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Discussion on: Does anyone homeschool here?

 
insanepotus profile image
STOP INSANE POTUS

“In many cases that’s not true”

Backed up by what evidence of yours?

30 years ago people homeschooled with park day and the library. It doesn’t have to be expensive. There are second and third generation homeschooling families now as a result and as I said, they’re not on welfare, they’re successful. The founding fathers also didn’t have a lot of resources beyond books and their families and communities, and I’d say they did ok. The stigma that homeschooling is sheltering or ruining kids is not backed up by any evidence! What evidence do you have that it is beyond your tired stereotypes?

Of course parents should go into it wide eyes open and thoughtfully, as they should with any decision regarding their kids. But to pose they should because it could “destroy“ their lives? Ha. Check out the 2014 study by the government about how 10% of schooled kids are abused by school officials. Look at the graduation rate and the drop out rate for public schools. Shootings, bullying. Which option is ruining kids?

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insanepotus profile image
STOP INSANE POTUS
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stereoplegic profile image
Mike Bybee • Edited

At the elementary school my ex and I withdrew her daughter from to homeschool (whose administration tried to lie to us and say we couldn't withdraw her until what amounted to the required enrollment date for their next tuition payment from the state for having her in the head count, until I got HSLDA's lawyers involved) there was a case of a STAAR test tutor molesting a little girl on campus right after we withdrew ours and that was more than 3 years after the linked article on the subject.

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stereoplegic profile image
Mike Bybee • Edited

You seem to think everyone can afford to do all the things you list. Sadly many of us have to work really hard to earn a living. There are stories of home schooled children who never stepped foot outside of their houses. Obviously that is the wrong way to do it. But one should be aware and concerned of all that before making a decision that could potentially destroy his or her child's life. No?

Bad parenting is bad parenting. Full stop.

There are stories of kids dying in mass shootings. But you're not blaming public schools for that, are you? It's either liberals blaming guns, or conservatives blaming mental health, but nobody stops to think that the cost of punting to the state their responsibility to see to their kids' education is leaving them as vulnerable as fish in a barrel. And whether your answer is "more security" or "arm the teachers," a crazy person who sees a gun free zone will likely still take many casualties before stopped.

As for the cost of education, even the cheapest states spend five figures per child per year, whereas you can successfully homeschool for less than $1k/yr (even with more than one child in some cases). Even the time investment is little more than what a public school student spends doing homework every day (but I don't hear you bemoaning their parents' lack of involvement).

And there are countless stories of public school students whose parents (if they even have parents) have them living in the absolute worst conditions. My current girlfriend is a public school teacher who, before transferring to special ed, was tasked with getting the most broken of children in the worst of homes to stay in school long enough to graduate. Many of them didn't, largely because their home lives were so shamefully bad.

So what were you saying about destroying lives?

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thefern profile image
Fernando B 🚀

On another hand I can attest US education isn't the best in the world. I studied elementary thru junior high in Mexico and high school in Texas was a joke. I didn't learn much in public school in fact my uncle would give me college math assignments at home.

The other gripe about public schools is that they are highly biased my kids would come home talking about teachers promoting presidential candidates, that's unacceptable for me. Just imagine what else is biased.

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stereoplegic profile image
Mike Bybee • Edited

I'd also like to point out that the argument against homeschooling went from "wHaT aBoUt sOciALiZaTiOn?" to "well sure socialization is possible if the parent cares, but what if they don't?" and "you assume parents have that luxury" when the author clearly cares about what is best for his children, has done the research, and is able to do this.