From: athena@cheshire.oxy.edu (Staci Ann Waldroop)
Subject: Re: Education and the Environment by Gregory A. Smith
Organization: Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA 90041 USA.
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 22:22:40 GMT

In article <scottj-110193152800@iamac-1.dml.georgetown.edu> scottj@magic.dml.georgetown.edu (John L. Scott) writes:
>
>"[T]hough it may be the best for [my] kids," I should forgo homeschooling
>in favor of satisfying my "responsibilities to [my] fellow human beings." 
>What you are suggesting is that I sacrifice my children for the good of
>society.  I do not think that is moral.
>
>From your earlier posts, I gather that you believe homeschooling should not
>be allowed, because we should all stay in the school system and work to
>make it better for everybody.  Please correct me if I am wrong about that.
>
>Whether or not it is the one you take, I think that stand is immoral
>because it is based on the initiation (or the threat of initiation) of
>force.  You (presumably) want to *force* me to leave my kids in the
>government schools in order to *coerce* me to work to change those schools.
> In effect, my children would be hostages to the system, with my labor as
>the ransom.  Actually, prisoners would be the more accurate term, since no
>amount of "ransom" would release them.  The best I could hope for is to
>marginally improve the prison conditions until their sentences were up. 
>I've put it strongly, but I think this is the moral character of this
>proposal.
>
>Since almost all parents do send their kids to public school, and since the
>schools are currently in a sorry state, your plan doesn't work anyway.
>
>--John L. Scott

I don't know what you believe my plan is. I can tell you that it is not to 
refuse anyone the right to keep their children out of school! That is a viable
option and as this is a democracy (at least last I checked), you have every
right to homeschool.  This is merely a discussion here...I am not trying to
legislate your rights away as you seem to think!  Homeschooling is your right, 
all I am saying is that **I** think even those outside of the system should
get involved. This doesn't mean radical activism-- I am far from radical 
myself.  What I am asking for is for you to speak your mind. Go to SPI meetings
or local PTA meetings and let your voice be heard. Write to your represen-
tatives at all levels of government and tell them what you think is wrong and
what you think should be done.  Make sure that you vote in EVERY election, and 
encourage others to do so.  These are minor things I ask and this is what I 
mean by responsibility...not going to some strangers house and escorting their
child to school or forcing someone to send their kid to school when they want
to homeschool them.  When I call for social responsibility, I mean not ignoring
a situation just because you are able to avoid it.

As far as your views on multi-culturalism go, I don't disagree with you.  It is
my believe that your views are the goal of the whole multi-cultural movement.
The problem is that there are so many out there who react to "difference" with
fear instead of understanding.  If an institution such as Occidental College 
can help young people coming from very diverse cultures acknowledge the value 
of each other, then that is great.  I think it is a shame, however, if in 
encouraging people to judge on individual capabilities, you ignore the richness
of one's background.  There are so many cultures out there that I know nothing 
about!  I will never know all of them, but by thinking "multiculturally," I 
believe that I am prepared to learn from any culture I may come upon.  For me, 
I think it is great getting to know where those who have gone before me come 
from...I would not give up the Swedish traditions in my family for anything 
(lefsa's just too damn good!), and I try to share my own personal culture with
anyone who will listen and try to learn.  It is great that you wish to teach
your children to accept all people without prejudice, but I think they are 
missing a lot if you don't encourage them to learn about other cultures, or 
even about their own (whether you call it WASP or just plain old American 
culture).  

		Staci Waldroop
		Occidental College
		Los Angeles, CA
		English and Comparative Literary Studies
		athena@cheshire.oxy.edu


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