Homeschooling Goes Mainstream
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2010-10-13/homeschooling-goes-mainstream
An education movement once associated primarily with Christian fundamentalism is now going mainstream. Today families homeschool their children for all sorts of reasons and participate in a vast homeschooling network that promotes field trips, Internet-based "virtual schools," and even trying out for varsity football. We explore the trends in home education.
Guests
Celeste Land
Director of Government Affairs for the Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers, and a member of the board of directors
Michael Donnelly
Staff Counsel, Home School Legal Defense Association
Comments
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If I don't manage to call in: could you talk about "hybrid schooling"?, which enables families to send their children to school for the more substantive coursework (readin', riting', rithmetic), but keep them home for the fluffier stuff (art, pep rallies, etc.)
In my county, for instance, overcrowding is a huge problem, and the option to hybrid school would free up a lot of resources. But the county is extremely hostile to homeschooling and hybrid approaches.
Could you also talk about the role of the PTA in schools and whether there's a risk of the PTA serving as the school's PR office? Our PTA is also extremely hostile to any discussion of home or hybrid schooling. But since they control the mailing list, it's hard to get any kind of consensus going.
If I cannot make the program today, could you ask the following:
1) If HSLDA is all about "choice" in allowing families to choose to homeschool, why are they so against a family choosing something they feel is best for them (virtual school), even if it is not the traditional homeschooling? Should they not applaud that family for seeking out all of their options and then making their own decision based on what they believe is best for them?
2) Why does HSLDA use such "fear" tactics such as the following taken directly from their web site related to Virginia: The person who soon tries to talk you into giving up your freedom and joining one of these programs (virtual schools) may actually be your best friend.
3) I too am a Christian, but I cannot find any verse in the Bible where God mandates that I have to homeschool. Can you tell me where the verses of Scripture are that God demands and instructs us to homeschool? Even in Biblical times, synagogues where used for educational purposes and most people where not "educated" at all.
Thanks,
Dan
Could you comment also on the "unschooling" phenomenon and the feeling within subscribers to that movement that most schools actually stifle creativity? There was a TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson related to that from 2006.
Thanks,
Kam...
The debate and discussion about education reform blames teachers, unions, administrators, politicians...but rarely the people who should be most important in our children's lives: Parents. Home education embraces the concept that parents are ultimately responsible for the education of their children. Do you agree with this idea? How can the conversation about education in this country address the little-discussed question about parents' responsibility for assuring an educated citizenry?
One last question, if estimates are correct in that there are 2 million homeschoolers in America and HSLDA has a membership base of approximately 75,000 -- that is only 3.75% of the total homeschool population.
So, if homeschooling is going mainstream, when will HSLDA do the same? It seems your audience is very small.
Why has HSLDA taken such a hardline stand against K12, Inc. when we have thousands of families around the world using K12 for their homeschool needs (some of them are members of HSLDA)?
K12 provides curriculum to families who want to homeschool their children. We also provide curriculum to families who believe virtual schools are the better choice for their family.
Why does HSLDA not support K12 homeschoolers?
Houston
Are certain children better-suited for home schooling than others? Even if I wanted to, I cannot imagine my children wanting to be home schooled by me, their mother. Even when I try to work with them during summer break, they seem to resist being taught by me, yet they are good students for their teaachers in school.
Are there any national or state standards on home education? Are students tested? Does home teaching put students at a disadvantage for college entry, where transcripts are required for pub-school students? Does it place them at a disadvantage for employment, either from the government or from the private sector?
Any comments on "Unschooling?"
I would like to comment on the question about how to teach things that the parents are unfamiliar with. There are co-ops and on-line classes available. There is software and friends available. Not every class must be taught by the parents.
Parents should also remember that they have already taught their children the hard stuff: potty training & feeding themselves was the hard part. ;-)
Hello,
I am an active atheist and planning on home schooling my child. It has been challenging trying to find non-religious resources. Could your guests talk a little about that?
Also, while I believe that public schools should be fixed, when it comes to my child I am going to do what I believe to be best for them not what is best for the school system. I think a lot of parents share that sentiment and I don't believe the school systems will get better until they realize that. Having a child means putting that child first.
-Holli
Holli,
Check out www.k12.com, we provide homeschool curriculum and virtual public school options -- we are open to all families regardless of their religious or non-religious background.
Houston
Hi Holli, when you search on the internet for homeschooling resources, you may want to use words like inclusive or secular. Home Education Magazine is well known for being non-religious (they have a great website which you can find through an internet search engine). Also, I have noticed that "homeschooling" tends to indicate more inclusive homeschoolers, while "home-schooling" tends to include more religious homeschoolers. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that there is a lot in a hyphen, though I think mainstream news media might stick the hyphen in no matter what.
Good luck!