Without getting political....

[LatinLover]

Do any of you have overriding fears / concerns that homeschooling will be made illegal? I have gone so far as to enroll DD in a private, somewhat classical, Catholic school for Kindergarten this year. I fear that HS rights will be taken away and then there will be no room at this wonderful school. I will not send her to our local PS.

 

Am I being irrational? DH always helped me sort these things out but he passed away two years ago and I need a reality check.

[Jennifer in MI]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: I'm so sorry to hear about your dh. I can only imagine.

 

I don't really have concerns about homeschooling becoming illegal. Maybe I'm burying my head in the sand, but I'm just not worried. Now, if I saw some of my rights as a homeschooling mom being infringed upon, I'd be creating quite a stir!!

[StephanieZ]

Yes, you are being irrational.

No, I do not have those fears.

 

(((hugs))) -- I have my irrational moments as well, but not on this topic.

[Mom22ns]

I do think you are being irrational. Even if homeschooling rights were to be taken away, it would not happen that fast.

[3littlekeets]

First, HUGE HUGS...it must be very difficult making these decisions without your trusted and beloved husband.

 

And, no, I do not worry at all. In fact, public schools in many states are offering homeschooling options like curriculum, online classes, etc. They have realized that with low budgets and no chances of increases in the near future, they might as well help those who choose to homeschool rather than hinder them. I believe more states/school districts will follow.

 

That said, follow your heart....

 

Much love and I hope you continue to heal as you navigate your new life as a single mother.

[lovemyboys]

((( ))) for all you have to do and think about. Sounds like you're covering your bases for your dd.

 

Honestly, I don't think anything will be done in the near future. Any major initiatives would probably be about 3 years hence if at all. Hopefully homeschooling as we are individually able to practice it will remain. Like Jennifer said, if we see things coming, we can make a stir.

 

Besides, being a Latin lover, you're better off with homeschooling to pass along that love!

 

:001_smile:

[LatinLover]

Is possible passage of the UN Convention for the Rights of the Child. Maybe I'm interpreting the whole thing wrong, but I believe it would wreak immediate havoc with hs'ing rights. No?

 

Oh, and I guess if you have to ask if you're being irrational, you already know the answer...lol!

[jewellsmommy]

I would not say your fears are irrational. Thankfully, these fears are unwarranted at this point in time. I understand where you are coming from though.

 

I would use that fear to motivate you to stay on top of monitoring legislation and such and not let it stop you from going about your day to day schooling.

 

There are enough of us that I don't believe hs could be silently swept under a rug. Not all hsers, but many, would go down fighting! So, don't worry too much. We're all in this together. :grouphug: :001_smile:

[ChrisOR]

I'm sorry about your husband. I would miss my DH's rational, logical way of looking at things too. I think you are doing very well to double-check with the moms here (that is thinking rationally!). :)

[Parrothead]

Is possible passage of the UN Convention for the Rights of the Child. Maybe I'm interpreting the whole thing wrong, but I believe it would wreak immediate havoc with hs'ing rights. No?

 

Oh, and I guess if you have to ask if you're being irrational, you already know the answer...lol!

I think it is borrowing trouble to put so much stock in a treaty that has not been ratified by the US at this point. There are several organizations working to enlighten the general public about the treaty and possible consequences.

 

Until it is a done deal, I'm saving my worry for other things.

[Farrar]

Not in the US - not even if the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child were ratified. Homeschooling regulations may wax and wane a bit in various states or with various organizations (grr... I'm looking at you, Mathcounts!) but that's mostly just hassles or changed paperwork. Worrying that homeschooling itself will actually be banned is probably irrational.

 

But don't feel silly. We all get irrational concerns and need people to talk us down from them!

[AMDG]

In the USA, I don't think that HS is under any threat. Like many posters have said, it may be the future of schooling in general.

 

There are some countries where Hs'ing is illegal. Sweden comes to mind. From what DH has told me (attorney who has worked w/ NGOs on this subject), that countries like Sweden with a 0% population growth rate can't "spare" a single Swede to be educated with anything but their system. The demographics of places like Sweden (or Germany, France), as well as the education system are much different than they are in the US, i.e. no immigration, fewer workers, putting pressure on the younger generations to be educated for the specific needs of the country.

 

We have friends in Norway who are pleased with the education system. I don't think that many of those smaller Eurpoean countries have the same education issues that are present in the US, the cultures and belief systems are not widely varied like they are in the US, and thus there isn't a conflict of values within the education. In the US the curriculum can't be offensive to ANY culture, race, religion, etc., but if you have a small little country full of the same (generally) race, religion, values and culture, the curriculum just can't be offensive to THEM. This is essentially what Hs'ing tries to do in the home.

 

I'm not a lawyer or an expert, but this is just what I've heard by word of mouth. It seemed like a good explanation to me and has capsized any fears I've had about my rights as a parent and a teacher taken anyway.

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

I think you are fearing loss :grouphug:

 

I've done that before, too. Even now, years after the loss that so devastated my world, I still find myself trying to hedge bets and cover bases when I am stressed.

 

When I get spooked by news items or local events, out come the lists. Big, long lists of everything that should be done to protect my dc (or provide for them) in case of ____________.

 

I imagine I will always do that. You can't go back to being carefree and childlike, resting assured that nothing bad will happen, after something bad has indeed happened. So you try to prepare for everything.

 

I agree with the others about this particular issue, though. Homeschooling is safe for the moment. Even if things turn bad in the near future (1-2 years down the road, even), I don't want to trade today for potential tomorrows.

 

Today, homeschooling is best for my children. Even a good private school is a distant second best. If legal hs'ing goes away tomorrow, I still won't put them in public school. I'll hide, or leave the country, or join others and fight, or whatever seems appropriate to me at the time.

 

But I won't trade today for potential tomorrows.

 

I am so, so sorry for your loss.

[LatinLover]

Thanks everyone for your input on this! I know I don't post much, but I can't tell you how much this board has helped me over the last couple of years...lots of wise folks around here.

[oldskool]

I think the greatest strength homeschooling has right now is that the movement has become diversified. This board is a testament to the wide political and religious spectrums of homeschoolers and will ultimately work in our favor if there ever is a call to limit or ban homeschooling. Because of this I really don't see HS to be under any threat.

 

Lesley

[FO4UR]

Echoing the :grouphug: and agreeing that it's not likely that HSing be illegal any time soon.

 

If it *were* to happen, I doubt the nice private school would function as is either...jmho

 

If it *were* to happen, you will wish you had of taken full advantage of HSing while it was easy.

 

 

Finally...it's a scary thought to HS as a single mom. Possible, but intimidating. Maybe part of you wants to send her to school, but doesn't want to feel guilty over not HSing after this was the dream. You can't really make a "wrong" choice here, so long as your decisions are not rooted in guilt or fear. HSing and that private school are both *good* choices...

:grouphug:

[LatinLover]

Maybe part of you wants to send her to school, but doesn't want to feel guilty over not HSing after this was the dream.

 

My very words to a dear friend earlier this work were how hard it is for me to give up that homeschooling dream. It's really more complicated than my initial post let on, although there may be some grain of truth to your observation. Other considerations are mine and dd's personalities (introverted me / extremely extroverted dd), my insecurities about teaching, complete lack of support system and the stress of trying to do it all without dh....to name a few! I do keep going back to the fact that I believe hs'ing is the best option when it is feasible (I am blessed to be a SAHM) and I also feel like dd has been cheated out of alot of meaningful time with me because of dh's illness and the year or so that it took me to get myself together after he died.

 

Off to pray about it!

[daddygeek]

Do any of you have overriding fears / concerns that homeschooling will be made illegal? I have gone so far as to enroll DD in a private, somewhat classical, Catholic school for Kindergarten this year. I fear that HS rights will be taken away and then there will be no room at this wonderful school. I will not send her to our local PS.

 

Am I being irrational? DH always helped me sort these things out but he passed away two years ago and I need a reality check.

 

Hello LatinLover, I am sorry about your husband, I can not even immagine. I do not believe you are being irrational. For those who do, I suggest you review the history of Germany prior to WWII. Hittler ran for president in 1932 and became dictator in 1933. We have worse socialists in the USA than Hittler. I have worked with one who thought we should ban religion, and the number of people that needed killed to accomplish that would not be a problem. If you talked with him enough, you would find that Christian religion was what he was really opposed to.

 

That said, if you are sending your daughter to Catholic school, I guess you are Christian, as such do you think you should live by faith?

 

My belief is you should do what you believe is right today, keep both eyes open, watch laws around the country, and around the world, and do what you are called to do tomorrow when it arrives.

 

Best of luck daddygeek

[Rivka]

I think there are individuals and groups which put in a lot of effort stirring up fear about the UN Convention and about homeschooling becoming illegal. I think they do it to serve their own financial and political ends. In reality homeschooling is not legally threatened in any state. It has become a mainstream choice in many places.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Do any of you have overriding fears / concerns that homeschooling will be made illegal? I have gone so far as to enroll DD in a private, somewhat classical, Catholic school for Kindergarten this year. I fear that HS rights will be taken away and then there will be no room at this wonderful school. I will not send her to our local PS.

 

Am I being irrational? DH always helped me sort these things out but he passed away two years ago and I need a reality check.

 

:grouphug:OK, here would be my attempt at a reality check.

 

At the moment there aren't federal (ie, national laws instead of state laws) rules regarding homeschooling. Or school in general outside of how public schools have to follow rules for things like special needs students or schools with low income populations (Title 1). For there to be new federal laws that outlawed homeschooling, there would first have to be legislation proposed that federalized control of all schooling. To my knowledge there isn't anything like this pending.

 

On the state level, there is occasionally a court case or legislation proposed that would restrict homeschooling. For this you would want to stay on top of what is going on in your state. I'm not aware of any state that is in a big red danger zone of pending action (although I stand by to be corrected on that one). The last big to do that I can think of was when there was a family court ruling that suggested that homeschooling in California was not in the interests of a particular set of children and in the opinion of the judge wasn't legal anyway. There were some tense months and then the court backed down.

 

It is worth staying on top of even what seems like minor stuff. Years ago when we lived in DC, there was a young councilman who proposed mandatory universal preschool. I think he was well intentioned but hadn't thought things through. I sent many letters to his office, to the paper, to various metro reporters. I don't know that my voice made much of a difference, but years later that same councilman is a huge advocate for school choice in DC.

 

I don't think that you need to be afraid that homeschooling liberties are on the verge of being taken away. And if something did suddenly happen, I think that there would be a resulting growth in private schools and private school openings to match the new demand for seats.

 

I can't imagine how much more stressful these sorts of thoughts might be if I didn't have my dh to vent to. I'm so sorry for your loss. Do you have any homeschooling friends that you can express your concerns to. Sometimes I find that just getting my frustrations and anger over certain situations out in the open helps me to let go of them.

[Penelope]

I don't think it is likely to happen any time soon. But, I don't think it is irrational to consider it.

 

When we consider all of the extra issues that have been hidden in the gigantic, thousands of pages, bills that have been pushed through in the past couple of years, it seems possible that a legislator could try to do this with homeschooling. And then, it would have to go through the federal courts, and who knows where that could lead.

 

But I'm not going to worry about it. For now, we homeschool while we have the freedom to do so.