New curriculum

[*Michelle*]

 

Oh wow, I just went and read the FAQ section. I won't be paying for that.

 

Indeed. I consider myself to be a conservative libertarian (meaning there's plenty of stuff that I'd never do, but feel free to do it yourself), but the FAQ sounds like it was written by Ayn Rand on an empty stomach, two fingers of whiskey, and a pack of non-filtered Marlboro Reds.

 

Too harsh.

[happymomofboys]

That FAQ is just astounding to me. They want you to pay... And not bother to help teach your kids. They don't think it's necessary to read writing to improve it or evaluate it (obviously no one ever did this for them). And if something is hard they're saying straight up they won't really help and your child should just give up.

 

There are already resources that teach online like Khan Academy and Coursera... That are free. Why pay for this if you're not going to get instructional support and it comes with an attitude like that FAQ exhibited? Not every kid is going to learn higher math or become a great writer, but as parents it's our job to help our kids strive for their best, not excuse them with, "Eh, why bother?" If that's your attitude, why bother homeschooling? Just take the path of least resistance and send them to public school? Or would that not excuse them from doing math?

 

I hope the free market of homeschool buyers sees through this nonsense and leads this enterprise to fail.

 

 

I agree with everything except the bolded. I don't hope they fail, but I do hope that they are forced to change their current marketing strategy and business model. It is really the only way I can see them becoming successful in the homeschool market. The website, particularly the FAQ, seems arrogant and totally out of touch with the needs of homeschool parents.

 

How can I be sure that my child is learning the material?

Read the weekly essays. The students are required to post them on their blogs.

But what if I don't know enough to evaluate the essays?

Take the course. It's free to parents.

But what if I am too busy to take the course?

Then you should teach your child everything, the way most homeschool parents do.

But where will I get the time?

You need my time-management lessons. They are part of my "Preparation for High School" course.

Are you serious?

You are beginning to sound like Nancy Pelosi.

[Farrar]

I agree with everything except the bolded. I don't hope they fail, but I do hope that they are forced to change their current marketing strategy and business model. It is really the only way I can see them becoming successful in the homeschool market. The website, particularly the FAQ, seems arrogant and totally out of touch with the needs of homeschool parents.

 

But why not? I mean, I really was wondering what they could have to contribute to education, but it seems like they've answered their own question in their FAQ: nothing but arrogance. When there's no product beyond that, why shouldn't they fail? Do homeschool parents really need to pay to be talked down to like that when there's nothing else there?

 

I don't know how this could not degenerate into a political discussion at this point, but I am really curious. Do libertarian parents believe their children should sink or swim of their own accord like this? When faced with your own children, do you really apply Randian principles?

[happymomofboys]

 

But why not? I mean, I really was wondering what they could have to contribute to education, but it seems like they've answered their own question in their FAQ: nothing but arrogance. When there's no product beyond that, why shouldn't they fail? Do homeschool parents really need to pay to be talked down to like that when there's nothing else there?

 

I don't know how this could not degenerate into a political discussion at this point, but I am really curious. Do libertarian parents believe their children should sink or swim of their own accord like this? When faced with your own children, do you really apply Randian principles?

 

Because I don't wish failure on anyone. If they can make it, after all is said and done, then more power to them. As for the second part, I think you're right about the bolded.

[VeritasMama]

 

 

Indeed. I consider myself to be a conservative libertarian (meaning there's plenty of stuff that I'd never do, but feel free to do it yourself), but the FAQ sounds like it was written by Ayn Rand on an empty stomach, two fingers of whiskey, and a pack of non-filtered Marlboro Reds.

 

Too harsh.

 

This made me LOL, thanks for the chuckle!

[VeritasMama]

 

 

But why not? I mean, I really was wondering what they could have to contribute to education, but it seems like they've answered their own question in their FAQ: nothing but arrogance. When there's no product beyond that, why shouldn't they fail? Do homeschool parents really need to pay to be talked down to like that when there's nothing else there?

 

I don't know how this could not degenerate into a political discussion at this point, but I am really curious. Do libertarian parents believe their children should sink or swim of their own accord like this? When faced with your own children, do you really apply Randian principles?

 

I need to see the curriculum before I will know what, if anything they will "contribute to education." I see your point that the current website does not bode well, but I prefer independent programs myself and so the lack of teacher support doesn't bother me. If you need teacher support, I think that this probably won't be the program for you...

 

I don't know why this has to be political, people will either like the program and use it or they will dislike it and won't use it. I'm having a hard time figuring out why anyone would take the creation of a homeschool program like this personally, whether it turns out to be terrible or not. It should be fairly easy to critique it based on its merits and or flaws and leave political disagreements out of it. I guess I just don't see why a poorly written, and offensive to some, FAQ would cause a political debate, there are plenty of other ways to discuss it.

 

I guess libertarianism is really polarizing, who knew :).

 

ETA: I didn't mean to imply that you were taking this discussion too personally farrar, I was simply trying to say I don't know why anyone in general would take a topic such as this personally.

[Rivka]

This sounded oddly familiar, particularly in its tone, so I did a forum search on Gary North. Turns out that a couple of years ago he put out an article castigating homeschooling mothers (specifically the mothers) for not cranking out curricula and posting them on the web for free.

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/243804-home-school-mothers-lack-self-confidence/page__hl__%20gary%20%20north

[LucyStoner]

Regardless of ideological leanings, I think it is pure hubris to claim to have the "best", most complete, strongest etc program when you just launched. It's putting the cart in front of the horse. You can't be sure that you even have GOOD results at that point, much less count yourself as one of the best.

[Farrar]

ETA: I didn't mean to imply that you were taking this discussion too personally farrar, I was simply trying to say I don't know why anyone in general would take a topic such as this personally.

 

I don't feel like I'm taking it personally, I just am genuinely confused as to why anyone would give this guy money at this point... Especially in light of the FAQ and the link from the thread Rivka posted. To each their own, of course. And there are lots of curricula out there that I would never use, but which I totally understand why people use them - Apologia, for example. This is just bizarre to me.

[charcat13]

This sounded oddly familiar, particularly in its tone, so I did a forum search on Gary North. Turns out that a couple of years ago he put out an article castigating homeschooling mothers (specifically the mothers) for not cranking out curricula and posting them on the web for free.

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/243804-home-school-mothers-lack-self-confidence/page__hl__%20gary%20%20north

 

Oh wow! After reading the Gary North article I'm even more confused. Since when do libertarians think it's someone's responsibility to give away their hard work for free?

[happymomofboys]

This sounded oddly familiar, particularly in its tone, so I did a forum search on Gary North. Turns out that a couple of years ago he put out an article castigating homeschooling mothers (specifically the mothers) for not cranking out curricula and posting them on the web for free.

 

http://forums.welltr...l__ gary north

 

Hmm... based on his rant about current curricula, I'm thinking he hasn't done enough market research. Perhaps he has a point about there not being enough materials with daily lessons, video teaching, quizzes and tests, but all of that is assuming that the majority of homeschooling parents aren't confident enough in their own ability to schedule a text, teach the lesson, and create methods of evaluation. His rant and his free curriculum website seem to value the Robinson Curriculum and model the ideal curriculum after it, which makes me think the Ron Paul curriculum will be modeled after it as well. Time will tell.

[LucyStoner]

This sounded oddly familiar, particularly in its tone, so I did a forum search on Gary North. Turns out that a couple of years ago he put out an article castigating homeschooling mothers (specifically the mothers) for not cranking out curricula and posting them on the web for free.

 

http://forums.welltr...l__ gary north

 

Hold up! He wants "homeschooling moms who lack confidence" to give work product away for free but HE gets to charge for it?

 

Talk about a classic sexist double standard. Personally I would tend to assume that homeschooling moms don't fill the internet with free curriculum because they are homeschooling, housekeeping, working, perhaps creating or feeding new life PLUS like to see their friends, spouses and their showers and pillows up close and personal at the end of a long day. Maybe even have a hobby. Taking it upon oneself to write and give away free curriculum? Are there 10 extra hours in the day that I don't know about? If there are, then they clearly need to be using theirs to trick out their website a bit better and rewrite their marketing materials. That FAQ is quite possibly the worst way ever to sell anything to anyone.

 

As a homeschooling mom, I don't have a "confidence problem". I have an "I have other shizz I'd rather be doing or need to be doing" problem. I have no great interest in publishing homeschooling materials, free or not. I have a great interest in my cooking, roller skating, books and soon to be cello playing etc provided the other things I need and want to do get done with some regularity.

[Mergath]

Hold up! He wants "homeschooling moms who lack confidence" to give work product away for free but HE gets to charge for it?

 

Talk about a classic sexist double standard. Personally I would tend to assume that homeschooling moms don't fill the internet with free curriculum because they are homeschooling, housekeeping, working, perhaps creating or feeding new life PLUS like to see their friends, spouses and their showers and pillows up close and personal at the end of a long day. Maybe even have a hobby. Taking it upon oneself to write and give away free curriculum? Are there 10 extra hours in the day that I don't know about? If there are, then they clearly need to be using theirs to trick out their website a bit better and rewrite their marketing materials. That FAQ is quite possibly the worst way ever to sell anything to anyone.

 

As a homeschooling mom, I don't have a "confidence problem". I have an "I have other shizz I'd rather be doing or need to be doing" problem. I have no great interest in publishing homeschooling materials, free or not. I have a great interest in my cooking, roller skating, books and soon to be cello playing etc provided the other things I need and want to do get done with some regularity.

 

If this guy thinks the Robinson curriculum is the epitome of home education, I really doubt he'd like the kind of materials many of us would come up with anyway. Too many facts, somewhat less G.A. Henty.

[Farrar]

If this guy thinks the Robinson curriculum is the epitome of home education, I really doubt he'd like the kind of materials many of us would come up with anyway. Too many facts, somewhat less G.A. Henty.

 

 

And he clearly hasn't even bothered to look at the ones that exist. In the other thread, people listed dozens of curricula written by homeschool moms. Which, of course, he arrogantly discounted. I'm completely flummoxed by this guy.

[sassenach]

 

 

Indeed. I consider myself to be a conservative libertarian (meaning there's plenty of stuff that I'd never do, but feel free to do it yourself), but the FAQ sounds like it was written by Ayn Rand on an empty stomach, two fingers of whiskey, and a pack of non-filtered Marlboro Reds.

 

Too harsh.

 

 

You are a funny lady.

[Mergath]

 

And he clearly hasn't even bothered to look at the ones that exist. In the other thread, people listed dozens of curricula written by homeschool moms. Which, of course, he arrogantly discounted. I'm completely flummoxed by this guy.

 

 

His problem apparently isn't that homeschool moms aren't creating free resources, but that those resources aren't all written from a Christian Reconstructionist and sexist viewpoint. From what I've read, this guy sounds like he's a few fries short of a happy meal. Even if I was Christian and/or libertarian, I wouldn't get near his stuff with a ten foot pole.

 

What I also don't get is, why is he starting a brand spanking new curriculum website when he already had one that seemingly didn't go anywhere? http://www.freechristiancurriculum.com/ even uses the exact same website template! He reminds me of bloggers that start up a blog, blog on it for a month, get sick of it, and start a new one a month later. How many half-a**ed curricula websites is this guy planning on cranking out?

[momma2three]

How on earth can he promise that students will enter college as juniors. Especially since he doesn't even seem to be talking about dual enrollment. "Quiz out of" the first two years of college? Seriously? Is he talking about the AP tests? Because plenty of schools don't accept them as credit anymore at all, and most won't let you skip straight to junior year just on the basis of APs.

 

Are there any colleges that let you "quiz out of" the first two years?

 

What odd phrasing, and it certainly doesn't inspire any confidence in his understanding of education, let alone anything else he might be promising.

[elegantlion]

This sounded oddly familiar, particularly in its tone, so I did a forum search on Gary North. Turns out that a couple of years ago he put out an article castigating homeschooling mothers (specifically the mothers) for not cranking out curricula and posting them on the web for free.

 

http://forums.welltr...l__ gary north

 

I remember that, UGH! Seems like the only thing they are selling now is attitude. I got plenty of my own for free. Maybe I should post that online for free. I can call it "Bless your little heart" curriculum.

[beaners]

I like Ron Paul. We saw him Saturday. I should have known there was something like this in the works beforehand, because no one speaks at a homeschooling convention unless they're plugging something.

 

I'm intrigued by this, but I strongly suspect that they have misjudged their market. I could be wrong, and perhaps this will draw in people who are already Ron Paul fans but not homeschoolers. I see the price and the tone of the website driving people off at this stage.

 

I'm fascinated by the idea of students helping each other in an online discussion format, which sounds very similar to some of my own experiences on Coursera. I think it works well in that setting, where peers provide much of the feedback but professors occasionally clarify ideas. I think it would require self-motivated students, because that environment requires students who are willing to ask questions AND students who are willing to answer questions. You get out of it what you are willing to put into it. I dislike the idea if there isn't some voice of authority with the ability to direct students away from misconceptions when necessary.

 

It should be interesting to see where this goes. I'm pretty certain the free K-5 wouldn't be a good fit for our family, but I'll keep an eye on it.

[VeritasMama]

I like Ron Paul. We saw him Saturday. I should have known there was something like this in the works beforehand, because no one speaks at a homeschooling convention unless they're plugging something.

 

I'm intrigued by this, but I strongly suspect that they have misjudged their market. I could be wrong, and perhaps this will draw in people who are already Ron Paul fans but not homeschoolers. I see the price and the tone of the website driving people off at this stage.

 

 

 

I think you are right, it seems as though they don't have much understanding about the homeschooling market in general, let alone how to appeal to it. They seem to be desiging this with your typical Ron Paul supporters in mind, and it appears they may have made the mistake of thinking that this will also appeal to the homeschool population as a whole? The Ron Paul name will no doubt appeal to a certain niche market, but I think they must have misjudged the market as a whole. The current site will more than likely alienate the majority of homeschoolers.

 

But, on the other hand, they may truly not be interested in mass appeal. It could be that their own idea of what homeschooling should be is more important to them than success. They may realize that this product has a limited target audience and be okay with that. I am interested to see the actual curriculum, but I wouldn't pay for it.

[happymomofboys]

I like Ron Paul. We saw him Saturday. I should have known there was something like this in the works beforehand, because no one speaks at a homeschooling convention unless they're plugging something.

 

I'm intrigued by this, but I strongly suspect that they have misjudged their market. I could be wrong, and perhaps this will draw in people who are already Ron Paul fans but not homeschoolers. I see the price and the tone of the website driving people off at this stage.

 

I'm fascinated by the idea of students helping each other in an online discussion format, which sounds very similar to some of my own experiences on Coursera. I think it works well in that setting, where peers provide much of the feedback but professors occasionally clarify ideas. I think it would require self-motivated students, because that environment requires students who are willing to ask questions AND students who are willing to answer questions. You get out of it what you are willing to put into it. I dislike the idea if there isn't some voice of authority with the ability to direct students away from misconceptions when necessary.

 

It should be interesting to see where this goes. I'm pretty certain the free K-5 wouldn't be a good fit for our family, but I'll keep an eye on it.

 

 

Ron Paul fan here. Gary North lost me at, "Classical education undermines Christian orthodoxy."

[SunnyDays]

 

 

Ron Paul fan here. Gary North lost me at, "Classical education undermines Christian orthodoxy."

 

 

I missed that! Is it on their website or on the link from the other thread?

 

I like Ron Paul. I get the vibe he's not deeply involved in this project, though, and it's being run by this Gary guy, whose tone is completely turning me off. Not to mention the comments from the other thread. I think at the very least, they have a serious marketing and design issue, and after reading all the comments from the guy in charge, I'm not holding out high hopes for the curriculum either. Perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

 

[AimeeM]

 

But why not? I mean, I really was wondering what they could have to contribute to education, but it seems like they've answered their own question in their FAQ: nothing but arrogance. When there's no product beyond that, why shouldn't they fail? Do homeschool parents really need to pay to be talked down to like that when there's nothing else there?

 

I don't know how this could not degenerate into a political discussion at this point, but I am really curious. Do libertarian parents believe their children should sink or swim of their own accord like this? When faced with your own children, do you really apply Randian principles?

I am a conservative libertarian and no, I do NOT subscribe to "sink or swim".

[AimeeM]

There's a Libertarian homeschool page on facebook SERIOUSLY plugging this program. From their other posts, I get a definite "unschool" vibe.

[MrsBasil]

How on earth can he promise that students will enter college as juniors. Especially since he doesn't even seem to be talking about dual enrollment. "Quiz out of" the first two years of college? Seriously? Is he talking about the AP tests? Because plenty of schools don't accept them as credit anymore at all, and most won't let you skip straight to junior year just on the basis of APs.

 

Are there any colleges that let you "quiz out of" the first two years?

 

What odd phrasing, and it certainly doesn't inspire any confidence in his understanding of education, let alone anything else he might be promising.

 

http://www.ronpaulcurriculum.com/public/124.cfm

 

In this article on accreditation they are saying that taking 5 6 unit CLEPS and passing them automatically makes a student a sophomore, so I'm guessing they will be pushing CLEP testing.

 

They are also once claiming homeschoolers lack confidence, this time if they choose to pursue or ask about accreditation for high school.

 

Googling the staff member who was referenced in the article as earning a bachelor's at 18 via distance learning and CLEP brings up this. http://www.zerodebtdegrees.com/

[momma2three]

At least he's consistent when it comes to web design.

 

Somehow I have a feeling that Ron Paul is going to be distancing himself from this scam operation sooner or later.

[momma2three]

Ah, and that website has an "about Gary North" section. Apparently he used to work for Ron Paul.

 

 

 

 

Gary North received his Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Riverside, in 1972. He has taught at the community college level, the four-year college level, and the university level. Today, he runs websites full-time. This is one of them.

He has a philosophy of education.

"There is self-education. This is the form of education that matters most. There is apprenticeship. This matters most for getting started in a career. Then there is formal education. This matters mainly for career reasons. A college degree functions as a bureaucratic barrier to entry, and it is becoming less relevant as a barrier to entry, because third-rate colleges are issuing huge numbers of overpriced degrees to students ranging from third rate to first rate. Only rarely does classroom education matter much for intellectual reasons. Therefore, a wise student spends as little money as possible of formal education, and as little time as possible. Conclusion:

Never pay retail for college

."

He is the author of about 55 volumes of books, including the 31-volume set, An Economic Commentary on the Bible.

He has written in dozens of magazines and newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, The Commercial and Financial Chronicle, The Freeman, Coin Age, The Journal of Political Economy, National Review, The American Spectator, and the New York Times. He has written over 1250 articles for LewRockwell.com.

He has written the financial newsletter, Remnant Review, since 1974.

He edits the financial website, www.GaryNorth.com.

In 1976, he served as the research assistant for the newly elected Texas Congressman, Dr. Ron Paul.

[momma2three]

Think this is the same guy? http://www.sullivan-.../gary_north.htm

 

ETA: it is. It all appears on his Wikipedia page, actually. He's a major holocaust denialist, apparently. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_North_(economist)

[Farrar]

Think this is the same guy? http://www.sullivan-.../gary_north.htm

 

ETA: it is. It all appears on his Wikipedia page, actually. He's a major holocaust denialist, apparently. http://en.wikipedia....orth_(economist)

 

 

He's a Holocaust denier? Oh, this just gets crazier. :huh:

[happymomofboys]

I missed that! Is it on their website or on the link from the other thread?

 

I like Ron Paul. I get the vibe he's not deeply involved in this project, though, and it's being run by this Gary guy, whose tone is completely turning me off. Not to mention the comments from the other thread. I think at the very least, they have a serious marketing and design issue, and after reading all the comments from the guy in charge, I'm not holding out high hopes for the curriculum either. Perhaps I'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

 

Gary North on Classical Education

 

My quote was from the article/letter he linked to at the bottom.

[swimmermom3]

I think it's weird. Why would a K-5 curriculum be centered around a very specific political philosophy? What little the website says makes it sound like some strange hybrid of TJEd and the Robinson curriculum. And they both turned out to be such winners. :001_rolleyes:

 

Also, I find it extremely odd that Ron Paul doesn't actually seem to be affiliated. I wonder how he'd feel about having an entire curriculum named after him that he has nothing to do with.

 

It'll certainly be interesting to see what they come out with.

 

ETA: Lol... hopefully this guy won't be teaching the writing:

 

This curriculum teaches people how to write. The main teachers in the social sciences and humanities, Dr. Gary North and Dr. Tom Woods, are both successful writers. They are both successful businessmen. They will teach your children how to write effectively and fast.

 

I am not really sure why Gary North is qualified to develop curriculum for any grade. Isn't he the economist who's married to the major Holocaust denier's daughter. Guy's name was Rushdonney or Rushdunney or something like that. Shouldn't curriculum providers have some educational training?

[mommymilkies]

Think this is the same guy? http://www.sullivan-.../gary_north.htm

 

ETA: it is. It all appears on his Wikipedia page, actually. He's a major holocaust denialist, apparently. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_North_(economist)

 

Double ew.

[happymomofboys]

I am not really sure why Gary North is qualified to develop curriculum for any grade. Isn't he the economist who's married to the major Holocaust denier's daughter. Guy's name was Rushdonney or Rushdunney or something like that. Shouldn't curriculum providers have some educational training?

 

 

I don't think curriculum providers should necessarily have educational training, as long as they have some experience! I would have no problem using materials or lesson plans developed by other homeschooling mothers, for example, before using something produced by an old man who has never, to my knowledge, taught children.

[Farrar]

Okay, now I am actually thinking too much about this, but it just makes me so sad. The idea that this might recruit people - Ron Paul followers, presumably, who are a pretty varied bunch - to homeschooling, just makes me ill. In general, I find that homeschoolers are intelligent, thoughtful, caring people... but there is a dark side to homeschooling sometimes - hateful, racist, misinformation spreading people who use homeschooling to try and peddle their views. And it seems like this guy falls into that category. In a way, it's silly for any of us to discuss it further. But in another way, I hope we have some obligation to remind ourselves that this stuff is out there and make sure people are onto it.

 

ETA: Dh, by the way, used to be a professional libertarian. He has worked for Cato and the LP. I tried to start a conversation with him about this curricula and he goes, "I can tell I don't want to know this," and walked away. He's not really on the libertarian bandwagon anymore, but still.

[LucyStoner]

 

 

I am not really sure why Gary North is qualified to develop curriculum for any grade. Isn't he the economist who's married to the major Holocaust denier's daughter.

 

 

He has a degree in history so he's not even actually an economist. A 32 volume set on the economy of the Bible? Dude needs an editor.

[AimeeM]

Okay, now I am actually thinking too much about this, but it just makes me so sad. The idea that this might recruit people - Ron Paul followers, presumably, who are a pretty varied bunch - to homeschooling, just makes me ill. In general, I find that homeschoolers are intelligent, thoughtful, caring people... but there is a dark side to homeschooling sometimes - hateful, racist, misinformation spreading people who use homeschooling to try and peddle their views. And it seems like this guy falls into that category. In a way, it's silly for any of us to discuss it further. But in another way, I hope we have some obligation to remind ourselves that this stuff is out there and make sure people are onto it.

 

ETA: Dh, by the way, used to be a professional libertarian. He has worked for Cato and the LP. I tried to start a conversation with him about this curricula and he goes, "I can tell I don't want to know this," and walked away. He's not really on the libertarian bandwagon anymore, but still.

 

I'm frightened that some Libertarians will jump on JUST because of the Ron Paul name - even though I think he'll distance himself from this (if he has anything to do with it?).

[happymomofboys]

Here's a relevant blog post that came across my FB.

 

Let this serve as a warning to the libertarian and Christian homeschooling communities:Gary North, the man who is writing and publishing the “Ron Paul Curriculum,†is certifiably nuts.

[Mergath]

Okay, now I am actually thinking too much about this, but it just makes me so sad. The idea that this might recruit people - Ron Paul followers, presumably, who are a pretty varied bunch - to homeschooling, just makes me ill. In general, I find that homeschoolers are intelligent, thoughtful, caring people... but there is a dark side to homeschooling sometimes - hateful, racist, misinformation spreading people who use homeschooling to try and peddle their views. And it seems like this guy falls into that category. In a way, it's silly for any of us to discuss it further. But in another way, I hope we have some obligation to remind ourselves that this stuff is out there and make sure people are onto it.

 

ETA: Dh, by the way, used to be a professional libertarian. He has worked for Cato and the LP. I tried to start a conversation with him about this curricula and he goes, "I can tell I don't want to know this," and walked away. He's not really on the libertarian bandwagon anymore, but still.

 

Oh, people are positively giddy about it. I checked out Ron Paul's fb page, because someone had mentioned he plugged it on there, and you should see how many people have already decided to use it just because Ron Paul's name is on it. They don't care about the content, how rigorous it is, if it's going to be a good fit for their children- they are going to use it because Ron Paul's name is on it. Period, full stop, end of discussion. I'm guessing they're going to be very disappointed.

 

Not to mention that it'll probably result in more bad press for homeschoolers. I can just see it on the network news now: "Homeschoolers have been flocking to a new educational website called 'The Ron Paul Curriculum,' written by Holocaust-denier and Y2K promotor Gary North." And then they'll expound upon North's views, and we'll all be made to look like whackadoodles. *sigh*

[Mergath]

Here's a relevant blog post that came across my FB.

 

:blink: Wow. We really, really don't need this guy associated with homeschooling.

[*Michelle*]

Here's a relevant blog post that came across my FB.

 

:huh:

 

So I think I'll just stick with the recommendations from TWTM.

[Farrar]

Here's a relevant blog post that came across my FB.

 

 

So the guy's not even a libertarian, as it turns out.

[swimmermom3]

 

 

I don't think curriculum providers should necessarily have educational training, as long as they have some experience! I would have no problem using materials or lesson plans developed by other homeschooling mothers, for example, before using something produced by an old man who has never, to my knowledge, taught children.

 

I am with you on that one actually.

[VeritasMama]

Here's a relevant blog post that came across my FB.

 

I need to bleach my brain.

 

I assumed Ron Paul would not put his name on something without being involved, I wonder if that is actually the case...

[happymomofboys]

Here's a relevant blog post that came across my FB.

 

Never let it be said that I don't consider both sides. I wasn't persuaded, but maybe someone else will be.

[SunnyDays]

 

 

Never let it be said that I don't consider both sides. I wasn't persuaded, but maybe someone else will be.

 

I just read that rebuttal as well. I clicked the link with high hopes that he'd have some valid points to ease my mind. I was disappointed.

 

Conservative libertarian here too, and I'm with Aimee... Concerned that people will jump on board due to the RP label, and be very misled. If this North guy believes even half of what I've been reading, it's not pretty.

 

I'm having a hard time believing that Ron Paul is overly involved in this project. Agree with him or not, these are simply not the philosophies he espouses.

[LucyStoner]

I love how they are calling it rigorous but casually dismiss the idea that high schoolers need to learn advanced math or physics. Okie dokie artichokie.

[LucyStoner]

 

I'm having a hard time believing that Ron Paul is overly involved in this project. Agree with him or not, these are simply not the philosophies he espouses.

 

ITA. I am not a Ron Paul supporter. He and I certainly only agree on a very short list of issues. But even I, big flaming liberal that I am, can't see how Ron Paul is lockstep with this North guy at all. Ron Paul is not a totalitarian extremist. He's a loving father. I just can't see him advocating for harming children in anyway for expressing their free thoughts. I find it unfortunate though that he would lend his name to a guy who is totally cracked like North. Paul's not stupid and he should know better.

[happymomofboys]

ITA. I am not a Ron Paul supporter. He and I certainly only agree on a very short list of issues. But even I, big flaming liberal that I am, can't see how Ron Paul is lockstep with this North guy at all. Ron Paul is not a totalitarian extremist. He's a loving father. I just can't see him advocating for harming children in anyway for expressing their free thoughts. I find it unfortunate though that he would lend his name to a guy who is totally cracked like North. Paul's not stupid and he should know better.

 

This. The bolded. Does anyone know if Ron Paul has actually come out and said that this is his curriculum? Outside of the articles on the website that are supposedly written by him but sound like they were written by Gary North?

[SunnyDays]

 

 

This. The bolded. Does anyone know if Ron Paul has actually come out and said that this is his curriculum? Outside of the articles on the website that are supposedly written by him but sound like they were written by Gary North?

 

 

I was wondering the same thing. It's on "his" FB account, but who knows who oversees that, or if they have the details.

[Farrar]

At one point, in the 80's, when Paul was not really a player on the national stage yet, he reached out to and let himself be associated with all kinds of nut jobs - including white supremacists. While that was never who he was... He has apparently never fully distanced himself from some of these folks. And he apparently will lend his name to all kinds of things - he doesn't control his "brand" that much apparently. Gary North really does know Ron Paul and has written for him and so forth... Basically I think it shows how the libertarian movement still has a lot of fringe elements and isn't that unified. And people should be careful not to assume that just because they agree with someone on one issue or set of issues that they'll agree on other topics.