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"Isn't our school segregated?"


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We get Scholastic News to provide some Spanish reading experience, and not surprisingly, this week's newspaper is on Dr. King. DD asked the question in the subject line and wanted to know why, if it was so good that kids could now go to school with different people, SHE didn't go to school with different people.

 

I pointed out some of the kids she knows in other settings, like her dance classes, but I still don't have a good answer for her, even thinking it over since yesterday.

 

Any responses?

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That sounds like something my dd would say. :) Hmmmm. Maybe you could say something like, "Homeschooling is a choice. We choose to homeschool because we think it is the best thing for you. Segregation was imposed by law and it wasn't good for anybody." or maybe "there is a difference between 'being in the world, but not of the world' and being forced to live in your own world."

 

Ugh, I stink with words. Nevermind. lol

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Well, I may be wrong, and I may not express what I'm thinking very clearly...but here goes.

 

It's not about going to school with different people. It's about not being denied a good education (or seat on a bus, restroom, etc.) because of some arbitrary and biased division. Just because people have a different skin color, religion, way of dress, etc. is not a reason to deny them a chance to obtain the best that they are capable of. Segregation, while it was supposed to be equal, wasn't. There was a clear difference in quality, and there was no way to correct that difference other than to end segregation. Not to mention that saying someone is less just because they are different is plain stupid...but that isn't what your dd is asking.

 

So homeschooling isn't segregated, because everyone (in the US at least) has the opportunity to try it.

 

Hope that makes sense.

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Well, I may be wrong, and I may not express what I'm thinking very clearly...but here goes.

 

It's not about going to school with different people. It's about not being denied a good education (or seat on a bus, restroom, etc.) because of some arbitrary and biased division. Just because people have a different skin color, religion, way of dress, etc. is not a reason to deny them a chance to obtain the best that they are capable of. Segregation, while it was supposed to be equal, wasn't. There was a clear difference in quality, and there was no way to correct that difference other than to end segregation. Not to mention that saying someone is less just because they are different is plain stupid...but that isn't what your dd is asking.

 

So homeschooling isn't segregated, because everyone (in the US at least) has the opportunity to try it.

 

Hope that makes sense.

:iagree: We watched the full "I Have a Dream" speech on Monday and discussed things. I explained that in addition to segregated schools there were drinking fountains, parks, restaurants, etc. that non-whites weren't allowed to use. I told my kids that the schools for white kids were better equipped than the schools for black kids. The quality was not equal. (Public schools still vary in quality and are segregated by where kids live.)

 

It's hard for me to fully grasp segregation because I grew up in a multi-ethnic neighborhood in San Diego during the 80s and 90s. My school had a very large AA population and held a big assembly for MLK day each year. I hope I explained things right for my kids. :tongue_smilie:

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I would assure her that if, in the future, I gave birth to a child of a different race, I would not school that child in a different room of the house.

 

But I'm snarky like that.

 

I would explain the difference between barring a child by law from a school and a homeschool. I would also emphasize that our "school" is everything we do, which involves interacting with many races in many settings.

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I would say something along the lines of, "Hmm, you are right. There are not many different people in our lives from day to day. Segregation still has lingering effects. Some neighborhoods are predominately lived in by certain groups. Some businesses are frequented by certain groups. For some, doing business with someone who looks like them because at some level it feels familiar, like doing business with family. On days of worships, churches are still the most segregated places in the US for some reason. We get comfortable in our surroundings and I didn't notice until you pointed it out, that we don't see as many people that are different in our daily lives. "

 

Simply, because her school is made of family, she won't be around different people.

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I wouldn't say that our homeschool is segregated but I would say that it is not diverse. I wish we lived in a more multi-cultural area but we do travel and meet all kinds of people so my children could be a little more exposed to different cultures.

 

I would probably talk to her about the terms inclusive/diverse, and segregation/prejudice.

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Does she mean that *she* is segregated b/c she is separated from the other kids? Or that the homeschool is segregated b/c other kids are not allowed to school with her? Or is it something else?

 

ETA: Wait. I reread your post. It sounds like "if it's good to go to school with other people (as in desegregation), then why don't *I* go to school with other people?" and that sounds like a "why do I homeschool" question.

Edited by zaichiki
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I think it is a very good question for homeschooling families to think about. Your family is segregated if you and your husband are of the same ethnicity, but your homeschool experience does not have to be segregated.

 

Our family has a very high value on developing relationships with people who come from different cultural niches than we do. It is an enriching experience, part of the fabric of our lives. In our area, the majority of families who homeschool are white. Most of our cross-ethnic relationships are from church or my tutoring activities.

I am someone who believes a child is short-changed in homeschooling if it is only about academics and not also about relationships.

 

Our church also has partnership relationships with churches in other countries. All my kids have been to Kenya; my oldest two are heading to Brazil for the second time this summer. These are not typical short-term missions trips. The Kenya one is done from a partnership mindset, so we go to learn from dynamic leaders of churches and ministries there. Kids go with parents. In Brazil, it seems more "typical short term" because the youth go and do projects for a ministry in Brazil. However, one of our leaders is from Brazil and has deep connections to that city and that ministry, so long-term relationships are built. Both these experiences have taught my kids so much about appreciating, learning from, and establishing relationships with people in other cultures.

 

One of the reasons I bought SWB's classical materials is that they are not from a Western Civ only pov. We have always taken a lot of time to study other cultures and learn about them and from them.

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I think it is a matter of definition. You are talking about forcing the separation of races leading to horrible inequalities when you are talking America's past and MLK day. She is talking about choosing to separate from the main group when you homeschool, having nothing to do with racial inequality. The word, segregation can be used for both of these things, but the are vastly different. I think main difference is force vs choice. I liked when a pp said, everyone has the choice to homeschool.

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