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Actually, there are a growing number of African-Americans choosing to home school for the same reasons most people do, to give their child a better education.
It's actually one of the fastest growing subgroups of homeschooling! There are several excellent Black Home educators associations out there, as well. From what I know about it, the African-Americans are choosing to homeschool as not only to give their kids a better education, but keeping them out of & protection from gangs.
People often think that only the rich can or will homeschool, when actually its more likely the middle class and poor who are homeschooling. They can't afford the private schools. They can't afford to move. Their only option if the local public school is failing, is to homeschool.
(notice I"m ignoring the troll TrickyD because he seldom has anything to add to the conversation.... not unlike my own teenager)
It's actually one of the fastest growing subgroups of homeschooling! There are several excellent Black Home educators associations out there, as well. From what I know about it, the African-Americans are choosing to homeschool as not only to give their kids a better education, but keeping them out of & protection from gangs.
People often think that only the rich can or will homeschool, when actually its more likely the middle class and poor who are homeschooling. They can't afford the private schools. They can't afford to move. Their only option if the local public school is failing, is to homeschool.
(notice I"m ignoring the troll TrickyD because he seldom has anything to add to the conversation.... not unlike my own teenager)
TrickyD adds random blurbs and a wide assortment of smiley faces.
Actually, there are a growing number of African-Americans choosing to home school for the same reasons most people do, to give their child a better education.
It just is my opinion that increasing the level of education on a national level is better than to only do it locally or even individually (which is home schooling).
Quote:
FYI, I am African-American myself and my husband is white.
And children from mixed races often get picked on by both races for not truly belonging to either of them.
My point is that it should not be about skin colour, but when you segregate races the only outcome will be that ignorance between the different races and cultures easily spreads out, since they don't need to communicate with each other. The danger of ignorance easily spreading out is that extremism and fascism will not be far behind, since nothing is easier than capitalising on propaganda (= ignorance).
Last edited by Tricky D; 03-27-2008 at 03:55 AM..
Reason: spelling
Rhiannon29 saya "So I think anyone should be able to do what they feel is best for their child". Thus one problem.....can just any parent homeschool? Even if they're say, under investigation by social services? There HAS to be some sort of boundary here. Just because a parent might "feel" homeschooling is in the child's best interest isn't enough.....by this theory, a sexual predator could homeschool.
Sorry folks, but this is just another example of one rotten apple spoiling the whole bunch. Happens all the time.
Rhiannon29 saya "So I think anyone should be able to do what they feel is best for their child". Thus one problem.....can just any parent homeschool? Even if they're say, under investigation by social services? There HAS to be some sort of boundary here. Just because a parent might "feel" homeschooling is in the child's best interest isn't enough.....by this theory, a sexual predator could homeschool.
Sorry folks, but this is just another example of one rotten apple spoiling the whole bunch. Happens all the time.
I think it goes without saying that in a situation where any parent is under investigation by social services, their child's form of schooling, or anything else going on, is irrelevant. I don't think it helps the discussion to throw out these extreme scenarios of child endangerment. The idea is being thrown around that home schooled children never leave their homes, which is ridiculous. When you see cases of child abuse or child endangerment, home schooling is rarely, if ever, a factor. Most people send their kids to public school; home schoolers are still in the minority. Many people do things to their kids and send them right on to school with bruises and such. Even when its obvious that a child is being abused, it is VERY hard to even prove it because of all the red tape and bureaucracy. It is not easy to have someone's kids taken away from them.
So the idea that having every kid going to public or private school or making it harder to home school will somehow prevent child abuse is a strange notion because how someone is schooled is not the root cause of child abuse.
I would like to home school my children, but I think about the classes I can't give them...drama, music, art, etc.. I do not want my middle schooler coming home with school supplied condoms or books about my two moms or my two dads. I have frank open discussions with my children about any subject they bring up or if it is brought up in a movie or tv show we are watching. They are not sheltered or wrapped in "bubble paper" but this information needs to be revealed when the child is curious or asks about it and when their intellect can make sense of it.
Our society has accepted divided families as a fact of life. Children spending every other weekend at mom's or dad's. Step brothers, step sisters, half siblings...just because it's the "norm" nowadays doesn't make it right.
I'm not trying to be "holier then thou"; This is my 2nd marriage and there are 5 children between us so I feel I have some insight on the subject.
Between the two topics I've touched on, the common thread is "just because you have the authority or power to implement some action, it doesn't mean you carry through with it..."
hyltonginger, you can give drama, music, and art classes when you homeschool, either by purchasing/borrowing a curriculum, enrolling the children in an outside class, participating in a homeschool group which offers these classes, in some states sending your kids to a public school for just those classes... the vast majority of homeschoolers do have fine arts in their educational plan.
On the philosophy and religion forum there is this topic in which an 11 year old girl died because her parents did not wanted to subject her to the medical authorities. So the girl eventually died from ignorance. How do parents protect their children from ignorance (in other words educate them properly)?
These parents obviously could not, because they either believed that praying would have been sufficient or because they themselves acted as physicians and did not believe their child was in mortal danger.
Originally Posted by Dbledeez Rhiannon29 saya "So I think anyone should be able to do what they feel is best for their child". Thus one problem.....can just any parent homeschool? Even if they're say, under investigation by social services? There HAS to be some sort of boundary here. Just because a parent might "feel" homeschooling is in the child's best interest isn't enough.....by this theory, a sexual predator could homeschool.
Sorry folks, but this is just another example of one rotten apple spoiling the whole bunch. Happens all the time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rhiannon29
I think it goes without saying that in a situation where any parent is under investigation by social services, their child's form of schooling, or anything else going on, is irrelevant. I don't think it helps the discussion to throw out these extreme scenarios of child endangerment. The idea is being thrown around that home schooled children never leave their homes, which is ridiculous. When you see cases of child abuse or child endangerment, home schooling is rarely, if ever, a factor. Most people send their kids to public school; home schoolers are still in the minority. Many people do things to their kids and send them right on to school with bruises and such. Even when its obvious that a child is being abused, it is VERY hard to even prove it because of all the red tape and bureaucracy. It is not easy to have someone's kids taken away from them. Exactly, even for social services.....so if a line needs to be drawn, what defines it? And who enforces it? It's important to consider these "extreme" scenarios when illustrating the point....the point being that someone, and I really hate to say it, but some BODY, might want to screen these homeschoolers. Test results are not the only indication of learning.....what about socialization? Group behavior? Dealing with adversity?
So the idea that having every kid going to public or private school or making it harder to home school will somehow prevent child abuse is a strange notion because how someone is schooled is not the root cause of child abuse.
I never claimed that it would......but with no accountability, an abuser could slip through the system if no one's looking.
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It just is my opinion that increasing the level of education on a national level is better than to only do it locally or even individually (which is home schooling).
And children from mixed races often get picked on by both races for not truly belonging to either of them. 
The danger of ignorance easily spreading out is that extremism and fascism will not be far behind, since nothing is easier than capitalising on propaganda (= ignorance).
How do parents protect their children from ignorance (in other words educate them properly)?
