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I said a short while ago that this is not a homeschooling issue per se. However, it isn't surprising that the real issue (isolation) and homeschooling as a practice are being conflated. I could be very wrong, but I do not suspect that there is anywhere else in the developed world where parents can legally be just left to it to educate their own children! I know personally a homeschooler. A decent human being, but as for qualifications as an educator? Zero.
Go on a Patent Office website and look through some applications by American companies. Look at the names of the primary authors. Look at America's literacy rate? It's global competitiveness index. Tell me its all good. Even the paid, trained professionals have it hard educated the product of the dysfunctional enclaves that pass for families in much of the U.S. You think you can do better? With what? Your GED? Your "life experience"? Your "moral rigor"?
I don't know why y'all's are getting so wrought over this one example of human failure. There is plenty more where this came from. And it won't get better after Ms. DeVoss has her wicked way with the Federal Education System and the other three Horsemen totally finish of any semblance of civilization that this place had before their advent.
A committed and motivated parent without a college degree could certainly do better than many public schools at educating a child. They should follow a program and be part of a homeschooling group. At least a some nut bag teacher won't be able to rape their tween son. They are teaching some weird **t in public schools now as well.
There should be some regulations as far as testing for home schoolers but we should not start disqualifying parents from having the opportunity considering the state of some public schools.
So I read the children were fed once a day and were allowed to shower twice a year? Damn that is messed up. And you know the parents ate more than once a day. Sickos!
Go on a Patent Office website and look through some applications by American companies. Look at the names of the primary authors. Look at America's literacy rate? It's global competitiveness index. Tell me its all good. Even the paid, trained professionals have it hard educated the product of the dysfunctional enclaves that pass for families in much of the U.S. You think you can do better? With what? Your GED? Your "life experience"? Your "moral rigor"?
This is a common argument--that parents can't possibly be as good at teaching as "trained professionals." The statistics say otherwise. Homeschooled kids as a whole do as well or better academically than children taught by professional teachers. The abysmal American literacy rate is on the shoulders of the trained professionals, not the homeschooling parents, who for the most part are exceptionally involved and committed and have remarkably good results.
Quote:
More than two decades of research have shown that homeschooling...is associated with relatively high academic achievement, healthy social, psychological, and emotional development, and success into adulthood for those who were home educated.
Nothing I have read has mentioned the father having a very recent job. I wonder how he covered the rent or mortgage on the house.
I notice all the adult children have names starting with the letter J.
I can understand the marching around. It would have been the only exercise the children got. I wonder what the children did all day to occupy themselves inside the home. It certainly wasn’t housekeeping and they weren’t allowed to watch TV. With no mental stimulation and malnutrition, I suspect their cognitive development has suffered permanent damage.
Many have asked why the kids (especially the older ones) didn't try to escape sooner. My gut feeling is that while the family situation may always have been weird and overly strict and controlling, the severe, life-threatening abuse was relatively recent (within the last 2 years).
I am guessing that some kind of escape attempt or rebellion took place after the last family vacation / outing (2016?). And the parents' reaction to this attempt was to double-down: lock up the "ringleaders" and then withdraw food from all as "punishment" across the board. ???
I've worked with abused kids / families, and I've learned that kids have a hard time judging their parents, no matter how abusive or cruel. Most of the time, they love their parents and will justify all kinds of behavior in order to preserve their families. I'm guessing the Turpin kids were similar -- they likely accepted their circumstances as "normal." Only when it became obvious that the starvation wasn't going to end, and that one or many of them might actually die - did they come to believe that their situation was dire and in need of outside help /interference.
There are many other things that could be at play -- Stockholm Syndrome, among others.
Also: A common trick employed in POW camps and prisons is to establish a "favorites" system. You give some of the "prisoners" a little more food, a little more freedom in exchange for "helping" to keep the rest under control. Non-favorites - "scapegoats" -- are treated more severely and used as examples of what can/will happen for disobedience.
It is a pretty common dynamic in abusive families, too. And while I'm not saying this is the case with the Turpins (we won't really know until one or more of those poor kids comes forward and tells the story). But it would at least partially explain why they took so long to reach out and ask for help.
This is a common argument--that parents can't possibly be as good at teaching as "trained professionals." The statistics say otherwise. Homeschooled kids as a whole do as well or better academically than children taught by professional teachers. The abysmal American literacy rate is on the shoulders of the trained professionals, not the homeschooling parents, who for the most part are exceptionally involved and committed and have remarkably good results.
And another point is that homeschooling is often 1 teacher to 1 student or a few students to one teacher. In public schools where I live, the ratio is something like 35:1. I imagine most people learn better 1 on 1 (2/3 on 1) vs 1 teacher for 3 dozen students.
There are many other things that could be at play -- Stockholm Syndrome, among others.
Also: A common trick employed in POW camps and prisons is to establish a "favorites" system. You give some of the "prisoners" a little more food, a little more freedom in exchange for "helping" to keep the rest under control. Non-favorites - "scapegoats" -- are treated more severely and used as examples of what can/will happen for disobedience.
It is a pretty common dynamic in abusive families, too. And while I'm not saying this is the case with the Turpins (we won't really know until one or more of those poor kids comes forward and tells the story). But it would at least partially explain why they took so long to reach out and ask for help.
According to the police although they have been polite and cooperative they have been unable to give statements. They must be basically robotic and cannot articulate the abuse or are too scared to talk against their parents.
[quote=cdnirene;50739039]Nothing I have read has mentioned the father having a very recent job. I wonder how he covered the rent or mortgage on the house.
I notice all the adult children have names starting with the letter J.
I can understand the marching around. It would have been the only exercise the children got. I wonder what the children did all day to occupy themselves inside the home. It certainly wasn’t housekeeping and they weren’t allowed to watch TV. With no mental stimulation and malnutrition, I suspect their cognitive development has suffered permanent damage.[/QUOTE
From a press conference just held by the DA the father had a job but no details about it.
I didn't see the whole thing and haven't found a transcript yet.
Other details........the children were beaten and strangled. Parents bought food like pie, ate it themselves, left it out where kids could see it but not eat it.
The whole family slept all day and was up all night.
Originally, two children climbed out the window. One was so frightened he/she went back.
One of the older children...boy I think...attended college class. Louise drove him there, waited outside the classroom, then drove him home.
Not allowed any toys but lots of new unwrapped toys in the home.
Children made to write in journals....I think as punishment. DA thinks that will be a trove of evidence.
Added a charge of lewd touching.
No charge of torture for the 2 year old as she was being given adequate food.
Punished for things like washing their hands and getting water above their wrists then being accused of playing in the water.
They believe all the children are David/Louise's
Children haven't seen a doctor in 4-5 years and have never seen a dentist.
Some of them have significant lack of knowledge.....didn't know what a policeman was. When asked if there was medication in the home, didn't know what that was.
Charges filed today, including torture and lewd conduct with one of the children. Abuse began before 2010, and the children have significant health issues due to malnutrition. Details here:
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