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New voice here...and I am not arguing with anyone.
Many homeschooled children live in rural areas where they would face a long journey to the nearest school, and/or school buses are not available. Obviously, the homeschool option works best here. Most children do go to state-run schools, and they usually perform according to the socio-economic level from which they came (as well as parental involvement), as has been pointed out. I get that.
Most children do not suffer from abuse. Of those who do, it can come either from the home or from the school. I get that, too. What seems to be missing here is the correlation between home schooling and a pattern of abuse at home. I am not seeing this. I see the exact opposite: that most home-schooled children come from loving homes and do very, very well academically, and are given many opportunities to interact with other children or adults outside the home, where they could "report abuse from home". Yet, there are very few such reports. And the same can be said for those state-schooled kids who do suffer abuse in school: very few reports of such.
In the absense of the correlation noted above, I see little benefit in having the state peek around the corner into every parents' business and the goings-on in the home. There is still something to be said for the sanctity of the home and the family. I think that should prevail over the 'right of the state' to police every activity of our lives, simply because of what some bureaucrat imagines "could be" going on.
Yup. Homeschool vs. public school isn't a predictor of outcomes but SES and parental involvement are.
As far as the state peeking in on parents, I for one don't want that. I chose public school for my children but I still want to raise them as I see fit. This is my family and it's not up to the state to run it, however, children who are homeschooled should be held to the same standards that kids who go to public school are. A homeschool diploma should be at least equivalent to a public school diploma. I think there is logic in the government deciding what subjects should be taught. We educate our children so that we will have an educated work force so we all have a vested interest in making sure that children are educated to the decided standard. What else a parent might want to teach is their business.
Disclaimer: I am assuming that the parent is neither abusive or neglectful here. If they are either then it becomes the state's business to protect the children. I don't see where the children being discussed here were either neglected or abused. VERY ISOLATED but is that abuse or neglect? 5000 movies is extreme but is that abuse or neglect?
I find it hard to believe in 30 years you've never experienced any fights, bullying, sexual abuse, etc.
Reread what I wrote - no stabbings or shootings. Sure, I saw the others in varying degrees.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattks
Your second sentence is true, but it's also rare and there is no way to stop it. Making homeschooling illegal probably wouldn't stop it, regulations and enforcement could help and I'd be for some sort of system to monitor homeschool kids.
I agree with you 100%. As with most things, there is a middle ground.
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ALL states have Homeschool laws. The laws vary by state for what they require (subjects/testing/notifying the district) but ALL states have laws. Some states are vary strict and some are very lax.
We homeschool and live in OH. I am legally required to notify the school district each school year a brief outline of what i will be teaching as well as the curriculum used. I am legally required to either test my children (using traditional IOWA/Proficiency tests like public schools) OR get a portfolio review done by a teacher and send that in. HSLDA.org lists all the states homeschool laws.
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PS- school is also not the only place a child could say they are being abused. Drs, daycares, schools, are all mandated reporters. Even a friend or neighbor can call.
And parents circumvent them. I have a relative who used to take the tests that had to be sent to the state for her kids. I don't know how well she homeschooled but she bragged about getting away with this. She only homeschooled for a few years and her kids seemed to do just fine when they started public school. If there were any issues she didn't share them with family.
And parents circumvent them. I have a relative who used to take the tests that had to be sent to the state for her kids. I don't know how well she homeschooled but she bragged about getting away with this. She only homeschooled for a few years and her kids seemed to do just fine when they started public school. If there were any issues she didn't share them with family.
Then you or someone else should have turned her into the school district. you cant know about it and complain later.
This is the problem with homeschooling that is not supervised by the State. It gives parents the opportunity to deny their children access to education (if the children are not required to meet certain academic achievement goals on a regular basis), and to even deny them access to the world. School is where a child can tell someone that they are being abused in the home.
The article says the situation occurred in Utah.
I was curious when I read the topic title, because when I homeschooled my son for a couple of years in NY, homeschooling was overseen by the school district. A representative from the local school- usually the principal- made periodic visits, and my son had to go to the school to take the standardized tests along with the students. We were required to go by the same school calendar as the local school, and I also had to produce the curriculum and his school work.
It was much different when I homeschooled my daughter in Texas- homeschooling is considered a private school, and the school district was not supposed to have anything to do with it.
PS- school is also not the only place a child could say they are being abused. Drs, daycares, schools, are all mandated reporters. Even a friend or neighbor can call.
Can and will are not the same thing. School may not be the only place they can tell, but it is the place they are most likely to say they are being abused. Daycare is not different than school when it comes to this topic.
Think about it. Almost without exception, children don't talk to doctors or nurses without their parents present, so unless they see physical signs it won't help the child. Yes, a child might tell a neighbor, friend, family member, or fellow church member but those adults are often reluctant to report even if they are told because of their own relationship with parent, or they are afraid they are wrong, or they want to try to fix it. Those are options they can take because they aren't mandated reporters. If the child tells another child, yes, they may tell their parent who may report. But the problem there is that second hand information carries less weight when reporting and often will not even be looked into.
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Home schooling is better. Yes. Only when the parent is strong enough to institutionalize it. All that private/public school does is expose them to the problems of society. In fact what makes it funnier is because this why women who go to college are not expected to get real high paying jobs or graduate at all. So they can teach their children inside their homes. Isn't that funny. Women in the mans-workplace help cripple the nations education. Funny indeed. Women get enough education to become teachers inside their homes if they are lucky enough.
I wish I was home school. This way I would have never known any of the girls and trouble makers I interacted with.
Then you or someone else should have turned her into the school district. you cant know about it and complain later.
I'm just pointing out how easy it is to get around state rules for homeschooling. No one comes in and watches students test.
Turning her in to the school would have done nothing. The school system has nothing to do with homeschooling. I do think the state needs to have tighter controls on demonstration of learning for homeschooled children because it is too easy to fake it. Fortunately, I don't think most parents do but I'm sure some do just as I'm sure some parents do their children's homework in public school but they can't take their tests for them.
I am going on the record as saying is exactly what I keep writing: one of the issues with home schooling is that vulnerable children lose an important safety net. Does that mean I want it outlawed? No. But it IS a problem.
What I would like done is a law that children can not be pulled out of school to be "homeschooled" if there has been a child abuse report filed, especially if it has been done by a mandated reporter, in the last 12 months. I could live with a mandated weekly check in some cases instead, but that is less manageable. The point is that in too many of those cases where a homeschooled child died or was severely harmed, the parents decided to "homeschool" the child after a suspected child abuse report had been made by someone in the school.
I have nothing against nice, caring, sane parents opting to homeschool, whether it is for religious reasons or because their child is struggling in the regular school setting and they sincerly believe they can better help their child. Matter of fact, I support parents' rights to do that. I have HUGE issues with crappy or unbalanced parents doing it as a way to avoid the schools. Why is this so hard for you to get?
One of the issues...
Virtually everything having to with people has issues. Public schools have their issues, welfare has its issues, the government has its issues. I can't think of a single human involved activity that doesn't have issues. I just don't think you can dangle child abuse over homeschooling like its some kind of raging epidemic.
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