From: dal3@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (dale.e.parson)
Newsgroups: misc.education
Subject: Re: Homeschooling
Date: 17 Apr 92 15:17:43 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T

In article <1992Apr16.204459.21622@midway.uchicago.edu> casey@chsun1.spc.uchicago.edu (Katherine Casey) writes:
>
>>Personal Opinion:
>>Parents who indulge in 'homeschooling' are guilty of child abuse.
>>Very rarely are they qualified to teach. Even more infrequently can they  
>>provide an education that comes close to what is provided in public schools.
>>(I'll admit to a bias here - Iowa schools are better than average.)
>>The real reasons for home schooling seem to be racism, religous bigotry, or  
>>laziness on the part of the parents. (they want the children at home to act as  
>>their slaves)
>>Although there may be some cases that require home schooling, necessity does  
>>not seem to be a common reason that is given. The local home schoolers group  
>>seems to think that schooling can be acomplished in 20 min to two hours per  
>>day.
>>If these people were really concerned with educating their children, they would  
>>send them to public schools and then supplement their education on weekends and  
>>on vacations.
>>Of the homeschoolers that I know, one family has had a son refuse to obey his  
>>parents, run away from home, and begin hang out with the local street gang.
>>Another family has had a 13 yr old daughter attempt suicide. (She said that she  
>>didn't have any friends and that her parents didn't like her.)
>>OK, so that can happen to kids who attend public schools too, but I think that  
>>these children would have had a better chance if they had public school  
>>education and had access to the resources of the public education system.
>>We don't need more people who will be a burden on society.
>>You should also note that in today's job market, a GED certificate may be a  
>>mark against you when applying for a job.  It indicates that although you may  
>>have the knowledge, you were not reliable enough to attend school on a regular  
>>basis.  Unless you have a real high school diploma, you may even have trouble  
>>finding a job flipping burgers.  
>>
>>Disclaimer: This has been a personal opinion. Flames will be ignored.
>
>You say flames will be ignored, but I will flame anyway.  
>
>You must be *incredibly* ignorant to post on a subject you obviously know 
>*nothing* about!  I can't tell you how PISSED I am at what you said because
>to do so would be a waste of my time.  I can tell you know *nothing* about
>homeschooling.  Please keep your "personal opionions" to yourself in the
>future.
>
>
>-- 
>-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
>Katherine Casey		  		  casey@chsun1.uchicago.edu

As a homeschooling parent I, too, was tempted to make a first-order,
emotional reply to the above post, but being all too aware of the
persistent subculture of inane denizens with a penchant for broadcasting
ill-informed slander on this ether, I stayed the typing fingers for a
day and went on to more productive activities. My only concern was
that yet another opportunity for intelligent and useful discussion was
being ruined by the rantings of yet another goof.

I was reminded of an old Zen Buddhist monk-novice dialog that I read
about 20 years ago. I don't remember the details, but it went something
like this:

The novice reported to the monk: I have attained true enlightment.

Monk: What you have attained is a farce.

The novice becomes upset, at which point the monk smiles & says:

If you cannot tolerate even a puff of wind from an old anus such as
myself, how can you purport to have attained enlightenment?

It is occasionally necessary to tolerate the odd puff of wind from an
anus in dealing with network exchanges.

And finally, to borrow from Pee Wee Herman:
That's what you are, but what am I?


Dale Parson, Bell Labs

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
|    "These words are too solid, they don't move fast enough           |
|     to catch the blur in the brain that flies by, and is gone..."    |
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
|     Suzanne Vega                                                     |
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.education