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http://www.responsiblehomeschooling.org/about-crhe/who-we-are/

 

I want to go back and read every one's posts.  But real quick (sorry if it's been mentioned before) but it seems to me just from reading their quick bios) that regardless of being "neglected educationally"---the people behind this seem pretty darn successful and well educated?????

 

I might care if this was started by a bunch of illiterate no accounts who couldn't pass an ACT.

 

Seems to me that they got a fine education---enough to get them into several colleges and various organizations and rack up some letters after their names. Seems to me that they have had some sort of change a heart about the way they were raised politically or religiously, and decided to throw logic in the trash (maybe that's the one subject their parents failed to teach?) and lump all homeschoolers as having the same problems.

 

Looks to me like a lot of grown brats who had some falling out with their parents about lifestyle and politics and decided to make a fancy website to share their collective temper tantrum with the world.

 

Although I may not agree  with conservative fundamentalist Christian politics and ideals, I certainly do not appreciate anyone trying to make it more difficult for me to homeschool in our democratic, liberal "crunchy" way just by assuming all homeschoolers are the same in these political ideals.

 

<<<Because public school does such a great job of preventing kids from adopting their parents politics and prejudices, right?>>>

 

 

 

 

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Wishbone Dawn, that's fine. Argue with the flyers, make your own flyers with better information, that's great. But did they really say "someone made a flyer with false unscientific data so now we need the government to collect data because some writer lied?". What are you going to do with the data? Do you have an expert to interpret it and to what useful end? If not, you're only fighting against persuasive writing. You don't need scientific government data and statistics to argue against persuasive writing. The data isn't compiled and the only reason given to compile the data is to argue against persuasive writing?

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When I said to SarahW that, "I think your post sums up my conclusions.  The number 1 priority is:  The homeschool culture needs to change,"  I meant that is my only priority at this time on this issue.  So many arguments in this thread have been so good; I've been persuaded by your good sense.  If I haven't argued against your point, you don't need to argue it again -- I probably concede.  If you read my OP, you'd see that I started the thread unsure what I thought of the policy suggestions.  

 

I can't speak for blog writers at HA or the Coalition for Responsible Home Education.  But my priority is going to be to encourage common sense and responsible parenting whenever I get the chance.  Without legislation.  Without regard to what type of schooling a family has chosen.  How exactly to do that, I'll learn as I go.  But I'm glad to find some kindred spirits here.      

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http://www.responsiblehomeschooling.org/about-crhe/who-we-are/

 

I want to go back and read every one's posts.  But real quick (sorry if it's been mentioned before) but it seems to me just from reading their quick bios) that regardless of being "neglected educationally"---the people behind this seem pretty darn successful and well educated?????

 

I might care if this was started by a bunch of illiterate no accounts who couldn't pass an ACT.

 

Seems to me that they got a fine education---enough to get them into several colleges and various organizations and rack up some letters after their names. Seems to me that they have had some sort of change a heart about the way they were raised politically or religiously, and decided to throw logic in the trash (maybe that's the one subject their parents failed to teach?) and lump all homeschoolers as having the same problems.

 

Looks to me like a lot of grown brats who had some falling out with their parents about lifestyle and politics and decided to make a fancy website to share their collective temper tantrum with the world.

 

Although I may not agree  with conservative fundamentalist Christian politics and ideals, I certainly do not appreciate anyone trying to make it more difficult for me to homeschool in our democratic, liberal "crunchy" way just by assuming all homeschoolers are the same in these political ideals.

 

<<<Because public school does such a great job of preventing kids from adopting their parents politics and prejudices, right?>>>

I spent a little more time reading there than you did and realized that some of them achieved their basic education, even their literacy, after leaving their home environments. Some of them spent time homeless or living with relatives. Some of them begged grandparents to teach them or forced their parents to finally let them go to school. Their academic and financial success came in spite of their homeschool experience not because of it.

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LaTexican,

 

I think I get at what you're saying. I have to run, but let me just answer with this - I think it behooves people to not willingly propagate misinformation. They should not use this misinformation to encourage people to make decisions which are bad for their family.

 

Can we force that to happen? No. But we can make it loudly clear that we do find this behavior unacceptable.

 

Would this apply to media and government?

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Seems to me that they got a fine education---enough to get them into several colleges and various organizations and rack up some letters after their names. Seems to me that they have had some sort of change a heart about the way they were raised politically or religiously, and decided to throw logic in the trash (maybe that's the one subject their parents failed to teach?) and lump all homeschoolers as having the same problems.

 

Looks to me like a lot of grown brats who had some falling out with their parents about lifestyle and politics and decided to make a fancy website to share their collective temper tantrum with the world.

 

Some may have had a falling out; some may have been truly abused and neglected. So, I'm not quick to dismiss their concerns. But they were abused by their parents, not homeschooling. As far as I'm aware, no suit alleging a failure to educate against a public school has succeeded ; I don't agree with placing a higher legal educational standard on parents.

 

I do believe that I am failing as a parent if I am not ensuring my children get an adequate education, no matter the school's location.

 

Homeschooling is a method, not an ideology. If neglect and abuse are occurring, it is a parental failure, not a homeschooling failure.

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Homeschooling is a method, not an ideology. If neglect and abuse are occurring, it is a parental failure, not a homeschooling failure.

I do think it is more than just a personal failure on the part of the individual parents, but rather a community failure on the part of some cultlike churches and interdenominational movements within Christianity. The abuse and neglect stem from ideological beliefs ("spare the rod, spoil the child" with a literal interpretation of "rod" as a stick to beat the child with).

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I'm a conservative Christian. Which books, magazines, conventions, and radio programs are we talking about here? What exactly do I need to change?

I don't think these abuse, neglect, and ...I don't know what to call it when they're grooming girls to assume only 1 role in life are typical of a conservative christian household or a cc household that homeschools. This is a fringe that is twisting God's Word to fit their worldview and that's not Christian at all. So please excuse me and the majority of conservative Christians from your call for necessary change. :)

 

Jaderbee, do you want a list so you can do some research, or are you just making the point that not all christian families have fallen into these beliefs?  

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I do think it is more than just a personal failure on the part of the individual parents, but rather a community failure on the part of some cultlike churches and interdenominational movements within Christianity. The abuse and neglect stem from ideological beliefs ("spare the rod, spoil the child" with a literal interpretation of "rod" as a stick to beat the child with).

 

I don't disagree. But I think parents who fall into a unhealthy community still have a individual responsibility to their children. "The Pearls made me do it" does not excuse parental abuse and neglect.

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I spent a little more time reading there than you did and realized that some of them achieved their basic education, even their literacy, after leaving their home environments. Some of them spent time homeless or living with relatives. Some of them begged grandparents to teach them or forced their parents to finally let them go to school. Their academic and financial success came in spite of their homeschool experience not because of it.

 

And some of them received a fine education at home and are advocating for their friends who didn't and children who aren't.  As I understand it, R. L. Stollar is one of those.  His mother posted an article on Homeschoolers Anonymous recently on her thoughts about small ways to make a difference.

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I spent a little more time reading there than you did and realized that some of them achieved their basic education, even their literacy, after leaving their home environments. Some of them spent time homeless or living with relatives. Some of them begged grandparents to teach them or forced their parents to finally let them go to school. Their academic and financial success came in spite of their homeschool experience not because of it.

 

And some of them received a fine education at home and are advocating for their friends who didn't and children who aren't.  As I understand it, R. L. Stollar is one of those.  His mother posted an article on Homeschoolers Anonymous recently on her thoughts about small ways to make a difference.

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If I haven't argued against your point, you don't need to argue it again -- I probably concede.

 

You don't mean I'm talking too much, do you?

I can't speak for blog writers at HA or the Coalition for Responsible Home Education. But my priority is going to be to encourage common sense and responsible parenting whenever I get the chance. Without legislation. Without regard to what type of schooling a family has chosen. How exactly to do that, I'll learn as I go. But I'm glad to find some kindred spirits here.

I think they already said they're already doing it. This is about homeschool damaged children. They need a charity. think I read they have one. I think someone here said not only homeschool kids fall through the cracks that way. We coul probably use programs like job corp (goes up to age 24), pell grants to salvage adults, military can give you a good start on life. I think this group we're talking about has some kind of a program to help homeschooled kids who fell through the cracks get started with their life. This is how you help without legislation, you make a charity. Maybe you can't make every parent do the best for their child. Be there for the young adults.
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http://www.responsiblehomeschooling.org/about-crhe/who-we-are/

 

I want to go back and read every one's posts. But real quick (sorry if it's been mentioned before) but it seems to me just from reading their quick bios) that regardless of being "neglected educationally"---the people behind this seem pretty darn successful and well educated?????

 

I might care if this was started by a bunch of illiterate no accounts who couldn't pass an ACT.

 

Seems to me that they got a fine education---enough to get them into several colleges and various organizations and rack up some letters after their names. Seems to me that they have had some sort of change a heart about the way they were raised politically or religiously, and decided to throw logic in the trash (maybe that's the one subject their parents failed to teach?) and lump all homeschoolers as having the same problems.

 

Looks to me like a lot of grown brats who had some falling out with their parents about lifestyle and politics and decided to make a fancy website to share their collective temper tantrum with the world.

 

Although I may not agree with conservative fundamentalist Christian politics and ideals, I certainly do not appreciate anyone trying to make it more difficult for me to homeschool in our democratic, liberal "crunchy" way just by assuming all homeschoolers are the same in these political ideals.

 

<<<Because public school does such a great job of preventing kids from adopting their parents politics and prejudices, right?>>>

That site represents a small self selected group of people who, yes, did manage to do relatively well. I would not assume they represent everyone or even most people who have similar experiences.

 

That they did well could be in spite of rather then because of their upbringing. I would spend some time in the archives before labeling them brats.

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Wishbone Dawn, that's fine. Argue with the flyers, make your own flyers with Vetter information, that's great. But did they really say "someone made a flyer with false unscientific data so now we need the government to collect data because some writer lied?". What are you going to do with the data? Do you have an expert to interpret it and to what useful end? If not, you're only fighting against persuasive writing. You don't need scientific government data and statistics to argue against persuasive writing. The data isn't compiled and the only reason given to compile the data is to argue against persuasive writing?

I'm simply arguing against using bad data and sharing my frustration with those who spread it. I don't know where to go from there. I will that Milton Gaither's blog where he reviews research and articles on homeschooling is always a better place to start then NHERI.

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You don't mean I'm talking too much, do you?

I think they already said they're already doing it. This is about homeschool damaged children. They need a charity. think I read they have one. I think someone here said not only homeschool kids fall through the cracks that way. We coul probably use programs like job corp (goes up to age 24), pell grants to salvage adults, military can give you a good start on life. I think this group we're talking about has some kind of a program to help homeschooled kids who fell through the cracks get started with their life. This is how you help without legislation, you make a charity. Maybe you can't make every parent do the best for their child. Be there for the young adults.

 

No, not you specifically, La Texican!   This thread is very long, and many of the arguments have been voiced multiple times.  The more I try to keep up, the more I "neglect" my own students (tongue in cheek--they are pretty independent at this stage).  ;)

 

The persuasive arguments here have been:  1) that legislating something just for homeschool children w/out legislating it for other forms of schooling is not the way to go; 2) that laws & practices are already in place to combat abuse, albeit imperfectly; 3) that legislation to solve some of these problems isn't likely to solve them; 4) that parents have the right to make cultural decisions for their children here in the U. S. A. (think Amish), and most of us do not want to change that even though some parents take opportunity to inappropriately control their kids.  I might find other arguments that have affected my thinking, but I'd have to comb through the whole thread again.  

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That's what I'm wondering if you mean by change? Shining light into the shadows behind the homeschooling idols through discussion of these methods and ideals?

Were you the one that also posted about convention speakers sticking to homeschooling? I don't quite agree with that because there is so much crossover between homeschooling and parenting. However, more conventions that are geared toward all homeschoolers, not just Christians would be welcome.

Thanks by the way for starting this thread. I have read all but page 4 (then I hopped over to HA and spent quite a bit of time reading there). It has caused me to examine my methods and goals of homeschooling and parenting and reason through the whys.

 

Yes, that is part of what I mean by change:  admitting that there are homeschool idols and shining the light on them!  Yes, I did post about convention speakers sticking to homeschooling.  Maybe at least the keynote speakers could stick to topics geared toward all of us, and small group sessions could focus on other topics that have more to do with lifestyle.  Maybe when the topic was "courtship," for example, perhaps two speakers with opposing views could hold a dialogue, rather than one expert spouting one side.  Am I a dreamer?  

 

Thanks for voicing your appreciation.  :)  

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On the other hand, the part that was serious would like more info. I have started a list from reading the stories on HA. Prior to reading that blog I had never heard of ATI or ALERT. I never liked Doug Phillips and so I didn't read or think through his philosophy/theology. Maybe if I had I could have gently debated friends that like his books or were thrilled he was a keynote speaker at our local convention a few years back. .

 

That's a good start to getting more info.  I found this long list of individuals and organizations accused of associating with Doug Phillips, who was one of the biggest "patriarchy" teachers/promoters before his recent downfall.  We received the Vision Forum catalog for years, until they finally figured out we weren't going to buy anything.  

 

But there are other myths that I think lead into bad situations for homeschool families.  What about "encouraging" a parent by saying something to the effect that no matter what we do in educating our children at home, it's better than sending them to public schools?  A variation on this myth is that everyone can homeschool.  It may be taken further to state, "All christians must homeschool."  There are unfortunate side effects to this myth, like a mom with mental illness trying to homeschool her children.  Or a family determined to homeschool even when it isn't working for a particular child.       

 

I find christian parenting books problematic, too.  Parenting is an art, not a formula, but parents seem to be looking for the secret that will guarantee perfect, godly, shining-example children.  I want to stand up against the myth that homeschooling can guarantee that.  I want to stand up against the idea that physical discipline can guarantee that.  What do parents do when the parenting method isn't producing the desired effects?  Some of them simply buckle down and apply the method harder or longer or whatever it takes...  sometimes with tragic results.  I don't want to encourage that kind of attitude when I interact with parents I know.  

 

I'm probably rambling... and procrastinating supper chores.  

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I spent a little more time reading there than you did and realized that some of them achieved their basic education, even their literacy, after leaving their home environments. Some of them spent time homeless or living with relatives. Some of them begged grandparents to teach them or forced their parents to finally let them go to school. Their academic and financial success came in spite of their homeschool experience not because of it.

 

 

I don't disagree. I was just answering the impression Walking-Iris had that these young people all had a fine homeschool education. Most of them didn't.

 

 

That site represents a small self selected group of people who, yes, did manage to do relatively well. I would not assume they represent everyone or even most people who have similar experiences.

 

That they did well could be in spite of rather then because of their upbringing. I would spend some time in the archives before labeling them brats.

 

Yeah I'm sort of not caught up as well as others in this thread are. I've never heard of this group before. It was my initial knee jerk reaction. 

 

It was my first impression to see people who didn't like the way they were raised and so lumped everyone who could potentially be raised the same way into one big group. I agree with Ellie about the scariness of it. On various different levels.

 

Some in this thread are talking about the "homeschool community." I live in an area where I have serious reservations about the so-called homeschooling community. Basically there's one---right wing patriarchal YEC. And it feels insular, it feels as though secular homeschoolers such as myself are welcome only with reservation, and I have serious concerns about a local homeschooler operated private Christian school. 

 

My dh is a GED instructor and he has had one and heard tale of a few other poorly educated homeschool students in adult basic ed. BUT it's no worse than our right wing patriarchal public school. Our town was the focus of a short lived CNN investigation about the "pipeline" of so-called truant kids being sent to a private right wing Christian school/camp in Montana for alternative school. (I'll attempt to dig that link up later). That particular truancy officer is still employed. 

 

I guess I don't live in a fantasy world that public school or people in some sort of authority will have children's best interests at heart or somehow be less likely to have these sub-culture "Jesus Camp" ish mentalities.

 

I did well in spite of my upbringing, and I was public schooled. And I don't give any of my teachers credit for it either. In fact not a single person in my entire 12 years of schooling knew that I lived in an abusive situation until *I* spoke up and with the help of a friend's mother was legally emancipated. Even then I doubt anyone at my high school, other than the school counselor, was aware of anything other than my change of address and legal status. 

 

I just appreciate everyone's good intentions and thoughts for trying to prevent abuse or neglect but honestly---doubtful that all of these extra regs and intrusions in regular parents lives will change a thing.

 

Like others have said, it will likely happen anyway. Children come out of the abusive situations in all manner of ways. I respect people wanting to tell their story, but honestly I would never in a million years take what I lived through and attempt to place the burden on anyone who may share certain similarities to my mother's lifestyle.

 

Does anyone remember the story years ago, I believe in Texas?, about the Mormon compound. It was a big deal in the news, reports of abuse, and so on, and the children were taken from the families. Now I don't think it would be really fair to look at all Mormon families through the same lens, right? 

 

To be honest I just have my doubts about this particular group's motives. They can say what they like about how they were raised etc....but who really knows?

 

Bad case scenarios make great rallying cries. Sort of like the stories of deaths trying to guilt people into getting flu shots. Sad that anything may have happened to people...but I generally don't like bad luck cases being thrown up at me as proof that I am somehow responsible to fix it by allowing anyone to dictate how to live my life, or that I am somehow more likely to act in the same vein because I share some characteristic with them.

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Seems to me that they got a fine education---enough to get them into several colleges and various organizations and rack up some letters after their names. Seems to me that they have had some sort of change a heart about the way they were raised politically or religiously, and decided to throw logic in the trash (maybe that's the one subject their parents failed to teach?) and lump all homeschoolers as having the same problems.

 

 

"Many people trying to defend the reputation of homeschooling (which I will note is different than defending the right to homeschool) note that the writing, educational attainment, and professions of many of us former homeschoolers speaking out about negative homeschooling experiences are respectably good. These kinds of achievements are the stuff that homeschool leaders and proud parents would love to take some credit for, attribute to homeschooling, but for those of us who have lived through the kinds of experiences we describe, when someone assumes that the reason we have the skills and careers that we do today is because of homeschooling, we get annoyed (and sometimes triggered) and know that they do not fully understand what happened to us and that they are definitely not hearing from or seeing all of us," from What You Should Know about Model Homeschoolers and Discipline.

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Yeah I'm sort of not caught up as well as others in this thread are. I've never heard of this group before. It was my initial knee jerk reaction. 

 

 

I did well in spite of my upbringing, and I was public schooled. And I don't give any of my teachers credit for it either. In fact not a single person in my entire 12 years of schooling knew that I lived in an abusive situation until *I* spoke up and with the help of a friend's mother was legally emancipated. Even then I doubt anyone at my high school, other than the school counselor, was aware of anything other than my change of address and legal status. 

 

I just appreciate everyone's good intentions and thoughts for trying to prevent abuse or neglect but honestly---doubtful that all of these extra regs and intrusions in regular parents lives will change a thing.

 

 

Iris, in case you wonder, I posted my reply to your first post before I saw ^ this one.  

 

Thanks for sharing part of your own story.  In case you missed it, the main site where the homeschool graduates are sharing their stories is Homeschoolers Anonymous.  As far as legislation goes, I personally have gone back and forth in my opinions during this discussion.  The legislation/regulation is not as important to me now as is the desire to keep my eyes and ears open for ways to help struggling parents and children.  I think it's important to discuss the issues in the homeschool world, but I understand that not everyone is going to respond to the stories in the same way as I do.  

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"Many people trying to defend the reputation of homeschooling (which I will note is different than defending the right to homeschool) note that the writing, educational attainment, and professions of many of us former homeschoolers speaking out about negative homeschooling experiences are respectably good. These kinds of achievements are the stuff that homeschool leaders and proud parents would love to take some credit for, attribute to homeschooling, but for those of us who have lived through the kinds of experiences we describe, when someone assumes that the reason we have the skills and careers that we do today is because of homeschooling, we get annoyed (and sometimes triggered) and know that they do not fully understand what happened to us and that they are definitely not hearing from or seeing all of us," from What You Should Know about Model Homeschoolers and Discipline.

 

Again---I did well in spite of growing up in an abusive situation. But I still do NOT think it really fair for them to take their experiences and their overcoming of said experiences and attempting to set down guidelines for anyone else who is homeschooling.

 

Homeschoolers are just not a universal group. There is no one thing that anyone can point to and say "all homeschoolers do, say, believe, act, dress, discipline and so on xyz." Other than the fact that their kids are not in public school. Which one can't even say that considering many homeschoolers do have some children in B&M public or private schools.

 

Homeschooling is parenting. What they experienced was bad parenting. Plenty of public school children experience (and live to tell about it) bad parenting as well as a bad ps education. But I haven't seen any group yet of "I was parented badly, and abused and/or neglected so let's make all parents our special soapbox." I don't see "I failed school and had terrible teachers, so let's band together and condemn all public schools" groups. And like I said I'm still slowly trying to get up to speed here about this group. 

 

I'm convinced from the bits I've read (and still reading off and on here) that this is possibly a situation of a group with certain motives (possibly politically) who have found a common theme to rally behind, and take all of the rest of us down with them. 

 

They talk about laws, regulations, vaccinations???? (which has absolute zero to do with education) and wanting to have records kept, and background checks and so on.

 

Again if this were a simple case of a place for people who have been abused to find a place to share and have an outlet to share their stories, then all of that wouldn't be such a major push of the group.

 

Sometimes bad things happen and it's important to reevaluate laws. Sort of like gun control. But in this instance I feel that there isn't a universal "thing" that anyone but an ax to grind politically about homeschooling can find here to get behind.

 

Coming from someone who knows quite a few homeschool graduates (most of them Christian) who are happy, well-educated, and successful. And didn't have a hard time with their parents or family.

 

It's important not to forget that. I feel that the ones coming out of great family situations and going on to be successful adults are more numerous than the lens this particular group would like society to view homeschoolers.

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"Many people trying to defend the reputation of homeschooling (which I will note is different than defending the right to homeschool) note that the writing, educational attainment, and professions of many of us former homeschoolers speaking out about negative homeschooling experiences are respectably good. These kinds of achievements are the stuff that homeschool leaders and proud parents would love to take some credit for, attribute to homeschooling, but for those of us who have lived through the kinds of experiences we describe, when someone assumes that the reason we have the skills and careers that we do today is because of homeschooling, we get annoyed (and sometimes triggered) and know that they do not fully understand what happened to us and that they are definitely not hearing from or seeing all of us," from What You Should Know about Model Homeschoolers and Discipline.

 

Quoting this again because I just need to say this. My senior year in high school we had an exchange student from Germany. One day she wasn't coming to school any longer. After a while it was found out by us students that the family she  was living with was sort of crazy controlling (wouldn't let her contact friends she was making or go anywhere and what not---extreme controlling bordering on abusive) and she contacted her family and went home.

 

So when stories like this are lumped into the file as "homeschooling issue", "homeschooling problem"---I do get a bit defensive. 

 

These things happen to kids not homeschooling. There are already laws in place to try to protect children in general. I don't feel putting extra burdens on homeschoolers and presuming guilt before being proven innocent (so to speak) is very fair.

 

I feel that these people writing these blog posts should know this.

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l

I'm convinced from the bits I've read (and still reading off and on here) that this is possibly a situation of a group with certain motives (possibly politically) who have found a common theme to rally behind, and take all of the rest of us down with them.

As I mentioned much earlier in this thread, these are individuals with an axe to grind about the cultish churches/movements that they were raised within (which I can totally understand) and they are capitalizing on the suspicions that the general public have about homeschooling.

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I had a mega post going last night, but then a fussy baby landed in my lap, and I hit a wrong key, and *poof* there went my tab.

 

So sorry for the multiple posts. And sorry if I sound terse. I'm writing this all again. And, honestly, it isn't mentally healthy for me to get too personally involved in discussions on this topic. 

 

Right, but they need to support the prosecution of an abusive homeschool parent, rather than pretending that abuse never happens in homeschool families. 

 

ETA:  removed hyperbolical phrase that was probably a bit strong and added this link to HSLDA article "Spurious Abuse Claim Refuted."  Are all abuse claims against homeschool families "spurious," according to HSLDA?

 

I remember reading the HSLDA mag as a kid (my parents were members). I definitely got the sense that they think parents can never do wrong by their own children. Except to not homeschool them, of course. And CPS only exists to threaten parents of their God-given right to raise their kids however the heck they want. That a magazine with that message lands in the homes where there is manipulation, abuse, and neglect going on only makes those situations worse.

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Looks to me like a lot of grown brats who had some falling out with their parents about lifestyle and politics and decided to make a fancy website to share their collective temper tantrum with the world.

 

 

 

I know you and others have already commented more about this. But I just wanted to tell you that I find this comment hurtful. Really, really, really hurtful. You probably don't mean it that way, okay, but I'm just letting you know.

 

I work really hard to not be naive, to have self-confidence, to have basic social skills, to educate myself so that I'm not an embarrassment to myself. It's been a long and difficult journey. Please do not mistake my efforts as proof that I have never needed to make that effort.

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Again---I did well in spite of growing up in an abusive situation. But I still do NOT think it really fair for them to take their experiences and their overcoming of said experiences and attempting to set down guidelines for anyone else who is homeschooling.

 

Homeschoolers are just not a universal group. There is no one thing that anyone can point to and say "all homeschoolers do, say, believe, act, dress, discipline and so on xyz." Other than the fact that their kids are not in public school. Which one can't even say that considering many homeschoolers do have some children in B&M public or private schools.

 

Homeschooling is parenting. What they experienced was bad parenting. Plenty of public school children experience (and live to tell about it) bad parenting as well as a bad ps education. But I haven't seen any group yet of "I was parented badly, and abused and/or neglected so let's make all parents our special soapbox." I don't see "I failed school and had terrible teachers, so let's band together and condemn all public schools" groups. And like I said I'm still slowly trying to get up to speed here about this group. 

 

I'm convinced from the bits I've read (and still reading off and on here) that this is possibly a situation of a group with certain motives (possibly politically) who have found a common theme to rally behind, and take all of the rest of us down with them. 

 

They talk about laws, regulations, vaccinations???? (which has absolute zero to do with education) and wanting to have records kept, and background checks and so on.

 

Again if this were a simple case of a place for people who have been abused to find a place to share and have an outlet to share their stories, then all of that wouldn't be such a major push of the group.

 

Sometimes bad things happen and it's important to reevaluate laws. Sort of like gun control. But in this instance I feel that there isn't a universal "thing" that anyone but an ax to grind politically about homeschooling can find here to get behind.

 

Coming from someone who knows quite a few homeschool graduates (most of them Christian) who are happy, well-educated, and successful. And didn't have a hard time with their parents or family.

 

It's important not to forget that. I feel that the ones coming out of great family situations and going on to be successful adults are more numerous than the lens this particular group would like society to view homeschoolers.

 

 

Colleen, gently, did you even read any of their stories? If you did, you would know why they talk about records and vaccines. Some of them grew up so far off the grid that they have real problems getting any sort of Identification. One mom talks about how her one son will NEVER be able to get a passport, he just does not have enough forms of identification. This is a problem. And yes, it does relate to homeschooling, because doctor and school records would have helped provide proof of DOB. Please consider the issues these people have to deal with before you discount them as silly.

 

I'm sorry that you were abused. But how would you feel if your school education supported and encouraged your abuse? How would you feel if those who knew you were being abused told you that your parents were just a little lower than God so shut up? How would you feel if you were told to never think about what happened to you as abuse and never talk about it, so as to not besmirch the good name of Public Schooling? This is what these people need to deal with All. The. Time.

 

So, lots of people abuse their kids for various reasons. They're alcoholics, depressed, sociopaths, etc. It's sad, yes. But some of these people also use homeschooling to perpetuate their abuse and make it a million times worse. We are homeschoolers, if we aren't concerned about this, who the heck should be? The apathy and antagonism expressed on this thread is incredibly disappointing to me.

 

I mean, seriously, is it also logical to say, "Oh, my priest isn't a pedophile. There's lots of pedophiles in the world. So we don't need to change anything to make sure priests aren't pedophiles." Of course not! You try to keep your house clean. When someone is using your house to do something criminal you kick them out. You call the police on them. You put up safeguards to keep the criminals out in the future. No, you can't eradicate criminals everywhere, but you can do your darndest to KEEP YOUR OWN HOUSE CLEAN.

 

I'm not sure what legal measures would be effective. This girl believes that some regulation would have encouraged her parents to take some responsibility for her education. We can argue over the details, but the fact remains that she believes there needed to be something. We do need to take that seriously.

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As I mentioned much earlier in this thread, these are individuals with an axe to grind about the cultish churches/movements that they were raised within (which I can totally understand) and they are capitalizing on the suspicions that the general public have about homeschooling.

 

NO.

 

Please read this.

 

If you simply hand-wave this issue away you are an ENABLER of abuse. The "cultish churches" use homeschooling to advance their own agenda. People in their group must homeschool, whether they want to or are able to or even should or not. They get away with it because homeschooling is so unregulated, and when anyone questions what they do homeschooling they start yelling about their religious freedoms. They are intertwined, intimately. And everything that HSLDA and other major homeschooling publications and groups do reinforce this mentality.

 

This is what I mean about how the culture needs to change. We can't just think it doesn't effect us, or that it's not our issue. It is. And if we don't take care of our own house, then eventually things will get so bad someone will come in and clean it for us. We don't want that. So, for goodness sake, let's not bury our heads in the sand and blame the victims or try to pass it off as some agenda.

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Sarah, for those of us who have never known a soul on those churches, never belonged to a homeschool support group like that, or who have left it all behind to the point that the gothardites or pearlites we once knew are now separated from us as if by excommunication, this is not " our house."

 

How do you police people you don't know, or to whom you have no connection?

 

Warren Jeff's FLDS compound? Those children were being abused and isolated under the homeschool laws of their state. I daresay classical, non-FLDS homeschoolers in neighboring counties didn't even know about them and couldn't intervene. It was not their house. They were not their community.

 

I didn't grow up like this but I have known some families entrenched in these lifestyles. I did what I could for their dc, but for the most part when I found them I moved my family away from them. Sometimes at great cost and loss, when people choosing that path were family or close friends. I won't even go into all the pain implied in that simple sentence. But I have a no-cult policy as a standard for our family associations, for the protection of my own family...

 

So I am the enemy, as far as they're concerned. I'm not privy to secret conversations about abuse and neglect. I don't know what's going on in their homes, whether their children are sick or well, taught or not. I'm not in their homes and I'm not their friend, support group buddy, or fellow convention goer. I don't belong to churches where they would choose to worship.

 

They are not my community. I can't clean my house of something that is not in my house.

 

If you'll read my posts in this thread you'll see that my heart breaks for these young people. I am doing what I can by helping to increase awareness of the sphere of classical, academic home education that is not even a borderland to the culture we are discussing. I've taught my sons to recognize Gothardism and give it no quarter. I've given a calendar year of my time to tutor a young girl from this culture who needed some basic skills and education.

 

There is nothing more I can do that will actually help them. I'm not their community.

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NO.

 

Please read this.

 

If you simply hand-wave this issue away you are an ENABLER of abuse. The "cultish churches" use homeschooling to advance their own agenda. People in their group must homeschool, whether they want to or are able to or even should or not. They get away with it because homeschooling is so unregulated, and when anyone questions what they do homeschooling they start yelling about their religious freedoms. They are intertwined, intimately. And everything that HSLDA and other major homeschooling publications and groups do reinforce this mentality.

 

This is what I mean about how the culture needs to change. We can't just think it doesn't effect us, or that it's not our issue. It is. And if we don't take care of our own house, then eventually things will get so bad someone will come in and clean it for us. We don't want that. So, for goodness sake, let's not bury our heads in the sand and blame the victims or try to pass it off as some agenda.

I don't exactly agree with Crimsonwife, but I don't agree with this either. LOTS of homeschoolers are NOT intimately intwined with any of these groups, including HSLDA. The culture that is to blame here is one of fringe fundamental patriarchal Christianity. It is our issue the same way ALL children are our issue. We should protect all children, homeschooled, public schooled, whatever.

 

It's kindof like saying that because some kids who have been adopted are abused, we should get rid of adoption!

 

I think if a person grew up surrounded by fundamentalists that homeschool, they would certainly have the impression that that is what homeschooling is like. But I can assure you, there are plenty of us homeschoolers that do give vaccines, that do keep birth certificates, that are pushing our kids to fulfill their potential in every way imaginable. And some of us are flaming liberals. And some of us are both liberal and Christian.

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Colleen, gently, did you even read any of their stories? If you did...

 

...I'm sorry that you were abused. But how would you feel if your school education supported and encouraged your abuse? How would you feel if those who knew you were being abused told you that your parents were just a little lower than God so shut up? How would you feel if you were told to never think about what happened to you as abuse and never talk about it, so as to not besmirch the good name of Public Schooling? This is what these people need to deal with All. The. Time.

 

 

Hey, Sarah, I think you meant this reply for Walking-Iris, not me.  :)  No apology needed--I know you have a baby to care for--just thought I'd point it out in the interest of accuracy.  

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I had a mega post going last night, but then a fussy baby landed in my lap, and I hit a wrong key, and *poof* there went my tab.

 

So sorry for the multiple posts. And sorry if I sound terse. I'm writing this all again. And, honestly, it isn't mentally healthy for me to get too personally involved in discussions on this topic. 

 

 

I remember reading the HSLDA mag as a kid (my parents were members). I definitely got the sense that they think parents can never do wrong by their own children. Except to not homeschool them, of course. And CPS only exists to threaten parents of their God-given right to raise their kids however the heck they want. That a magazine with that message lands in the homes where there is manipulation, abuse, and neglect going on only makes those situations worse.

 

I appreciate hearing your perspective, Sarah.  Thanks for sharing your time and energy and experiences.  I know it's worthwhile to tell these stories, to shed some light on what is actually going on.  

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Sarah, for those of us who have never known a soul on those churches, never belonged to a homeschool support group like that, or who have left it all behind to the point that the gothardites or pearlites we once knew are now separated from us as if by excommunication, this is not " our house."

 

How do you police people you don't know, or to whom you have no connection?

 

Warren Jeff's FLDS compound? Those children were being abused and isolated under the homeschool laws of their state. I daresay classical, non-FLDS homeschoolers in neighboring counties didn't even know about them and couldn't intervene. It was not their house. They were not their community.

 

I didn't grow up like this but I have known some families entrenched in these lifestyles. I did what I could for their dc, but for the most part when I found them I moved my family away from them. Sometimes at great cost and loss, when people choosing that path were family or close friends. I won't even go into all the pain implied in that simple sentence. But I have a no-cult policy as a standard for our family associations, for the protection of my own family...

 

So I am the enemy, as far as they're concerned. I'm not privy to secret conversations about abuse and neglect. I don't know what's going on in their homes, whether their children are sick or well, taught or not. I'm not in their homes and I'm not their friend, support group buddy, or fellow convention goer. I don't belong to churches where they would choose to worship.

 

They are not my community. I can't clean my house of something that is not in my house.

 

If you'll read my posts in this thread you'll see that my heart breaks for these young people. I am doing what I can by helping to increase awareness of the sphere of classical, academic home education that is not even a borderland to the culture we are discussing. I've taught my sons to recognize Gothardism and give it no quarter. I've given a calendar year of my time to tutor a young girl from this culture who needed some basic skills and education.

 

There is nothing more I can do that will actually help them. I'm not their community.

 

Like I mentioned in a previous post of mine upthread, I have concerns that the majority of homeschoolers in my local area could possibly be like this, just from outside appearances, and possibly misunderstood as well. It would be SOOO easy to read these websites from this group and then to start thinking all kinds of possibly erroneous things about local homeschoolers. I don't think that would be fair to them either. To take some stories of abuse and place that on them without no other proof than their particular religious beliefs.

 

I read a bit more last night and read the Apostate article. Homeschoolers I know in from a co-op situation (that we no longer attend) exhibit some of these traits---only wearing dresses, not being allowed to cut hair, "betrothal" ceremonies for teen girls, etc. as well as the typical YEC persuasion and so on.

 

BUT I would have a serious crisis of conscience to say they are abusive based on those outside patriarchal Christian characteristics.

 

And obviously, as Tibbie has said here, I'm not in their home. Honestly I don't want to be. I don't feel it's my business, or CPS's business to be in their home just on profiling alone. Because I don't feel being a fundamentalist Christian, not wearing jeans or cutting hair or having large families is abusive. (Goodness I know hippie homeschoolers who are somewhat similiar!!!)  As sad as it is, I also don't feel teaching YEC is abusive.Their children are active in community sports, and seem very smart and sociable. 

 

I do get the feeling that non-Christian homeschoolers are slightly suspect. Parents who aren't professing Christians can't teach a class for example. So I wouldn't be able to say how they parent unless I started asking rude and intrusive questions. I do strongly support religious freedoms, and it could be a slippery slope when it starts getting assumed that anyone of this Christian persuasion are abusers or potential abusers.  

 

 

http://becomingworldly.wordpress.com/2013/11/07/what-you-should-know-about-model-homeschoolers-discipline/

 

This blog bothered me. Take the word "homeschooling" out of it and these people are describing what any person coming out of abuse would say. I understand they feel that the way they were homeschooled is wrapped up in the way they were abused, but I hold to my opinion that the issue wasn't homeschooling, but the way they were parented. Most adults coming out of abuse don't make the sort of jumps into blaming everyone of even the slightest similarity to their abuser as suspect like this group is doing. 

 

I feel it puts an unfair burden on the rest of homeschoolers (and I feel regular ordinary run of the mill homeschoolers are in the majority) to take the blame and responsibility for it. 

 

Maybe the leaders of these particular religious sects and teachings need to take the blame, but homeschoolers? Maybe other Christian homeschoolers need to "clean up house" and do their best to steer others away from these radical teachings, maybe church pastors not inclined this way need to "clean up house." Do I, as a secular non-Christian need to?---no. Do I need to accept more regulations?---no. And the priest example---the Catholic church is cleaning up its house, not me. 

 

I do understand that Christianity has some creepy nasty secrets at the bottom of a lot of it (is that really news?), and I would certainly step up and speak up if I personally saw abuse, but I generally refuse to be thrown into a panic by groups like this one who have underlying motives. 

 

ETA: and if we're going to condemn certain types of Christianity for certain characteristics that we see as abusive, we need to look at other religions that also have (or potentially have) various controlling aspects that could limit a child's choice. Do we tell the Muslim parent they are wrong for expecting or insisting their young daughter cover her hair? Do we tell the Rastafari mother she's wrong for not cutting her son's hair? Do we tell the Jewish mother she's wrong for insisting her daughter dress in the traditional modesty clothes? Is the HIndu mother wrong for arranging a future marriage? Again slippery slope if we're not clear what we are against here---abuse, homeschooling, or religion? So far this group seems to be against all three.

 

I'm seriously asking. Please someone link me to the "abuse" (other than corporeal punishment because yes I do feel those books that people are reading in this vein are terrible) because  I've read former homescholler's feelings about their parent's religion, and the dressing, not cutting hair, and betrothal ceremonies, and withholding documents. And yes I do disagree with all those things personally. But then again I'm not inclined to arrange a marriage for my daughter or insist my daughter cover her hair either.....

 

It's sad when a child loses their life---I've read the articles about the children who have died because of those discipline techniques that are read and taught. 

 

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There needs to be an independent state-level appeals process for parents (so that there is recourse in the event of any anti-homeschooling bias) as well as remediation plans put in place with a stricter level of oversight (and more outside help) made available to families where the test scores are quite low or portfolios notably bad. Then, if after remediation help, theyĂ¢â‚¬â„¢re still not doing their job, do what should be done with any consistently failing school Ă¢â‚¬â€œ shut it down and let the kids attend elsewhere.

 

This from your link about "this gir" Sarah W. Do you think I have a tin ear and cannot hear the rawness with which she described her mother playing the guitar and singing cheesy songs with such venom that you know she was wounded? You want to say I have a stone heart because I say her answer is wrong. She didn't make sure that her ideas fit the real world. She said that some oversight could have saved her; that's what you wanted us to see from her post. She said, "if we were tested and being neglected then the government could do what they do with all the other failing schools, shut it down and let the kids go elsewhere." Nice pontification, but she forgot to google. (Cont in next post)

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That's a good start to getting more info. I found this long list of individuals and organizations accused of associating with Doug Phillips, who was one of the biggest "patriarchy" teachers/promoters before his recent downfall. We received the Vision Forum catalog for years, until they finally figured out we weren't going to buy anything.

 

But there are other myths that I think lead into bad situations for homeschool families. What about "encouraging" a parent by saying something to the effect that no matter what we do in educating our children at home, it's better than sending them to public schools? A variation on this myth is that everyone can homeschool. It may be taken further to state, "All christians must homeschool." There are unfortunate side effects to this myth, like a mom with mental illness trying to homeschool her children. Or a family determined to homeschool even when it isn't working for a particular child.

 

.

Thank you for this list. The only 2 "names" on that list I have ever had any involvement with are Institute for Creation Research, and Hobby Lobby. I had heard of very few others before this thread got me interested in the issue, though I do remember people speaking in hushed horrified tones of cult leader "Bill Gotthard" back in the '80's.

 

I think that list is and example of the issue for us other homeschoolers. I have known hundreds of homeschoolers and had close friends who homeschooled for the last 25+ years. But I have never known people involved in the Christian Patriarchy movement. We have a huge homeschool population in our area, and though some of them are more "conservative" than others, none that I know are following the tenants of this movement. It is hard to know how to help, when you don't have any contact with these type of homeschoolers. The only reason I know they exist is because of encountering them on the internet. I think that is the case for a lot of people. Christian Patriarchy just doesn't have much presence anywhere I have lived.

 

Because of this thread I have been doing a lot of reading and studying about the Christian Patriarchy Movement. I do see how some of their teachings infiltrate circles I move in slightly. But a lot of that is semantics issues. When I say things like modesty, purity, and courtship; I actually mean something very different than Christian Patriarchy, but because I didn't know much about them I didn't realize we were using the same words with significantly different meanings. So I do see the opportunity to use better discernment and point these things out to my friends as we come across some of their materials. But that doesn't really help those trapped in the abusive situations.

 

I strongly believe legislation is a waste of time. Yet, growing up as a child of cult survivors, as a homeschooler, and as a Christian I would like to help. I am just not sure how.

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These state anecdotes align schools undergoing NCLB-mandated restructuring, the lawĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s most serious intervention, which follows five or more years of failing to meet minimum achievement targets. Of the schools required to restructure in 2004Ă¢â‚¬â€œ05, only 19 percent were able to shows that failing public schools have FIVE years to turn around before mandatory restructuring.

http://educationnext.org/the-turnaround-fallacy/

 

Five years would not have saved her. Five years later can not save any elementary school kid. This is according to NCLB, the strictest law yet that tries to save every kid and not let any fall behind. They allow an entire generation of elementary school kids go through all of elementary school before the failing school has to restructure. This could be five years for a middleschool, or five years for a highschool.

She mentioned going to school in ninth grade. (Here, anyway) Standardized testing does not start until third grade. Five years from 3rd grade is the earliest No Child Left Behind would have closed her failing homeschool, and she said she was in school by ninth grade.

 

Personally, I do agree that the fear of the test might have motivated her parents, but the law itself would not have done what she claims it would. (Shut down her failing homeschool)

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I mean, seriously, is it also logical to say, "Oh, my priest isn't a pedophile. There's lots of pedophiles in the world. So we don't need to change anything to make sure priests aren't pedophiles." Of course not! You try to keep your house clean. When someone is using your house to do something criminal you kick them out. You call the police on them. You put up safeguards to keep the criminals out in the future. No, you can't eradicate criminals everywhere, but you can do your darndest to KEEP YOUR OWN HOUSE CLEAN.

To continue the analogy, what the CHRE is advocating is for the civil authorities to treat ALL clergy members as potential pedophiles because a tiny (but well publicized) fraction are abusers and to have to put up with a lot of red tape that the true abusers probably wouldn't even comply with. Guilty until proven innocent.

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"This is not my issue.  I am not part of that community."  Tibbie is saying that, and others here are also saying that.  But I see two ways of saying it.  First is the person, like Tibbie, who is aware of the problem and shows concern and does what she can in her limited sphere.  Second is the person (there seem to be several) who is aware of the problem but rushes to give reasons why nothing should be done about it.  Ok, I understand that not everyone feels responsible for all children in the world.  However, the abuse we are talking about is helped along by many things.  Examples:  by myths such as the HSLDA magazines SarahW mentioned earlier;  if we refuse to admit that some homeschool families have problems; if we take a real relaxed attitude that implies it doesn't really matter if we work hard at our homeschooling or not.

 

So, if you aren't going to support the idea of "doing something" to combat homeschool abuse (I'm not talking about regulation necessarily), at least, please, don't go on trying to save the reputation of home education by belittling or denying the problems that do exist.  Please don't sound as if we shouldn't even be talking about this.  Please be realistic about the educational method you are trying to protect and do your part not to perpetuate myths about it.  

 

And please be respectful of those who lived through some horrendous situations.  If you really can't see anything you can do to promote a homeschool atmosphere or culture that would encourage families to treat their children with decency, at least don't attack the graduates who are telling their stories.

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When I say things like modesty, purity, and courtship; I actually mean something very different than Christian Patriarchy, but because I didn't know much about them I didn't realize we were using the same words with significantly different meanings. So I do see the opportunity to use better discernment and point these things out to my friends as we come across some of their materials. 

 

Exactly a27mom.  

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I do think it is more than just a personal failure on the part of the individual parents, but rather a community failure on the part of some cultlike churches and interdenominational movements within Christianity. The abuse and neglect stem from ideological beliefs ("spare the rod, spoil the child" with a literal interpretation of "rod" as a stick to beat the child with).

 

I think we should be careful about pushing all stories of homeschool neglect/abuse into a certain category of church or belief system.  Many of the stories on HA do include references to abusive groups (whether a church or a parachurch ministry), but many don't.  Some could have been in mainline denominations.  From what we know about abuse, it crosses all boundaries, doesn't it, whether ethnicity or income or religion?  

 

The group started with friends in christian circles who found out they had similar experiences.  That doesn't mean no abuse exists in homeschools outside of those circles.  

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One story I find unusual* on HA is Samantha Field's.  In this section, she writes about what her high school education was like.  Independently working through textbooks, some of them poorly written.  That may not be typical of the parents on this forum, but we probably all know families who do something similar to the Field family.  I think we can do better by encouraging other families to aim high in their academic expectations (within reason).  

 

ETA:  *The reason I say it's unusual on HA is because it doesn't focus on extreme examples of abuse.

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I think we should be careful about pushing all stories of homeschool neglect/abuse into a certain category of church or belief system.

Actually, I don't. I fully believe there are young adults out there whose secular hippie "unschooling" parents totally neglected their education to the point where that has caused the young adults to struggle. But I'm not seeing those kinds of stories on HA or CHRE. If the founders of these websites are claiming their beef is not about growing up inside of a cultish church/movement within Christianity, then they need to find a far more diverse group of ex-homeschoolers.

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If you really can't see anything you can do to promote a homeschool atmosphere or culture that would encourage families to treat their children with decency, at least don't attack the graduates who are telling their stories.

 

 

 

Constructive criticism of the flaws of their half-baked plans is not an attack, it's a democracy. They're not posting plans to promote decent treatneng of childrenm they're promoting half-baked legislation ideas that need a lot of research and polishing. Be back after lunch to pist about charities that help families refrain from child abuse and about government initiatives to get everyone in college that Michelle Obamas championing now, along with khan academy, that help ambitious young adults whose parents dropped the ball somehow.
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Sorry for this rabbit trail, but this goes to the subthread that's already here about my ressponsibility to clean up my house, my responsibility for the kids in it, and to what extent, and also what defines my house. I was trying to look up a local ministry that has a van that drives around Laredo with the slogan hands are not for hitting painted on the side and a phone number to call with counselors that help families do better. I have noticed it, but I have forgotten the name of the charity. Instead, this cnn report came up first on Laredo. http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/06/justice/teen-cartel-killers/

Where is this teen's blog? Okay, that was snarky. But he is in "my house", or my local community. I hear more stories like this than I do of abused homeschoolers. I also hear of kids fighting over a bag of Doritos for dinner, but the mothers got their hairs and nails done at the salon. I think I'm right to take offence when you (a few posters) say I (and a few other posters) are heartless (in not so many words) for reading the stories and not shaking our heads and clucking and saying something, anything must be done. It's the word "anything" in that sentence that we are objecting to. Any old thing that sounds good is not necessarily a good plan. I, and a few others, have said that a good plan would be for all children of crappy parents. I see statements made that legislation must be made for homeschoolers, but none of the ideas anyone has come up with yet wouldn't apply equally to other children. The example above that "they should close down failing homeschools" doesn't apply to other children if a failing school has five years to turn around. A whole group of kids is through th school within those five years. Those individuals were just as failed as these individual homeschoolers. You can turn that around and brush it away as the old "comparing ourselves to poor public schools", like every other arguement is brushed off as sounding similar to some cliche' you've heard before. Some in this thread say homeschoolers should feel a special responsibility for other homeschoolers, and some say "no more than for all the other kids in the world."

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Next is the government initiative that I think really will do something for the kids who never had a chance because of crummy parenting. This goes back to what Crimson Wife said many pages back about a workable solution being to make a better safety net for young adults to integrate into society if theyfell through the cracks as a child. This solution "does the most good" because it's for all kids who fell through the cracks, not just homeschoolers!(except maybe kids of gangster parent or the ones the cartels got ahold of). Sorry to paste a whole e-mail, but I got the email from a gov.com newsletter subscription. I've looked online and can't find it onlineto link to it. You might have seen the Khan Academy commercials on tv advertising it. Basically the government is trying to work with the college board to try to get free tuition for students who cannot afford it. Doesn't this sound like it would help homeschool kids whose parents wouldn't help them? Along with all the other kids that fell through the cracks?

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Hello, all --

 

Today, I met a young man named Troy.

 

Troy comes from New Orleans, where his family lived through the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He couldn't read until he was twelve, and would regularly cut school because the other students would tease him. When he did attend, he'd shove desks, start fights -- anything to get him out of class.

 

But then Troy saw his younger siblings start down a similar path. And he decided to make a change. He connected with his fifth-grade teacher, and enrolled in a program called the Urban League College Track. With the support of College Track and his teachers, he worked hard and made his way into high school -- and today, he's a sophomore at Bard College, studying American Literature.

 

There are a lot of kids like Troy out there -- kids with all the potential in the world -- but far too many of them are slipping through the cracks. They're not making their way to college -- maybe because their parents never went, or because they've never been encouraged to believe they could succeed there.

 

It's on all of us to help change that.

 

That's why today, Barack and I hosted college and university presidents, business leaders, philanthropists, and representatives from organizations around the country who are helping more of our kids see their potential and pursue their education. They're helping them navigate the financial aid and college admissions process. They're working with them to find schools that match their ability and interests. And they've made real, concrete commitments to help make college a reality for more kids.

 

And here's the thing: You don't have to be a university president or an executive to do that. There is something that each and every one of us can do in our communities to help make sure our kids realize their potential and make their way into higher education. That could mean having a conversation with a young neighbor or a relative, serving as a mentor, or volunteering at a local high school to help students fill out their college applications.

 

So I'm asking you today to make a commitment of your own -- and learn more about the commitments that universities and organizations from around the country are making, too.

 

I'm passionate about helping our young people because I see my story in theirs.

 

Neither of my parents graduated from college, but they always encouraged me to pursue my education and told me that college was possible. And I know that there are so many kids out there just like me: kids who have a world of potential but need some encouragement and support to make it through college.

 

That's why I was so inspired by some of the commitments I learned about today.

 

Universities are taking steps like helping underserved students with financial literacy, or finding innovative ways for academic advisors to better support students who could use a helping hand. And many colleges are working with organizations like the Posse Foundation to give kids the social and academic support they'll need to graduate.

 

These kinds of programs aren't just good for these young people. They're good for all of us. Because after everything these kids will have overcome to get to college -- and get through college -- they'll have all the skills they need to thrive in our businesses, and law firms, and labs. And that's not just good for them and their families, it's good for their communities and our country. That's why Barack is working every single day to expand opportunities to every single young person in America. And that's why we're working to rally the country around his "North Star" goal Ă¢â‚¬â€œ that by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.

 

Reaching that goal begins with each of us doing our part as parents, students, educators, and citizens.

 

We can all help a young person realize his or her potential, so I hope you'll learn more about the commitments that organizations and schools around the country are making -- and then make a commitment of your own:

 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/college-opportunity

 

Thanks in advance for everything you will do on behalf of America's young people.

 

First Lady Michelle Obama

 

 

 

 

 

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I support this movement even though I've heard and agree with the sentiment that "not everybody should go to college and that will just water down college." Well, we'll just have to invent somethingnew and better for the academics because this is a great safety net for many ofthose falling through the cracks to integrate into society.

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Thank you for this list. The only 2 "names" on that list I have ever had any involvement with are Institute for Creation Research, and Hobby Lobby.

I had noooo idea Hobby Lobby was religiously affiliated. Not that I've ever actually shopped there, but that was a surprise.

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I feel saying we all need to take responsibility for the types of things this Coalition is saying IS in fact perpetuating homeschool myths. 

 

The myth that homeschooler's in general are of a right wing, Christian persuasion. And it is a myth. And I feel it harms the homeschooling movement in general in the public eye to continue to be associated as such. So as interesting as I feel the books like Quiverful may be---there needs to be a qualifier in the public eye that these people are the MINORITY. So I do take issue with someone writing a blog that "model homeschoolers" somehow have some secret thing to hide. Because the majority of homeschoolers don't.

 

And that's not blindly defending homeschooling, that's just the truth. And all someone knows is that homeschooling is xyz then it can be shocking to realize it's very different.

 

Already too often people have an erroneous view that homeschooling in general means this---this religious nonsense. 

 

I do my best to be outspoken about what we do---so that when people do hear these sorts of things and start to think homeschooling may be this---they can remember "oh no it's not."

 

It's the same argument as public school being a yucky place to send kids. Some schools yes. But certainly not all, and certainly not the majority.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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