PeachyDoodle Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 So I am seeing a ton of angst on Facebook over this homeschooling conference coming up at Harvard in June: Homeschooling Summit: Problems, Politics, and Prospects for Reform And frankly, I'm desperate to talk/think about pretty much anything that isn't virus-related at this point. So what's your take? Is this something to keep on our collective homeschooling radar? Cause for hue and cry and organized protest? A big, juicy nothingburger? Distract me with your opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hadley Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 (edited) Wow. Creepy. It is very concerning that it is “ invitation only”. I hope it is a “big nothingburger”, but I do know that some people do think that children belong to the state. Scary stuff. Edited March 28, 2020 by Hadley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeartString Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 (edited) I find it concerning. Most of the people represented on that panel seem to be anti-homeschooling. Many of them seem to equate homeschooling with religious extremism and abuse. Edited March 28, 2020 by Cnew02 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 1 minute ago, Cnew02 said: I find it concerning. Most of the people represented on that panel seem to be anti-homeschooling. They are. This is not a friendly gathering to discuss all sides of homeschooling. It’s an anti-homeschooling gathering focused on how to regulate homeschooling. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jentrovert Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 Just glancing over it, it sounds like the opinions they will be considering are those of experts who see the worst cases of child neglect and the worst homeschooling families. Hardly representative. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeartString Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 2 minutes ago, sassenach said: 5 minutes ago, Cnew02 said: They are. This is not a friendly gathering to discuss all sides of homeschooling. It’s an anti-homeschooling gathering focused on how to regulate homeschooling I’m not even against some regulation to be honest. The agenda for this panel isn’t regulating homeschools, it’s regulating it to the point of non existence. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 Have we talked about that group for "Responsible Home Education" here before? I believe that group was started by people who grew up in early, quiverful-type religious homeschooling families where the goal of homeschooling was not education, but keeping children away from the evils of the world. Many of them seem to believe the type of homeschooling they received (abusive, misogynist,ripe with educational neglect, isolationist, controlling) is what most homeschooling is like. They probably wouldn't recognize what most of the people here do as homeschooling. Yes, I know there is probably some abuse and educational neglect in the homeschool community, but I don't think it's any more common than abuse and neglect in public school students and those children aren't always saved from abuse either. I do think we should be a bit concerned about the summit because the people at that event are trying to present homeschooling in the worst possible way and their goal is to increase regulation. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hadley Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 (edited) Sadly, I find this type of echo-chamber all too common in higher education. I would love to say that in all my years of teaching in a public high school, I never saw a case of abuse. I’d love to say that when I did see a problem with a student, I was able to provide a real solution for their plight. Truly, I’d love to say that schools saved those children. But we didn’t. I don’t think these people truly believe that schools are a panacea either. I think they are more concerned about those of us who successfully homeschool our Christian children. It’s our success that terrifies them. I’m coming back to add that I have no problem with some regulation of Homeschoolers, but I think we must be very careful where that line is drawn, lest it become a moving target. Edited March 28, 2020 by Hadley 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted March 28, 2020 Author Share Posted March 28, 2020 That group has been the topic of some discussion here in the past. While their experiences are certainly worthy of consideration, I would have hoped that most reasonable people would have agreed that they are unlikely to be the common homeschool experience. I am a bit dismayed to see that the conference appears to be extremely biased in one direction. I am not opposed to some regulation of homeschoolers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeartString Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 I clicked on the agenda published from that link. It’s basically 1) homeschooling today, 2)the parents rights movement 3) problems with homeschooling 4) how to regulate it 5)litigation strategies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 (edited) I read Elizabeth Bartholet's article when it came out some months ago. I thought her critique was very dated and the proposed solutions untethered to current realities. I know her and her work a bit; homeschooling has never been her area of expertise (she specializes in adoption law) and it showed in the article. The conference seems weirdly limited. Harvard has an entire school of education -- nobody from there has anything to contribute on this topic? Really, I think this is just one person's baby -- it's structured around her paper and sponsored by the entity she helms. I can't see it drawing much of an audience, even in a world not ravaged by a pandemic. Speaking of which, I highly, highly doubt this conference is going to happen in person, at least. Nobody is booking trips to attend June conferences in Cambridge right now. My money is on this being moved to Zoom, if it happens at all. Edited March 28, 2020 by JennyD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 1 minute ago, JennyD said: (And if it is, I will attend.) It is by invitation only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 (edited) 22 minutes ago, Meriwether said: It is by invitation only. I can get an invitation. However, as someone upthread noted, this conference -- in the unlikely event it does happen -- is going to seem incredibly beside the point after millions of kids around the world just had their schools shut down for months. Thinking more about it now, I really think it will be cancelled. Edited March 28, 2020 by JennyD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted March 28, 2020 Author Share Posted March 28, 2020 26 minutes ago, JennyD said: I can get an invitation. Do you happen to have a link to her article, or the title? I agree that it does seem weirdly limited. This is one reason why I don't think it is the threat some folks seem to think it is. If it does happen, and if you are able to go, I would love to hear a fly-on-the-wall report! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 1 hour ago, JennyD said: I can get an invitation. That's cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 There's more than 1 Harvard professor home schooling their own children; it's interesting that those names are not the speaker list, isn't it? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Lucy the Valiant said: There's more than 1 Harvard professor home schooling their own children; it's interesting that those names are not the speaker list, isn't it? I've always thought of Harvard as an institution being quite homeschool friendly. I'm local, and I know a bunch of homeschoolers who've used Harvard Extension and their HSSP programs (my own kids did the latter more than once), and also know at least a few who have been admitted to the actual college... Edited March 29, 2020 by Matryoshka 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 2 minutes ago, Matryoshka said: I've always thought of Harvard as an institution being quite homeschool friendly. I'm local, and I know a bunch of homeschoolers who've used Harvard Extension and their HSSP programs (my own kids did the latter more than once), and also know at least a few who have been admitted to the actual college... Yes. And I'd have a lot more respect for a "home schooling conference" there that included THESE perspectives as well as the ones listed on the linked agenda sheet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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