities and right from the first semester of freshman year they commented about how more well-prepared they were than the public school grads they studied with.
That is why you talk to your kids, teach 'em to seperate the wheat from the chaff...also, you can show them where their competition in the world is coming from: their peers at school....
It's more than just 'peer' pressure - it's also the wacky parents. I have a friend who's kid was 'introduced' to pot by the mother of a 'friend'. Other parents see no problem with alcohol at home parties, and still others provide condoms.... in addition to the miserabe, social-engineering teacher-union teachers, a lot of the parents are nuts too. Government indoctrination schools should be a last resort.
I believe that one of, if not the best investments a parent can make is in their children's education. My father has often said he would rather have spent all of the money he did on education for me and my brothers, than have to be loaning us money for the rest of his life.
And then there's assemblies, Gay Straight Alliance Clubs, the Day of Silence, and have you read any kids' textbooks lately? All the ones I've seen in the last - well, quite a few years - have been larded with all kinds of leftist crap.
Pick and choose all the sad stuff to make your argument...Fine with me...I can point out the good things...
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Now it is those parents with kids in government schools, he says, who must "give an explanation of why their doing such a terrible thing."
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Applause!!!
I have a friend who's kid was 'introduced' to pot by the mother of a 'friend'. Other parents see no problem with alcohol at home parties, and still others provide condoms.
Yes, parents are the main influence on their children.
"people are insane to allow their children to be corrupted by the public education system."
My parents didn't and neither have my relatives, grandparents, and my own brothers and sisters because they are carrying forth the legacy of my grandparents on both sides of stressing the importance of education.
"Unless there is absolutely no other alternative, people are insane to allow their children to be corrupted by the public education system."
Insane? Add that to the heap of hyperbole and self-selecting statistics that are used to "prove" homeschooling is "better" than any other way.
No free American should be against homeschooling, but it is parental involvement more than any other factor that influences a kid's educational achievement for the vast majority of students.
My kids go to public school, and my wife and I are responsible for their education. What's insane about that?
A most accurate statement. My relatives would fill up the "insane" asylums then. My own parents did "terrible" things to us like limiting our TV time, requiring our homework to be done before TV or friends, not buying video game systems or getting cable TV, spending time together as a family, having daily Bible study, monitoring who our friends were and who we dated, requiring us to be responsible for our own actions, having a curfew for us and requiring us to wake them up when we came home, punishing us for showing disrespect to others (ESPECIALLY MY MOM), making sure we got our butt to class and learned something, taking us to church and youth groups, attending our ballgames and programs, teaching us to be thankful for the things we had, teaching us to show thanks and to say I'm sorry when we were wrong, and so on and so on. My parents must have been REALLY insane.
Just to clarify, I am not an advocate per se of homeschooling. I believe that a good private school (which does not necessarily need to be religious) is best for most children. I think that many parents lack the ability to adequately teach their children in a homeschool enviornment, and I also think that many children who are homeschooled miss out on many social development skills.
Obviously, there are many wonderful public schools which any child would be privileged to go to; however, I believe these are the exception rather than the norm. As you said, it is the parents who are ultimately responsible for their child's education.
ping
"As you said, it is the parents who are ultimately responsible for their child's education."
...and to further this end, it is best that parents have a robust selection of public, private, and homeschool alternatives from which to choose.
The public schools have never been good places, but they've gotten progressively worse. Homeschooling is an idea whose time has come, and has the potential to have enormous benefits for the kids.
You are very correct in this respect, however this is not the case with most parents today. as to peers, peer pressure from the kids at school today have a bigger influence on your kids than you do. I have seen too many good kids from good families fall because of this. I pray that you continue to teach your children this and that you keep both eyes open as too what really goes on in their school.
Exactly. It's the approach my own parents took (and that every parent has the power to take) and that their parents (and brothers and sisters did) took and that my own brothers and sisters do in raising their own children. My parents never worried too much about us because they knew they had given us the tools to deal with the "real" world. We were taught to be "of the world," but not "in the world" so to speak. Nonetheless, I am grateful that I had many good schoolteachers too. I finally got around to thanking them after many years.
I too went to public school. However the schools I went to are nothing compared to the schools of today. Students respected their teachers and if we got out of hand we were disciplined by the teachers. Teachers today are to afraid to do this for fear of lawsuits and getting fired.
I have nine children. LOL yes, nine. My first two went to public school. my other seven are now home schooled. I see the difference between them.
The NEA has lost sight of what used to be the goal of teachers. They have been infiltrated by a left wing agenda and they want to push that agenda on your kids. In public schools they have you child for eight hours. Eight hours to influence you child. How much time we really, and I mean really spend with our kids?
So, who do the children hear more from and are influenced by?
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You can count me out. I would be glad to share what I know about homeschooling to anyone who is interested- but homeschooling does not have to be for everyone AND I am not going to become evangelistic about it. I have children to teach. If people want to know - they will ask. I think this is a bad idea, and not everyone has a bad experience in public schools. Public education is a choice- I am not for shutting down any choices.
Frankly- The words Evangelism and homeschool together make me uncomfortable.
There is a small village in northeastern New Mexico (Angel Fire) that has school 8-5, Tuesday through Friday with Monday off for skiing during the season..... I thought that was kind of cool
I am happy to be homeschooling my son, but I get very tired of the crap thrown at homeschoolers about the lack of social skills. Some kids are social, some are not, but to even consider what kids are exposed to in a typical public school as any type of useful social skill is naive at best.
Ditto
Absolutely... BUMP.
While the choice to homeschool or not is a personal one, and one made for myriad reasons, I fail to see why more people don't homeschool.
MOST publik skrewls are the pits; many private schools are only marginally better.
You obviously had excellent parents.
Oh, goody. Another "Public school is child abuse" thread.
Homeschoolers have my complete support. Too bad a good percentage of them can't give other parents the same respect.
My children attend public school in the Bible belt. Many of their teachers are Christians. They have used Bible verses in art projects, and their school has won many major awards. They believe that parents should teach their own values in the home. My children call their teachers Sir and Ma'am. Children are not allowed to disrupt the classroom.
I am confident that my children are getting a good education that conforms to my moral standards. I volunteer for a math enrichment program. I check out their textbooks. Many of the teachers are my personal friends.
I am tired of the abuse that some on this forum heap on people who choose public schools.
Where I live, upwards of 10% of the student population is home educated. An awesome amount of support, encouragement, guidance and options are available for those who choose to school their children independently.
You are wise to be an integral part of your children's education while they are being schooled in the public system. I wish more parents would do this.
I moved here from California. My children were NOT going to go to public school there. They were in a Christian school until we moved. The difference between Californian "morality" and that of the Bible belt is vast.
Double dittos.
We graduated our son last June and he is now at college. I am grateful we had the opportunity to homeschool and am proud of the job we did. I don't think it is for every family though. To succeed requires the committment of time, energy and finances that some families just can not give.
I don't judge the choices others make on education and while I am willing to mentor someone who asks, I am not going to insist that homeschool is best for everyone.
There are so many social activities available to homeschoolers that if one tried to do them all, one would never have time to do school.
My son is definitely not lacking in the social skills department. Sports, church groups and activities, homeschool honor society, page program at NC governor's office and state legislature, Boy's State (where he was elected governor), dual enrollment at the state university, co-op classes and LOTS MORE kept him very busy and involved with others.
Honestly and realistically, how much parental involvement will the teachers, principals and the system allow in government education today? I think, not much, once the children are out of parental sight in the classrooms.
Government schools and social skills. Okay. I've been around the parking lots at the local government high schools in southern Indiana. The social skills I see there are deplorable and embarrassing!
Anyone out there can say what they want, but I would never, every trust my children to the public school system. You will get all kinds of reassurances about what is being taught, but you do not know what is going on behind those classroom doors. We will face God one day and have to answer to him about our choices and this is one where I want to hold my head up high and answer, not slink around and say I took the easy way out.
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