"Institutionized Homeschooling"

Homeschoolers of Maine ^ | 8/02 | Ed and Kathy Green

[Boxsford]

More and more, virtual charter schools are beginning to confuse the homeschool movement. Government homeschooling, as it is developed, will absorb the homeschooling movement unless we remain vigilant. Education is the key at this point. Homeschoolers need to be aware of the freedom lost in exchange for "free" government homeschooling.

Below is information from a variety of sources regarding the subject of charter schools. The information is very interesting and revealing. Please take the time to educate yourself and your fellow homeschoolers about this important trend in education, and how it may impact your freedom to homeschool.

*** At www.cnsnews.com, Virtual Charter Schools Face Opposition from Unlikely Source by Jessica Cantelon, 8/13/2002

*** The CA Department of Education has suddenly launched some attacks on homeschoolers in that state. The links from this website are very helpful. http://www.homeschoolchristian.com/Position/CAVA.html

*** Home-schooling Illegal in California? State tells parents they can't teach their own kids without credentials, by Art Moore, Monday, August 19, 2002

These "credentialed" homeschool programs are conducted with oversight from the local public school district and include charter schools and independent study cooperatives. Read more at http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=28644 *** Ohio Superintendents Cast Sights On Starting Online Charter Schools by James Drew and Sandra Svoboda Blade, staff writers, Wednesday, July 17, 2002

http://www.activedayton.com/ddn/local/0729charter.html

*** Death Sentence for Private and Home Education, Courtesy of Supreme Court by Charlotte Iserbyt, July 8, 2002 http://www.newswithviews.com/iserbyt/iserbyt1shorter_version.htm

*** From Claiborne Thornton, President, TN Home Education Association

Claiborne Thornton analyzes the issue simply and to the point:

If you can't beat them, join them, so the old adage goes.

Finding home education unbeatable in the courts, in the legislatures across the country, in the congress, now the enemy of the family turns its guns on the pocket books of homeschoolers who are not epistemologically self conscience.

With government money goes government controls. This is unavoidable. If you take their dollars today, you will accept their regulations tomorrow.

Their plans are certainly to control the test, the curriculum or the teacher certification (training) process.

You will bow to their teaching plan for your children or you will lose their money. The courts may even conclude that your acceptance of their money at some point in time could constitute a surrender of your rights to control the training of the child God has entrusted to you.

If you value your freedom and have a desire to control the education of the child for which you will give an account to God, do not accept their funds.

Why should we have a $1 taken from us to educate the children of the state and then surrender control of our homeschool for $.10?

Don't give me 10 cents on the dollar. Stop taking the dollar. You know that with the other 90 cents they are figuring out how to control your school and family.

Let's stop compulsory attendance. That's where the battle is.

For home, for liberty, to live as free people. It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Don't let us again take on a yoke of slavery.

Don't sell your heritage for a bowl of soup. Your children are your heritage.

[mamaduck]

Here's what HSLDA had to say about what has been offered in my state.

[Boxsford]

Thought you all might like to read this. How do you like the thread name I came up with pinz-n-needlez?

[Aric2000]

Index bump, and please add me to the homeschoolers ping list!!

[EdReform]

Homeschool bump

[Always A Marine]

Timely addition to this post, as Farris' organization stays on top of the constant threats to educational freedom. If there is a theme here, it that government "assistance" must always be viewed with suspicion -- it inevitably carries very thick strings. As the Brits used to say: "Take the Queen's shilling, do the Queen's bidding." Pay your own way and it's nobody else's business...

[scripter]

Bump and ping.

[pinz-n-needlez]

You learn quickly grasshopper. :-)

Seriously, these are important timely questions which need to be addressed.

I would caution all of us to think seriously before handing our children over to ANYONE ELSE to protect. We, of all parents, have an inkling how important it is to look any and all gifthorses in the mouth.

Please keep me on your ping list, Boxford. I'm winding down my homeschooling career, my youngest is beyond compulsory age requirements in a couple of months, and I think the homeschooling community needs to be led by those who are in the trenches.

I wish you the best in your work.

[Boxsford]

You all are too polite not to mention my spelling mistake.

Institutionized= Institutionalized

[Diva]

This is not the free, private home schooling that has been so successful all these years. This is simply an attempt by the government to create small public schools in our homes.

An entree into the home, I agree with HSLDA on this one, it is dangerous. Thanks mamaduck for the link.

[mamaduck]

You're welcome Diva.

I smelled a rat when I got flyers for this in the mail.

Free this and free that and you are free no more!

[LarryLied]

With government money goes government controls. This is unavoidable. If you take their dollars today, you will accept their regulations tomorrow.

Balderdash! Take your money back. Then ask for more. When they push you around, flood them with letters, phone calls, visits, endless questions and requests for more of your money. Push, push,push. Demand, demand, demand. Don't run off and hide in a corner because you are afraid they will push you around. Push them around first. If you don't, you will lose anyway.

[pinz-n-needlez]

http://www.forbes.com/asap/2001/0910/064.html
http://www.forbes.com/asap/2001/0910/064s01.html
http://www.forbes.com/asap/2001/0910/064chart1.html

A homeschooling friend of mine who is looking into corporate projects that move homeschooling toward more institutional models for raising and educating children sent these to me this morning. She tells of large scale acitivities in Ohio toward computer and charter schools seeking to absorb homeschoolers.

Happy reading!

[pinz-n-needlez]

These links seem very slow to me. Might be all the stuff going on in my computer. I'll give them another try later. If anyone can finetune them, be my guest. :-)

[Boxsford]

Can any good thing come out of Berkley? I did skim over the first link on Michael Milken. It's so funny because I was just thinking about this guy the other day wondering whatever happened to him--now I know. KU..Knowledge Universe. Weird name I think. Anyway the link loaded up pretty quickly for me so it must have been the time of day or some heavy traffic somewhere in cyberspace. Thanks for the links....oh master...lol. ~grasshopper